Search Continues, Child Porn Conviction and 'Civil Marriage': Pick of Our Patches

This week's selections include a new Buddhist monastery, 100-meter dash record, Southdale Center on TV, hospital milestone and a record-breaking betting day.

Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Police Release Maps in Search for Mandy Matula Eden Prairie police have released maps of the areas where Mandy Matula, the missing Eden Prairie woman, might be located. The areas are in Benton, Carver, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright counties.  3 Years, 3 Months Behind Bars for Ex-City Staffer on Child Porn Conviction Scott Andrew Bradley of Oakdale, who once worked as communications coordinator for the City of Richfield, got the maximum sentence. MN Same-Sex Marriage…

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Four Southwest Minneapolis Students Win $2,500 National Merit Scholarships

The students were selected from a pool of 15,000 finalists.

Four Southwest Minneapolis students are among the winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships released Wednesday, the organization announced. This year’s local winners are: The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected the students from among 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Program. The winners are judged to have the best combinations of “accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” The number of winners in each state is proportional to the number of graduating seniors in the state. A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected the winners using: This year’s competition began when 1.5 million juniors across 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/…

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District Asks for Help in Picking Next Washburn Principal

Carol Markham-Cousins was removed from the position in April.

While the dust still settles from the events surrounding the reassignment of Carol Markham-Cousins, the Minneapolis Public Schools district is in the process of finding her replacement. Markham-Cousins was removed from her position as Washburn High School principal April 11 after district officials said a change in leadership was necessary to restore the school’s learning enviornment. Of course, many attribute her dismissal to the investigation surrounding Washburn Athletic Director Dan Pratt, which led to demonstrations by students and community members. Craig Vana, a veteran administrator in the district, is serving as interim prinicipal. According to a letter from Associate Superintendent Theresa Battle, the district hopes to have a new…

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Southwest 622nd in Newsweek's Best High Schools in USA

The magazine's 2013 rankings came out Monday.

On mobile? You can see interactive map here. Newsweek has ranked Minneapolis' Southwest High School as the 622nd best high school in the country. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the United States, with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about Southwest's ranking, and every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. The survey scores were then weighted and calculated using several criteria including on-time graduation and college acceptance rates. In addition, instead of averaging the number of courses offered, this year Newsweek considered the percentage of students enrolled in AP, IB or Advance International Certificate …

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District Addresses Markham-Cousins Dismissal, Pratt Investigation

Minneapolis Public Schools puts together an FAQ on the recent Washburn HIgh School events.

Editor's Note: The following was recently published on Washburn High School's website regarding the reassignment of former principal Carol Markham-Cousins and the search for her replacement. *** We understand that this situation is challenging for both the Washburn community and the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) community as a whole. We hope the community understands that MPS is limited by law in what we can say about this matter. Even if the subjects of the information speak out, MPS cannot comment unless the individuals give us permission to make the information public. Private personnel and student matters have been the subject of social media and mass media coverage. Although these reports are often filled with inaccuracies or half-…

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Post Your 2013 Southwest High Prom Pics on Patch

You don't have to wait until prom night to post photos on Patch!

Calling all Southwest High School prom-goers: Get ready to share your prom process on Patch! Prom, the glamour event of the year for Southwest High students and their families, is May 18. It's one long photo op, and Southwest Minneapolis Patch is the perfect place to share your memories with the community. There's no limit on the number of photos you can add. Share your shots from: And this isn't just for kids! Parents, you can upload your "classic" prom pictures, too. Just click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button to the left and show off those awesome pics!  Follow Southwest Minneapolis Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free daily email newsletter

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Parents Talk

Hey Mom and Dad: What Is Your Prom Budget?

A new Visa survey says families are spending over $1,000 for their child to go to prom. What price works for you, and how do you agree on a limit with your teen?

It has gotten more expensive to do most things in life, so we shouldn't be surprised that it has gotten more pricey to go to a high school prom. On average, parents and teens will spend $1,139 on prom this year. This is only a slight increase over last year but a 40 percent increase from the $807 average of 2011, according to a new Visa survey. The list of "needed" items can be endless: dress, tux, shoes (one pair formal and one for the dance?), corsages, limo, dinner, actual prom tickets and after-prom activities. "Prom is the new wedding," said Kit Yarrow, a consumer research psychologist, in a CNN Money article. "I think that every society has to have a rite of passage into adulthood for young people, and prom has become that."   Have …

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Mike B.

6:39 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013

Scott, there is no such thing as "liberal ideals." Liberals are pro-abortion, pro-taxing people to death, pro-homosexual marriage, pro-kicking God out of the classroom.... these are not "ideals." These are evil beliefs.   more ›