Senior Maxton Kelly crouches before putting on day one of the state tournament at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids.
Photo by Jason Olson/ ABC Newspapers

The Forest Lake boys golf team upped its performance at the state tournament at Bunker Hills this year to a third-place finish, a three-spot improvement from last year’s state appearance.

The Rangers finished day one in second place with a total of 300, just two strokes behind Wayzata. But Eden Prairie came back strong on day two to win the title with 609, beating Wayzata by one stroke. Forest Lake recorded a total of 618, a 16-stroke improvement from its score last year.

Junior Luke Resler was the low scorer on day one with a 74, followed by senior Maxton Kelly and junior Daniel Massey at 75. Junior Nick Moe rounded out the scoring with a 76. Senior Trevor Thompson shot  82, while ninth-grader Jack Kluge recorded a score of 88.

The state golfers played through tough weather conditions until a two-hour rain and lightning delay caused a lull in play on day two at Bunker Hills.

Head coach John Buck said the squad had a chance to win the title on the back nine, which would have been a repeat of the Section 7AAA comeback, but couldn’t pull through in the steady rain.

Resler again held the low score on day two by shooting a 77, followed by Thompson at 78 strokes. Kelly shot for an 81 while Massey rounded out the score at 82. Moe and Kluge shot 86 and 91, respectively.

Resler earned 13th place overall as the highest finisher for Forest Lake in a field of 88.

The state championship win for Eden Prairie was the team’s first since 1999.

Senior Phil Sauer prepares to release a pitch against Mounds View last week during the first round of the state tournament.

The Ranger baseball team took on fourth-seeded Mounds View for the third time this season in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament at Midway Stadium in St. Paul Thursday, June 13.

Going up against the St. Paul Pioneer Press Player of the Year, pitcher Max Knutson, senior Dylan Dresel attacked the Mustang lefty with a single to right field right away in the top of the first inning, but was left stranded.

Senior Phil Sauer held off the Mounds View offense until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Rangers recorded two errors in the field. Knutson singled and advanced to third on an error. Senior Noah Brown got the next two outs at first base with a groundout and foul catch. The next Mustang batter laced an RBI single to put Mounds View ahead, 1-0.

Junior Alex Egle opened the top of the fifth inning with a walk but was out by fielder’s choice on a bunt by senior Reid Larson. Senior Jack Schmidt singled to left field to put runners on first and second with one out. Senior Beau Fandel faced Knutson next and ripped an RBI single off of his future teammate at Nebraska to tie the game up at one before the Mustangs recorded two more outs to close the inning.

Forest Lake wiggled itself out of a tight situation in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mounds View hit a leadoff single to right field, then advanced the runner on a sacrifice bunt for the first out. Sauer intentionally walked the next batter to put runners on first and second. Junior Brett Gravelle then fielded a sharp grounder, tossed to Dresel for the forceout at second base, who then fired to Brown at first base for a key double play to close the inning.

While the Rangers came up short in the top of the seventh, going one-two-three on offense, Mounds View came back firing on all cylinders again in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs.

Following a groundout to Brown at first base and Sauer jamming the next batter with a looking strikeout, Mounds View laced a single to right field to put a runner on with two outs. The next Mustang batter hit a short-hop single to center field to put runners on first and second. The home team then squeezed another single just past the infield up the middle to score the winning run at 2-1.

“That was a very tough loss,” head coach Tal Gravelle said. “I feel very bad for the players. You know, baseball is a funny game. You have a couple of bad breaks, bad bounces, couple of infield hits and, in a close ball game, it comes down to a few big plays, and they executed at the end. But I’m really proud of our kids. Their pitcher is tremendous and you might see him pitching in the major leagues someday. I just couldn’t be prouder of how our kids battled to the end.”

Dresel went 2-4 on offense for the Rangers while Schmidt and Fandel both went 1-3.

The Mustangs recorded nine hits off of Sauer, who struck out four and gave up just one earned run in 6.2 innings. The Rangers recorded five hits off the hard-throwing Knutson.
Tal Gravelle said Sauer also pitched an unbelievable game.

“Phil is just an absolute gamer,” Tal Gravelle said. “He goes down as one of the greatest pitchers we’ve ever had in our program, without a doubt. He pitched unbelievable today. They only had two hard hits off of him, and I just can’t say enough about him.”

With the loss, the Rangers moved to the consolation bracket to take on Wayzata last Friday, who lost to the top seed Coon Rapids on Thursday.

Senior Kyle Parker pitched a five-hit shutout for a 3-0 win over the Trojans at Siebert Field at the University of Minnesota.

This time the Rangers took over on offense with two outs in the top of the first inning when Fandel singled through the left side, then stole second to reach scoring position. Brown drove in the first run with a double down the right-field line to put Forest Lake up 1-0.

The Rangers scored again off of Fandel and Brown hits in the top of the third inning. With two outs again, Fandel doubled to center field, followed by a Brown RBI single to give their team a 2-0 lead.

Forest Lake sealed the win in the fourth inning when Parker reached base after being hit by a pitch, advanced to second off an infield sacrifice by Brett Gravelle, then scored when Larson laced an RBI double to put their squad up 3-0 and close the scoring.

Brown led the offense by going 2-3 with two RBIs, followed by Brett Gravelle (2-3), Fandel (2-4) and Larson (1-3) with one RBI.

Forest Lake advanced to the consolation championship later that afternoon, but fell 9-1 to the third-seeded Lakeville North Panthers, who were upset by Rocori in the first round.

Rocori went on to face Mounds View in the state championship game at Target Field on Monday night, where the Mustangs won the title, 8-0, with Knutson striking out nine batters and throwing 60 of 90 pitches for strikes in the shutout win.

Forest Lake closed its season with an overall record of 19-7, earning both a conference and section championship. The Rangers graduated eight seniors.

“It’s been an amazing year with an amazing group of seniors, and I’ll say this much: I’ve been around here 12 years, and this is probably the best team we’ve ever had,” Tal Gravelle said. “They’re just awesome.”

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, 880 SW 15th St., Forest Lake, or by e-mail to clint.riese@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.

Editorial Misses Mark

ECM’s recent editorial on a formula for education success offers a misguided and fatal solution. To get kids to at least grade-level reading by third grade, ECM actually advocates that others do the job that parents refuse to do. This never works.

Having the gall to relegate parents as mere “partners in their child’s educational experience,” ECM proposes continued subrogation of children to public schools, volunteer groups, and non-profits. But this is precisely what the cause of the vicious circle of illiteracy has been: uninvolved parents and inefficient allocation of resources used by disinterested third parties.

This model therefore cannot be the solution. It is not about collecting more funds but rather advocating the reversal of the self-centered decisions that parents make to not read with their children daily.

How can it be that parents don’t read with their own children? Are they both “too busy” with sports, shopping, Facebook, and TV? Nowadays it should be easy for parents and their kids to sit and enjoy an online story together, cuddle up with a Kindle, or even read something called a “library book.” Overburdened parents can acquire affordable reading software and games that kids can do on their own.

While public schools can help children in severe cases, the responsibility before third grade must lie squarely on the parent. But what a joy to have it! Sitting down with one’s own child, enjoying a snack, and talking and reading together is a blessing and responsibility that will alleviate illiteracy.

Kelly Wing
Wyoming

Cheering on Track

I am writing to commend the Ranger boys track team and coaching staff for their outstanding achievements at the state track meet. It was a joy to see the team finish in second place led by event champions Cody Walton, Anthony Tyler, Richard Carr and the 4×100-meter relay team.

Under the leadership of Paul Kendrick the team has had much success. However, I know his emphasis is not on winning meets but building winning individuals. For Kendrick, athletics is an avenue to help young men develop their character, physical fitness and work ethic. Forest Lake is fortunate to have him as a teacher and a coach.

Tom Hipkins
Forest Lake

Where’s the Notice?

On May 28, our vehicles were towed from the Northland Mall parking lot in Forest Lake.

We are part of the Metro Transit Rideshare program, therefore we carpool together. I have been parking at this location for almost 10 years, my friend Twyla for 20.

When we arrived back at the mall at 5 p.m. on May 28, our vehicles were not anywhere to be seen.  As it turns out, the lot was being resurfaced. The owner of Northland Mall had our vehicles towed. There was no notice of any kind posted to make us aware that this paving was being done. If there had been any signs or notices posted, we most certainly wouldn’t have parked there.

We called the Forest Lake police to report our cars stolen and were informed by an officer that our cars were towed to St. Paul.

We needed to find transportation back to St. Paul. We both work in St. Paul and just came from there after working our eight-hour jobs. Each of our tow bills was $285.

This is outrageous behavior, not to mention there was no common decency on the mall owner’s part. How hard would it have been to post a notice informing us that we couldn’t park there? How are we to know it’s private property?

Barb Running
Wyoming

A concern is simmering over the federal school lunch requirements aimed at preventing children from becoming overweight (excess weight in general) and obese (excess fat).

To be reimbursed by the government, school lunch directors must follow a menu that has more fruits and vegetables and smaller portions of meat, breads and dinner rolls. All breads must be at least 51 percent whole grains. In addition, transfats have been eliminated and sugar and sodium have been reduced.

Under this new regular-price school lunch offering, a student must take a minimum of a 1/2 cup of fruit and a minimum of a 1/2 cup of vegetables, plus they are entitled to two other choices.

In at least one Twin Cities area school district, however, some students are taking the cheaper regular lunch, but are not eating the fruit and vegetables. School lunch servers in one school said they counted more than 170 servings of uneaten fruit and unopened juice in one month.

Some students bring their own lunches or pick food off a la carte. Since fewer students are taking the regular lunch, fewer school lunches are being reimbursed, forcing some school districts to increase school lunch prices. That’s what is happening in a district where participation is down 1.2 to 9.8 percent since the restrictions went into effect. That district will get fewer reimbursement dollars.

To put this in perspective, however, nationwide participation in the regular hot lunch program is down 3 percent. A spokesperson at the Minnesota Department of Education said that in the state overall, participation has not gone down.

Battling student obesity by offering healthier choices for school lunches is reasonable, since the program itself may once have added pounds to students with its menu of starchy and fatty foods.

Few would dispute that getting students to pick healthier choices and limiting obesity is a good thing.

The National Health Center for Health Statistics says, in the past 30 years, the number of obese kids 6-11 doubled and the number for those up to 18 years old tripled. In 2010, more than a third of children and adolescents were either overweight or obese.

One expert observed that if the trend continues, one out of every three children born today will face a future with diabetes. Obese children are more vulnerable to serious diseases. According to a Stanford California study, obesity is a major cause of diabetes, heart disease, joint problems including osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, along with some cancers, particularly in overweight women.

Maybe we all should eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat and bread and set an example for the kids who think they are put upon when they have to eat minimal servings of fruits and vegetables.

Don Heinzman is a columnist for ECM Publishers and a member of the ECM Editorial Board.           

She was born on April 23, 1923 in Grand Forks, N.D. to Carl and Clara Lundby. She was the second of two children; her older brother was Roy.

At age 5, her mother passed away and with the economy in the midst of the Great Depression, Delores was sent to live with other family members while her father struggled to work and pay for his family. One of Delores’ favorite past times while growing up was roller skating.

Years later she was reunited with her father and brother and dreamed of becoming a nurse. She moved to Minneapolis to pursue that dream, however demands of World War II led her to a job at Northern Ordinance as a food server for the workers on the assembly line.

It was there where she met the love of her life, C. Edgar Engquist. They married on Jan. 4, 1944 and shared a small apartment in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

On March 6, 1947 they welcomed the birth of their son, Bobby Dale. Edgar then moved the family to a small home in Forest Lake and then again in 1949, to his mother Lydia Engquist’s home in Forest Lake. Together Edgar and Delores cared for his mother after his father passed away.

From 1953 to 1966 Delores worked as a checkout clerk at the Lucky Dollar and Red Owl. Then in 1966 came the opportunity to work at Forest Lake Doctors Clinic in medical records. She worked there until 1983 when she took an early retirement at age 60.

Her time in Forest Lake was happily spent golfing and fishing with her husband and son, bowling and enjoying family life. One of the highlights was listening to Edgar and his five brothers sing together at family gatherings.

Unfortunately in 1974 she lost her husband to cancer, but was blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, Amanda Jean and Tyler Joseph Edgar. They helped to fill the void and she cherished them deeply.

Delores was devoted to serving Faith Lutheran Church and her community. Her faith, family and friends were of utmost importance, however, she never missed the opportunity to tease, and relished in being teased. Delores was blessed to hold four great-grandchildren: Erin, Brita, Ruby and Eleanor. Children truly brought life and light to her world. She would have been a great nurse!

She was preceded in death by her husband, C. Edgar Engquist; and brother, Roy Lundby.

Delores is survived by her son, Robert (Susan) Engquist; grandchildren Amanda (Tom) DePhillips and Tyler (Jill) Engquist; great-grandchildren Erin and Brita DePhillips, Ruby and Nora Engquist.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 23, 2013 at Faith Lutheran Church, 886 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake. The family will greet friends from 12:30 p.m. until time of service.

Interment will be held in Scandinavian Cemetery, Forest Lake at a later date.

Memorials may be directed to the family and sent in care of Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake, MN 55025.

Earl can be remembered as a genuine man who loved his Lord and Savior, leading worship in many senior citizen locations along with his wife.

Earl was proud to be retired from the U.S. Postal Office and proud to have served in the U.S. Army.  For the last 20 years of his life, Earl enjoyed being the “Walmart Man” at the Brainerd and Forest Lake locations.

Preceded in death by parents, Theobald “Steve” and Lydia Stroh; sister, Erma Parish; twin brothers, Edwin Stroh and Edrine Stroh.

Earl will be deeply missed by wife, Shirley; children, Pamela Stroh, Kevin Stroh, Karen (Coronel Jon) Thorell, Diane (Ken) Beers, Stephen Nielsen, Mark Nielsen, James (Lisa) Nieldsen, Donna Galloway; 22 grandchildren, Tahna Hillstrom, Shane Hillstrom, Rochelle Peace, Jessica Thorell, Kelsey Thorell, Deborah Mayers, Tamara Beers, Benjamin Wolf, Rebecca Miller, Daniel Beers, Jonathan Beers, Justina Siedschlaj, Anthony Nielsen, Joshua Nielsen, Abigail Wright, Tanya Palesotti, Thor Nielsen, Dane Nielsen, Hannah Nielsen, Erik Nielsen, Beth Ableiter, Royal Anderson; 10 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; brother, Jacob (Wilma) Stroh; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Roberts Family Funeral Home, 555 Centenntial Drive SW, Forest Lake.  A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 20 at Maranatha Assembly of God, 24799 Forest Blvd., Forest Lake with visitation beginning at 9 a.m. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis.

Memorials preferred to International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, P.O. Box 96105, Washington, D.C. 20090-6105.

A gathering of family and friends will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at Roberts Family Funeral Home, 555 Centennial Drive SW, Forest Lake. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 21 at Lakes Free Church, 29620 Olinda Trail, Lindstrom with a gathering beginning at 10 a.m.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Geraldine; children, Richard (Jeanne), Marianne (Kevin) Osterbauer, Randy (Jennifer), Connie (Nigel) Spottiswoode, Antonia (Peter) Bockman, Carolyn (Kevin) Kloiber, Ken (Anne), John (Carri), Marcus (Nichole).

Memorials preferred to the Dr. Erhard Haus Memorial Research Fund and may be sent in care of Roberts Family Funeral Home.

Lynn Nelson at home in White Bear Lake with one of her dogs. (Photo submitted)

Cliff Buchan
Staff Writer

A Forest Lake High School graduate who marked her start in journalism with employment at the Forest Lake Times has authored her first book.

Just in time for summer, Twin Cities blogger and public relations consultant Lynn Ingrid Nelson of White Bear Lake has published her first book, “Getting Your Life into Balance: By Matching Your Time with Your Intentions.”

Nelson is a 1975 Forest Lake graduate. She spent a year working at the newspaper as a reporter and photographer. She now heads LIN PR + Associates, a White Bear Lake firm specializing in media relations, social media, e-newsletters, websites and event public relations.

According to Nelson, summer is a time to savor gardening in the sunshine, exercising outdoors, and dining on the patio – not spending overtime at your desk or on other uninspiring tasks.

The book recommends ways for readers to slow down their frantic pace and focus on what really matters to them. It is written in workbook style, allowing readers to track their goals, barriers and ways to get what they want in their personal lives and beyond.

Goal driven

“I’ve been extremely goal-oriented since high school,” said Nelson, who is 56. “Most of my goals have been professional. However, during the past 20 years, I’ve seen how important it is to focus on personal goals and growth for the sake of my mental health and to overcome urges toward workaholism.”

The book includes tools, such as a “Time Diet,” which encourages readers to consider all categories in their lives: emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual and play.

It also has a “Time Diary” for tracking how readers’ time is actually spent.

The book includes photos by Twin Cities rock sculptor and photographer Peter Juhl, who is a database administrator for a large company in Minneapolis.

“The act of balancing rocks is like a meditation,” Juhl said. “And knowing my photos are being enjoyed by others is very fulfilling.”

R. Bruce Armstrong, formerly creative director for ad agency BBDO, Minneapolis, designed the book.

“Getting Your Life into Balance” also includes some of the most popular blogs Nelson has written for www.SheTaxi.com, an online community for women founded several years ago by Peggy Paul, who wanted to create a site for women to help them dialogue about real issues in their lives, without the intrusion of ads about Botox and weight-loss miracles.

To learn more

To find out more about “Getting Your Life into Balance,” visit: http://linpr.com/what-is-it/, https://www.facebook.com/GettingYourLifeIntoBalance and @TheBalanceBook on Twitter. The e-book retails for $4.99 on Amazon. To purchase “Getting Your Life in Balance” visit: http://amzn.to/WZriGh or https://secure.mybookorders.com/Orderpage/1082.

Nelson is a successful communications consultant who has been the principal of LIN Public Relations for the past 15 years. She was director of public relations for what is now Ameriprise and has taught strategic communications at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication.

She is married to Michael Keeler and lives in White Bear Lake with her two Westies, Cagney and Lacey. Nelson has a 25-year-old son, Nicholas Blanco.

She’s written “Getting Your Life in Balance” to share with others how to balance the demands of working without giving up the passions that inspire them.

Publish Green, a division of Hillcrest Media Group Inc., Minneapolis, published the book. To learn more about Hillcrest, visit HillcrestMedia.com.

Brown’s Preserve will be closed to the public while the Rice Creek Watershed District monitors the area over the next three years. The above image shows changes the watershed district made during a drainage system project. (Image courtesy of Houston Engineering, Inc.)

The Rice Creek Watershed District last year completed its largest drainage system maintenance project to date on Brown’s Preserve in Forest Lake and Columbus. The project resulted in restored wetlands and a more effective drainage system.

Brown’s Preserve was established as a state wildlife management area in 1988 when Henry and Elaine Houle of Forest Lake donated half the property and sold the other half to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Their intent in participating in a state conservation program was to preserve the site as a wildlife habitat and public hunting grounds.

The Watershed District purchased the former 80-acre Wildlife Management Area from the DNR in 2012 for $220,000. The primary goal of the project was to reroute the aging Anoka-Washington Judicial Ditch No. 4, which no longer provided enough drainage to meet agricultural and municipal needs. The ditch, previously running through the middle of Brown’s Preserve, was rerouted to run along its eastern border.

The project provided a more predictable and adequate source of water to the wetlands and restored wetland plants. Also, the original channel on the property, developed in 1915, was reopened to create an open-water habitat. Overall, these improvements will lead to more native plants and wildlife habitat. Wetlands also provide benefits such as filtering pollutants and recharging groundwater levels.

The Watershed District worked with local residents to place easements on this property to provide greater future protection of the area. Monitoring will occur over the next three years. In the interest of public safety, public access to the former wildlife management area will not be allowed during this time.

The Watershed District sold an acre to Connexus Energy for a proposed electrical substation to offset a portion of the project’s cost.

Watershed District’s mission is to prevent flooding and enhance water quality in harmony with development for the common good. For more information, visit the Rice Creek Watershed District website, www.ricecreek.org.

Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah last week took an up-close-and-personal tour of Linwood Township, courtesy of supervisors Ed Kramer and Phil Osterhus. The tour, taken in Kramer’s classic 1924 Chevy, served for participants to inspect township roads and discuss ways Anoka County and Linwood Township could combine resources to improve them. The three also discussed possible adoption of septic system codes into the township ordinances. System inspection and pumping schedules are planned to be reported to the township in the future. This is particularly important around the lakes. (Photo by Alice Pickering)

Alice Pickering
Linwood Reporter

In a memo addressed to both the Linwood Planning & Zoning Commission and Road & Bridge Committee, Linwood Attorney Michael Haag summarized his research about requirements for special assessment for street repairs: “The Township has historically required that 100 percent of the affected residents approve of a special assessment zoning change before it will be approved by the board.”

At the Town Board meeting last Tuesday, he clarified “affected” to mean those whose properties are located along the road that is being considered for upgrades.

In Linwood, there are residents who are urging paving of a short section of Typo Creek Drive extending north from Fawn Lake Drive to the border with Isanti County.

According to Haag, Linwood’s requirements are quite stringent compared with Minnesota state statues. If residents petition for special assessment improvement, “only 35 percent of the residents are required to bring it before the board.” The board can approve it with a simple majority; three of five supervisors.

If the board proposes a special assessment improvement, “without respect to the affected residents, then a supermajority, four out of five supervisors, must vote in favor of the approval.”

Haag’s proposal is to require 35 percent of residents, whose property abuts the street, to begin a 60-day feasibility study. This “could include obtaining bids, polling the affected residents and polling nonaffected residents who live nearby for their input. The project would only go forward if 75 percent of the affected residents agreed within the 60-day time period.”

Lyons Den status

There were questions at the meeting about the status of the finalization of street work in the Lyons Den development. The shoulders of the roads have not been finished and continue to wear. Haag said he has used every avenue to pursue Sherco Construction but has received no response. The completion bond has expired.

Because of the unfinished roads, there is a moratorium on the issuance on building permits in the development. It was noted that Tom Carlisle, Sherco owner, has been granted permits to build in other areas of the township. Supervisor Bob Millerbernd called for an all-out ban on building permits.

A probate hearing has finally been scheduled for July 13 regarding the matter of a burned-out house in Lyons Den, according to Haag. A buyer for cars on the property has been lined up, though no action can be taken until the estate is finalized.

DNR truck

Osterhus announced that the Department of Natural Resources office in the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area is to be closed. Repairs to the roof of the building are too expensive, so the building is to be razed.

As a result, a grass rig the agency owns may be available for purchase. The Linwood Fire Department owns a similar rig, which is 10 years older. Osterhus estimates the DNR rig has a value of $8,000. It is anticipated that the Fire Department can get a $3,000 discount, though the deal has not been finalized. The 1988 grass rig the department owns has a resale value of about $4,500.

Other business

Millerbernd reported that the pavilion for Linwood Elementary has been completed.

Equipment for exercise stations has been installed at Boettcher Farms Park. Most of the rest of the equipment will be ready by the end of July. New tennis court nets have been ordered.

The Sunrise River Water Management Organization continues to wait for a response from the DNR about a $38,000 grant to help finance a carp barrier at the south end of Martin Lake. Millerbernd explained that the DNR is holding up its decision because thus far there is only one applicant for the grant.

Millerbernd pointed out a letter written by Cheri Stockinger, president of the Linwood Community Park and School Forest. She alerted the board about right of way payments that are being assigned to homeowners whose properties lie along the route of the Great River power line extension. She believes that the township and forest should benefit from the payments.

The Anoka Conservation District is working to eradicate buckthorn in some oak savanna areas in Anoka County and to that end is seeking funding from the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Stockinger wrote a letter on behalf of the Linwood Community Park and School Forest committee supporting the group’s efforts to eliminate the invasive species.

Supervisor Ed Kramer clarified that the recycling effort in the township and Anoka County has expanded to accept plastics up to those with code 7. In addition, residents can bring tires and old television sets for recycling at Town Hall on the fourth Saturday of the month.