Category: The Latest From Forest Lake Times

Washington County Parks will begin taking reservations for campsites and park pavilions for 2017 beginning at 8 a.m. Jan. 10.
At that time, residents may call or visit any park office to make a pavilion reservation. Also at that time, camping reservations will be open for 2017. They will be taken online only at washingtoncounty.maxgalaxy.net until they open for telephone and in-person reservations Jan. 17.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Park locations and other contact information may be found at www.co.washington.mn.us/parks.
For more information, call 651-430-8368.

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Submitted photo
On Dec. 8, Scandia Elementary IB World School’s music educator, Kelly Larson, directed the fifth-grade class concert on, “Winter Celebrations Around the World.” Students performed songs from the countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

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Tabloid journalism has been around for decades.
The man who sneezed so hard it blew his wife’s hair off her head, NASA capturing photos of ghosts in space, the dolphin that grew human arms, the shocking photos of Abraham Lincoln – not being a vampire slayer, as Hollywood might have you believe, but that “he” was in fact a she – all over-the-top fake.broadstreet.zone(48036);
But for that readership demographic, it’s all accepted with full acknowledgment that it’s just mindless entertainment, not news. Nobody really believes it.
Not so with the fake content of social media and the myriad of websites that have popped up to trick, deceive and flat out change people’s opinions on issues.
This became omnipresent during the 2016 presidential election. According to a New York Times story published Nov. 8, numerous fake accounts that were attributed to notable politicians were circulating bogus information in the days leading up to the election.

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Amy Doeun
Linwood Reporter
First on the agenda for the Dec. 13 Linwood Town Board meeting was the date of the 2017 Linwood Family Fun Day. For the past 40 or so years, the day has been held on the first Saturday after Labor Day. Supervisor Bob Millerbernd said that he liked this day because it was the weekend after the first week the students were back to school, and most families did not have vacation plans.broadstreet.zone(48036);
However, another tradition of Family Fun Day is the Fireman’s Dance in the evening. This year, the Linwood firefighters were not able to hold their dance on the same day. Each of the neighboring fire departments – Stacy and Wyoming – try to rotate their town’s special events so that they can cover for each other. A scheduling conflict meant that the Linwood Fire Department was on duty helping neighboring towns during the 2016 Linwood Family

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Submitted photoCathy Carchedi, left, and her mom, Dease Charais, are pictured at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where Carchedi donated a kidney to her mother.
Dease Charais doesn’t expect much in the way of Christmas presents this year. Her present comes every time she looks into the loving eyes of her husband, son, daughter and son-in-law.
At 76, Charais has a new lease on life following a kidney transplant in October with daughter Cathy Carchedi, the donor. Cathy’s decision to donate an organ to her mother was a move supported by her husband Joe, father John Charais, and brother Nick Charais. All four family members stood ready to give the gift of life to the Forest Lake woman.broadstreet.zone(48036);
It was a whirlwind summer and fall for the family as the transplant took place during a quick two-month process. But it was a step long in the back of Cathy Carchedi’s mind.
She was just 16

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Letters will be accepted for the Open Forum for publication in the next available issue after receipt. Letters may be sent to Forest Lake Times, 146 N. Lake St., Suite 125, Forest Lake, or by e-mail to ryan.howard@ecm-inc.com. Letters should not exceed 250 words and must be signed with the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Deadline is noon Monday. The newspaper reserves the right to edit letters and assure that rules of libel and good taste are not violated.
Winning behavior?broadstreet.zone(48036);
Stewart Mills recently said he was going to request a recount in the race he lost to Congressman Rick Nolan because he couldn’t understand how President-elect Donald Trump did better than him. Here’s how: Congressman Nolan has worked hard for the 8th District — a district he has lived in his entire life. If Mills was more connected to the people and communities he hoped to represent, he

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Submitted photo
First to third grade students at Scandia Elementary IB World School recently learned about the importance of moose and their habitat through a program with the Anoka County Connexus Wildlife Outreach and their partnership with the Wargo Nature Center. Wargo Naturalist Cody Rossetti spoke with the students, sharing interesting facts and information. The presentation supported the IB units of inquiry about animal and plant habitats and environmental adaptations.

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Yogadevotion, now in its 12th year in Forest Lake, will begin a new session on Jan. 7 at Hosanna Lutheran Church, 9300 Scandia Trail N., Forest Lake.
Yogadevotion promotes strength, flexibility, and peace in body, mind, and spirit through weekly Saturday morning devotional sessions. Carrin Mahmood, certified and experienced Yogadevotional instructor, leads the hour-long sessions. Women and men of all ages are invited to participate and enjoy this meditation time while enjoying the benefits of yoga. No previous experience is needed as basic yoga will be taught.broadstreet.zone(48036);
The seven-week session will run through Feb. 18. The cost is $56, and classes will be held in the Lakeside room at Hosanna, from 9 to 10 a.m. To register, contact Kathy Okeson, tv69oke@aol.com, or 651-464-5422. Payment due by Dec. 27.

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A new National Promising Practice award banner recently arrived from character.org in Washington, D.C., at Lakes International Language Academy. The school’s “Make A Difference” I-Term course received the honor at the National Forum on Character Education this fall. The competition recognizes successful practices that educators nationwide can replicate to help students build empathy, improve conflict resolution skills, and demonstrate good citizenship. It’s the second consecutive year that LILA has won the national award.
LILA offers I-Terms twice each year in grades 6 to 12 at the Upper School, allowing students to apply what they’ve learned in an intensive, instructive, innovative, in-depth, and interesting course held over multiple days, such as the Make A Difference option. Students in the Make A Difference course studied picture-book biographies with a local published author to learn how to write about people who have made a difference in the world. They wrote and illustrated their own

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Terry Traver
Scandia Reporter
Several items were discussed during Scandia City Council’s work session Dec. 7, including the 2017 budget, approval of an agreement to operate a solar garden and the annual cost of the Scandia Fire Department Dive Team.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Levy and budget
The work session sufficed as the truth-in-taxation public hearing on the 2017 city budget and tax levy. The City Council will approve the final budget and levy number at its Dec. 20 meeting.
The council was advised that the tax levy will be the same in 2017 as it was in 2016 at approximately $2.26 million. Generally speaking, this means that most residents will likely not see a property tax increase in 2017. The vast majority of the general fund will go to public works, with finance, administration and fire all getting significant levels of funding as well.
At the November work session, during discussion of the Fire Department budget, the topic of

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