2011 Year in Review: January's Top Stories on Mendota Heights Patch

Colin Marshall’s dream gig as the touring videographer for rock n’ roll icon Ozzy Osbourne fell in his lap not after decades of paying dues in the industry, but after a phone call last fall from a college friend working in Los Angeles.

Marshall, a Henry Sibley grad, is a 20-year-old student at Michigan State University when he’s not on the road with the Prince of Darkness himself.

While the career boost may have been sudden, Marshall’s preparation for his big chance has been anything but.

When Chris Schneeman of Mendota Heights became Boreas Rex LXXIII in 2009, he and his wife Cathy suddenly found themselves immersed in St. Paul Winter Carnival life.

"I didn't have past experience with the Carnival, but we leaped right into it," said Schneeman, president of SevenHills Benefit Partners in St. Paul. "We sure had a great time and we sure learned a lot."

Mike Povolny said watching the Mendota Heights City Council appoint him to the vacant position in their ranks Jan. 18 was like watching a game of poker on TV.

“At least on television you see a couple of the cards they have,” said Povolny to the council.

The council appointed Povolny from a field of three applicants: Povolny, who has served on the airport relations committee and the planning commission; Jill Smith, a former council member and mayor candidate; and Ansis Viksnins, a planning commission member and litigator. The three were selected for final consideration after eight total applicants were interviewed Thursday, Jan. 13.

Segundo and Joan Velasquez sat at their kitchen table one day in 1994 wondering what life had in store for them next. Joan was experiencing early retirement due to disability, and Segundo worked in the mechanics department for what was then Northwest Airlines.

Taking advantage of the benefits of working for an airline, Segundo made frequent trips to his home country of Bolivia to visit family. Many, including his brother, a pediatrician, requested he bring suitcases of medical supplies and other materials.

“Every time I would travel to Bolivia I would see this tremendous need, and every return to the U.S. I would see the incredible surplus that we have,” Segundo said. Thus, Mano a Mano was born.

Customers of Fischerville Coffee House on Dodd Road learned last month that the business would be closing Dec. 31. Now, a reopening under new ownership is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m.

Bella Boutique owner Cindy Schweiger, the coffee house’s neighboring business, confirmed Tuesday that she has purchased the business and the doors are scheduled to reopen Jan. 12. Kathy and Mike Doyle shuttered the business in the historic Fischerville building at the end of 2010 after almost four years.