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Forest Lake Times
Gertens honors legacy of Houle’s in remodel
Spikes & Houles to open new retail space soon On the outside of the old E.J. Houle’s grain elevator, the old logo was recently repainted on the side of the newly renovated building. The skyline of Forest Lake had not only stayed intact, but has been given a refresh as the Gertens Lawn and Garden family brand has worked to honor the Houle family’s legacy in the downtown corner of Forest Lake. ...
Council considers pausing Beltz Project, funding Fenway and road improvements
What began with trying to adjust the budget further downwards at the council’s budget workshop on Monday, Nov. 20 ended with a debate about whether to nix the city’s plans to reconstruct Beltz Park, a project already underway, or direct its funds to Fenway Park, which sees far more visitors and needs safety improvements and other maintenance. But making changes to direction of spending between the parks is made difficult by the in-progress nature of the Beltz Park project, as the city has received bids...
Forest Lake Council Member Blake Roberts formally censured
The Forest Lake Council, in a 4-0 vote at the Monday, Nov. 13 meeting, formally censured council member Blake Roberts over comments spoken to Forest Lake Police Sgt. Jake Ayers. The council received a complaint on Sept. 20 from Ayers alleging Roberts told Ayers a “buyout” was coming related to the sergeant’s position. The council went into a closed meeting to discuss allegations of someone under its authority on Sept. 25. ...
Columbus finds interim administrator from neighboring city
The Columbus City Council found its interim city administrator, Jack Davis, who will take over at the start of 2024 when current Administrator Elizabeth Mursko steps back from the role. Davis will bridge the administrative gap from when Mursko transitions to a remote role until March 2024 and when a full-time administrator is potentially hired in the early summer months. Davis comes from the city administrator position at neighboring East...
Dick Stark touched lives beyond customers
Longtime Reub’s Tire Shop co-owner dies Even though Dick (Richard) Stark officially fathered three sons, he is remembered as a father figure to many. “People [were] saying ‘He was like another father to me,’ ‘He was a second dad.’ Hearing someone say that was really impactful because I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Dick’s second son, Russ Stark, said. ...
Hushagen clinches state cross country title
Anna VanAcker takes 4th at state Junior Norah Hushagen headlined the Rangers girls cross country team with a state championship earlier this month. Hushagen was joined by sophomore Anna VanAcker and freshman Molly McCarthy at the Class AAA individual state cross country championship on Saturday, Nov. 4, which took place at Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota. Hushagen steamrolled the competition en route to a first-place finish...
Rangers girls swim/dive rope in fourth at sections
Swimmers Chatwin, Nilius and diver Nickles capture trip to state A trio of Rangers earned an individual state berth to the 2023 Girls State Swimming and Diving competition at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Senior diver Delaney Nickles – who was named Section 7AA diver of the year – will compete in diving, while senior swimmer Grace Chatwin will compete in the 100-meter backstroke and freshman Delaney Nilius will swim in the 100-meter breaststroke. ...
Klobuchar stops to hear about Highway 8 project
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) made a stop at the Chisago County Government Center to hear about the county’s coordination plans to improve Highway 8. County engineer Joe Triplett presented to Klobuchar plans to expand the highway between Forest Lake and Chisago City (which the Times reported on last year and can be found at tinyurl.com/4sxksywe.) Triplett said they will expand the road to four lanes and take about 60 access...
School board considers changing meeting start times
The Forest Lake Area School Board may change its meeting start times to accommodate for meeting length and make it potentially easier people to attend. Currently, the meeting on the first Thursday of the month begins at 7 p.m. following a 6 p.m. listening session. The meeting on the third Thursday of the month begins at 8 p.m. after two committee meeting sessions at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. “When...
Threat to LILA’s upper school deemed not credible
Threat over Snapchat app caused administration to send out warning to families over weekend Community Editor LILA administration received a tip on Sunday, Nov. 5 that a student allegedly made a threat against Upper School students and faculty for the following day. LILA immediately enlisted assistance from the Forest Lake Police Department when it heard...
The American flags that brought together residents at Trailside Senior Living
As a way to honor not only servicemen but everyone touched by military service, a flag pole now adorns Trailside Senior Living Apartments’ landscaping thanks to a group of its residents. “Some of us served overseas, some of us didn’t, but we all got the same pride in our service,” said Dennis Christenson, a Trailside veteran. Christenson pointed to veteran club member Lowell Gillem as the one who primarily led...
Forest Lake to host open house to discuss levy increase
In first of its kind open house, staff plan graphics to communicate with public 10-year plan On Monday, Nov. 13, the city staff plan to host its first-ever public open house to discuss the city’s budget and tax levy. It comes at a time when the city is looking to raise the tax levy by roughly 17%. The council approved a preliminary levy increase of 17.77% in September, down from...
Volleyball team falls in section title game to Anoka
Rangers finish season 17-12 The Forest Lake volleyball team took a season-ending loss in the Section 7AAAA championship game to the No. 1-seed Anoka Tornadoes on Thursday, Nov. 2. The game took place at a neutral site in North Branch Area High School as the second-seeded Rangers lost in three sets. Forest Lake looked shaky to start the match before an intense first set had the squads battling back and...
Rangers fall to Lakeville North in round two of state tournament
Rangers end with a 6-4 record In football head coach Brad Beeskow’s final post-game huddle with his players, he emphasized the team’s work culture. “The work culture is you guys. ... The work culture that’s been established has been established by this group of seniors,” he said. The final huddle talk came with mixed emotions of the players as Beeskow talked about the relationships built amongst the team. ...
LILA Upper School receives threat via Snapchat
Parents who want their student to remain home on Monday, Nov. 6 due to safety concerns will receive an excused absence, according to Upper School Principal Nancy Hawkinson. Lakes International Language Academy received information on Sunday, Nov. 5 that a student made a threat against Upper School students and faculty for the following Monday, Nov. 6. That suspected student who allegedly sent that threat via Snapchat will not be attending...
After two years, Columbus council finalizes ordinance about residential businesses
Personnel committee pivots to HR consultant in administrator hunt After a years-long debate on how to define and control residential businesses, the Columbus City Council approved updates to the residential zone business ordinance and home occupation use definition by 4-0 with council member Rob Busch abstaining on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Busch’s reason for abstaining from the vote was due to his absence from the joint council and planning commission meeting...
High school thespians say ‘Hello, Dolly!”
Forest Lake’s annual fall theater production goes to classic theater Despite “Hello, Dolly!” being a more dated production from 1969, Forest Lake Area High School musical director Tim Newcomb was sure to relate its themes of philanthropy and business entrepreneurship to the students today. Newcomb said that after they selected “Hello, Dolly!” the department asked themselves “What are we going to try to do to connect to modern times?” ...
Saari makes state tennis appearance
The Forest Lake Rangers’ freshman tennis star Lucy Saari punched her ticket to the Class AA state individual tournament this season. Saari faced off against Wazata’s Lucy Nabedrick and ultimately lost both sets 6-0 at the state tournament.
Nickles record dives help Rangers surge over Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets
A pool and high school record in diving by senior diver Delaney Nickles helped the Forest Lake Rangers swim and dive team surge past Cambridge-Isanti in a meet on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The senior captain recorded a 278.15, posting a Cambridge-Isanti pool record as well as a Forest Lake Area High School record, besting Anna Storm’s 1999 record of 272.80 by nearly 8 points. The Rangers won the overall matchup against the Bluejackets by a landslide 105-73, setting 15 personal bests. In the 200 free, sophomore Hailey Johnson finished in first followed by freshmen Nora Schmidt and...
Norah Hushagen leads girls XC with section win; Sam McCafferty comes in 20th in boys XC
The Forest Lake Rangers cross country team participated in the Section 7AAA championship meet on Thursday, Oct. 26, at Anoka High School and qualified three of its girl runners to the Class AAA state meet. Junior sensation Norah Hushagen (above) claimed first place in the meet in an impressive result time of 17:34, almost a full minute ahead of the second-place finisher. Sophomore Anna VanAcker finished third among 56 girls in 18:35, seven seconds behind second. Freshman Molly McCarthy was the final Ranger to meet state qualifications, coming in at the ninth spot in a time of 19:25. The trio...
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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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