Back to Business for Little Caesar's Wavers

A dispute over whether two autistic men can carry Little Caesar's advertisements and wave to passing motorists touched on city regulations and freedom of speech issues, according to city staff.

Christian Young and Nengi Clement—two autistic Little Caesar's employees at the center of a sign ordinance dispute in Eagan—are in luck. City staff hammered out an agreement earlier this week with Mike McGuire, the owner of the Little Caesar's in Eagan, that will allow the two young men to continue carrying signs, smiling and waving at passing motorists from a perch in the parking lot outside the business. The restaurant came under scrutiny as early as April 2009 for stationing employees outside with t-shirts and hand-held signs to promote the Little Caesar's brand to drivers on Diffley Road, according to Eagan Communications Director Tom Garrison. With the exception of billboards, city ordinances do not allow businesses to have "off-…

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City Has Little Clout in Comcast Fee Dispute

Eagan residents are upset over increasing fees. But thanks to an FCC ruling, city officials' hands are—for the most part—tied.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us City officials delved into the rabbit hole of cable fees and franchise agreements  on Tuesday night during a public dialogue between a Comcast official and residents upset by unexpected charges. The public hearing was prompted by local Comcast subscribers, who voiced concerns over a recent mailing sent out by the company describing a soon-to-be-implemented additional service charge for digital transport adapters. The Eagan City Council hoped the hearing would shed light on the confusion surrounding the charges, and invited Mike Logan, Comcast's director of government affairs, to attend. Here's what they learned: WHAT IS A DIGITAL TRANSPORT …

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Dr Emmett Brown

1:42 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013

This is Comcast "bait-and-switch" business model. We are in the southeast corner of Eagan and were told last year we would receive 2 free boxes and needed to "rent" 3 additional for $1.99/mo. January 1, 2013 our rates were increased and we are now being charged $9.95/mo. for all five boxes. I honestly hope our council and mayor will put our city contract out for competitive national bids in 2015 …   more ›

Comcast Mailing Upsets Eagan Residents; Council Schedules Hearing to "Shed Light"

The Eagan City Council will host a special hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 19, to discuss a new set of potential Comcast fees.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us An outcry over unexpected Comcast fees has prompted the Eagan City Council to schedule a special hearing on Tuesday to shed light on the matter. Earlier this month, a number of Comcast customers in Eagan and other Twin Cities communities received a notification announcing that the company is upgrading its network to an "all-digital platform". Because of the upgrade, users may need a new digital converter or other equipment to continue receiving their current television channels, the notice said. The notice prompts subscribers to order a digital adapter for un-upgraded TVs for a monthly fee of $1.99 per adapter. That isn't sitting well with …

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New Location, Smaller Footprint for Proposed Connexion Data Center

The company behind the development of the proposed Connexion data center has put the 87,000-square-foot Taystee Foods distribution center on Neil Armstrong Boulevard under contract.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us When North Carolina-based Five 9s Digital first considered developing a data center in Eagan, the company scoured local real estate listings for a vacant building to occupy. But when no suitable choices materialized, the company decided to construct its own, 138,000-square-foot facility—called the Connexion—along Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan. Now, Five 9s digital is returning to its original plans. Rather than starting from the ground up, the business has put the former Taystee Foods distribution center in Eagan under contract, according to Five 9s CEO Doug Hollidge. Five 9s may finalize purchase of the building as early as April, Hollidge …

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Editor's Notebook

City Changes Rules Governing ... Carrier Pigeons?

You heard me right. Eagan City Code has a chapter on carrier pigeons.

City officials had a hard time holding back their tongue-in-cheek comments last week, as the Eagan City Council took action to amend its rules governing carrier pigeons. "Carrier pigeons?" I thought, as I reviewed the council's agenda for the evening. "Why would the city have an ordinance on carrier pigeons?" After talking with the city's communications director, Tom Garrison, it turns out that the city's ordinance is an old, quirky rule inserted into the City Code. But just because it hails from another era doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose today, Garrison was quick to point out. At least one person in Eagan currently has a permit under the ordinance to keep carrier pigeons, Garrison said. People who wish to own carrier pigeons—also…

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