Articles

New owners hope to rehabilitate Farmington restaurant’s reputation

The second night Phil and Tony Marvets owned their new Farmington restaurant there was a fight at the bar. It was a big enough disturbance that Phil had to sit down with police and review security video of the incident. And it was exactly the kind of thing the brothers hope to discourage as they try to transform the business, a former American Legion and, briefly, a sports bar called Tailgaters.

• Photo: Carbone's

Farmington’s city-run pool has a future

Farmington’s municipal pool is nearing the end of its lifespan, but it doesn’t appear that will mean an end to outdoor swimming in the city. Last week, the city’s parks and recreation advisory commission started the process of planning the future of Farmington’s pool.

• Photo: Farmington pool

Kilts and bagpipes return to Farmington this weekend

The tenth annual Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games will take place Saturday at the Dakota County Fairgrounds.

Hindu community is growing in Farmington

If things work out the way Satya Balroop would like them to, Farmington may soon be a center of Hindu culture in Minnesota. Balroop is the treasurer of a group called Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir, which has been in the city for nearly a year now, housed in a building that for many years was home to Farmington Lutheran Church.

• Photo: Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir

Farmington group will honor memory of youth-sports pioneer

Louis Schmitz always believed in the importance of giving kids the opportunity to play sports. Now that he’s gone, the people he reached over the years want to make sure those opportunities continue.

Baldy's Barbecue opens in Farmington

When Brian Wheeler approached his cousin Chick a few years ago about opening a franchise of the family barbecue business, the answer was pretty simple. Absolutely not.

• Photo: Baldy's Barbecue

Column: Learning a sweet lesson

You can learn a lot when you work for a newspaper. You learn things that interest you. You learn things that are of value to your readers. You also learn things just because some public relations person somewhere got ahold of your email address. It’s the professional equivalent of a telemarketing call during dinner.

Facility fees may go up in ISD 192

The cost of renting some facilities at Farmington schools could go up starting in July if the District 192 School Board approves a new fee table Monday.

Teaming up to bring you hidden treasures in Farmington

Before January, Deborah Hanson and Bonnie Heim were strangers. Now, they’re business partners. Things move fast sometimes.

• Photo: Corner Treasures

Easement may create opportunities for Farmington schools

Farmington School Board members are expected to make at least a preliminary decision Monday about whether to sell a conservation easement for as much as half of a property the district owns in Castle Rock Township.

Columns

Column: Nice ride, worms and all

I had a worm stuck to my forehead Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t for long. And it wasn’t on purpose. I haven’t joined a strange new worm-face cult. Although, maybe that’s not a bad idea. We could wear pink jumpsuits and roll around in the dirt. But, I digress.

Column: The future of time-wasting toys

There was a time, and it wasn’t all that long ago, when I would have told you I didn’t need an iPad. I might have told you I really, really wanted one. That each new generation was shinier and faster and looked even more than its predecessor like the absolute best option for reading magazines in the bathroom.

Column: Attack of the robot reporters

There are a lot of challenges for newspaper employees these day. Subscriptions are declining as people get used to reading their news online for free.

Column: It’s all yours for the claiming

In honor of my first significant outdoor bike ride of the year, I’d like to take a moment to talk about a true pioneer in the bicycling world. Dan Henry, who died earlier this month at the age of 99, has made a number of important contributions to bicycling culture. He did early work on suspension systems for bicycles, and he created something called the sling saddle, which is a little like a hammock for your bike.

Nathan's column: Waiting with bated breath

By the time you read this column, nerds all around the world should know exactly what features the latest version of Apple’s incredibly popular iPad tablet will have to offer. Actually, depending on how diligent you are about getting to your newspaper, we might be well on our way to guessing what the iPad 4 will bring to the table.

Column: It was a super experience

The Super Bowl took place last Sunday. You probably knew that. It’s been discussed. If you didn’t know, maybe you could use some catching up. Let’s start at the beginning.

Column: Grappling with a fruit problem

You could say I have an aspirational relationship with fresh fruit. I’m not sure exactly why you’d say that, there being a nearly infinite selection of conversational topics more interesting than my attitude toward produce. But were you to say it, it would be accurate.

Column: Winter has to come sometime

A little more than two months ago I wrote in this space about the arrival of winter in Minnesota and the predictable howls of disappointment and surprise that accompanied it.

Column: Perfecting the self image

We all have mental pictures of ourselves that are just a little bit out of touch with reality. It’s not that we’re deluded. We just have an idealized image of ourselves. Maybe we imagine we’re a little bit smarter or better looking than we actually are.

Column: Another holiday battle won

Ladies and gentlemen, elves and elvettes, assorted reindeer, I come to you with good news this week. After months of struggle and hardship and brilliantly lit lawn displays, we have won yet another demanding battle in the increasingly difficult war on Christmas.