South Metro Roundup: Students Suspended Over Inappropriate Photo, New Sandwich Shop Opens

Though you might live or work in Apple Valley, chances are you traveling to or through our neighboring communities as well. Here are some of the stories posted on our neighboring Patch sites last week that could impact, help or be of interest to you. Read each story by clicking on the headline link.

Lakeville 

An undisclosed number of students were suspended from Century Middle School on May 22 after sharing an inappropriate photo of another student. While the district did confirm there were suspensions, officials wont say how long the suspensions will last, or the means by which the inappropriate photo was shared.

Indications are that some students will also be expelled for the incident, and it also was forwarded to the Lakeville Police Department for investigation.

The Valley Park neighborhood in Lakeville will be getting $8.1 million in new roads, water mains, sewers and utilities this summer. The improvements will, however, come at a cost: Each home will be assessed roughly $4,000 for the upgrades, and if added to property tax bills, after interest, the assessment will be roughly $5,700 spread over 20 years.

Burnsville

Mike and Maria Peerboom are introducing a new generation of Burnsville residents to their family's legacy of Greek home cooking. The Pita Plus Sandwich Grill officially opened Monday, May 14, and is patterned from former Burnsville restaurant, owned by Maria's father, Jimmy Assimes.

Burnsville's city-owned teen club is about to enter a bold new era. But what's missing is a specific vision for THE GARAGE, a popular after-school destination and teen music venue. The city council has not made a definitive decision about how much money the city is willing to put into its operations or the building itself, which could be shuttered or renovated depending on how the plan develops.

Rosemount

A new report on contamination at UMore Park in Rosemount found excessive residential land-use levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, PCBs and other toxins at nearly 200 individual test locations. But that shouldn't prevent future development, it concluded. Rosemount Patch covered this issue extensively.

Eagan

The Eagan Advisory Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a planning amendment that would allow developers to convert Eagan's 18-hole Parkview Golf Club into a 175-unit residential development. The denial is a blow to the , but not a complete reversal; the Eagan City Council is expected to consider the request on June 19.

The opposition came mostly because commissioners didn't feel that low-density residential housing fit the city's housing goals.

Paul Bakken remembers every detail of the noise—it was the first sound his 10-year-old daughter Amanda made when she was born in 2001. He also remembers the worried look of the doctor who overheard Amanda's cry. Doctors diagnosed Amanda with Cri du Chat Syndrome—a rare genetic condition named for the noise newborns with the condition make. 'Cri du Chat' is French for 'cry of the cat.'

Amanda will need care and supervision throughout her life. Read the full story of Amanda and her family on Eagan Patch.

What stories in our area are most interesting or important to you? What else would you like to see on ? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.