A Shakopee man, Sgt. Christian Pool, who served in Iraq with the Army National Guard from March 2007 until last month will be awarded a cash grant from Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF) Thursday at a special service on 9/11 at the State Capitol.

Pool will be among seven military personnel to receive a grant. A private gathering will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in the State Capitol Rotunda.

The MN Department of Agriculture will be holding a FREE waste pesticide collection at the Belle Plaine Co-op on Thursday, September 18th, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. This collection event is for Scott County farms, homes and businesses. For more information, visit the Scott County web page at www.co.scott.mn.us/HHW or call the MDA at 651-201-6562.

The following obituaries are from the Sept. 11, 2008 print edition of the Shakopee Valley News newspaper:

By Shannon Fiecke, Staff Writer

With months of budget discussions still ahead, Scott County commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to raise the county tax levy by a maximum 5.8 percent next year. 

Carver-Scott Humane Society is participating in this year’s Shepherd of the Hill Church’s Festival & Flea Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at the church, located at the southeast corner of Engler Boulevard and Highway 41 in Chaska.

A service of remembrance will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 in the lower level of Burnsville City Hall, 100 Civic Center Parkway in Burnsville. Those planning to attend should e-mail a photo of their deceased pet(s) to service@MVHSpets.org and include the pet’s first and last names and years of birth and death by Sept. 30. This event, sponsored by Minnesota Valley Humane Society, is for people only.

Home sales in the Twin Cities market continue to post healthy numbers, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR), based on data from the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Inc.

For the second consecutive month and only the third time in the last 39 months, pending sales posted in August increased over the same month last year.