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Forest Lake Times
Sports preview: Rangers Nordic ski teams eye state berth again
After years of state championships or state appearances, the Forest Lake Nordic ski team will see a changeover in its coaching staff, but still is aiming for repeat appearances. First-year head coach of the Ranger program Jenna Parent looks to complete a list of compiled team and individual goals this season – something Parent had the squad take part in prior to the official start of the season. “At the...
Sports preview: Rangers boys basketball enters season with lots of experience
The Forest Lake boys basketball team comes into the 2023-24 regular season with aspirations of capturing a Suburban East Conference title — and a Section 7AAAA title for the right to represent their section in the Class AAAA state tournament. The Rangers have plenty of experienced players who’ve gained significant varsity minutes over the years, with the core group being led by a key player in power forward/center Owen Waldoch. Waldoch, a senior this year for Forest Lake, is currently committed to playing Division II...
Columbus seeks hiring firm to fill admin gap
Former East Bethel admin officially hired as temporary replacement The Columbus City Council approved sending a proposal to hiring firms in its search for a new city administrator during its Monday, Nov. 20, meeting – though it may not pursue that route. “All we’re really doing is looking to see what costs are,” council member Ron Hanegraaf said. ...
CPA’s ‘Elf Jr.’ aims to sprinkle joy in Forest Lake
Children’s Performing Arts is set to debut “Elf Jr.” this Friday, when director Rob Thomas hopes the weekend performances can give the community the same feeling he got the first time he saw “Elf.” “I want to bring the same joy that I felt when I saw it to a whole theater full of people. I want everyone to walk away, singing and whistling and feeling that joy,” Thomas said. ...
Forest Lake settles on levy increase of 13.91%
Council split on direction, but builds consensus for final levy After considerable debate over funding parks, infrastructure improvements, and new positions, the Forest Lake council came to a consensus at a levy increase of 13.91% at its special workshop meeting on Monday, Dec. 4. It was a back-and-forth struggle between Mayor Mara Bain and council member Hanna Valento, who were hoping to see the proposed levy increase sit between 15-17%,...
Sports Preview: Rangers Alpine coach expects pair of skiers at state
The Forest Lake Alpine ski team is looking to pick up where they left off after last season, in which the Rangers had two individual skiers punch their tickets to state competition earlier this calendar year. Senior Mathias Peterson, and sophomore Adie Tredinnick are leading the way for the boys and girls teams, respectively. Head coach Trevor Pinewski is excited for the potential impacts each will make. “Those two I am pretty focused on and I’m really excited for them,” Pinewski said. “The expectation, or...
Sports preview: Rangers wrestling returning with state firepower
The Forest Lake wrestling team is hopeful to continue last year’s success, especially with the depth the team has built in recent years. Last year, current senior captain of the team Mark Rendl won the Class AAA state title in the 220 pound heavyweight class. “He’s a pretty impactful wrestler that we have. He came out of the gates with the No. 1 ranking in the preseason heavyweights,” head coach...
Sports Preview: Three state qualifiers return to Rangers gymnastics
The Forest Lake Rangers girls gymnastics team is hoping to take steps forward this season after finishing fourth in both the Suburban East Conference and Section 7AA play. In what head coach Lindsey Pierron expects to be a deep, well-balanced team this season, the Rangers are returning three state qualifiers from the season prior: senior Sami Ernst and juniors Ellyanna Stamp and Hailey Henry. “All three of them are back and they’re more than ready to compete again,” Pierron said. ...
Sports Preview: New head coach Ekman to lead boys hockey
The Forest Lake boys hockey team has a new leader at the helm this season: coach Jay Ekman. Ekman and the Rangers are looking to establish a culture that can continue to grow throughout the program for years to come, while also embracing his team slogan: “Win the day.” “Just embodying it and doing the simple things right all the time and playing that Ranger style of hockey,” Ekman said. “Which is playing aggressive, getting pucks in the net, systematically being in the right spot...
Sports Preview: Wagner returns as girls basketball coach
A familiar face to Ranger basketball will pair with a new face to co-coach the girls team. This year Victoria Kimber joins storied coach Jen Wagner, who will both be serving as co-head coaches this upcoming season. Wagner, who served as the previous head coach for Forest Lake for an impressive 16 seasons and led the program to a 242-202 overall record, as well as three Class AAAA state tournament appearances before stepping down in the summer of 2021, will be returning in a very...
Sports Preview: Forest Lake dance team has it in them
Last year the Forest Lake dance team took home fourth-place finishes in both jazz and kick at the section meet. It was the highest placement the dance team has placed at sections since the 2015 team made it to state. This year, despite losing 10 seniors to graduation after last season, the Forest Lake Dance Team is hoping to build on that success. Last year, the varsity team really tried to notch up their difficulty level after seeing a lag in that score compared to...
Man who brought Schumacher grandstand to reality dies
Corbett Johnson’s ‘I Believe’ project remains icon of Forest Lake Outside Schumacher Field, a plaque acknowledges the dedication of the grandstand to Corbett Johnson. It all started in the mid-1990s with Johnson’s belief in what the ballpark at Schumacher Field, which has been in place since 1948, could become: a hometown baseball field with a covered grandstand. “Everyone gets a kick out of it, I tell you that. There isn’t...
Forest Lake council halts Beltz Park construction
Council changes direction to focus on Fenway Park and lessening levy burden What began with trying to adjust the city budget further downward at the Forest Lake City Council’s budget workshop on Monday, Nov. 20, ended with the council nixing the city’s plans to reconstruct Beltz Park, a project already underway, during its Monday, Nov. 27, meeting. The city declined to approve contracts for site plan work and the purchase...
Invisible Wounds Project aims to help first responders’ mental health
New Forest Lake location planned as community center for front-line workers dealing with mental health struggles Russ Hanes has a history of service in the family. His father was a Vietnam veteran. He began his career in public safety in 2000 as a reserve community service officer with St. Anthony, and over the next six years spent time as a corrections officer with the Rice County Sheriff’s office and Hennepin County, and as a police officer in Golden Valley before he turned to working dispatch. ...
Sports Briefs - Nov. 23, 2023
The Forest Lake girls hockey team started its season with a 4-2 road win over their Suburban East Conference opponent East Ridge on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the MN Health Fairview Sports Center. Junior forward Rylen Kissell netted a hat trick and sophomore forward Abigail Sklavenitis tallied a goal, with all four points being scored by the Rangers in the final period of play. Forest Lake recorded 38 shots on goal to East Ridge’s 34, with the Rangers going one-for-three in the power play. ...
Trio of Rangers compete at state swim/dive meet
The Forest Lake swim and dive team saw three Rangers compete in the Class AA state swimming and diving meet at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the campus of the University of Minnesota. Seniors Delaney Nickles and Grace Chatwin, along with freshman Delaney Nilius, all earned their right to compete amongst the best swimmers and divers in the state within Class AA after Nickles an Nilius took first in their respective events, while Chatwin took second at the Section 7AA meet on Friday...
Wyoming council still looks at 6.26% levy increase
The Wyoming Council discussed its estimated 6.26% increase in the tax levy at its Wednesday, Nov. 8, meeting. The proposed levy will increase by approximately $321,146 to a total of $5,454,918. The city’s tax rate will decrease slightly, by 1.48%. The city’s tax rate has been steadily decreasing since 2018, when the tax rate sat at 48.69% down to the proposed tax rate at 37.89%, with the exception of 2022 when the tax rate increased to 44.96% from 2021’s 43.31%. Last year’s tax rate dipped...
Act on Alzheimer’s events help loved ones of those with memory struggles learn what their experiences are
After pandemic nearly shuttered local branch, events return to help community members with caregiving For someone without dementia, Alzheimer’s or memory struggles, it may be hard to understand the experience that someone with those disabilities may face when completing daily tasks. But the Act on Alzheimer’s Lakes Area branch, covering Forest Lake to Chisago Lakes, created a small series of tests to demonstrate how completing daily tasks can be impacted by dementia or Alzheimer’s at a recent open house. The tasks were seemingly simple: find...
Forest Lake gets new history book after 30 years
Three decades have passed since Forest Lake’s history has been put into a book. “I think the time is good for that (another book) to happen,” said Justin Brink, Forest Lake’s Historical Society president. So Brink published “Images of America: Forest Lake,” the first look at Forest Lake’s history since Elsie Vogel’s “Reflections of Forest Lake” book was published in 1993. “Images of America” is a book series published by...
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Forest Lake Times has been serving Forest Lake, MN since 1902. Published Thursdays by APG of East Central Minnesota with 24/7 local coverage found online at forestlaketimes.com
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