editorials

Even the people most directly involved with Farmington’s effort to get a special session of the Minnesota Legislature held in town will tell you it’s a long shot. First of all, there needs to be a special session. And while there has been talk of one, it’s not a sure thing. Second,...

There have been plenty of new parks in Farmington and Rosemount over the years. New developments go up, and green space goes along with them. Playgrounds and slides and basketball courts provide places for neighborhood kids to play. It’s been a while, though, since either city...

The front page of this week’s edition is something of a study in contrasts. Two of the four stories focus on the good that can happen in a community. The other two cover somewhat less pleasant subject matter. One story is about Art Blast, a first-year effort to bring a week of...

The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District is taking its time as it considers the future of technology in its classrooms. It put together a task force last year. This year it has what it’s calling beta teams to serve as a kind of high-tech guinea pig. And perhaps, somewhere...

Last week in this space we talked in general terms about all there is to do this summer in Farmington and Rosemount. In the week ahead we have two prime examples. One is familiar, at least to Farmington residents. The other is brand new. Farmington’s Dew Days officially kicked...

The school year has ended, or is about to, for students in the Farmington and Rosemount school districts. Which means this week there are probably a lot of young people complaining there is nothing to do in their city. It’s a ridiculous notion, of course. Though Farmington and...

On Friday night Farmington High School will send its latest group of graduates out into whatever world awaits them. A day later, Rosemount High School will do the same. Freshly-minted graduates will enter the next phase of their lives filled with excitement and uncertainty in roughly...

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of high school sports in Farmington and Rosemount. Consider: In the past week the Farmington and Rosemount boys track teams won conference titles, in the process setting a series of personal bests, team records and conference meet records. In Farmington’s...

Tip411 won’t serve every crime problem in Farmington. It doesn’t allow the kind of short-turnaround response that 911 does. It’s a more challenging way to hold a conversation than face-to-face or over the phone. But it’s still an interesting tool. The system, introduced recently...

If you are reading this editorial, it’s probably not meant for you. Which makes it just a little problematic. If you’re reading this editorial, after all, you’re likely the kind of person who who keeps up on what’s going on in your city. You’re reading your local paper,...

With the weather seemingly ready to leave behind gloom and rain for some real springtime sun, the prospect of getting outside and exploring is about to get a whole lot more appealing. That’s good news, because there is plenty to explore in Farmington and Rosemount. At the most...

Any Boy Scout worth his merit badges will tell you about the importance of being prepared. So will emergency responders in Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Alabama. Communities in those states and a few others have been reminded of destruction a severe storm can cause. They were...

It can be easy to forget as Farmington and Rosemount start to look more and more like suburbs, but there is still a significant amount of undeveloped space in this part of Dakota County. Much of that land is still being used as farmland, but there are some valuable natural resources...

Under ideal circumstances, the maps available now to Farmington residents and soon to Rosemount residents through a new system called RaidsOnline would be the most boring maps you could read outside of North Dakota. The system, being put into use by several police departments in Dakota...

The Rosemount Area Hockey Association’s recent push for a second sheet of indoor ice is nothing new. As cities like Rosemount and Farmington grow, so do their hockey programs. And while there are numerous places for other sports to play — every school in the city has a gym for...