Columbus
Forest Lake Times
Anoka County Commissioner Jeff Reinert tangles with fellow commissioner
Commissioner Mike Gamache was elected the new chairperson of the Anoka County Board at its organizational meeting Jan. 2 after a contentious back and forth. He succeeds 2023 Chairman Matt Look, who plans to resign from the board in February following his appointment by the East Bethel City Council to be its city administrator late last year. Look nominated Commissioner Scott Schulte, who had been chairperson from June 2019 through...
County probation may strike next week
All but a few Washington County probation officers supported voting to authorize a strike – which would start on Wednesday, Jan. 17 – after the county declined to offer Juneteenth as a paid holiday in the contract. “Our members recognize and value the significance of the Juneteenth holiday. This is exactly why we are asking for it to be a paid holiday, because it’s important,” said Carson Kulow, union steward. ...
Forest Lake sees late ice-in date
Cities hope to open rinks in coming weeks The 2023-2024 winter season kicked off with a warm start, leaving many marveling at the open water on Forest Lake and searching for any ice rink to shred up. This has been Forest Lake’s latest ice in based on record keeping by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, with the lake’s water still open as of press day on Tuesday, Jan. 9. ...
Sports Briefs - Jan. 11, 2024
The Forest Lake boys hockey team lost a tough matchup to Elk River/Zimmerman on Wednesday, Jan. 3, by a final score of 4-1. Offensive consistency proved to be an issue for the Rangers in the entirety of its matchup, with junior lefty Preston Waage scoring the lone goal for Forest Lake. Three days later on Saturday, Jan. 6, the Rangers suffered another loss, this time at the hands of the Stillwater Ponies. A close matchup that was decided by just a goal at a 2-1...
Girls basketball on a roll
Following a 64-47 win over Duluth East on Thursday, Dec. 28, the Forest Lake girls basketball team picked up another win at home against Woodbury on Friday, Jan. 5, in a 77-62 win over the Royals. Senior Cassidy Pitzl led in scoring for the Rangers with 22 points, while sophomore Aubree Hultman (pictured) added 13 points, with sophomore Kendal Damon tallying 11 for her squad. The next day on Saturday, Jan. 6, Forest Lake lost to Blaine on the road by a final score of 52-38. The loss brings the Rangers to a 5-7 record. The girls’ next matchup took place at home against Mounds View on Wednesday, Jan. 10, in a contest that wasn’t completed at press time.
Forest Lake soars over Woodbury, dominate at invitational
Multiple Rangers go on to record career-highs In what was the Rangers’ first meet since December and their first road conference meet of the season, the Forest Lake gymnastics team rose to the occasion and showcased a strong outing at Woodbury High School on Thursday, Jan. 4. The girls kicked the night off in the bars category with five hit routines to begin the meet. A trio of seniors for...
Forest Lake boys wrestling has successful week
Three Rangers reach career win milestones The Forest Lake boys wrestling team posted a successful outing in its road dual against Park High School in Cottage Grove on Thursday, Jan. 4. The Rangers won the matchup by a final overall score of 39-30 and had multiple key victories throughout the battle to ultimately boost its way into the win column. Junior Devin Struntz-Martinez got things started for Forest Lake in...
2023: A year in review
2023 turned out to be a big news year. The Minnesota State Legislature put no time to waste in legalizing marijuana after a bill was passed last year that legalized certain forms of the substance. The law passed this year left cities to navigate the complicated law as confusion over parts of the law had city attorneys and administration scrambling to implement local ordinances around use in public places. But the marijuana law wasn’t the only thing confusing this year. A chart-topping amount record of...
Crash in Columbus kills Lino Lakes woman
A fatal crash in Columbus just before Christmas claimed the life of a 32-year-old Lino Lakes woman. According the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 1:48 p.m. on Dec. 23, Sarah Rajanen was traveling northbound on Lake Drive Northeast when her vehicle entered the southbound lane and crashed head-on into a southbound vehicle driven by an adult male. Despite lifesaving measures at the scene by responding departments, including the Forest Lake Fire Department and M Health Fairview, Rajanen was declared dead at the scene. The man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. The incident is still under investigation by the sheriff’s office, Minnesota State Patrol, and the medical examiner.
Wyoming Fire Department lights up Facebook
Light show video featuring trucks goes viral The Wyoming Fire Department may not have put up Christmas lights on its building this year, but it has been thrilling Facebook audiences with its light show video to The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter” by featuring the trucks’ flashing lights. “Whenever anybody has to see our flashing lights and our big trucks, it’s usually the worst day of their life. … So...
Wallner to take part in Twins Caravan that will make private stop at high school
Forest Lake's hometown baseball star Matt Wallner will join new Twins television play-by-play voice Cory Provus and former Twins pitcher LaTroy Hawkins – along with Twins mascot T.C. – on the third leg of the Minnesota Twins Caravan in January. According to the Twins press release, the third leg of the tour will start on Sunday, Jan. 28 at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Snow Park, followed by a stop to Duluth's Sports Garden on the same day. ...
Wyoming Village Inn remains a local hot spot
For some of the Sunday church-going crowd in Wyoming, they’ll make an early exit to beat the Village Inn breakfast rush after Mass. A friend of Allan DeWolf walked up to the table during breakfast on Sunday in mid-November and joked that after he accepted Holy Communion, he saw him almost dart for the door. “There’s a lot of community connection here and relationships that get built,” said Sunday Village...
Linda Madsen retires as executive director of LC4YF
CFO Jamie Prettner named interim director When Linda Madsen left her position on the board at Lakes Center for Youth and Families in 2018, just after her retirement from her position as a superintendent of the Forest Lake Area School District, she hadn’t expected to step into another full-time role. But shortly after she began working for the youth development nonprofit part time focusing on finances and human resources, she...
Scandia sees a 6.89% levy increase, fractional tax rate increase
Council affirms Waste Management contract The Scandia City Council unanimously approved the 2024 levy at $2,996,852, a 6.89% increase from last year’s levy at $2,804,567, but still lower than the approved preliminary levy at $3,021,852 in September. Scandia homes saw around a 3% home value increase from 2023 to 2024, causing many residents to see an increase in taxes despite a fractional tax rate increase of 0.174% to 26.63% for...
Forest Lake Times
869+
Posts
835K+
Views
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
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.