Author: admin

In a letter addressed to school board members and read aloud at the Dec. 1 Forest Lake Area School Board meeting, District Superintendent Linda Madsen announced her retirement effective June 30, 2017.
Madsen began in Forest Lake as a student in 1965 and began a teaching career in the district in 1981, Her retirement will put a cap on a 36-year career with the Forest Lake Area School District.
“Having been a part of an institution for so long can make it difficult to know when to move on and let others lead the way,” Madsen said as she read from her prepared letter. “It is a delicate balance of what is best for the organization and what is best personally. I have always known I wanted to conclude my career in Forest Lake with enthusiasm, optimism, and energy.”
Madsen said that she is enthusiastic about what is happening in the district and

See Full Post >>

On Nov. 11, fifth grade teacher Amy Greenfield invited a special veteran to speak to her class at Lino Lakes Elementary STEM School. This special veteran was Amy’s dad, retired Air Force Police Officer Bob Rieckenberg. Rieckenberg was a member of the Air Force for four years including service during the Vietnam War.
For more than 10 years of the 18 that Mrs. Greenfield has been a teacher, her dad has spoken to her students. He teaches the kids why it is important to stand for the flag, how to properly salute the flag, and what people currently do to acknowledge the flag. He has brought his medals in, as well as different pieces of his military gear (gas masks, helmets, etc.) An important lesson Airman First Class Officer Rieckenberg teaches the students is how to greet soldiers and vets (you shake their hand, look them in the eye, and say

See Full Post >>

Lake Area Bank is holding a mitten drive to collect winter-wear items for local children and young adults in need this winter. Through Dec. 23, each bank location will collect donations to be distributed to children and young adults via the Hats and Mittens organization. Suggested items include mittens, hats, and scarves. This community service supports Lake Area Bank’s passion of making a difference. Donated items can be dropped off at any Lake Area Bank location including White Bear Lake, Stillwater, Hugo, Forest Lake and Lindstrom – and at Lake Area Mortgage in Shoreview. For details of the campaign, visit www.lakeareabank.com.

See Full Post >>

Angie Hong
Guest Columnist
Drive by a group of condominiums in suburban Washington County and you’re likely to see acres of lawn with relatively uniform landscaping. One of the biggest benefits to living in a condo is having a property management company that takes care of drudgeries like mowing, shoveling and raking leaves. Because they are hiring out the work, homeowners’ associations usually stick with landscaping that is simple and easy to maintain. Recently, however, some local associations have begun to break the mold and are incorporating native plantings and rain gardens that don’t need to be watered and help to create habitat for pollinators and birds.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Evergreen Country Homes in Woodbury lies off Radio Drive, northeast of the Tamarack Nature Preserve. Last year, the association approached Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District to ask for advice in dealing with drainage problems on their property. Due to compacted clay soils and a berm along the

See Full Post >>

Photo by Jason DeMoeMasquers Theatre actors play out a family road trip scene from the upcoming “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!”
Everyone’s heard the famous rhyme “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage,” but the anatomy of a real-world relationship isn’t always so simple.
Exploring all aspects of what a relationship can be is the premise of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” the latest musical offered up by Masquers Theatre Company to take the stage Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Dec. 2 to 18 at the American Legion in Forest Lake at 355 W. Broadway Ave. .broadstreet.zone(48036);
“The show is put together as a series of vignettes exploring the different aspects of single life, dating, marriage and everything in between,” director Vanessa Agnes said. “Relationships in one form or another are something that we have all

See Full Post >>

Loving Daughter, Sister, Granddaughter, NieceLaney passed away, peacefully surrounded by family, on November 29, 2016. She was a strong warrior and fought courageously and now reigns victorious in Heaven with Jesus.
Laney is preceded in death by brother, Mambo; great-grandparents, Don and Lorraine Evenson, Jim Kinney, Gordon Peterson.
Survived by parents, Andrew and Nicole; siblings, Logan, Mason, Chloe; grandparents, Brad “Papa” and Barb “Amma” Turgeon, Gary “Bikey” and Kris Hays; aunts and uncles, Travis (Kalie) Turgeon, Ashley (Ike) Hartman, Amy Hays; cousins, Addy and Kellen Turgeon, Lucy, Wyatt and Ellie Hartman; great-grandparents, Bill and Lois Turgeon, Audrey Kinney, Emily Peterson.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday, December 2nd at Roberts Family Life Celebration Home, 555 SW Centennial Dr., Forest Lake. A Celebration of Laney’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 3rd at Hosanna Lutheran Church, 9300 Scandia Trail N., Forest Lake, with visitation one hour prior. Private family interment at

See Full Post >>