Editorial

When Last Hope got its start nearly 30 years ago there wasn’t much to the organization. Founder Bev Orr grew up with an interest in helping animals, and Last Hope, a no-kill animal rescue, was her way of following through. Back in the early days there were maybe 20 or 30 volunteers...

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...

North Trail Elementary School principal Steven Geis has a problem when he talks to other principals about the guardian angel who has adopted his school. Inevitably, the people in his audience want to know how they can go about recruiting their own guardian angel. And Geis doesn’t...

A few weeks ago we wrote in this space about the benefits of making cities like Farmington and Rosemount friendlier to bikers. Encouraging people to bike around town rather than hop in the car every time they need to run an errand provides a natural form of exercise, and it allows...

It's a little bit strange to watch armed police officers storm into a school room you know well. Rosemount High School's performing arts center has seen its share of intense drama over the years, but the kind of playacting that took place there last Tuesday and Thursday was something...

It's State of the City season in Farmington and Rosemount. Rosemount mayor Bill Droste was scheduled to give his annual address Wednesday morning, right about the time this issue was going to print. Farmington Mayor Todd Larson will give his next Wednesday. There isn't usually a...

Opening a business is a big step, and for someone who is new to the process, it can be nerve-wracking in the best of times, frightening and frustrating at the worst. That's why we're excited about Open to Business, a new service offered in Farmington thanks to a partnership between...

As we put the finishing touches on this week's Independent many of our readers are probably gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season in their own particular way. They are eating big meals and sharing gifts. They are enjoying togetherness and, we hope, generally...

Farmington residents have some big decisions to make in the near future. On Nov. 6 local voters will choose two city council members and three school board members. They will elect a Minnesota Representative, a Minnesota Senator, a U.S. Representative and a county commissioner, all...

On Monday night, three Farmington High School students talked to the District 192 school board about all of the things going on this week for Homecoming. It's an impressive list, and it's one in which FHS students can take some genuine pride. For that matter, so can the rest of the...

If anyone had asked us, we probably could have told them back at the beginning what would come of the city of Farmington's investigation of raises received over the years by several city employees. The raises, while in some cases seemingly outsized, were given in accordance with city...

Earlier this week students of all ages went back to school in Farmington. There were smiles. There were tears. There were more than a few parents documenting everything with cameras and cell phone videos. The start of a new school year brings with it plenty of changes to day-to-day...

Things are about to get interesting in the world of Farmington politics. The primaries are over, in the cases where they were held. The filing is closed. And voters are guaranteed to have some choices when they go to the polls in November. It didn't always look like that would be...

There has been no shortage of opportunities to celebrate community so far this summer. There have been block parties and neighborhood gatherings, events in the park and celebrations designed to bring the whole city together. They were all a lot of fun, but that was really just the...

When the Farmington School Board talked Monday night about the possibility of a conservation easement on part of the land it owns in Castle Rock Township, the focus was on doing the right thing. There just wasn't always agreement on what the right thing was. Does doing the right...