Fifty years ago, when Scott County went to 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week police and deputy dispatching by radio, Paul "Bucky" Beckman of Jordan was one of three dispatchers.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the July 10 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Here's what's been going on in and around New Prague lately, according to the New Prague Times:

- Mayor W.A. "Wink" Bender of New Prague followed his own neighborly
advice. After advocating that city residents help out their neighbors
in need, Bender mowed the lawn of the vacant home next door to his own
home. Bender's photo on a riding lawnmower was printed on page 7B of
the June 19 issue of the Times.

- Joe Shuster of New Prague wrote the book "Beond Fossil Fools: The Roadmap to Energy Independence by 2040."

Today, Tim Rud, the three-term mayor of Lonsdale, filed for office in Minnesota House of Representatives District 25B. He is a Republican.

He will run against state Rep. David Bly, DFL-Northfield, who filed for re-election on July 1. Bly, who has served one two-year term in office, represents a district that includes Helena Township.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- Belle Plaine issued four permits for new home during the first six months of the year. Ten years ago, the city saw the number more than double, increasing from 19 in 1997 to 46 in 1998.

- The Belle Plaine school board will dip into its budget reserves, despite receiving a surprise one-time increase in funding from the state.

- Three seats for the Belle Plaine City Council are open. Former Councilmember Cary Coop was the first to file.

Jordan's 2008 comprehensive plan is out for formal review by adjacent units of local government and for informal review by the Metropolitan Council.

The city of Jordan is considering a dangerous-dog ordinance that would establish a procedure by which a dog may be declared dangerous or potentially dangerous.

"It is very important that we closely monitor and regulate dogs after
they have attacked or bit someone," Police Chief Bob Malz wrote in a
report to the council.

The proposed ordinance also allows, among other things:

- an animal control officer to designate dogs as potentially dangerous;

- potentially dangerous dogs to be impounded if they are an "immediate threat to public safety";

Did you know the Scott County Fair started in the city of Jordan in 1915?

Originally, the county fair was at a park owned by the Jordan brewery. You might know the area as the Mini-Met. The fair later moved to its current location along 190th Street in St. Lawrence Township, near the intersection of highways 282 and 169 in Jordan. 

For more information, go to www.scottcountyfair.com/fairhistory.php.   

Mathias Baden reports:

“A ways out there, but an appealing combination of pastoral and urban.”

Sound familiar, like someone is mentioning a little town you might have in mind?

In the July edition of Mpls St Paul magazine, Brian Lambert, Shawn Gilliam, and Sarah Howard combined to write an article about the best places to live in the Twin Cities, and Jordan made the list of 20 “great neighborhoods.”

The writers took into account crime statistics, school quality ratings, subjective insights of real estate industry professionals, and historical home sales.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- A "fried squirrel" made the front page of the June 18 issue of the Herald. The animal "made a fatal mistake," the article said, when it touched electrical switches at a substation and shorted out power for more than 1,000 Xcel Energy customers.

- The Belle Plaine City Council hired a firm to design a proposed building for the city's public works department.

Thirty years ago, the Jordan City Council approved the final plat for Haefner's subdivision, a development of 46 lots. The housing addition is slated to be north of Brentwood.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the July 3 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.