East metro voters will be asked to weigh in on mayoral races, education levies and open school board seats during the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election.

In Dakota County, voters will cast their ballots to fill several vacant school board seats across three school districts: Hastings, Lakeville and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan.

Voters also will be making decisions on levy referendums in Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan.

The Farmington district is asking for an operating levy that would provide $1,237 per student annually, generating about $8 million per year for 10 years.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan voters will be asked to renew and increase an expiring technology capital projects levy.

And Lakeville Area Schools will ask voters to renew an expiring capital projects levy that was first passed in 2015.

RELATED: Voters to decide school levy referendums in Ramsey, Dakota, Washington counties

For complete coverage of area elections, including candidate Q&As, visit twincities.com/elections.

Here’s what you need to know about school board elections in Dakota County.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan

Voters in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, ISD 196, will fill three school board seats from four candidates in the General School Board Election.

Vying for the three seats are: Robin Cerio of Eagan, Leah Gardner of Eagan, Sakawdin Mohamed of Eagan and M. Tracey Plante of Rosemount. The four-year term runs from January 2026 to January 2030.

Cerio, Gardner and Mohamed are currently on the school board with terms expiring Jan. 5.

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Cerio, an Eagan resident of 24 years, was appointed in January to fill the remainder of a vacant term. Cerio’s priorities include closing the achievement gap, celebrating diversity in communities and improving graduation rates, according to her candidate webpage.

A graduate from the University of St. Thomas, Gardner also has first-hand experience serving on the school board after she won a special election race last November. Erasing economic stigmas and supporting students’ mental health are among Gardner’s priorities, according to her candidate webpage.

A father of six who was elected to his first term in 2022, Mohamed is an advocate for increased student mental health support, improved communication between students, teachers and parents and increasing teacher and staff diversity, according to his candidate webpage.

Catherine Diamond, of Eagan, is running unopposed in the district’s Special Election to fill the remaining two years of former board member Sachin Isaacs’s term after his resignation in October 2024.

Diamond, who was appointed to fill the vacancy until an election could be held, is committed to the health and wellness of students and staff, according to her candidate webpage. A mother of three, Diamond is endorsed by 314 Action, an organization committed to electing Democrats with a scientific background to public office.

Lakeville Area Public Schools

Voters in the Lakeville area school district, ISD 194, will elect one of two people to the school board.

Incumbent Brett Nicholson, who was appointed last November to fill a vacant seat due to a resignation, is racing against Tony Reichenberger.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota and a father of two, Nicholson’s priorities include preparing students for STEM careers, diverse perspectives in history curriculum and budget transparency.

As the husband of a kindergarten teacher, Nicholson is also committed to supporting teachers by providing adequate resources and reducing administrative burdens, according to his candidate webpage.

Lakeville resident and father Tony Reichenberger is committed to investing in teachers, collaborating with the community and improving the reputation of the district’s school board, according to his candidate webpage.

Reichenberger, who works for an AI company, also believes students should learn in a way that does not rely on technology.

“Reliance on technology, inside and outside of the classroom, before comprehending facts and functions only trains our children to push buttons, not learn,” Reichenberger said on his webpage.

Hastings Public Schools

Voters in the Hastings school district, ISD 200, will choose from three candidates in a Special Election to fill a vacant school board seat.

Jenny Wiederholt-Pine, 44, from Miesville, Minn. (Courtesy of Charlie Wiederholt)

The seat was formerly held by Jenny Wiederholt-Pine, who died in February. Wiederholt-Pine, of Miesville, was a district soccer coach, restaurant co-owner, an avid equestrian, wife, mother, daughter and friend.

“Jenny was a dedicated public servant, and her loss is deeply felt throughout our community,” said LynDee Humble, an elections clerk with the school district.

The three candidates running for the board seat are: Elaine K. Mikel-Mulder, Simone Rendon and Marty Weber, who has since withdrawn from the election.

“My name is still on the ballot, but there are still two other candidates. Do not vote for me. Please vote for them,” Weber wrote on Facebook last month.

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Mikel-Mulder, who was elected this spring to fill the remainder of Weiderholt-Pine’s term until January, is a supporter of classical education and believes classrooms should be filled with problem-solving opportunities and project-based content as much as possible, according to her candidate webpage.

Simone Rendon, a mother, foster parent and artist in Hastings, said in a post on Facebook that her priorities include respecting and caring for teachers, strategically utilizing the budget and listening to community members.

Rendon, who is Ojibwe and Lakota, said, “I am running for school board because I want to be able to send the children who live with me to a public school that is truly for the public, open and welcoming to all students.”

The term will run from Jan. 5, 2026 until Jan. 1, 2029.

By JACK DURA, Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities were liable for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.

The award is roughly half the $667 million that a jury previously had awarded to the company, Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access.

State District Judge James Gion granted and denied Greenpeace requests to rule in its favor on various claims before recalculating the damages.

Energy Transfer said it intends to appeal the verdict “as we firmly believe that the original jury findings and damages awards for conspiracy and defamation are lawful and just.”

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The lawsuit stems from protests nearly a decade ago against the Dakota Access oil pipeline and its crossing of the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The case would go next to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

In March, a nine-person jury found Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. liable for defamation and other claims brought by Energy Transfer.

The jury found Greenpeace USA liable on all counts, including conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference with business relations. The other two entities were found liable for some of the total claims.

Damages totaled $666.9 million, divided in different amounts among the three Greenpeace organizations, who earlier planned to appeal.

The pipeline company accused Greenpeace of carrying out a scheme to stop the pipeline. Greenpeace attorneys said there was no evidence to back up the pipeline company’s claims.

Since the verdict, attorneys for the Greenpeace entities asked the judge to reduce the damages and to undo the verdict in their favor. Energy Transfer asked the judge to enter the judgment the jury found.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019 and went to trial earlier this year in state district court in Mandan, North Dakota.

In September, the judge denied a request from the pipeline company to stop Greenpeace International from continuing with an anti-intimidation lawsuit it filed in the Netherlands.

For more than 50 years, the independent film company Troma Studios has produced low-budget, underground horror movies like “The Toxic Avenger” that served as a playground for some of today’s biggest names in film. On Halloween, this legacy will be celebrated by Twin Cities musician, journalist and 89.3 The Current radio host Chaz Kangas on his new hip hop album.

Twin Cities based musician, journalist and rapper Chaz Kangas will release his horror-homage album “The Troma Project: 50 Years of Reel Fan-Toxic Hip Hop” on Halloween. The album features local and national artists while pulling sound directly from the films of Troma Studios. (Courtesy of Bump Opera)

Featuring musicians from across the country and sounds pulled directly from Troma Studios’ most recognizable films, Kangas’ “The Troma Project: 50 Years of Reel Fan-Toxic Hip Hop” will be released on Halloween.

“I’ve always had a love of the company,” Kangas said. “They were really sort of what made me a film obsessive.”

The album creates a soundscape made up entirely of audio pulled from Troma films, a collaboration blessed by studio founder Lloyd Kaufman.

“Knowing that it was Troma’s 50th anniversary and always being a fan of concept albums and projects, I pitched the idea to Lloyd, (to) sample some of the movies from Troma’s 50-year history to make entirely new songs,” Kangas said.

Troma Studios is North America’s oldest independent film studio, opened in 1974 by Kaufman and Michael Herz. The studio cultivated a community with its cult classics “The Toxic Avenger” and its subsequent sequels, as well as “Tromeo and Juliet,” which was co-written by “Superman” director James Gunn. Kaufman blends comedy and commentary in his films, including the “Class of Nuke ‘Em High” trilogy and “Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD.”

“It seems that whoever has worked for Troma, they all look back on it as a kind of film school or something,” Kaufman said. “I think we’ve infused a lot of young people with the notion of, ‘To thine own self be true.’ And that’s certainly true of Chaz Kangas.”

Kangas, as a fan of the studio and Kaufman himself, met the director and studio founder at a fan convention in his teenage years and has remained in contact since.

“It stands out quite well,” Kaufman said. “I was signing books in Minneapolis, and he and his parents showed up. And he was very articulate and full of dreams and full of energy. I saw he was unique immediately and, luckily, we kept in touch with each other, and it resulted in this album.”

The 11-song album features musicians from across the country as well as local artists like hip hop artist Desdamona, who is featured on the album’s single, “Girls School Screamers,” a female-led slasher-inspired beat.

Twin Cities MC Christopher Michael Jensen is also rapping on the album’s “Choices of a Different Path.” Having known Kangas for nearly a decade, Jensen said he was excited to get to work on such a concept-based album.

“There’s definitely a quality about it that’s unique just because you can tell the samples in it are not typical fair for a hip hop type album,” Jensen said. “Every song has some kind of reference to Troma.”

Another musician, Conner Sloat (also known as Bald Halfwit), described working on the album as a different creative avenue.

“I’m really glad that the opportunity arose because I got to create really awesome music that was outside of what I’m used to,” Sloat said.

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Paying homage to the film and horror influences of Troma, the album’s cover was designed by Four Finger Distro founder and musician Jeep Ward, also known as DJ Halo.

“It feels like a straight-up and down hip hop project, in the sense of hip hop specifically as an art form and production style that is sample-based and uses other people’s work to make something new,” Ward said. “I hope this project shows people that DIY is still alive and well, and if you really want to do something, you’ll do it.”

The album will be released digitally Friday and distributed by Four Finger Distro, a record label that centers community-based musicians. Physical media, such as CDs and vinyl records, will also be available for purchase.

“It’s been a labor of love and, you know, I’m super happy with the final project,” Kangas said.

Kayla Poirer didn’t get the glory that comes associated with scoring a goal, but without a couple skillful touches by the senior, Mahtomedi would no longer have a chance to repeat as state champions.

An unlikely save by Olivia Boberg was huge, too.

An outside midfielder, Poirer set up Lucy Peer and Elise Aflakpi for goals 3 minutes, 28 seconds apart in the second half as the Zephyrs rallied past Mankato East, 2-1 in a Class 2A girls soccer semifinal Wednesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Top-seeded Mahtomedi (16-2-2) will face either No. 2 Blake or No. 3 Holy Angels for the title at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Zephyrs beat Holy Angels 2-0 in last year’s title tilt.

Down 1-0 at the break, Zephyrs coach Dave Wald said his message was about attitude.

Mahtomedi Elise Aflakpi’s header is stopped by Mankato East goalkeeper Eva Starkey during the first half of the Class 2A Semifinal of the Girls State Soccer Tournament at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Mahtomedi won 2-1. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

The Zephyrs graduated 11 seniors from last year’s championship team, and have played all season without injured captains Allie Rippentrop, a striker, and North Dakota goalie commit Jacque Worden. Rippentrop returned with three shifts in the win.

“We’ve been kind of piecing it together all season. It hasn’t always been pretty, but these girls get it done. For the last few years, we’ve had a lot of people in front of them. It’s their time now. But it’s hard, this is a tough situation, a lot of pressure, so I think we kind of played afraid in the first half,” Wald said. “… It’s in those big moments in the final third of who’s going to have the attitude to get in there and do the dirty work. Today, Lucy and Elise did that.”

A play into the middle off a Poirier cross ended with Peer scoring on a rebound in front in the 49th minute. From a similar spot on the pitch, Poirier deked a defender and her centering pass was headed in by Aflakpi soon thereafter.

“Kayla has a really good foot and really good aim, especially on the corners. … She’s just great at that,” Aflakpi said.

“Great goals, hard to defend that,” Mankato East coach Miranda Rauenhort said.

The two Zephyr goals would not have been enough if not for the alert play by Boberg less than five minutes later.

Goalkeeper Harlow Berger made a sliding, point-blank save in the box, but the rebound went right to a Cougar, who for a split-second had the entire net to shoot at. But Boberg, a freshman defender, hustled to the goal line to block the attempt.

“All I knew was to keep the ball out, get back up and move it,” she said.

Mia Graff’s cross from near the right corner ricocheted in off the far post to give Mankato East (15-3-2) a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

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