Following one of the deadliest Memorial Day holiday weekends ever, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is reinforcing the need for motorists to drive belted, safe and sober during the Independence Day weekend.

Last week started warm and humid, but a strong cool front came through the night of June 26, bringing some Jonathan Cohenmuch-needed rain and much-appreciated cooler and drier weather with dew points in the 50s and even upper 40s.

From readers
LATE MOWERS
Rant: “Here it is, 9 p.m., and my neighbor is just starting to mow. The mower is big enough to cut golf courses, so you know how loud it is for us. What’s the deal? Maybe because they don’t need to get up at 5 a.m., they don’t see the need to be considerate to those who do? How about starting at 8 p.m. or even 7 p.m.?”
POOLS OF THANKS

The Prior Lake Police Department responded to the following incidents between June 17 and 30. This is not a comprehensive list of all incidents to which the department responded.

Accidents

Family would
like bikes
returned
To the people who took our bikes on June 24-25: I hope whoever took our bikes during the night or early morning enjoys them. I want you to know that the men’s bike you took was a Father’s Day gift to my husband and he got to ride it two times.

A new Minnesota law requiring boaters to stay clear of enforcement watercraft with their emergency lights flashing goes into effect today, July 1.

The so-called move-over law is intended to provide the same protection for watercraft enforcement officers as similar laws do for police, State Patrol and other emergency response personnel, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Although most property owners are now seeing their estimated values fall on county valuation notices, there are exceptions, notably along the lakeshore in Prior Lake.

Not satisfied with answers given at their city or township panels, 10 property owners appealed valuations last week to the Scott County Board of Appeals and Equalization. Half of the complaints dealt with lakeshore properties in Prior Lake.

The Prior Lake Fire Department responded to the following fire and medical calls from June 21 to 27: 

Sunday, June 21

No calls.

Monday, June 22

City Council members will begin discussing spending cuts for the 2010 budget tonight during a workshop.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. today, Monday, June 29, for a special meeting to reconsider authorization of a cable TV franchise agreement with Integra Telecom and to discuss the zoning ordinance. The budget workshop will immediately follow the meeting.

The meeting and workshop are open to the public.

Fireworks fans can take their pick of displays planned for Saturday, July 4 in Prior Lake.

First, the Prior Lake Association will present its annual fireworks display from Watzl’s Beach in Lakefront Park, beginning just after 10 p.m. Spectators can watch from anywhere in the park. The beach area will be closed starting at noon that day, and boat traffic will be kept from the launch site to accommodate safe setup.