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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 Heavy metal Olympic lifting

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City approves DMC development plan BY ANDREW SEnERHOLM asetterholm@postbulletin.com

The Rochester City Coun­cil did its part to advance Destination Medical Center plans Monday evening with the approval of a long-term, conceptual development plan.

The council was unani­mous in its approval of the plan , a lengthy document laid out by consultants working through the DMC Economic Development Agen cy. Council members expressed excite­ment to be taking real action after a monumental planning process.

"The vote tonight is not about where our vision ends - it's about where it begins," council member Nick Cam-

WEATHER Q Today 35° l3r

Q Wednesday 41 o 128°

Q Thursday 34° 113°

Today's air quality index: 55 (Moderate)

Full forecast 86

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TV TONIGHT 7 p.m. I "The Voice," NBC

8:30 p.m.I "One Big Happy," NBC

9 p.m.I "Frontline: 'The Vaccine War,"' PBS (KTCA)

11 :30 p.m. I "The Late Late Show With James Corden," CBS

Complete list, BS

AREA NEWS AUSTIN I The school board

has unanimously approved one of the major bids for adding artificial turf to two fields at the Wescott Sports Complex. B1

BYRON I A group of kids helps raise more than $3,000 for a charity that makes dreams come t rue for sick kids. 83

OBITUARIES Page B2 Randy Carlson, Hayfield

Roger Ronnenberg, Rushford

Helen Santrizos, Rochester

Margaret Sloan, Rochester

Lenny Taylor, Dover

Malinda Young, Rochester

PUNCH LINE "Now, what's your third ques­

tion?" Joke on A2

CORRECTIONS The Post-Bullet in is com mitted to fairness and accuracy. If you have a concern, contact Managing Editor Jay Furst at 285-7742 or furst @postbulletin.com.

INDEX CALENDAR

ROCHESTER, MINN. VOLUME 90, NUMBER 71 32 PAGES

Inside Next steps

Plan funding hits a speed bump.A2

DMC administrative costs bill clears Senate committee. AS

and other parts of the world, none of which have the background or the history we have," he said.

Smithson asked that the plan be looked at again, with steps more clearly sketched out.

DMC development plan process: ·Approval by city council (March 23). • DMCC public hearing on development plan (April23). • DMCC board adoption of the development plan.

of the plan such as the fate of the public librar y to over­arching goals and effects of the plan.

In all, more than 20 pub-lic comments were offered. Council members, in discus­sion following the comments, reiter ated that the plan would be a framework for development, not a binding agreement to produce certain projects.

·City council second hearing on funding source for DMC (May). • DMCC annual budget and capital improvement plan budget

Campion Adkins submitted to city council (Sept. 1)

pion said. The council's decision

came during a meeting held at the Mayo Civic Center Grand Ballroom. Before the council voted on the devel­opment plan , members of the public were invited to comment. Those comments ranged from specific details

"I looked at the plan ... and I was devastated that the library was going to move," Carol Fishbune said.

·City council approval of DMCC budget for 2016 (December). • DMCC, DMC EDA and city council discussions regarding

potential public infrastructure projects and private projects (April through December).

Another commenter, Tony Smithson, said he was con­cerned about the process.

"The consultant from New York continually talked about concepts from other cities

"For those of you who have noted some parts of the plan that you might find shock­ing, not ever ything in this plan will be implemented,"

council member Mark Hickey said.

carefully defined the terms of the council's approval.

City Attorney Terry Ad­kins drafted a resolution that See PLAN, page A2

GET READY FOR MORE SNOW

Photos by Elizabeth Nida Obert I enida@postbulletin.com

Century High School sophomores, from left, Nathan Bidinger, Isaac Winemiller, Jared Larsen and Brian Gill enjoy a snow day at Judd Park in Rochester on Monday. "Just having a really great day;' Larsen said.

Mother Nature extends icy grip About 4 more inches of snow expected this evening BY BRETT BOESE bboese@postbulletin.com

Mother Nature isn't quite ready to flip the calendar to spring.

A wintry mix of sleet and snow is expected to turn to all snow this evening, adding up to 4 more inches to Sunday's snow totals throughout southeastern Minnesota, according to the National Weather Ser vice.

Sunday's snow dumped up to 10.6 inches on Pine Island and 10 inches on Rochester. Zumbro Falls also got 10.5 inches, while Winona was hit with 9.5 inches, according to the latest numbers from the Weather Service.

Today's snow is expected to hit the Roch ester ar ea about 6 p.m. The Weather Ser vice warns icy roads and slipper y conditions are expect­ed tonight.

A high of 39 on Wednesday should prevent additional snow accumula­tion, but there's still a 50 percent chance of sleet. Winds of more than 20 mph could make for miserable conditions .

Temperatures aren 't expected to warm up until the weekend.

After a high of 32 on Friday, Sat­urday is expected to reach 41, and the thermometer could reach 50 on

84 COMICS C2

Hannah Gathje, left, Kate lynn Luster and Sarah Luster, all of Rochester, build a snow-woman on Monday at Judd Park in Rochester.

Sunday. "Our phones were ringing off the Scott Moon, general manager at hook wh en we got that warm-up

Sar geant's Gardens on 2nd Street, looking for things to plant, but I said he expects to start selling flow- think most people ended up doing ers , trees and shrubs starting next general maintenance ... to get their Wednesday; when the calendar flips gardens ready to go," Moon said. to April. "Growers still go off a calendar,

He reported h eavy interest when so they know roughly Aprill is the weather hit the 60s earlier this when you can start (planting)." month but held off making an y sales in expectation of another deep freeze.

LOTTERY A2 PUZZLES

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BS BUSINESS AS

Biotech firm outgrows downtown offices BY JEFF KIGER jkiger@postbulletin.com

A five-year-old Med City biotech firm has outgrown its downtown offices, so it's moving to much larger digs in northwest Rochester.

ReGen Theranostics, which licenses technology from Mayo Clinic, re­engineer s human skin cell samples to create adult stem-celllines for medical research. Its work is focused on help­ing advance the growing field of regen­erative medicine. In 2013, ReGen grew a beating heart muscle from a skin sample from one of ABC's "Nightline" reporters.

Since 2010, ReGen has operated in 1,600 square feet of space on the third floor of Rochester 's Minnesota Bio­Business Center.

ReGen Founder and President Matt Nelson said "slow, but steady" growth over the year s led ReGen to the point where it needed more space.

"We anticipated adding some more space, but then we decided to move to where we'd have plenty of room to grow," he said. "We anticipate continu­ing to add more customers and adding new services."

With the help of a $165,000 loan from the city of Rochester and Rochester Area Economic Development Inc., Re­Gen was approved to lease 5,200 square feet of space in the 41st Street Profes­sional Campus.

Nelson said work on the space will begin soon. He said he hopes to move into the new offices in July.

As part of the deal, ReGen has pledged to retain its eight employees and add at least five more within two years. The jobs are required to pay a wage of at least $12 an hour.

RAEDI President Gary Smith said the loan carries a 6.5 percent interest rate. The remaining unpaid portion of a previous interest-free loan of $74,500 for the BioBusiness Center space is being rolled into the new $165,000 loan, Nelson said.

"It costs a lot more money to be downtown," Smith said. "It actually makes a lot of sense for them to move to a space that's better to grow in."

Assistant City Administrator Gary Neumann said another tenant is ready to move into ReGen's space in the BioBusiness Center when it becomes available.

"Mayo Clinic is taking over that space for a lab that is very similar to what ReGen used that space for," he said.

Mayo Clinic previously leased the fourth through eighth floors of the BioBusiness Center, though it recently moved its employees out of the fifth floor to make way for Cardio3 BioSci­ences to lease that floor.

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Sports

Thes is the limit Top-notch coaches set lofty goals for Rochester lifters BY ERIC ATHERTON eatherton@postbulletin.com

Mia Erickson is a two-time weightlifting national champion.

Her husband, Karl Erickson, a Rochester Century graduate, is a seven-time track and field All-American who starred at the University of Minnesota and still holds the Minnesota high school record in the discus.

Both are now strength coaches at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, which provides sports-performance services for four Rochester high schools, and the Ericksons are on a mission to ~----~ turn Rochester

into a hotbed of weightlifting talent.

"I love and enjoy this sport so much, and I want to share that joy," Mia Erickson

L.....-..c~::__....1__j said Friday as Erickson athletes worked

Photos by Elizabeth Nida Obert I enida@postbulletin.com

John Marshall sophomore Tate Rench practices the clean-and-jerk Friday in the Century High School weight room. He has qualified for the National Youth Olympic Weightlifting Championships, to be held in Blooming­ton June 24-28.

out under her watchful eyes

in Century High School's weight room. "There's nothing like get­ting on a platform and it's just you and the bar. You can't blame anybody else."

This isn't the ordinary lifting you'll see in fitness centers and high school weight rooms; rather, this is Olympic weightlifting, which focuses exclusively on the clean-and-jerk and the snatch, two lifts that culminate with the athlete holding the weight above his or her head.

Jared Larsen, a 16-year-old sophomore at Century, has lifted since he was in middle school and finished fourth in his weight class at the recent Minnesota state championships.

Century sophomore Jared Larsen, a varsity wrestler, works out Friday in the Century High School weight room. He is one of six Rochester athletes who are participating in Olympic weightlifting.

"The Olympic lifts are more explosive, rather than squatting or bench pressing," he said. "You have to use your whole body, rather than focusing on just legs or arms."

Larsen and five other high school students make up the inaugural class of Olympic weightlifters in Rochester. The Ericksons started recruiting par­ticipants late last fall and already have had one athlete, Tate Rench of John Marshall, qualify for the National Youth Olympic Weight­lifting Championships, which will be held in Bloomington this summer.

Competing against yourself Rench, however, stressed that

the meets aren't about winning or losing.

"You're not focused on beating other people," he said. "You want to beat your own personal record, to lift your own personal best."

Several other Rochester lifters are very close to qualifying for nationals, and Mia Erickson said she expects Rench will have some company when he goes to nationals. But even a national championship wouldn't qualify these dedicated athletes for a varsity letter, because weight­lifting isn't sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League.

Mia Erickson hopes that changes very soon.

"People have been pushing and going to school boards across the state, saying 'Hey, we've got a following, so let's get this going,' but weightlifting still

UConnwomen are at it again Associated Press

STORRS, Conn. - Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 23 points to lead No.1 UConn to a 91-55 rout of Rutgers on Geno Auriemma's 6lst birthday, putting the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament's regional semifinals for the 22nd consecutive season.

Moriah Jefferson added 19 points and Morgan Tuck had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies (34-1), who won their 33rd consecutive game and 79th in 80 tries.

The Huskies, who hope to win their lOth national championship and third in row, are now 99-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, face Texas next week in Albany.

hasn't made its way to officially becoming a Minnesota high school sport," Mia Erickson said. "I hope it does, because it gives kids another opportunity to compete, perhaps even some kids who don't participate in other sports."

For now, team members are using Olympic weightlifting as a way to train for other sports. Dante Fitzsimmons, a sophomore at Century who placed fourth at the state Olympic weightlifting meet, is getting ready for the track season.

"I feel like the lifting will help me get faster and improve my form for pole vaulting, " he said. "I'm a lot more precise with my movements now, and pole vaulting is very much about form."

Learn more For information about high

school weightlifting in Minnesota, go online at mnweightlifting.org.

Not just for boys Currently, there are no girls

on the JM or Century teams, but Mia Erickson said she thinks that will change next year.

''A lot of the girls have never even lifted before, and it can be a bit intimidating because the lifts are so fast and so technical," she said. "We've got girls who are interested, but they're still a bit shy when it comes to competing."

She is also optimistic that overall participation in the sport will increase next year, due in part to the success this year's team has enjoyed.

"Kids are hearing the an­nouncements, and they see the other kids going and doing well, and they start thinking 'Maybe I will do that,"' she said.

Max Mallory, a 16-year-old soph­omore at JM, placed fourth in his weight class at state and hopes to qualify for nationals during the next few weeks. A lineman on the Rockets football team, he said he plans to continue competing in Olympic weightlifting for the rest of his high school career.

"We're very lucky to have Karl at JM, and the Century team is very lucky to have Mia, a two­time national champion," he said. "We have a lot to learn from these coaches."

Tyler Scaife had 16 points for eighth-seeded Rut­gers (23-10), which was in its first NCAA Tournament since 2012 and has not made it past the second round since 2009.

Page 04: Women's NCAA Tournament capsules

Associated Press

Connecticut's Breanna Stewart, left, talks with Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma during the first half against Rutgers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday in Storrs, Conn.

INSIDE Expanded NFL playoffs coming soon? 02 Bowling leaders for the week. 03 Women's NCAA roundup. 04 Wild slide by Maple Leafs. 05 MLS could come to Minnesota. 05

Men's NCAA Tournament schedule. 06

For comments and story ideas, contact Craig Swalboski, swalbo@postbulletin.com

ON WEDNESDAY

18~ Post-Bulletin sports col­umnist Eric Atherton tells you all the rea­sons why Torii Hunter should be in the Hall of Fame.

MOUTHPIECE

Will LaVine be legit, or just a tease? Will Zach LaVine ultimately be a tease, who can run

and jump, but not be complete? Wolves sure need him to be more than a rare athlete.

- @pbpruff, 1:36 p.m., March 23, via web

Have a comment on this topic? Tweet us at @Sports_PB and use #PBMouthpiece, or email us at sports@postbulletin.com.

POST-BULLETIN TUESDAY

MARCH 24, 2015 D Jets' Stuart has one more trip home

LOCAL SPORTS NOTEBOOK GUY N. LIMBECK glimbeck@postbulletin.com

Rochester's Mark Stuart, a member of the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, has one road trip left to Minnesota as

the 2014-15 regular season winds down. That trip could be a crucial contest in the

playoff race. The Jets are currently in a heated battle, as

are the Minnesota Wild, to earn a playoff berth in the Western Conference.

Stuart, a defenseman, gave the Jets a boost as he scored the game-winning goal in a 3-0 vic­tory over Washington on Saturday. It was just Stuart's second goal of the season. He also has 11 assists and a plus-five rating in 61 games.

The Jets currently have nine games left in the regu­lar season. They were one point behind the Wild in the Central Division going into play on Monday night. Both teams are currently sitting in wild-card spots, but several teams remain within striking distance. Stuart

The Jets will play the Wild at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on April6. That is the final meeting of the regular season between the teams. After that game the Jets will have just three games remaining.

Stuart, 30, is in his lOth season in the NHL and his fourth year in Winnipeg. His career high for points in a season was 17 and goals was five, both during 2008-09 with the Boston Bruins. He also had two goals and 11 assists a year ago.

AJ Boldan, formerly of Rochester, is highly involved with the University of Utah Skatin' Utes non-varsity hockey program in Salt Lake City.

College hockey is growing in the southwest and Utah may field a varsity team in the near future. Utah currently competes in the Pac 8 Hockey Conference (pac8hockey.com) along with Arizona State, UCLA, USC, California, Oregon, Washington and Washington State. Ari­zona State is in the process of moving to NCAA Division I.

Boldan is a 1997 John Marshall grad who played four years as a goalie at Utah. He is cur­rently the team's president, general manager and an assistant coach. He has also served as the executive director of the Pac 8 Hockey Con­ference for the past year.

Utah won the Pac 8 this year and is currently hosting the American Collegiate Hockey As­sociation Division II National Tournament. The four-day event concludes today. Utah finished with a 2-1 mark in pool play at the national event, but did not qualify for the championship round.

Red Wing's Tesha Buck and the Wisconsin­Green Bay women's basketball team had its season end in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Tournament on Saturday.

Green Bay, a No. 9 seed, suffered an 80-70 loss to No. 8 Princeton in the first round of the Spokane Region. Buck had 14 points, a team-high six assists and two rebounds in the season-ending loss.

Princeton (31-0) faced Mary­land (31-2) in the second round Buck of the tournament on Monday night.

Buck, a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, finished the season second on Green Bay in scoring (11.6 points a game) and assists (3.2). She led the team with 52 steals and was third in rebounding at 4.8 per game.

Green Bay finished the season 28-5.

The Rochester Honkers have signed catcher Collin Leif and pitcher Peter Resnick to their temporary roster for the 2015 season.

Leif is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior catcher at the University of Nebraska Omaha. The native of Bemidji is currently hitting .171 and is more of a defensive specialist.

Leif is teammate of returning Rochester Honkers outfielder Alex Schultz, who is hitting .329 with six RBis at Omaha.

Resnick is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior right­handed pitcher from Northbrook, Ill. He hasn't pitched at Bradley due to a nerve issue that was surgically cleared up, but has made a full recovery.

Guy N. Limbeck's Local Sports Notebook regularly runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays in the print edition.

POSTBULLETIN.COM

Northern Iowa's season ended a game shy of the Sweet 16. UNI will have to replace some key players off a 31-win team, including Seth Tuttle.

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