In five months, youth will be skating on a new ice surface at the Forest Lake Sports Complex in the Headwaters Development south of the city airport here.

That was the prediction on Saturday as the Forest Lake Area Athletic Association broke ground on the $5.5 million facility that will be built on a six-acre site leased from the city of Forest Lake for $1 for 30 years.

FLLAA, ISD 831 and city of Forest Lake officials gathered Saturday to break ground for the new sports complex. Ready to do their part are six youth athletes who were there for the day. Left to right in front are: Noah Schminski, Adam Stehr and Nick Stehr. Back row: Paul Stehr, Brett Gravelle and Clayton Dahly(.

(Photo By Cliff Buchan) 

A four-foot plus otter found a perfect table on the ice surface of the Forest Lake bay in the southeast area of the city on Sunday. The otter also had a meal to its liking in form of northern pike. The otter was dining 50 feet from shore when it was photographed. The otter slipped into the water, with its meal in mouth, after becoming aware of the photographer. According to Brian Luth, north metro wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the animals are becoming more plentiful. More than 2000 otters were trapped in 2006, he said.

(Photo By Roger Earle) 

It's now official. Ground has been broken for the new Forest Lake Sports Complex in the city of Forest Lake Headwaters development just south of the local airport. Representatives of the Forest Lake Area Athletic Association which is building the ice arena and field house complex, gathered at the site on Saturday morning for the official shovel ceremony. Also taking part were city of Forest Lake and Forest Lake Area School District 831 representatives. "This is who it is for," said Larry Porter, pointing to the youth who gathered near the building site for the ceremony. Porter is a long-time FLAAA member and serves on the sports complex steering committee.The official delegation is shown here during the ceremony which took place in front of two bulldozers. FLAAA members promised that the facility will be ready for use this September. For more on the sports complex ground breaking, read this week's Forest Lake Times.

(Photo By Cliff Buchan) 

By definition, a dictionary will tell you that quest can mean “to go in search,” or “any journey or undertaking in pursuit of a typically lofty or noble goal.”

Journeys have marked the lives of Forest Lake High School graduates Jess Fedderly and Brian Brenberg over the past decade. For the two 1998 graduates, the East Coast and Boston is now home.

Brian Brenberg, left, is in process of finishing his MBA at the John F. Kennedy School of Business at Harvard in Boston. He is considering a possible job in Washington, D.C., with a private foundation. He is a 1998 Forest Lake High School graduate.

There’s no better time than April 22 to think about the environment. After all, Tuesday is Earth Day.

In a world of overconsumption, there is one way to lessen the impact, and it’s easy to remember. The three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – is something almost any elementary age child can recite.

Workers at SRC/Forest Lake Sanitation begin by sorting reusable materials by removing items from the conveyor belt that are not recycled at the facility located in Wyoming

(Photo By Jennifer Larson)