Officials of North Lakes Academy Charter School will ask the Forest Lake City Council on Monday to consider the sale of land in the city-owned Headwaters Development for a new school site. The school, because of steady growth in enrollment since its start in 1999 and a waiting list of potential students, wants to move from its current home in the Flyaways Gymnastics Building, 255 NW 7th St.

The school passed a key hurdle on Wednesday when the city's advisory planning commission voted 8-0 to inform the city council that there is unanimous consensus by the commission to amend the current zoning ordinance to allow school use in the Headwaters Development under a conditional use permit. Current zoning regulations in that area do not allow school use. If the city council agrees during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, the school and city will begin purchase negotiations.

School leader Jackie Saunders said Wednesday North Lakes Academy has plans that will expand the current middle school concept to create a new middle school-high school, serving students in grades 5-12. She said the school's goal is to secure a new site and move forward with construction later this year. That would allow the school to open in the fall of 2009. The school would expand its current enrollment of 260 students to 420 students, she said.

The site sought by North Lakes Academy, a public charter school, would be next door to the Forest Lake Sports Complex site and near the new athletic field complex that the city began constructing last summer. The proposal received strong endorsement from city staff and planning commission members on Wednesday. "The school seems to be a nice fit," said Doug Borglund, community development director for the city. 

As high school and college student-athletes go, Joe Ferraro was a talented youth who excelled on the field and in the classroom. In the school yearbook as a senior at Forest Lake High School, he listed his top goals to “play college football” and become a “teacher and a coach.”

Joe Ferraro as a high school senior at Forest Lake in 1997. He taught and coached for one year in Forest Lake before moving to a new job at Mora High School. 

Now that December’s big snows and cold temperatures have given way to a more erratic January and even more sub-zero readings, Forest Lake area businesses are left to figure out whether their customers are coming or going. While one store owner might be crossing his or her fingers in hopes of more snow, their neighbor could be wishing a small heat wave blows through town and helps the ice fishing conditions.

Eric Fedje stands amongst a row of snowmobiles at Waldoch Sports that are looking for a home. Fedje worked at Hitching Post Sports in Coon Rapids for 15 years before returning to Forest Lake last summer.

(Photo By Glen Strandberg) 

The Chisago County Board, acting in the capacity of County Rail Authority on Jan. 16, approved an access across the Sunrise Prairie Trail at a proposed Forest Boulevard Trail in Wyoming. The access will be approximately 1700 feet south of Fairview Boulevard and 3600 feet north of 250th Street.

This aerial view shows where the new trail crossing is planned in Wyoming to traffic safety at Wyoming Elementary School and help open land to the south of the  hospital campus to development.

(Photo Courtesy of City of Wyoming) 

Marine LCpl Reggie Reinsberg life-long interest with history and warfare was not the single motivator behind the 2006 Forest Lake High School graduates enlistment into the military. For him, that personal decision came on Sept. 11, 2001.

Marine Lcpl Reggie Reinsberg, a 2006 Forest Lake High School graduate, is far from the seasons of Minnesota as his unit is currently stationed aboard the USS Cleveland. He was in the strike group that was harrassed by the Iranians in international waters on their way to Kuwait from the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 5. 

Two area teens were seriously injured at 1:56 p.m. Sunday when their car tangled with a semi tractor trailer on northbound I-35 at the US-8 exit in Forest Lake. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant was in the northbound I-35 exit only lane to eastbound US-8 and attempting to move to the through lane on I-35 when it encountered another vehicle. The Galant moved back to the exit only lane, overcorrected and spun out. It was then struck broadside by the Peterbuilt tractor driven by Heath J. Okerstrom, 35, of Forest Lake. The impact tossed the car to the median between the US-8 exit and I-35.

Okerstrom was not hurt in the crash. The driver and a passenger in the Galant both suffered serious injuries, according to the State Patrol. Late Monday, the youth were identified as Ryan A. Locke, 17, of North Branch, and Alexis M. Webber, 17, of Harris. Webber was driving the car, the State Patrol said. Webber was taken to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale by ground ambulance while North Air Care was called to transport Locke to North Memorial. 

(Photo By Cliff Buchan)