James Arthur Ray, the leader of a sweat lodge ceremony that turned deadly in northern Arizona last October, will have his day in court Aug. 31.

In addition to setting a trial date on Wednesday, Yavapai County Superior Judge Warren Darrow also ruled that the autopsy photos and reports of the three people who died as a result of the sweat lodge ceremony will remain under a court-ordered seal, according to media reports.

By Lori Carlson, Editor 

The imminent threat of state budget cuts is leading Prior Lake officials to raise gate fees for the city’s annual Cleanup Day.

The Prior Lake Fire Department responded to the following fire and medical calls from March 7 to 13: 

Sunday, March 7

No calls.

Monday, March 8

The Prior Lake Police Department responded to the following incidents between March 3 and 17. This is not a comprehensive list of all incidents to which the department responded.

Accidents

Jane Horn's Prior Lake gardens are featured on the "Better Homes and Gardens" Web site, the Internet home of the popular lifestyle magazine. The self-taught gardener offers tips on a range of issues, including plant choice and how to cultivate a luscious landscape.

The "Better Homes and Gardens" feature isn't the first time Horn, a Scott-Carver Master Gardener, has shared her yard space with the public. In July 2009 she hosted a public viewing of her garden, with proceeds going to support the Piper Breast Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

By Meryn Fluker, Staff Writer

A standing-room-only crowd of about 50 people filled the room Monday during a public hearing on the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District’s recently proposed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

Some attendees wielded band instruments while others wore bright, yellow stickers proclaiming “Synergy is important.” Many members of the audience did both.

By Lori Carlson, Editor
A Haitian pastor who worked closely with Prior Lake church missionaries was killed Friday in a confrontation with burglars in his Port-au-Prince home, Holy Cross Lutheran Church Rev. Robert Nowak confirmed on Monday.

Nowak – president of the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society – had worked with the Rev. Doris Jean Louis during mission trips to Haiti, including the January trip in which the Holy Cross missionaries got caught amidst that country’s Jan. 12 earthquake.

Prior Lake City Council members will meet today at 4:30 p.m. for a workshop on fund balance reserves.

Finance Director Jerilyn Erickson will ask city leaders to consider adopting policies for minimum fund balances and classifications of different fund types.

Members of the community will have a chance to voice their concerns tonight at the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board meeting, where the board will host a public hearing regarding the district's proposed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

At the board's February 22 meeting, Director of Business Affairs Margo Nash unveiled a list of planned budget cuts totaling $3.7 million. These reductions include cutting 22.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions and eliminating the Synergy program for gifted and talented students at Prior Lake High School.

By Meryn Fluker, Staff Writer

On March 4, less than two months after applying for the program, Minnesota was left off the U.S. Department of Education’s list of finalists for Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion effort to re-shape America’s educational system.

To receive the funds if their states were selected, local school districts were asked to submit a memorandum of agreement to their state departments of education. The Prior Lake-Savage Area School District was among the Minnesota districts to sign on for Race to the Top.