On a cool summer morning at the Wagner farm, the birds chirp, the chipmunks frolic and the construction machinery beeps.

It’s the persistent beep of houses, townhomes and condos going up all around the 150-year-old farm, and owner Charles Wagner knows he can’t hold out much longer.

Candidate filings for positions on the Chaska City Council opened Tuesday, Aug. 26. Those interested in running for city office have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9 to submit their affidavits of candidacy.

Three seats are up for grabs this year: council member for Ward 2, council member for Ward 4 and the mayor's seat. The filing fee for any of the seats is $5. Council members are paid $6,948 annually. The mayor receives $8,208.

Six candidates have already filed with the city:

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the August 28, 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.

Jeanine S. Schmieg, 73, of Victoria, died Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis.

Funeral service wil be held Friday, Aug. 29, at St. Victoria Catholic Church in Victoria.

Funeral arrangements were with the Bertas Funeral Home of Chaska, 952-448-2137.

Former Chaska Hawk hockey defenseman Nick Mattson is still ahead of the game.

Mattson was the only Minnesota player selected to the roster of the 2008-09 U.S. National Under-18 Team.

The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based team is part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. The U-18s took the bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men’s U-18 Championship earlier this year in Russia.

A new school will open its doors to welcome students Tuesday.

“We’re excited about it,” said Cologne City Administrator John Douville. “It’s our first public school.”

Lefthanded pitcher Brad Hand was on an impressive roll with the Florida Marlins’ Gulf Coast League baseball club.

But it seems that the roll, with that team at least, has come to an end.

The Marlins moved Hand up the minor-league ladder to the organization’s Class A team in Jamestown, N.Y.

A second-round pick by the Marlins out of Chaska High School, Hand started the Jammers’ game Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ affiliate.

Odds are good that John McCain will take the stage at the Republican National Convention next week wearing a traditional suit and tie.

But Victoria resident Bob Truax wouldn’t be that shocked to see the presumptive Republican presidential nominee donning a pair of patriotic Zubaz.

Expect a large crowd of dance fans at the Chaska-Lakeville North football game at 7 p.m. tonight for the entertainment double bill at halftime, taking place on the new artificial turf field at Chaska High School.

It will include the Chaska Hawks Fall Dance Club, coming off last season as the State Champion runners-up, and the Hawks Youth Clinic Dancers mixing it up.