Wednesday, January 16, 2013
In a year that saw mass shootings occur across the United States with unprecedented frequency, local police departments are seeing a spike in gun permit applications.
Kevin Ellington has two school-age children, lives within sight of Lake Minnetonka and is a self-described pacifist who says he’s never been in a fistfight and has banned violent video games from his home. He’s also one of the area’s newest gun owners. “For me, it’s about protection, and what happened in Connecticut was the final staw,” Ellington said less than a week after the shootings in Newtown. “I don’t want to be that guy who faces a burglar—or burglars—with a baseball bat. I don’t ever want to use it, but I’ve made peace with myself that I will if I have to in order to protect my family.” President Obama introduced sweeping proposals on Wednesday that would tighten gun regulations and, among other measures, require background …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Police officers from throughout the nation had an increased presence at schools this morning—including Wayzata.
Wayzata Police Chief Mike Risvold posted on the department's Facebook page this morning that officers were at each of the four school buildings in the city this morning as parents and students arrived. "This was less for the purpose of physical security," Chief Risvold wrote. "It was more about offering a sense of emotional security in light of last week's unthinkable tragedy in Connecticut. The waves and smiles from the children were very powerful and uplifting. Most of us in this profession have children. As police officers, and as parents, we will do everything we can to keep kids safe in our schools, both physically and emotionally." Officers from other departments, including Orono, Mound, Minnetonka and South Lake Minnetonka, had an …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Kevin Borg says passage of bond request by voters last year will allow district to make security improvements to our facilities
- SCHOOLS
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
By Kevin Borg, Westonka Superintendent All of us in the Westonka School District are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic events in Newton, Conn. As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine what these families are going through, and my deepest sympathies go out to all those affected. As we watch and read more about this horrific tragedy over the weekend, it brings to mind the crisis plan and security measures employed by our own school district. We have a comprehensive plan in place at each of our schools to handle emergency situations, and we continually work with local first responders to prepare for these types of crises. We practice our safety procedures with students and staff through discussions and emergency exercises. We are …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Teachers were asked to keep discussion of Friday morning's events to "an absolute minimum," and student access to the Internet was limited.
- NEWS
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Editor's note: All Minnetonka elementary principals sent out the following note to parents today. In light of the events that were happening in Connecticut, I want to assure you that the staff and I have made it our highest priority to keep students feeling safe and comfortable today at school. As always, we have controlled access to the school and have asked parents coming into the building not to discuss today’s news with children at school. We communicated the situation via a confidential email to all staff and asked that they keep all discussion of events at an absolute minimum, and in no case discuss events around children. We have limited elementary students access to the internet and news sources as well. Generally, students are …
Andrew Rothman
11:09 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Minnesota's pistol carry law is NOT a "conceal and carry" law. Permit holders may conceal or not, as they choose. Also, in Minnesota, it is NOT legal to carry a shotgun or a rifle in a public place, with limited exceptions for hunting and target shooting. There is a separate exception allowing long gun carry in a public place for those who hold a permit to carry a pistol. The law is MN Stat. 624.… more ›