Washington County

The days are numbered for a summertime staple for movie fans in the southern Twin Cities metro. The Cottage Grove City Council voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of Walmart's plan to build a new SuperCenter store, the South Washington County Bulletin reports. It will be built on the site of the Cottage View Drive-In. After nearly five decades in business, the movie theater will permanently close in October.

The former rectory of the Guardians Angels Catholic Church in Oakdale has officially become the first homeless shelter in Washington County. The manager of the facility -- which can house about six families a night -- is also meant to promote the awareness of homelessness.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed an amoeba infection caused 9-year-old Jack Ariola Erenberg to contract a rare form of meningitis, the Associated Press reports. Health officials say the boy recently swam in Lily Lake in Stillwater -- which remains closed. Jack was taken off life-support and died earlier this month.

More than a dozen sightseers on a hot air balloon had to be "towed" to safety Saturday night. The Washington County Sheriff's Office tells KARE 11 the balloon stalled out because of a lack of wind. Officers were able to pull the balloon to the shore along the St. Croix River near Afton.

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput told the Pioneer Press his office is still reviewing evidence in the case involving former Stillwater Lumberjack Days organizer Dave Eckberg. The newspaper writes it could take another month before a charging decision is made. Last month, Eckberg and his wife filed for personal bankruptcy. Court documents show the couple owes a list of more than 100 creditors nearly $2.4 million.

According to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy court, Dave Eckberg and his wife, Stacy Einck, owe a list of more than 100 creditors nearly $2.4 million. Eckberg had coordinated the summer festival along the St. Croix River in Stillwater since 1994 and could also face criminal charges.

Scientists focused on a chemical found in drinking water in Ohio and West Virginia, but they also say it exists in smaller amounts in Washington County. But a health official in Minnesota cautions that studies so far on perfluorooctanoic acid, of PFOA, have been inconsistent and the latest research doesn't necessarily mean there is an increased risk of cancer here.

A coalition of law enforcers and prosecutors in the east metro hopes that focusing on early intervention and prevention will help stem a growing problem that prison time cannot seem to stop.

In 2006, voters approved a referendum for the county to spend up to $20 million over 10 years to preserve land and protect water. The Star Tribune reports about $3.4 million has already been spent on six projects.

Cases involving veterans will be diverted to a court that will emphasize treatment and rehabilitation for vets struggling with addiction or mental illness.