By Mathias Baden, Correspondent 

Six-foot-high flames leapt from the burner, and temperatures rose by hundreds of degrees, simulating a fire at a warehouse or a big-box retail store. But a person standing upright at the entrance to the concrete and iron tower in Sand Creek Township, near Jordan, wouldn’t necessarily know.

The Scott County Board last week raised the salary of its top employee by 4 percent.

County Administrator Dave Unmacht will now earn $136,245, as well as a continuance of his $300-per-month car allowance.

Last year, he received a 5.7-percent raise.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) released a new report on mortgage fraud May 13.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

The Dakota County Attorney’s Office amended the criminal charges that were filed on April 25 in connection with the fatal hit and run that killed Carlos Noriega of Prior Lake in the parking lot of the Event Center in Burnsville on April 5.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer

Avis Johnson, 74, said she was sleeping soundly when she was awoken by a man digging through her dresser drawers. Johnson said when she awoke, she made eye contact with the man, who was wearing a bandana over his face and had “a crazed look in his eye.”

By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

Newly hired superintendent Sue Ann Gruver will get a higher salary and more incentive pay than current superintendent Tom Westerhaus, according to salary contract details approved by the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board Monday.

By Lori Carlson, Editor 

It’s not just about a home’s valuation. It’s about a home’s valuation compared to other homes in the area. That’s the message Scott County Assessor’s Office staff brought to residents during a public hearing on property assessments Monday.

Scott County has secured another 50 acres to add to Doyle-Kennefick Regional Park.

The county has made a $1.2 million conditional purchase of land along the northwestern side of St. Catherine’s Lake in Cedar Lake Township. The purchase was approved last week by the Scott County Board.