Fires and potential safety hazards at Chaska High School are under investigation by the Chaska Police Department.

According to a press release from Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight, a gas valve was left on in a science room on Jan. 5. “This discovery was made at 8 p.m., and it is believed that the gas had been on since the end of the school day. The room was reported to have been ‘full of gas’ and was eventually cleared by the use of an exhaust fan,” the release stated.

Chaska’s social host ordinance was passed over a year ago.

So, for the past 16 months, the Chaska police have had another means to combat underage drinking. Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight believes it has led to a decrease in underage drinking parties.

Considering some of the concerns about the ordinance, particularly at the county level, one may have thought it would cause the sun to collapse.

By Mark W. Olson

About 16 months ago, Chaska became the first Minnesota city to enact a social host ordinance.

The popularity of the ordinance, which makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly provide a venue for underage drinking, has since exploded in the state.

At least 18 Minnesota cities have now passed the ordinance, three in December alone – Rosemount, Albert Lea and Prior Lake.

An independent contractor is performing warranty work on fire hydrants throughout the city for the next few weeks.

The work involves replacing the old grease, which has a component that was damaging the threads in the hydrant, said Dean Hylland, the city’s Water and Sewer superintendent.

On Dec. 1, a Chanhassen man was charged with burglarizing a home in Chaska and a home in Chanhassen.

Todd Ryan Bufalino, 25, of 780 Flying Cloud Drive, Unit 4, has been charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, each carrying a penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. His first court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 12.

On Nov. 20, a Livingston Court resident in Chaska reported $3,500 worth of jewelry stolen, according to the criminal complaint.

Brody (Bermel) Roehlke will not be tried as an adult. According to a press release issued by the Carver County Attorney's Office, Judge Kevin Eide denied the prosecution's motion to certify Roehlke as an adult.

The body of a man found in a burned vehicle over the weekend has been identified as that of a Chaska resident.

According to a news release from the Sibley County Sheriff's Office, the remains of Daniel Juarez, 42, were found in a burned Chevrolet Trailblazer on Saturday near the city of Green Isle.

The Sibley County Sheriff's Office is treating the case as a homicide. No cause of death has been released yet.

Krystal Smith is mad. She opened the door to her downtown Chaska home last Wednesday morning to the sound of people scrambling to save the life of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on Highway 41. She was hardly surprised.

“It’s a race for the bridge,” she said, shaking her head. “People don’t stop – people rarely stop for pedestrians.”

Jerome Meuwissen, pictured in July 2006.

A man was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing Highway 41 in downtown Chaska on Wednesday morning.

Just after 7 a.m., Dec. 3, Jerome Meuwissen, 86, of Chaska, was walking, east to west, at the southerly crosswalk (the Dunn Bros. side of the intersection).

By Chuck Friedbauer

A drug dog sweep of the Chaska High School student parking lot on Nov. 21 resulted in the alleged discovery of six student vehicles containing marijuana and illegal contraband.

“The students involved face criminal and school consequences and have lost their privilege to park at the Chaska High School,” said Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight in his weekly e-mail newsletter.