Those who work at the Scott County Fair Office in St. Lawrence Township, near Jordan, took the Jordan Independent staff on a tour of the grounds and told about their favorite things at the fair. This year's county fair runs July 23-27. Check out these videos:

First-half property taxes are due by Thursday, May 15. There are several payment options:

•  At the Customer Service window at the Scott County Government Center in Shakopee. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

•  By mail, postmarked on or before May 15. (Those who mail should keep in mind that postage will increase to 42 cents on May 12.)

  
  

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent

Drama over the statewide smoking ban spilled into Judge Jerome Abram’s Shakopee courtroom Tuesday with the first court hearing in Minnesota on the issue.

An Elko New Market bar faced the state in Scott County District Court, where attorneys debated whether "theater performance" smoking at Bullseye Saloon violates the state ban.

BlueXpress, the local commuter connection from Scott County to downtown Minneapolis – operated jointly by Shakopee Transit, Prior Lake Laker Lines and Scott County Transit – is changing its schedule effective Monday, April 14.

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent

Most farmers in Scott County will be in for a shock when they open up their property valuation notices.

The value of agricultural land is going up — way up.

Although the figures used for taxation purposes won’t rise nearly as much in most cases, farms on average will be worth about 35 percent more on paper, according to the assessor’s office.

By Joanna Miller, Correspondent 

It’s good to have someone to look up to.

That’s the message David Moreno of Savage has shared with residents and legislators during presentations about his experience with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

By Lori Carlson, Correspondent

Credit River Township voters will get a new town board supervisor -- plus two more to be chosen in a special election later this spring -- as a result of Tuesday's township election.

Brent Lawrence defeated incumbent Dan Casey for the open town board supervisor seat. Casey had served on the board since 2002.

By Shannon Fiecke and Mark Olson, Staff Writers

While job security in the United States is tenuous at best, there is one job in no current danger of downsizing.

As foreclosures continue to rise, two housing counselors in downtown Chaska have been up to their eyeballs in caseload files. And with additional state funding, the Carver County Community Development Agency (which also serves Scott County), plans to hire another caseworker.

Has the drive down County Road 18 on the Savage/Shakopee border been a bit bumpy lately?

According to Scott County’s public works department, the combination of a relatively wet autumn and extended periods of bitter cold winter weather have taken a toll on County Road 18, resulting in the bumpy ride. The technical term is “a severe pavement tenting problem” – in other words, the heaving of the pavement into a tent-like shape.

By Nancy Huddleston and Shannon Fiecke, Staff Writers

Help is on the way for motorists stuck in the gridlock at the intersection of Highway 13 and County Road 101, as a $7 million allocation for a new interchange has been approved by the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).

The grant is one of four projects approved this week in federal highway funds for Scott County. Besides the $7 million for the 13/101 intersection in Savage, $6 million has been approved for the new County Road 21 alignment through Prior Lake and Shakopee; $630,000 for the construction of a roundabout at county roads 68 and 91 in Credit River Township; and $225,000 in rail crossing safety funds in Jordan.