Ramsey Co. - Maplewood Review News

2013 North St. Paul Prayer Breakfast

Jason Ziemer didn’t always have plans to manage entire cities. And yet, at age 39, he has already managed two Minnesota cities — Maple Plain, and, most recently, North St. Paul.
His first day with North St. Paul was Sept. 4, and since then, the newly minted city manager has been taking a crash course in the city’s affairs.

North St. Paul is about to gain a wealth of information on various subjects from hundreds of college students, thanks to a partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project.
Over the course of the 2013-14 academic year, students in a variety of U of M courses will work on several projects the city has designated, including specific projects dealing with economic development, environmental education, branding, communications and sustainability, among others.

After what seems like an eternity, traffic in Maplewood will finally be able to begin flowing at an faster pace. After a long 75-day closure, state Highway 36 between White Bear Avenue and U.S. Hwy. 61 in Maplewood has finally reopened for use.
The section of roadway now features a grade-separated diamond interchange at English Street, which the Minnesota Department of Transportation expects to help traffic flow and minimize backups. The English Street intersection was previously signalized, causing long delays at the light during peak traffic hours.

Maplewood resident Steven E. Lewis, 27, was sentenced to 24 years in prison at a hearing Sept. 4 for the August 2012 shooting of St. Paul resident Aung Thu Bo, 19.
At a plea hearing July 10, Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery charges, telling Ramsey Court District Judge Margaret Marrinan that he “never intended to kill” Bo, 19; his goal was to rob Bo and his girlfriend.

Minnesota’s Bounty: The Farmers Market Cookbook” by Beth Dooley could be subtitled “A guide to everything you need to know when going to a farmers market.”
For more than 20 years Dooley has been shopping at farmers markets, enjoying the colors and scents of the fresh produce, chatting with the growers and learning the best ways to prepare what she buys.
She shares her knowledge of locally grown foods and favorite recipes in her latest book, which was published earlier this year by the University of Minnesota Press.

A place for agricultural history is also going to be a place to see new environmental technology, as the overflow parking lot at Bruentrup Heritage Farm gets some 21st-century help.
The 2.36-acre grass lawn, put into use for parking when the farm at 2170 E. County Road D in Maplewood hosts big events, is going to look much the same, but will be more stable, thanks to a grant from the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District.

The 110 members of the North St. Paul Community Fitness Center will need to begin looking for a new place to exercise starting Jan. 1.
Although fitness center members were already aware that it was scheduled to close Dec. 31, many had hoped the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District would continue to operate it, perhaps as a work-based learning opportunity for alternative learning students.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office has filed felony charges against a St. Paul man involved in a head-on collision on state Highway 5 in Lake Elmo last year.
Jon Wentz, 47, of St. Paul was driving his Buick Regal westbound on Highway 5 near Stillwater Lane Aug. 28, 2012, when he crossed the center line into the eastbound lane, striking a Honda Civic containing two sisters, ages 15 and 20, from Stillwater.