Wayzata Today videos

Wayzata High School and Ohio State University alum James Laurinaitis was drafted in the second round of last weekend's NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams. Laurinaitis was the 35th overall pick in the draft - the third pick in the second round. Had he entered last year's draft, Laurinaitis would have likely been the first linebacker drafted and almost definitely drafted in the top-10. Despite the slip, Laurinaitis was still the first inside linebacker taken in the draft and the fifth linebacker ...

Former New York Yankee Johnny Blanchard dies Wayzata resident and former New York Yankee Johnny Blanchard died yesterday after having a heart attack. Blanchard was signed by the Yankees in 1951 and made his Major League debut with the club in 1955 at the age of 22. In total, he appeared in 454 games in pinstripes over eight Major League seasons (1955, '59-65), batting .245 with 64 home runs and 187 RBI, seeing time as a catcher, first baseman and outfielder. He is one of four players in ...

In a Tuesday-morning work session the Wayzata City Council discussed the future of its Municipal Liquor operation and potential sites for it. While remaining in the Wayzata Bay Center once it is redeveloped isnt completely off of the table, City manager Al Orsen said that other sites on Mill Street and Lake Street are also being discussed. No decisions have been made yet and the council will hold a public hearing to discuss the matter further at its Jan. 20 meeting. Contrary to reports by ...

Around 770 seniors will receive diplomas during Wayzata High School's commencement exercises 7 pm, Tuesday, June 2, at Target Center in Minneapolis. "They were great academic and co-curricular achievers. They've been recipients of many awards and scholarships, and we look forward to hearing of their further successes. We will miss them, but we thank them for their excellence, and we look forward to their leadership in future endeavors," Superintendent Chace Anderson said of the class. In ...

Good afternoon Wayzata, Orono and Long Lake. I'm Sun-Sailor Community Editor Jared Huizenga. Today is Thursday, Feb. 26, and today we'll be taking a look at some of the stories featured in this week's edition of the Sun-Sailor, which hits newsstands today. • The top story from last week was the Long Lake City Council's appointment of long-time finance director Terry Post to the position of city administrator. As I wrote, if there had been opposition to the appointment, it could have made for ...

Good afternoon Wayzata, Orono and Long Lake. I'm Sun-Sailor Community Editor Jared Huizenga. Today is Thursday, Feb. 12, and here is what's going on in your area today. Today we'll be looking at some of the stories featured in this week's edition of the Sun-Sailor, which hits newsstands today. • Long Lake Fire Department Chief James Van Eyll appeared at the Feb. 3 Long Lake City Council meeting to deliver his first annual report since becoming the department's first full-time chief last ...

It was a week of honors for a few Orono High School students. Melissa Slagle, a senior advanced art student at Orono High School, received a Merit Award in the Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards - a program sponsored by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is open to students in grades 7-12. Slagle was honored for her painting, "Sam: The Chapter Story." It is a portrait of another OHS student created in a contemporary fashion. Two Orono High School students have been named to the ...

Right now, 12 Wayzata High School students are witnessing history, being in Washington DC for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The students are there as a part of the schools Close Up program, a non-profit formed in 1971 to help educate and inspire young people to participate in democracy. In addition the inauguration, the students will attend the parade, the Close Up Inauguration ball and see a number of the sites in Washington. Were hopeful that once these students return from ...

James Laurinitis to speak at spring prayer breakfast Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners has announced that the speaker for its annual spring community prayer breakfast will be former Wayzata High School football standout James Laurinitis. Laurinaitis, Ohio State All-American and former Wayzata Trojan All-State Linebacker, will be talking about "Growing in Christ". Laurinaitis is projected to be either a first- or second-round draft pick in the NFL draft, which will be held later this ...

Good afternoon Wayzata, Orono and Long Lake, I'm Sun-Sailor Community Editor Jared Huizenga. Today is Friday, Feb. 13, and here's what's going on in your area today. • A 25-year-old mortgage broker from Wayzata will spend the next 16 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme. Johnny Nguyen was sentenced yesterday in federal court for one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. In addition to prison time, Nguyen received three years of supervised release. Nguyen ...

A look at the March 19 Sun-Sailor For this week's top story I talked to city clerks in the area to see what - if any - role they have played in the ongoing battle for the Minnesota Senate seat between Norm Coleman and Al Franken. Sandy Langley from Wayzata, Lin Vee from Orono and Jeanette Moeller from Long Lake all received subpoenas regarding rejected absentee ballots in the case, but all found themselves in the fortunate position of being able to answer those questions electronically or ...

The Orono City Council will get its 2009 meeting schedule underway with what looks to be a rather light schedule. Prior to the start of the meeting Mayor Jim White and Councilmembers Doug Franchot and Lili McMillan will be sworn into office. This will be Whites second term as mayor and McMillans second term on the council. Franchot is entering his first term after narrowly defeating David Runkle in Novembers election. During the meeting the council will also take the time to honor two former ...

Wayzata Bay Center pushed back Presbyterian Homes has issued a revised schedule for the completion of planning and construction for the Wayzata Bay Center. While the planned Bay Center redevelopment remains unchanged in size and scope from the plans approved by the City Council in June of 2008, the new schedule delays the start of construction until the fall of next year. The change essentially moves the construction start date back one year from the schedule adopted in late 2008 when the ...

On the front page this week we have two stories from opposite sides of the spectrum. First the bad news. The City of Wayzata is facing a revenue shortfall for 2009 that could be as much as $300000 when all is said and done. The shortfall is due to a slowdown in development fees coming into the city. City Manager Al Orsen told me last week that in a typical year the city has received between $50000 and $60000 in development fees by the end of the first quarter. This year that number has ...

Today's top story is that for second time this month the redevelopment project at the Wayzata Bay Center has received a sizable grant to help with land cleanup in the area. This week the Hennepin County Board awarded a grant for $249871 for the evaluation and cleanup for the site - it is one of 20 sites in the county to receive the grants, which totaled $2.4 million, through the county's Environmental Response Fund grants program. The program, funded by a county mortgage registry and deed ...

Sun Newspapers' community editor Sue Webber is reporting that a group of 39 Robbinsdale Middle School students on a field trip in Washington DC are safe following a shooting at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which the students were visiting at the time. The students were on a different floor of the museum when the shooting occurred, a Robbinsdale District 281 spokesperson said. They were safely evacuated. Each student was able to contact his or her family by phone to assure them they were ...

Wayzata Today Monday, March 16, webcast: Planning Commissions set to meet The Orono Planning Commission will meet tonight at 6 pm There is only one new business item on the agenda a variance request by Gayle and Greg Hayhurst and the commission will also select its liasions to attend the March 23 and April 13 Orono City Council meetings. • The Wayzata Planning Commission will also meet tonight at 7 pm The commission will have one public hearing item, a variance request for 322 Broadway ...

Good afternoon Wayzata, Orono and Long Lake. I'm Sun-Sailor Community Editor Jared Huizenga. Today is Monday, Feb. 16, and this is what's going on in your area today. • Over the weekend the Wayzata High School Dance Team captured first place in the AAA 2009 State Girls' Dance Team Tournament held Saturday at Target Center. Samantha Cameranesi and Vanessa Iorio were named to the AAA All-Tournament team. The only other team in the Sun-Sailor coverage area that placed in the tournament was ...

The Orono Lions and the Long Lake Fire Department are teaming up to sponsor a Blood Drive with the American Red Cross. The blood drive will be held on Monday, June 15, 2 to 7 pm at Long Lake Fire Station 1, located at 340 Willow Drive N. Drop-ins are welcome, but if you'd prefer to set up an appointment in advance, please call the Fire Department on Monday at 952-473-9701. Area events for the weekend Here's a look at a couple of events taking place this weekend: Hammer's annual "Run for ...

Eden Prairie man leads Wayzata Police on high-speed chase: After leading officers on a five-mile chase with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, a 27-year-old Eden Prairie man finds himself facing a felony charge of fleeing an officer - a felony - and his third DWI. Julian Andrew Crowther was stopped just before midnight on Sunday, March 15, for running a red light in Wayzata and then fleeing the scene after registering a blood alcohol concentration that put him over the legal limit. A March ...

A Minneapolis man has been charged with three felonies regarding burglaries in the west metro. 47-year-old William Milligan was charged last week in connection with a burglary in Brooklyn Center and another in Golden Valley. While speaking with investigators, Milligan admitted to being present during three office burglaries in Wayzata early on May 4. That morning the Wayzata Police Department responded to a report of burglaries at three office suites at the Wayzata Crossings building ...

Normally onlookers are shooed away from disaster scenes. But on tomorrow in Mound they will be welcomed with front row seats and concessions. "Operation Black Cat" will draw hundreds of emergency responders and likely a fair share of spectators to Mound for a large-scale emergency exercise of a simulated explosion along the old Shoreline Drive. Black Cat will involve all the police and fire departments serving Mound, Minnetrista, South Lake, Deephaven, Wayzata, Orono, West Hennepin, Medina ...

Three Rivers Park District will celebrate the opening of the Dakota Rail Trail with a grand opening from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday. The regional trail connects St. Bonifacious to Wayzata. At the trail's edge in Mound there will be kids activities, historic highlights of this former rail corridor and refreshments. Ride your bike to Gale Woods Farm before noon and join activities for free. There will also be a 5K Walk/Run beginning at 10 am. For more information, check www.ThreeRiversParks.org ...

Good afternoon Wayzata, Orono and Long Lake. I'm Sun-Sailor Community Editor Jared Huizenga. Today is Wednesday, Feb. 18, and this is what's going on in your area today. • Wayzata Community Church Nursery School has got word that it has received re-accreditation from National Association for the Education of Young Children. At first glance it might not appear to be that big of a deal, but the honor is only earned by 8 percent of early childhood programs nationwide, according to Kate Knight a ...

On the front page this week are two stories I've touched on in prior webcasts - the City of Wayzata's $300000 shortfall and its decision to cease printing its newsletter The Bay Window and the Long Lake City Council voting to expand its Park Board from three to five members. Wayzata's short on revenue so far this year due to the credit crunch and developers putting pretty all planned projects on hold. The Bay Window is simply the first of many cuts to help make up for the shortfall. The city ...