Category: The Latest From Forest Lake Times

Daniel Houle, age 81 of Forest Lake, passed away peacefully October 1, 2017.
Preceded in death by wife, Karen; daughter, Brenda; siblings, Rayoume, Wallace, LeRoy.
Survived by children, Danita, Wayde (Sonja); 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; siblings, Marguerite Seifert, Joyce Marier, Gene (Kathy).
Daniel was an avid outdoorsman (hunting, fishing, trapping) and enjoyed gardening. He also loved spending time with his dog, Molly.
A Celebration of Danny’s Life will be held 2-5 p.m. Sunday, October 8th with a 4:30 p.m. prayer service at Roberts Family Life Celebration Home, 555 SW Centennial Drive, Forest Lake. Private interment at a later date.

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Photos by Hannah DavisTrucks in the Minnesota Truck Convoy return to Running Aces Casino Sept. 30 to cheers from supporters.
The sound of air horns blasting and cheers from supporters of Minnesota Special Olympics filled the freeway Saturday morning as 96 truck drivers took to I-35 with Special Olympic athletes in their cabs. Families of the athletes, supporters, and police officers from all around the metro area, as well as truck drivers from all across the nation, met at Running Aces Casino & Racetrack in Columbus for the annual Minnesota Truck Convoy.
The convoy is a fundraising event for the Minnesota Special Olympics in which athletes get to ride in a truck with a driver in the convoy. While some truckers are new, many truckers return year after year and build relationships with the athletes.broadstreet.zone(48036);
“There’s a loyalty and a friendship there,” said Kathy Karkula, the development director for the Minnesota Special Olympics.

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Area residents packed the Forest Lake City Council chambers Oct. 2, filling it for the first time since the contract law enforcement discussion, to see the outcome of a special meeting called to discuss the possibility of declaring a vacancy on the council. Ultimately, the council’s membership remained the same, with the council coming to a 2-2 tie on the question of whether to declare vacant the seat currently held by Councilman Michael Freer.
Councilwoman Mara Bain and Councilman Sam Husnik voted in favor of the resolution to declare vacancy; Councilman Ed Eigner and Mayor Ben Winnick voted against. Freer abstained.broadstreet.zone(48036);
The council does not typically hold meetings on the first Monday of the month; this meeting was scheduled at the request of Bain and Husnik following allegations made by resident Matt Arntzen at the Sept. 25 meeting that Freer lives in a home in Maple Grove, not at the empty Forest

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Loving Mom, Grandma and Sister
Barbara Dean, age 73 of Forest Lake, formerly of Circle Pines, passed away unexpectedly on September 30, 2017.
Barbara enjoyed sewing, golfing, wildlife, and going to the casino. Above all, she loved spending time with her family and grandchildren.
Barbara is preceded in death by parents, Leon and Olga Halverson; brothers, Darrell, Terry and David Halverson.
Survived by children, Kelly (Kevin) Doherty, Joey (Laura) Dean; grandchildren, Kayla Doherty, Ashley Doherty, Jack Doherty, Brooklyn Dean; siblings, Bruce (Linda) Halverson, Annie (Doug) Moore, Rick Halverson; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
A Celebration of Barbara’s Life 5 p.m. Friday, October 6th with visitation one hour prior at Roberts Family Life Celebration Home, 555 SW Centennial Dr., Forest Lake.

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Bernice E. “Bunny” Sederholm, of Forest Lake, passed away peacefully at home on September 27, 2017 at the age of 90.
Bunny was born in St. Paul Park, Minnesota on March 18, 1927 to William and Constance Stankeivicz. She was the youngest of four children. The family moved to Forest Lake in the mid 30’s. Bunny graduated from Forest Lake High School where she met her future husband Arthur. They were married October 9, 1946.
Preceded in death by beloved husband Arthur, brothers Ted and Fred Stankeivicz and sister Irene Lind. Survived by son Jim (Nadine) and daughter Pat Peterson; grandchildren, Jason (Angie) Sederholm, Dave Sederholm, Alyssa (Andrew) Farrar, Katie (Gary) Nelson, Anna (Gary) Zauner; great grandchildren, Myles and Erin Sederholm, Norah and Britain Farrar, Lucas and Grant Nelson, Bailey and Daylen Zauner. Also survived by several nieces and nephews.
The Lord was always first in Bunny’s life. She loved her family, tending

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A group of about 30 area residents with different local community groups got together Sept. 23 to stencil around various Forest Lake storm drains asking residents not to dump things into the drains. The stenciled storm drains lead to either Forest Lake or local wetlands. Volunteers met behind Kodiak Coffee (which provided coffee to volunteers, along with bagels from Big Apple Bagel), where Jack MacKenzie gave them instructions and showed them how to apply the paint to the stencils. The volunteers then canvassed the city in small teams for several hours, temporarily placing traffic cones to help keep vehicles away from volunteers and stencils as they painted.broadstreet.zone(48036);

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Local non-profit Food For His Children is hosting a free event to create awareness about its cause at Poplar Hill Dairy Goat Farm in Scandia on Oct. 28 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Food For His Children fosters community development through goat farming in rural Tanzania. A Christian organization, FFHC partners with local village and church leaders to learn the immediate needs of these impoverished communities. Goats are efficient animals that can produce up to four liters of milk a day. Families can use goat products like milk and cheese to sustain their own family. They can also sell these products at market to provide education, medical care and bricks for a sturdy home.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Kerrie Holschbach first visited Tanzania in 2005 on a church mission trip. Although she left two weeks later, her heart never did. In 2006, Kerrie returned to Tanzania, this time with her husband Rob and two kids. She

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Laura Bailey
Thomas Kasl
Forest Lake Area High School seniors Laura Bailey and Thomas Kasl have been named semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on Sept. 13 approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 63rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.broadstreet.zone(48036);
To be considered for a semifinalist position, students had to take the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. In 2016, Bailey and Kasl were among 1.6 million juniors from 22,000 high schools who took the test for consideration in the program.
Of the 16,000 semifinalists, around 15,000 are expected to make it the finalist round. To be considered for one of the spots, students and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application providing the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. Each semifinalist must also hold an outstanding academic record throughout high school,

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Zachary Fuller of Forest Lake graduated from North Dakota State University.

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Amy Doeun
Wyoming Reporter
The city of Wyoming has approved a 2018 preliminary levy that signals a decrease in city spending next year.broadstreet.zone(48036);
On Sept. 19, Gail Bauman of AEM Financial Solutions addressed the Wyoming City Council about the upcoming tax season. In the preliminary budget and levy presented to the council, the general fund levy decreased by 9.35 percent (from approximately $3.24 million in 2017 to $2.93 million in 2018), and the overall levy, which includes the general fund levy is decreasing by 5.76 percent ($4.25 million to $4.01 million).
“There may have been something budgeted for in 2017 that wasn’t needed,” Bauman said.
The city’s Local Government Aid from Minnesota is also set to increase. “The annual LGA appropriation was increased by $15 million (from $519.4 million to $534.4 million). This is effective for aids payable in 2018 and thereafter,” Bauman said. “Under the new law, the city of Wyoming is scheduled to

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