Sunday, May 19, 2013
In all, Minnesota’s prisons house approximately 9,500 adult inmates at an annual cost of approximately $465 million.
You probably know that there are two prisons in Washington County: The Stillwater prison (which is actually in Bayport) and the Oak Park Heights prison. Did you know that there are also eight other prisons in Minnesota? Nine are for men. The state’s only women’s prison is in Shakopee. Why are there so many prisons? Aren’t they all the same? First, understand that a prison is different than a jail. Prisons are set up in a number of different ways, one of the main ways deals with the “custody classification system.” This system differentiates between the levels of security necessary for inmates. The most dangerous offenders are kept at a level 5 maximum-security prison. Those who are considered the least dangerous, including some who are …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The decomposed body was found Tuesday in the St. Croix River.
The body of a man found in the St. Croix River has been identified as Donald D. Marklowitz Jr., 54, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Office news release issued Thursday. The Washington County Sheriff's Office was called to the 900 block of Quentin Avenue South in Lakeland at about 11:38 a.m. Tuesday, May 14, on a report of a possible deceased body on the shore. When authorities arrived on the scene, they found the body. The body was turned over to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office, which identified the man as Marklowitz, who was last seen in Hudson, Wis., on April 1, according to the release. The cause of death is still under investigation. At this time, neither the Washington County Sheriff's Office nor Wisconsin …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hachette titles are being added to the Washington County Library’s digital collection.
Want to check out ebooks from David Baldacci, Anita Shreve, Michael Connelly, Stephenie Meyer and James Patterson? Now you can. Digital books under the Hachette publishing house were previously unavailable through Washington County Library, said Chad Lubbers, manager of the R.H. Stafford Branch in Woodbury. “That’s been a big gap for us over the past couple of years,” he said. But Hachette has started working with libraries, and local branches now carry digital titles from all five major book publishers, Lubbers said. The others are Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Titles from Baldacci and Patterson, among others, will continue to show up in the Washington County Library’s e-catalogue in the coming weeks. “Good …
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place.
It costs $1,370 less to get a colonoscopy in Washington County than the state average. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. While Washington County posts lower-than-average costs, it is even lower in neighboring Ramsey County. For example, the average cost in Minnesota for a CT scan is $2,960, and the Washington County average is $1,860, while the Ramsey County average is just $1,430. Big regional cost differences have been in the news lately: As the Washington Post wrote on Wednesday, "One hospital charges $8,000 - another $38,000." Using the same data as the Post, The New York Times listed out the prices of a series of procedures in hospitals …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A guest column from Lois Larson, member of the Washington County Child Protection Citizen Review Panel.
Becoming a grandparent is a wonderful opportunity to offer love, support and all the knowledge we have acquired throughout our years of raising children. We have many answers to the childrearing questions our sons and daughters may have and are only too happy to impart our words of wisdom. We feel we know best as we have been in these situations and our children are living proof that we did the right thing. We might be surprised to learn that many childrearing methods have changed and what we once thought was best for our children has been proven to be not so. As a member of the Citizens Review Panel for Washington County, we work closely with the county and the Minnesota Department of Human Services to serve the needs of our children and …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Here’s a weekly listing of crime incidents and police and fire related calls in Washington County.
The following is a collection of articles that appeared on Stillwater Patch, Woodbury Patch and Oakdale Patch April 14-19. Click on the headline to read the full article. UPDATE: Massage Parlor Owner Deported after Fondling Female Clients Land of Pharaohs owner Amir Abd El Malak, 36, of Stillwater, was deported after a jury convicted him of two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in the nonconsensual fondling of female customers. Grand Jury Indicts Little Falls Man on Two Counts of Murder for Thanksgiving Day Shooting The Washington County Attorney’s Office is handling the Thanksgiving shooting case for the Morrison County Attorney’s office because of a conflict of interest. Firearm-Safety Instructor Resigns after Accidentally…
Monday, April 22, 2013
Bill Hutton agreed to the exercise as part of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office employee survey.
At the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center on April 16, Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton made good on a promise. If sheriff’s office workers did well in turning in employee surveys, he would take a bite from a K-9. “K-9 Xander was very excited to assist with this,” reads a note Monday on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “The Sheriff fled on foot with Xander in pursuit. Xander bit the sleeve and took the Sheriff to the ground. The Sheriff was a good sport and here is the video. Thank you Sheriff, Deputy Volk and K-9 Xander.” Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our free newsletter
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Since 2000, natural disasters have claimed the lives of 21 Minnesotans and caused more than $373 million in federally declared damages.
As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, Washington County is participating in a statewide tornado drill on Thursday, April 18. Since 2000, natural disasters have killed 21 Minnesotans and caused more than $373 million in federally declared damages. Washington County partners with the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the National Weather Service to promote severe weather preparedness. Daily topics: Tuesday: Severe Weather, Lightning and Hail Wednesday: Floods Thursday: Statewide tornado drill day Friday: Extreme Heat The outdoor warning sirens in Washington County are only designed to be heard by people outside of buildings. Washington County urges residents to research other alert methods such as cell…
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Washington County is studying a slate of solutions to issues popping up at the popular park, including overflowing restrooms and a high rate of safety incidents.
Pack into Lake Elmo Park Reserve on a popular summer weekend and you know the No. 1 issue: the restrooms. Washington County staff and commissioners both commented on the lack of space and sanitary conditions at the restrooms in the park, according to a report compiled by the Minneapolis Star Tribune this week. The county is looking at what it can do to upgrade those facilities, or provide alternatives. But that's not the only issue. Click here to view the study online. According to the county, more than 450 incidents were reported to the county sheriff's department last year from the park. That's more than triple the number reported at any other park in Washington County. As a result, the sheriff's department wants to hire a full-time …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Want to know the latest trends in fashion or home decorating? Interested in finding out about new car models in preparation for a new-card purchase? Looking for gardening tips, meal-planning suggestions, and more?
Just the other day as my 2-year-old granddaughter was packing up to go home, she asked if she could take home a stuffed-animal froggy. I replied, “No, actually froggy needs some repair; one of the seams on his body needs to be re-sewn.” Her reply: “Who did it? Was it Goldilocks? Did she get in here?” She had learned some information from a recent read of The Three Bears and transferred that knowledge into solving the question of why the frog needed repair. We thought it was pretty cute. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Now Goldilocks is getting blamed for anything that is damaged! We are all seeking a little useful information from time to time, and Washington County Library users have been using magazines as one source of …
SHARYL
9:02 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
AWESOME!!!! more ›