Mariah Daninger and Joe Ramstad, both Forest Lake High School graduates, spent a portion of their winter break on a 12-day educational and cultural experience in South Africa.
Daninger and Ramstad participated in the 2017 International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, an annual, international opportunity through the National FFA Organization for past and present state FFA officers. The experience allows FFA members to experience foreign culture, learn about international agriculture and become more knowledgeable of the global marketplace.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Seventy five past and present state FFA officers representing 20 states left the U.S. on Jan. 4. The group traveled throughout five of the country’s nine provinces while surveying the agricultural landscape. FFA officers met with government and U.S. Embassy officials to learn about U.S.-South African trade relations, toured crop and livestock operations, met with business and industry leaders and explored a private game reserve, which is home to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and
Category: The Latest From Forest Lake Times
Hundreds attend, but no decision yet on FLPD
Forest Lake will have to wait at least one more week – but likely not longer – before the City Council decides whether or not to accept a contract law enforcement proposal from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Anticipating a decision at the council’s May 1 special meeting, interested Forest Lake residents crammed into the Forest Lake City Center, with most attendees expressing support for a rejection of the proposal and the retention of the Forest Lake Police Department. Well over 100 people wedged into the council chambers, while a crush of people watched the meeting in the hallway outside and another large group watched the proceedings in a community room upstairs in the center. With Lakes Area Television’s web broadcast of the event undergoing technical difficulties, observers of social media during the meeting reported that more than 3,000 people had watched a live stream of the event filmed on an
Open Forum for April 27, 2017
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. Letters by the same writer will not be published more than once per calendar month.
Join other Christians
When listening to the news reports, we quickly wonder what direction our country is going and what can stop its self-destruction. Recently, I wired money to someone in another state, but the monetary amount allowed was very limited. When I inquired why, the clerk reported that scams were high in that particular
Student News
Taylor Daniels and Eline Rodsjo of Scandia have earned a place on the dean’s list at Concordia University-St. Paul.
Seleah Eckdahl of Forest Lake will be honored as a student leader at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Blanket drive
Submitted photo
Girl Scout Troop 56618 completed a blanket drive for their Take-Action Project to earn their Girl Scouts Bronze Award. The girls took up a collection at St. Peter’s Catholic School and Scandia Elementary. In total, 48 blankets were donated to Gillette’s Children’s Hospital for children and teens. Pictured from left to right are Claire Boysen, Brianna Johnson, Becka Newcomb, Ericka O’Brien, Bella Plummer, Ellie Riermann and Ashley Decker.
Final policing contract details released
On April 28, the city of Forest Lake released the details of Washington County’s finalized proposal contract for the provision of law enforcement services in the city, which, if accepted, would result in the dissolution of the Forest Lake Police Department. The city also released a new 2018 budget proposal from Forest Lake Police Chief Rick Peterson which proposes cost savings by not replacing two officer positions that are currently vacant and by incorporating a percent wage increase for supervisors and patrol officers, as put forward by the Law Enforcement Labor Services union at the Forest Lake City Council’s April 24 meeting.
The council will discuss, and possibly vote, on these items at its May 1 workshop (starting at 6:30 p.m.) and special council meeting.broadstreet.zone(48036);
The proposal from the county estimates that its services (which would begin on Sept. 1 if approved) would cost the city approximately $2.9 million during the first
Fire department, roads among recent Linwood topics
Amy Doeun
Linwood Reporter
At the April 11 Linwood Town Board meeting, Fire Chief Ballman said that the township would continue to ban burns.broadstreet.zone(48036);
“We will be keeping the ban in place until it greens up,” Ballman said. “We can be more strict than the DNR. It is not worth the risk.”
Supervisor Carol Searing asked if a firefighter would stop upon seeing a fire on the way home. Ballman said that firefighters are advised to call it in but not stop, as it would not be wise to fight a fire without backup.
As the Fire Department continues to seek the best ways to serve the community, Ballman said, it has joined the Isanti Fire District. Through the district, the department has been invited to continued education opportunities and trainings and is looking for ways to reduce response time for daytime emergencies.
“A lot of departments in Anoka County are really struggling with the daytime
Swim and dive fundraiser a success
Will Chatwin and eighth-grader Eshaan Patel load bags of used clothing into the Epilepsy Foundation’s truck. Over the course of the April 1, 2nd weekend the team collected 4,048 pounds of donated items and earned over $600 dollars from the Foundation based on the weight of the items collected.
by Sarah Chatwin
The Forest Lake boys swimming and diving team collected 4,048 pounds of wearable clothing, bedding and linens, and 82 pounds of small household items during its Epilepsy Foundation fundraiser at Southwest Junior High School on April 1-2. Members of the team were on hand both days to receive donors’ bagged items and load them onto an Epilepsy Foundation truck. Based on the total weight of items collected, the Epilepsy Foundation donated $611.30 to the team.broadstreet.zone(48036);
The team would like to thank everyone who came by with donations.
“This was a win-win-win fundraiser for us, because the boys felt they were making
Foster leads Rangers at Mega Meet
Forest Lake junior Chloe Foster picked up a win and two other scoring finishes to lead the Forest Lake girls track team to a 73-point, fourth-place finish at the Lakeville North Mega Meet on April 22.
Foster won the 300 hurdles in 47.47 over a field of 35 starters, took third in the 100 hurdles (16.31) and placed sixth in the high jump (4-10).broadstreet.zone(48036);
Senior Allison Bartlett also scored points in both hurdles races, taking seventh in the 100 (17.20) and sixth in the 300 (49.70).
Sophomore Regan Duffy finished second in the 3200 (11:15.08); senior Amanda Forliti placed seventh (12:00.19). Two seventh-graders earned points in the 1600, Ava Wilson (fourth, 5:31.99) and Annabelle Stang (sixth, 5:38.41).
Junior Jenna Parent and sophomore Sofia Dodge both cleared 10-6 in the pole vault, the same as champion Elisabeth Dalki of Minnetonka, but tiebreakers pushed the Rangers into second and third.
Parent and Dodge teamed up with sophomore
Sports Briefs – April 27, 2017
Photo courtesy of TLC Digital Images
Baseball up to No. 3
Frozen in time is the moment before senior first baseman Mitch Jerde launched this Cretin-Derham Hall pitch over the fence for a home run in the Rangers’ season-opening 7-0 win on April 11. More recently, Jerde accounted for a run and an RBI in the Ranger’s 3-1 win at Park on April 24, while pitcher Matt Wallner allowed only two hits in a complete game performance. The baseball team is off to a 6-2 start and stands atop the Suburban East Conference standings at 5-1 in league play; the Rangers currently sit at No. 3 in the Class AAAA state rankings behind only Minnetonka and Champlin Park.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Lacrosse teams pick up wins
The Forest Lake boys and girls lacrosse teams were both coming off wins as this edition went to press. The boys team beat Duluth 9-8 on April 18 and Holy Family