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Forest Lake Times
‘It’s a hand up, not a hand out’
Forest Lake Rotary member’s humanitarian work in Tanzania continues “If you have toilets, then they will come [to] the Farm and Innovation Center,” joked Kerrie Holschbach, Forest Lake Rotary Club member and Food for His Children founder and executive director. Holschbach is referring to Food for His Children’s recent completion of the initial phase to build a farm and innovation center to serve around 40 communities in Tanzania, Africa. That...
Kidnapping charges filed against man who helped area teen flee
Additional charges have been filed against Shawn Bellach, a 37-year-old man from Dalbo who was initially charged in July with helping an area teenager flee her home in May. The updated complaint, filed on Thursday, Aug. 23, adds an additional charge of kidnapping to facilitate a felony or flight, and another additional charge of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct. The former charge carries a potential sentence of 40 years and a $50,000 fine; the latter charge carries a five-year sentence and/or a...
Columbus approves development
The intersection of Kettle River Boulevard, Camp Three Road and Lake Drive is set to become more populated after the Columbus City Council approved a seven-home subdivision on Wednesday, Aug. 23. The subdivision residents will mainly reside north of Camp Three Road and northwest of Kettle River Boulevard off of 159th Avenue NE. The homeowners of 15741 Kettle River Blvd. are selling their 37-acre plot of land that is north of Camp 3 Road, mostly east of Kettle River Boulevard, with one lot on the...
Hidden Creek development finalized
Marijuana use prohibited on government property A new development in the Headwaters area has finally been approved more than two years since the development team initially submitted its application. The development will eventually include 125 single-family homes put up in three separate phases. The first phase will begin with 22 homes located just west of the dead-ended Headwaters Parkway. Eventually, the entire development will connect with Enfield Avenue North. Last...
Local author’s novel picks up screenplay traction
‘Unholy Communion’ author tackles church abuse When Scandia resident and former Forest Lake dentist Thomas Rumreich read the screenplay of his fiction murder mystery “Unholy Communion,” which was published in 2020 by Beaver’s Pond Press, he wasn’t sure how to digest it. “I’m thinking ‘This doesn’t excite me,’” Rumreich said, asking himself, “Why? What’s missing here?” ...
Behind the scenes of Year 1 under Forest Lake football head coach Brad Beeskow
The Rangers won seven games last season, which included playoff tilt with Eagan The best compliment Forest Lake head coach Brad Beeskow said he can receive from an opposing coach — and what he hopes opponents learn from playing Rangers football — is how tenacious and hard working they are. Well, that’s exactly the type of praise Beeskow received from coaches last fall en route to a historic 21st century...
Forest Lake sports briefs - Aug. 29
The Forest Lake boys soccer team opened its season with a draw, then followed with a loss to one of the stronger teams in its section. The Rangers began the year by playing Blaine to a scoreless draw on the road on Thursday, Aug. 24. Forest Lake managed five shots but did not score; senior Payton Grulkowski kept his team in the contest with eight saves. Two days later the...
Scandia Council seeks to keep tax rate level despite road improvement project
A $4 million road improvement project to repair Scandia’s most deteriorated streets could cause the city’s levy to increase by 11.27% in the coming year. “[The project] does bump that levy up fairly significantly from the projected one,” said City Administrator Kyle Morell at the council workshop on Wednesday, Aug. 2. The cost of the road improvement project, funded through a bond, gave some of the council members pause. It...
St. Paul man who caused fatal crash in Linwood gets 10 years
Crash report indicates Joseph Cady, 42, was speeding more than 30 mph over the limit, had meth in his system A St. Paul driver who caused a fatal crash in Linwood last summer has received 10 years in prison after pleading guilty. Joseph Cady, 42, was sentenced on Aug. 11 to 10 years for criminal vehicular homicide, and five years – to run concurrently with his first sentence – for criminal vehicular operation. ...
Wyoming family loses home to fire, then loses family member
Rob and Mary Bjoraker had taken their time delivering newspapers early in the morning on Sunday, July 2. They had stopped to gas up their car, and also stopped at a place they knew stray cats were to feed them. So when they got near the end of their route, they were almost an hour later than usual. That hour proved to be potentially life-saving, because when they rounded the corner from 255th Street onto 256th in Wyoming, Rob spotted a fire on the side of the garage of a house at the 6600 block of 256th. ...
Charges upped in vehicular homicide case that killed Stacy teen
Permanent memorial being planned for Darisha Vath at Lakeside Memorial Park Charges against Dylan Simmons in the death of Darisha Vath, a 17-year-old Stacy teen, have been increased to two counts of second-degree murder from a single charge of third-degree murder. The first count is murder with the intent to kill, but not premeditated, and the second count is without the intent to kill but while committing a felony. The...
‘A great opportunity’: Rachel Golnitz transfers from Colgate to St. Thomas
Former Forest Lake defenseman returns home after two years away in New York Rachel Golnitz’s transfer process from Colgate University in New York to the University of St. Thomas started and ended with coffee and what she calls “a great opportunity” ahead of her with the Tommies in her junior season. Golnitz, who graduated from Forest Lake in 2021, didn’t plan to return home to Minnesota and had her eyes...
Forest Lake Rangers schedule: First games of fall 2023 season
All eight of Forest Lake’s fall sports teams kick off season by Thursday, Aug. 31 — The Forest Lake Rangers girls tennis team started its season with a tournament at Centennial on Saturday, Aug. 19, and a quad on Monday, Aug. 21, where the Rangers faced Rock Ridge (lost 6-1), Pequot Lakes and Hibbing (won 5-2). Forest Lake has another quad against Chisago Lakes, Brainerd and Cloquet on Wednesday, Aug. 23, after press time. ...
Shift back to phonics-based literacy nets positive results
Plateau in literacy levels led district to consider other curriculums A change in the school district’s literacy curriculum to a more phonics-central approach to language learning has helped students improve their reading skills, according to early district testing and anecdotal evidence from teachers. And the funds the district paid to update the curriculum will be eligible for state reimbursement after the state started promoting the particular change. “Phonics, and phonics...
Forest Lake seeks marijuana public use prohibition
City-sponsored dispensary idea floated by council Forest Lake is joining the list of cities considering marijuana ordinances prohibiting use and distribution in certain places after the state legalized the use and distribution of cannabis earlier this year. During the Monday, Aug. 14, council meeting, the council discussed how it’d like to move forward with future ordinances. Most time-sensitive of the ordinance proposals was discussion surrounding the prohibition of use in...
New Columbus code prevents cannabis but allows tobacco smoking in public spaces
Smoking cannabis and electronic vapes in public areas is out in Columbus after the council voted to ban their uses during its Wednesday, Aug. 9, council meeting. But smoking tobacco products is not after it was discovered the city didn’t already have an ordinance prohibiting its use and the council determined it wasn’t necessary to put it in. “[Cannabis smoking] is – I don’t know if they use the word intoxicating – but there is a change after use that’s different from tobacco use,” City...
‘I had nothing else to prove’: Zack Raabe opens up about ending pro career
Former Gopher and three-year starter at Forest Lake starts new chapter in life Zack Raabe didn’t expect to have to make a monumental life decision earlier this year. But that’s the situation he found himself in when the Milwaukee Brewers released him from their organization at the end of spring training in late March. Raabe, who left as one of the final cuts right on the cusp, was informed his...
Annual Rally for the Rangers community tennis tournament hits the courts
The fourth annual Rally for the Rangers community tennis tournament fundraiser took place at Forest Lake tennis courts on Saturday, Aug. 12. There were 31 doubles teams who competed in all between two brackets (a beginner/intermediate and an advanced). It raised over $2,000 for the school’s tennis program, according to the booster club. Forest Lake Commercial Plumbing and Heating sponsored the event with support from local businesses including Forest Lake Printing and Promotions, Kwik Trip, Target, Big Apple Bagels and Dairy Queen. In the left photo, Alayna Bartylla and Allison Siebenaler won the beginner/intermediate bracket, while Ryan and Asher Soukup finished second. In the right photo, Dan and Brendon Sebring (in gray and blue) took gold in the advanced bracket, while Tim Hanson and Ron Ingalls finished second.
Key numbers from the Forest Lake Brewers’ 2023 season
The Forest Lake Brewers saw their season come to an end at Wintercrest Park on Sunday, Aug. 6, against the Coon Rapids Redbirds – falling short of forcing a third game in the best-of-three series. The Brewers finished 20-12 overall this season with a 6-8 record in the Metro Minny League, where they finished sixth out of eight teams. That marked a drop from last summer where the Brewers finished fourth in the league with a 7-7 record. ...
Forest Lake's Tim Peterson advances to championship in California
For the second time in his golfing career, Forest Lake’s Tim Peterson advanced to the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, which will take place at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, California, on Aug. 26-31. Peterson shot a 73 in the qualifier at Edina Country Club on Monday, July 31, which marked a one shot over par finish for second place and a spot in the finals in California. Peterson’s first appearance at the prestigious championship came in 2021, the same year he earned the Minnesota Golf Association Senior Men’s Player of the Year award.
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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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