By Unsie Zuege

   Camp Fire USA has never had a problem changing with the times, and in some ways has been downright progressive. Its name has changed, from Camp Fire Girls to Camp Fire Girls and Boys, to today’s Camp Fire USA.

   Camp Fire Girls originated in 1910 as a sister organization to the Boy Scouts of America. Girls didn’t want to sit on the sidelines and watch their brothers have all the fun of camping and learning outdoor skills.

By Unsie Zuege

   It’s one of Chanhassen’s best kept secrets.

   For the average commuter, the simple, rustic “Camp Tanadoona” sign on the west side of Highway 41 might elicit fleeting curiosity; eventually, though, it just blends into the scenery.

By Forrest Adams

An estimated 403 active licensed acupuncturists are treating patients in the state, according to the Association of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture of Minnesota.

Two of them are now practicing in Chanhassen under one roof.

Mason and Sandra McClellan, husband and wife, both licensed acupuncturists, opened Minnesota Clinic of Integrated Medicine in September after growing out of their previous Excelsior location, where they had operated since April 2009.

Chanhassen Fire Fighters responded early Monday morning to an alarm
at Applebee's (590 West 79th Street). Chief Roger Smallbeck reported
the fighters were dispatched at 12:16 a.m. On arrival, they observed
flames on the roof of the popular family eatery.

The fire was eventually knocked down by crews working inside the
building. There was moderate smoke inside the building and one
sprinkler head was flowing water. Additional crews working on the roof
extinguished hot spots and performed overhaul work.

The city of Chanhassen was awarded $1 million worth of federal funds
through the Metropolitan Council for construction of a Highway
5-Minnewashta Parkway underpass and $900,000 more to make road repairs
at Highway 5-Minnewashta Parkway and Lone Cedar Lane. The city expects
construction to break ground in 2012, said City Engineer Paul Oehme.

On February 17, Met Council Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) took
action to award part of the federal transportation funding available in
the 2009 regional solicitation. The TAB awarded:

Ronald Rudolph Ernst, the Level 3 sex offender who moved into Chanhassen on Monday, has moved away from the city and the state,
according to Carver County Sherrif's Lt. Jim Olson.

Just as Ernst registered at the Carver County Courthouse on Monday,
he informed the county on Friday that he's leaving and has no specific destination. The sheriff's office will notify the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of the change in Ernst's status, said Olson.

"When he came in, he said it was temporary. Now he has decided he wants to go out of state," Olson said.