By Dorothy Clark-Miles

We at CHS are extremely proud of our graduates.

This is a time for celebrating the results of their rigorous coursework, dedication and commitment over the past 12 years.

The end is finally here: prom; their last baseball or track or lacrosse season; the final band or choir concert; the last of their drama events; the last speech contest; finals; graduation.

By Police Chief Scott Knight

From Monday, April 19 through Sunday, April 25, 11 people have been killed on Minnesota roadways.

The recent rash of traffic deaths — unofficially 16 since Friday, April 23 — has pushed Minnesota above the 100-death mark for the year, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).

The Chaska Police Department is holding an informational meeting on predatory offenders on Monday, April 26. Here’s the press release from the department:

This week we have been hearing about Ming Sen Shiue and his horrible crimes committed in 1980. After serving his 30-year sentence, Mr. Shiue is undergoing a Civil Commitment Trial, which would continue his confinement, as he is set for parole in July of this year.

In case you've been enjoying this mild spring too much, here's a splash of blood-sucking reality, courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Health:

Warm early spring weather has brought out ticks earlier than usual in many regions of Minnesota earlier than usual.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) urges anyone heading outdoors in Minnesota this spring and early summer to use tick repellents and other measures to prevent Lyme disease and other serious diseases transmitted by ticks.

Jesus Julian Del Rio, 18, of Chaska, has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular operation for an April 12 single-car crash, according to a press release from Carver County Attorney Jim Keeler.

Law enforcement officers determined that Del Rio appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, near the Hickory Street and Highway 61 intersection in Chaska, Keeler stated.

The victim was the passenger in the defendant’s car and is suffering life-threatening injuries.

Del Rio appeared in Carver County District Court on Friday, April 16.

By Unsie Zuege

It was the worst kind of homecoming imaginable.

It was Jan. 2, 1996. Mark Muhlenkort had just returned from a vacation. As he drove into his neighborhood, he saw fire trucks. “Huh. I wonder what’s going on? Then I realized ‘That’s my house!’

Your mind goes in 16 million directions. ‘Did I forget to turn something off?’ Just that morning I had someone check the house.

Severe Weather awareness week is April 19 to 23, with statewide tornado drills Thursday, April 22.

At 1:45 p.m., Thursday, the National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado warning and outdoor warning sirens will be activated, according to a Carver County press release. At 6:55 p.m., a second drill will take place in Carver County for families and second shift workers.

Carver County Emergency Management urges families and businesses to take the opportunity to put together weather emergency plans.

Minnesota bike riders are back on the road — and motorists need to share the road, according to the Minnesota Departments of Public Safety (DPS) and Transportation (MnDOT).

Preliminary 2009 stats from DPS report 10 bicyclist deaths, a drop from 13 in 2008, but still above the average death count over the last decade. Officials expect a continued surge of bicyclists in 2010 and urge caution for those who may be new to bicycle commuting, according to a DPS press release.

All fire departments in Carver County, the St. Bonifacius Fire Department and the Department of Natural Resources fought an 85-acre grass fire Sunday afternoon in Laketown Township at Airport Road.

A Carver County deputy called in the fire at approximately 3:16 p.m. after seeing smoke in the area. Since the area is in the Waconia Fire District, the Waconia Fire Department was the first on the scene.

Waconia Fire Chief Randy Sorensen called for mutual aid from 11 additional fire departments soon after arriving and evaluating the scope of the fire.