Always
Press Publications 4779 Bloom Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110
welcoming new pets!
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
pawspethospital.com
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025
820957
Book your visit today.
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 9 CIRCLE PINES, MN
VOL. 43 NO. 13 www.quadcommunitypress.com $1.00
COUGAR SPORTS: Centennial alumni signs with professional soccer team PAGE 11
Automotive shop heads to council
2025 LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW The countdown is on. The 94th session of the Minnesota Legislature begins Jan. 14. Members will take oaths of office, elect leaders and officers. Learn about local lawmakers’ priorities for 2025 in Press Publications’ Legislative Preview inside. See page 5.
Heather Gustafson District 36
Brion Curran District 36B
Matt Norris District 32B
Elliott Engen District 36A
BY MADELINE DOLBY EDITOR
LINO LAKES — The location of an automotive collision/ repair shop and a towing/ recovery company is a possibility in Lino Lakes after Brandon Fuhr, the owner of BRF Enterprises LLC submitted a conditional use permit (CUP) application to the Planning and Zoning Board. The automotive businesses would be located at 416 Lilac Street. The site is 1.07 acres. The existing building, constructed in 1985, would be renovated along with the outdoor storage area. A new stormwater pond and a 10-foot-tall maintenance-free screen fence are also included in the site plans. Currently, the property is zoned as General Industrial (GI), which allows major and minor automobile repair and outdoor storage, both of which require a CUP. Setback requirements for the parking lot and outdoor storage area are met. The only exterior changes that will be made to the building will be the addition of vent piping for the paint booth area and the construction of an additional overhead garage door near the existing two overhead doors on the south side of the building. According to the city, an auto repair business must provide 10 parking spaces. For an office space, the city requires nine. That means the site requires 19 total parking spaces. The proposed plan provides seven parking stalls, one of which is ADA compliant. There also will be 12 proof of parking spaces within the outdoor storage area.
Kelly Moller District 40A A.J. OLMSCHEID | MINNESOTA SENATE MEDIA
SEE AUTO SHOP, PAGE 6
What you should know: Ice fishing on the St. Croix River BY ROY HEILMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Minnesotans are used to seeing ice shanty “villages” this time of year. Those who glance out onto the frozen St. Croix River may not realize that what they’re looking at may be something like a true community centered on one species. The scenic river is one of a handful of places in the Upper Midwest where lake sturgeon thrive. Naturally, they attract anglers looking for a chance at
battling the prehistoric beast. Unlike the famously secretive devotees of crappies and walleyes, however, sturgeon anglers are an open and welcoming bunch. Many of the most fervent have coalesced around the “Minnesota Catfish and Sturgeon” Facebook group where photos, fishing reports and advice are freely shared. One such angler is Jake Odonnell, of South St. Paul. While children everywhere scanned the skies for a flying sleigh on Christmas Eve, his eyes were fixed on a sonar
screen near Bayport, the de facto capital of sturgeon ice angling in this area. He immediately welcomed a wandering writer into his pop-up shelter and began to explain what was happening. Fortunately for the uninitiated, it’s uncomplicated. “A lot of guys will go in the deeper areas, you know, 35 or 40 feet. I stay in the shallow from 13 to about 25. You can go anywhere,” explained Odonnell. SEE ICE FISHING, PAGE 2
CONTRIBUTED
Sturgeon angler Jake Odonnell hoists a lake sturgeon caught this season on the St. Croix River.
WE DON’T JUST PROMISE QUALITY...
24408 Greenway Ave | 651.464.6477 | www.BillsAutoBodyMN.com CIRCULATION 651-407-1234 circ@presspubs.com
NEWS 651-407-1226 quadnews@presspubs.com
ADVERTISING 651-407-1200 marketing@presspubs.com
A FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED AUTO BODY SHOP IN FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA.
CLASSIFIED 651-407-1250 classified@presspubs.com
PRODUCTION 651-407-1220 art@presspubs.com
818511
WE GUARANTEE IT, FOR LIFE! certified collision repair, hail damage repair and auto body services