SLP Native, Hopkins Grad Helps Johnnies Relay Team Win MIAC Title

Kyle Rossow and the rest of the Saint John’s 4x800-meter relay team finished four seconds ahead of the second-place team.

A St. Louis Park native and Hopkins grad helped the Saint John's 4x800-meter relay team place first at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, according to a university news release. Sophomore Kyle Rossow and the rest of the team finished in 7:45.60 at the May 11 meet in St. Paul, four seconds faster than runner-up St. Olaf. He was joined by freshman Thomas Feichtinger, senior Eric Mann and sophomore Chris Mergens.

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Nominate a Special Woman for a Free Girls On The Town Makeover

Girls On The Town and Patch are giving away a certificate at the May 11 event for a $100 makeover that includes makeup and an updo or style.

Do you have a special lady in your life who deserves some pampering? This year, Girls On The Town and Patch are giving one lucky winner a free makeover—including makeup and an updo or style worth $100, courtesy of Taylor Roton of Carolyn David Studio.   To enter, just tell us in the comments below why a special woman in your life — even yourself — deserves a makeover. Judges will pick the best entry and announce the winner at 3 p.m. May 11 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Entrants must be present to win. The contest kicks off April 26 and runs through 5 p.m. May 10. Girls On The Town is a twice-yearly event that offers a relaxing day for mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends and more. Businesses throughout Hopkins’ downtown open …

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WATCH: Hopkins Students Ask ‘What’s a Hipster?’

High school journalism students explore what teachers and students think the widely used word means.

“Hipster” has become one of those words that’s frequently used but not always easy to pin down. The word conjures images of thick-rimmed glasses and indy rock bands—as well as a sense of going against the grain.  Hopkins High School journalism students Bradley Kaplan, Sam Hromatka and Thomas Heegaard decided to explore exactly what makes a hipster in a “Royal Page (school newspaper) special on hipsters and stereotypes.” The video—“Hopkins On: What's A Hipster?”—shows students and teachers discussing what they think a hipster is. Check out the video above and then share your thoughts in the comments section below about what defines a hipster.

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Weather Postpones Numerous Hopkins, Minnetonka Games

Thursday will be a quiet night for high school sports fans.

The ongoing bad weather has forced Hopkins and Minnetonka teams to postpone or cancel most competitions Thursday, as well as some later in the week. Nine of 10 Hopkins games on Thursday were canceled—leaving only the synchronized swimming varsity meet, which is still scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. at St. Louis Park High School. The following games were postponed: Baseball 9 has been canceled altogether. In addition, Friday’s baseball games and the girls golf invitational on Friday and Saturday have been postponed. For Minnetonka teams, just five matchups have been postponed, as of Thursday morning: The girls JV track and field meet has been canceled altogether. The boys JV track and field meet and softball and adapted softball games are…

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Study Gives Hopkins Schools Low Grades for Achievement Gap

The Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now graded schools on student performance, subgroup performance, performance gains and the achievement gap.

Hopkins students perform better than most in the state—but the difference between white and minority students is also bigger, according to report cards the Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now (MinnCAN) released last month. MinnCAN, an advocacy nonprofit focused on solving the achievement gap, plugs for more public data-based accountability for schools, looser labor restrictions for teachers, and more school choice. While the state as a whole has a 34.4-point difference between white and black students at the high school level, Hopkins has a 41.2-point difference on average. The gap was significantly bigger at some other schools. Eisenhower Elementary, for example, had a 56.2 difference. The achievement gap is a persistent problem across…

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Chambers’ Chipped Tooth GIF Named Second Best of NCAA Tournament

The GIF of the former Hopkins star came from Harvard’s loss to Arizona.

Hopkins standout Siyani Chambers has gotten a lot of attention for his prowess on the court this year—a year in which he helped Harvard to its first NCAA tournament victory and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Now, though, Chambers is getting some less-desirable attention. Last week, the website Complex selected a GIF of Siyani Chambers realizing his tooth was chipped as the second best GIF of the NCAA tournament so far. A GIF is an image format that allows animation. The Chambers GIF comes from No. 14 Harvard’s March 23 loss to No. 6 Arizona. Chambers went up for a jump-pass and took an elbow to the face from Arizona's Kevin Parrom, in a collision that was ruled incidental contact. USA Today noted that Chambers’ teammate Christian…

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DenHartog Wins Apollo Award, Coffey Wins Athena Award

The awards recognize the most outstanding male and female athletes in the senior class.

Fresh off a state championship win, Hopkins basketball star Nia Coffey has been named as the school’s Athena award winner, while football standout JT DenHartog was chosen as the Apollo award winner. The awards recognize the most outstanding female and male athletes in the senior class. Coffey was named the player of this year’s state championship game. She was also picked for the McDonald’s All American Team, chosen as Breakdown Sports USA’s No. 2 player in the state and honored with All State recognition. Coffey, who has earned four varsity letters in basketball, plans to play for Northwestern next year. DenHartog has earned three varsity letters in football and two for baseball. He’s also been named to the All Metro and All State teams …

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Chambers Helps Harvard to First NCAA Tournament Victory

The one-time Hopkins star and Ivy League rookie of the year scored five points against New Mexico.

One-time Hopkins star Siyani Chambers continued his outstanding freshman season at Harvard by helping the Crimson to its first NCAA tournament victory Thursday night. The 14th-seeded Crimson upset No. 3 seed New Mexico 68-62. Chambers made five points and seven assists and snagged two rebounds during 40 minutes of play, according to the ESPN box score. Harvard will next take on sixth-seeded Arizona at 5:10 p.m. March 23 in the Round of 32. The win follows Chambers’ unanimous selection as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Ivy pick. He also received six Rookie of the Week awards, tying him for fifth most in conference history. At Hopkins, Chambers was named Mr. Basketball in 2012 and helped the Royals to state …

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VIDEO: Organizers Promote ‘Empty Bowls’

The annual fundraiser takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 12 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.

Organizers are energizing the community for the upcoming 15th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. The event’s co-chairs—Hopkins Mayor Gene Maxwell, Hopkins School Superintendent John Schultz and Minnetonka Mayor Terry Schneider—spoke to the Hopkins School Board with organizer Barb Westmoreland on Thursday about Empty Bowls. The event raises money for ResourceWest and ICA Foodshelf. People from all over the community first get together for bowl-making events. On Wednesday, Hopkins High School art instructor Terry Chamberlain’s pottery students guided the novices through the process. Empty Bowls then takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 12 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Attendees make a free will donation; choose their favorite bowl from…

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When Is a Death Considered ‘Murder?’

Two recent cases have emphasized the breadth of the legal definition. Patch wants to know what the word means to you.

“Murder” and “homicide” are loaded words that conjure images of malice and deliberate violence. This month, though, the west metro has been reminded that that’s not always the case. At the beginning of February, prosecutors charged Jonathan Markle with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the drowning of his 9-month-old daughter. Prosecutors say Markle's blood alcohol level was .13 when his vehicle broke through the ice Jan. 18 after he tried to drive underneath the Halstead Bay Bridge on Lake Minnetonka. Hennepin County Mike Freeman acknowledged that the legal system has "no penalty that can approach the grief and agony this man might feel by the death of his daughter at his own hand." But Freeman went on to say he wants this …

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Rachel Powell

7:47 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013

not quite sure how they all got away without being charged with war crimes   more ›