Inver Grove Heights Week in Review, Sept. 12-18

Patch wrapped up our comprehensive coverage of Inver Grove Heights Days on Monday, when we posted the last series of from the event and a .

The Inver Grove Heights City Council to set the city’s preliminary 2012 tax levy at $15,736,146, a $260,350 increase over the $15,475,796 levied in 2011. The uncertainty behind the state's new Market Value Homestead Exclusion program is the driving force behind the preliminary increase, according to city officials.

, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Police say he inappropriately touched a six-year-old girl who lived nearby.

Big gains and—in some places—big losses. That may be the best way to describe the . The assessments are given annually and measure students' understanding of the relevant math and reading curriculum through their respective grades.

This week, Patch rolled out a three-part series on a new law that will help defend high school athletes against sports-related concussions. The law should make students, parents and coaches more aware of the dangers that concussions present to young athletes—and not just in football, where concusions are most prevalent. Read , , and .

A group of fourth- and fifth-grade students took a short break from the first week of school last week to dish on their favorite summer memories and talk about what they're looking forward to most during the 2011-2012 school year. .

Year to date in 2011, the average sale price for homes in Inver Grove Heights has fallen roughly 7 percent compared to the same period last year—from $206,009 in 2010 to $190,943 so far this year. .

Dennis James Rivers, accused of providing the crack cocaine that resulted in the overdose death of Heidi Hanson last year, will go to trial in January, 2012. , Rivers faces as much as 25 years in prison and a $40,000 fine if convicted.