Category: The Latest From Forest Lake Times

Donald Ralph Larson, Jr., age 72, of Foley, MN died Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Foley Nursing Center, Foley, MN.
Private services were held and burial was in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Little Falls, MN. Funeral arrangements were made by Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN.
Don was born January 25, 1945 in Pueblo, CO to Donald R. and Phyllis (Larson) Larson, Sr. He graduated from the Forest Lake High School in 1963 and served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1966. Don worked as a deep sea diver in Patterson, LA from 1971 to 1993. He was then employed as a mechanical engineer at the Sauk Rapids Rice middle school.
Survivors include sisters, Phyllis Larson of Rice, MN, Judy Norrell of St. Louis Park, MN, and Sharon Dedrick of Moundsview, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Randy Larson.

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Marilyn Rasmussen, age 76, of Marine on St. Croix, a loving wife, mother and piano player joined the choir in heaven on April 23, 2017.
Preceded in death by her husband, Paul Henry; son, Paul Gray.
Survived by her son, Matthew; brother, William (Barb) Anderson; sister-in-law, Lucy Rangaard; special friends, Jim and Dale; four-legged friend, Brinkley; nieces, nephews and many dear friends.
Visitation 2-5 p.m. Sunday, April 30th at Roberts Family Life Celebration Home, 555 Centennial Dr. SW, Forest Lake. A Celebration of Marilyn’s Life 11 a.m. Monday, May 1st at Elim Lutheran Church, 20971 Olinda Trail, Scandia, with visitation beginning one hour prior.
Special thanks to Mom’s dearest friends, The “Fab Five” and “Handsome Women.”

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Clare Flaherty puts out a Charter Stars runner on a throw from Thiele.

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Photos by Rachel Brisbois

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Megan Baniecke picked up two wins on the mound and hit three home runs at the Ranger Classic on April 22.
Last Saturday, April 22, was a day of softball in the Forest Lake area: Both the Forest Lake and North Lakes Academy softball teams hosted and won all-day tournaments.
The Ranger Classic had been pushed back a week by the downpours of April 14-15, but the teams in attendance were met with perfect weather on the makeup date – and the Rangers were a perfect 3-0 on the day to claim joint-first place in the six-team varsity tournament.broadstreet.zone(48036);
The Rangers entered play as the No. 2 team in the Class AAAA state rankings, and they played up to their ranking. Megan Baniecke pitched a gem in the early morning opener against previously undefeated Hastings, allowing only three hits in seven innings to help the Rangers edge the Raiders 3-2.
The early varsity games

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Forest Lake resident Jayla Ritter, a senior at Centennial High School, will play volleyball at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota this fall.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Ritter signed her letter of intent to join the Jimmies at an early morning ceremony in the west gym at Centennial on April 12 with her parents Roger and Rolanda Schmidt in attendance, as well as her coaches and many friends and teammates.
“I liked the feel of the campus; it seemed like a small, family town,” Ritter said. “I like the players there, and the coach is pretty cool.”
Ritter selected Jamestown over the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
“I wanted to stay closer to home, so Jamestown was the right fit for me,” Ritter said.
Ritter is a certified emergency medical responder and will attempt to earn her emergency medical technician certification next month. At Jamestown, she plans to major in biochemistry.broadstreet.zone(50962);
“I want to do something in pharmacy in the

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Jorgenson is greeted by Amanda Gemuenden after scoring against Champlin Park.

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Rob Rapheal
Guest Columnist
I’ve heard many people say that school funding is so complicated that it is almost impossible to understand. True, but most of the money that pays for our schools comes from the state budget in what’s called per-pupil funding. This means that for each student, a district is given a fixed dollar amount. The other funding sources, which can include federal money, local levies and compensatory (funding tied to specific needs), are important, but I want to talk about per pupil funding because it is the most important to districts like ours.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Every two years, the House, Senate and governor set the amount of the per-pupil funding, and over the last 15 years, the amount that the state has allocated to schools has not kept up with inflation. This means that school districts have been cutting the amount going into the classroom or relying on passing local levies to

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Wood carving auction
The Lakes Area Wood Carvers is having an auction (mostly items related to wood carving) April 27 at the Forest Lake Senior Center starting shortly after 7 pm.
Get hired teen event
The Lakes Center for Youth and Families will host a get hired event for April 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Central Learning Center at 200 SW 4th Ave. Teens will learn how to find a job and get tips on how to successfully fill out an application, create a cover letter and resume, understand soft skills, and learn how to interview. They will also have the opportunity to meet with local businesses that hire youth. Previous businesses have included Express Employment, Famous Dave’s, Perkins, GAP, Taco Bell, and more.
Pancake fundraiser
The Forest Lake Masons will host a pancake and sausage breakfast to benefit MOST FL April 30 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 119 8th

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Photos by Ryan HowardAttendees at Columbus’s April 20 ColumBiz business forum check out maps of upgrades coming to the State Highway 97 bridge and County Road 54.
Ryan Howard
News Editor
Julie Parent
Columbus Reporter
At the ninth annual gathering of city’s businesses and at the city’s most recent council meeting, Columbus was celebrating its recent and upcoming growth and looking into how the city can further develop in the future.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Road and bridge
Several city and business representatives attended the ninth ColumBiz, the city’s annual business forum, April 20 at Running Aces Casino and Harness Park.
During the meeting, representatives from Anoka County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation gave updates to the crowd on the State Highway 97/Lake Drive Northeast bridge construction planning as well as the realignment of County Road 54/West Freeway Drive.
Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah praised the partnership between the city, the council and MnDOT in getting the bridge project to where it

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