Public safety officials are urging motorcyclists to practice safe riding behaviors following a week of crashes that resulted in four rider deaths and two serious injuries.

To date in 2008, 39 riders have died, compared to 37 at this time last year. In all, 61 riders died on Minnesota roads last year, according to a Department of Public Safety (DPS) press release.

“This rash of deadly crashes shows the need for motorcyclists to ride smart and for other motorists to drive aware and pay attention,” says Cheri Marti, DPS Office of Traffic Safety director.

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the August 21, 2008 print edition of the Chaska Herald newspaper? The page or pages on which those notices were printed are attached to this item, in the form of .pdf’s that can be opened with Adobe Acrobat.

The southwest corner of Chaska Boulevard (old Highway 212) and Highway 41 is ready for a revamp. The City Council approved a concept plan and rezoning for the corner Monday night.

It appears EdCampus will be the first to locate in the city’s future BioTech Center. Monday night, the Chaska City Council unanimously approved the concept plan for the “multi-versity” – a campus built to house a multitude of higher education facilities.

“Until growth starts picking up again, it’s tight,” Interim City Administrator Matt Podhradsky told the Chaska City Council Monday night.

The smell of kerosene still takes Vernon Wigfield back. Back to Friday nights at the Chaska depot, where he would wait to catch the train back to his home in Carver. He would see a movie at the old Rex Theater and then head over to the depot where there were two lanterns always burning – one to let the train know to stop and another to send it through.

“Tracks out of service.” The signs grace all of the railroad crossings throughout downtown Chaska, and they’re not about to change. Chaska’s downtown rail line has run its course.

“The state’s approved it and it’s basically being finalized,” said Ray Smith, facilities and quality systems director with United Sugars.

The following obituaries are from the Aug. 21, 2008 print edition of the Chaska Herald newspaper:

According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office a Chaska woman was sentenced today in federal court in connection with a money laundering scheme involving the theft of more than $2.5 million from the clients of her real estate closing company.

Molly L. Heise, 50, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and three years supervised release Aug. 19 in Minneapolis by United States District Court Judge John R. Tunheim.