The Carver County Local News (CCLN) team brings you timely updates, community announcements, and important news stories that matter to our readers. From covering local events to sharing essential information, we’re dedicated to fostering informed and engaged communities across Carver County. Stay connected with us for the latest in county-wide happenings and initiatives.

Allison Larson grew up in Iowa and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University. She has spent most of her career working in communications and training positions. Currently, she is a communications associate director at Optum, leading a small team that focuses on employee communications. She and her husband, Steve, have one son and reside in Chaska. When not at work, she enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and baking.

Bhakti is a Chanhassen resident and is a current CCLN board member and on the website-operations team. She is a past member of Chanhassen Commission on Aging and is currently on the Chanhassen Communities of Belonging leadership. She has previous experience managing newsletters and communications for various regional and national organizations. In her free time, she enjoys spending crafting, listening to audiobooks, and hanging out with friends and family. Bhakti currently works in healthcare data analytics.

Bob Roepke is a lifelong resident of Chaska and alumnus of Gustavus Adolphus College. He retired from a distinguished 35-year career at 3M, where he led Human Resources and Organizational Development for the IT Division. His commitment to community service is evident through his extensive involvement in local organizations such as a 20-year tenure on Chaska’s council, including 18 years as Mayor. His current roles include Chair of the Chaska Community Fund and member of the Southwest Transit Commission. Bob’s passion for building inclusive and engaged communities shines through in his writing, making him a valuable voice for Chaska, Chanhassen, Carver, and Victoria.

Brianna studied English and Mass Communications at Minnesota State University — Moorhead before starting her writing career. She’s written short- and long-form content for trade magazines, content marketing for attorneys and developed organic and paid social media for organizations. She is excited to contribute to a local news organization and help herself and her neighbors stay connected to and engaged with their community. Brianna has lived in Chaska for over 13 years.

Dan Keyport is a 30-year Chaska resident and a current CCLN Board member. Dan started Dolce Vita Wine Shop in Chaska in 2006 and sold the business to retire in 2022. He has contributed to the Chaska Herald and recently published his first nonfiction work, “Extraordinary Popular Delusions of Our Times.” Dan has been a Chaska Rotary Club member since 2005, served two terms on the Chaska Planning Commission, and currently serves as President of the Chaska Downtown Business Alliance. In his free time, he loves to travel, having visited more than 100 countries.

Heather has lived in Chanhassen for 24 years. She grew up in Nebraska and received her BA in English and Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She and her husband, Khai, started the nonprofit A Better Society and spend their time supporting the Carver County community. Heather loves helping people connect their passions and gifts with serving their community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three adult children, traveling, reading, doing yoga, and writing poetry and creative nonfiction.

Heidi resides in Chaska where she has taught private music lessons for the past 20 years. As a music teacher, she has a special interest in music, theatre, dance and the visual arts in our communities. Heidi has experience writing and creating newsletters as well as writing for pleasure – short stories, poems and songs.

Jeff is a former newspaper reporter and editor for the Wadena Pioneer Journal, Detroit Lakes Tribune, Sun Current newspapers, Hutchinson Leader, Osceola Sun, Scandia Messenger, Stillwater Courier and New Richmond News. Jeff is the current CCLN content editor.

​​Jennifer M. Spalding was born and raised in Minnesota. She attended the University of St. Thomas where she majored in Political Science. Following college, she attended William Mitchell College of Law. Jennifer is admitted to the State of Minnesota, the United States District Court for the State of Minnesota, and the United States Supreme Court. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Metro Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Senior Advisory Committee for the City of Victoria. Jenny is the owner of Spalding Law Office (www.SpaldingLawOffice.com) located in Chaska and focuses her practice on estate planning, estate administration and elder law. Jenny lives in Victoria with her husband and two sons and enjoys traveling.

Joe is a retired digital ad agency co-owner, a member of Westbrook Community Church, the Chanhassen Rotary, and is on the board of Eastern Carver County Schools. He has contributed articles to the American Business Journals (parent company of the Mpls. St. Paul Business Journal) and a number of trade publications.

Joel Benson is currently a resident of Chanhassen, having grown up in Eden Prairie. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Washing University in St. Louis and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He has written fiction and nonfiction for student blogs and magazines such as The Odyssey Online and Qualia. He seeks to use his experience in the sciences and humanities to shed light on human stories in a digitally obscured world.

Julie Holmquist is an author and former award-winning journalist who has spent the last 38 years writing and editing for newspapers, magazines, books, and nonprofits in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado. She moved to Chaska with her husband, Jeff, late in 2023. Jeff and Julie are the former owners of three community newspapers in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Kirk Walton is a lifelong resident of Carver County, having lived in both Chanhassen and Chaska (twice each). He is a 1995 Graduate of Chaska High School where he was heavily involved in promoting and participating in CHS athletics and activities. Kirk is a Board member for Chaska Youth Basketball and the Chaska Bash planning committee. He is a technology sales executive for Solution Design Group in Golden Valley, and lives in Chaska with his wife Kate and kids Brady, Allie, and Macie.

Mike Huang is a Chaska resident and a current board member of the CCLN. His public service includes roles on the Chaska City Council, Chair of SW Transit, Chair of the Suburban Transit Association, and member of the Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee. Mike has also contributed to the Chaska Herald. In his free time, he enjoys exploring fun cars, watching football, serving the community, and cherishing moments with his family.

Mollee Francisco spent 12 years covering the City of Chaska as a reporter for the Chaska Herald. She has been a freelance writer for the last eight years with her work regularly appearing in Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, Lake Minnetonka Magazine, Plymouth Magazine, Edina Magazine, Woodbury Magazine, Maple Grove Magazine and Eden Prairie Local News.

Neil Wingert has been birding in Minnesota since 2002 and tries to learn more about birds each time he hangs on to his binoculars or tries to photograph them. He has no certification in ornithology, or a pertinent college degree. You don’t need either to enjoy looking for and finding birds that wait to be seen by you. Carver County is a great location to see a variety of birds throughout the year. Some of Minnesota’s most skilled birders have seen over 250 different bird species in the county. (The author is not one of them.) This piece of the Carver County Local News will hopefully spark your interest in birding, encourage you to put up a bird feeder, or at least cause you to say “I’ve SEEN that!”

Steve Larson is a veteran chronicler of Chaska sports. His accomplishments include photographing all sports for school & booster club web site(s), being the football sideline videographer for over ten years, and producing the media show for the Chaska Bash for the past three years. He reports and photographs sports so parents and far-flung family members can enjoy the efforts and successes of District 112 student-athletes. Steve is a recently retired human resource professional (with a PhD in psychology) with four grown children (former football, soccer, cross-country and baseball high school athletes) and has been a resident of Chaska for 15 years.

Tantalizing Chaska and more with stories about the community’s past, the Chaska Historical Society is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The society’s mission is to connect people to Chaska history in a way that is accessible and relevant, which it achieves through its publications, events, displays, and collections. Founded by Tracy Swanson, Luke Melchert, and Shirley Bruers in 1980, the organization is an exceptional resource for the community. The Society’s home is the Chaska History Center, the 1890 Brinkhaus Livery Stable at 112 West Fourth Street in downtown Chaska. We would love to have you visit during our open hours of 1-4 on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays!

The Chaska Letter is Chaska High School’s student led newspaper. Our goal is to allow students the opportunity to explore the inner-workings of a newspaper, practice researching and writing skills, collaborate with peers, and utilize their creativity! We encourage all of our students to write about what they’re interested in, allowing our paper to reflect topics that are important to local teenagers. All of our members attend Chaska High School.