South news briefs: No raises for county attorney or sheriff in Scott County

No raises for county attorney or sheriffThe Scott County board won't give itself or its top law enforcement officials raises for 2012.

The salaries of County Attorney Pat Ciliberto and Sheriff Kevin Studnicka, who both successfully sued the board last year to obtain raises for themselves after being denied them, will remain constant.

The sheriff conceded the issue but asked for a salary study comparing the metro sheriffs before the same step is taken for 2013.

The county attorney presented the board with crime statistics and said the county needed to field a winning team in the battle against disorder.

The board agreed to do a review of comparable salaries, and to discuss in January which positions to include in that study.

The board also approved three union contracts with zero percent general increases effective Jan. 1 of this year.

And it delivered zero percent increases to the compensation of those who are outside of bargaining units.

The page can be found at www.cityofpriorlake.com/LostandFound.shtml.

The page was used last week, for instance, to report and publish a photo of a white-and-ginger female King Charles Spaniel found near Willow Park on Dec. 29. The dog's name was Stella, but the phone number on the collar was disconnected.

The city's police department is providing the page, although those aware of lost or found animals are asked to e-mail the city's communications guru, Mike Peterson (mtpeterson@cityofpriorlake.com) with "Lost & Found" in the subject line, or call 952-447-9804.

Postings will remain up for one year, and those using the service are asked to report in with any news.

Progress in work at Hwy. 13 and 101One lane of the frontage road where major construction is being done at Hwys. 13 and 101 will open soon, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reports.

They expect to have to close Hwy. 13 "for several hours one night" as part of that work.

If you like, you can sign up for e-mail updates on that and other developments in the project as details get firmed up.

The warm weather has allowed prolonged work on bridges and retaining walls, and that will continue as long as bitterly cold weather holds off.

The place to view, download or print maps with new routes to local businesses is www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy13savage.

For more information, call 612-326-1957 or send an e-mail to Hwy13101@gmail.com.

Candidates should have a civil engineering degree, P.E. registration and at least eight years of progressively responsible experience in a senior public works or engineering position. The annual salary range is $91,392-$109,656.

For further information and a profile of the position, see the city website at www.lakevillemn.gov or call 952-985-4400. The application deadline is Jan. 14, 2012.

DAVID PETTERSON AND JIM ADAMS

Minnesota Zoo opens new endangered Asian dog exhibitA new species is now on exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo.

Late last week, the zoo introduced an endangered species: Asian wild dogs, called "dholes."

They are native to Thailand, Russia, China and India "in areas with plenty of prey, water and suitable den sites," officials report. They feast mostly on smallish deer and wild boar and rely on a sense of smell.

The exhibit is part of a growing trend toward zoos taking on the survival of endangered species. In this case, fewer than 2,500 remain in the wild.

More information and photos can be found at www.mnzoo.org/animals/animals_dhole.asp.