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3 days ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
Anoka-Hennepin Chief Financial Officer Michelle Vargas gave a brief budget update at the end of a marathon five-hour school board meeting May 5. The presentation covered updated numbers for the next fiscal year in the face of finalized 2024-2025 numbers, as well as projections for what future budgets could look like if state aid is not passed this legislative session. “This is an update to the presentation we did on Feb. 24, looking at the projected budget for the next biennium,” Vargas said.
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4 days ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
In the face of book bans hitting St. Francis Area Schools shelves, Cambridge business Scout & Morgan Books is coming together with the help of authors Dave Eggers and Amanda Uhle to get titles into to St. Francis students’ hands — free of charge. Eggers was in town on May 5 to screen his documentary, “To Be Destroyed,” concerning his visit to Rapid City, South Dakota, after the city banned his 2013 book “The Circle” and marked all district copies “to be destroyed” in 2022.
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5 days ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board has spent a year debating where to head with its Social Emotional Learning Curriculum. A community survey showed both parents and teachers in majority approval of the current programs.
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6 days ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board has spent a year debating where to head with its Social Emotional Learning Curriculum. A community survey showed both parents and teachers in majority approval of the current programs.
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1 week ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
A site has been selected, a construction manager hired and plans voted on (but not finalized) for Anoka’s foray into a municipally owned cannabis sote. The council voted 3-0 to pass site plans and set a bid date on April 7, with Mayor Erik Skogquist and Council Member Jeff Weaver absent from the regular meeting.
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1 week ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
Routine revisions to the 2024-2025 Columbia Heights Public Schools budget shows indicators of health across the district — but future uncertainties may slow that positive growth. The board approved the revisions on April 22 after previously hearing about the changes at length during a work session. “As we move forward, we’re more fiscally sound with what we have on hand (in our unassigned fund balance),” Director of Finance and Operations Bryan Hennekens explained.
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1 week ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
Metro Transit is planning on phasing Northstar service out of the north metro. As service plans to shift from rails to new bus lines, Metro Transit held an informational open house on April 29 at Anoka City Hall - but the session left visitors frustrated with unanswered questions.
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2 weeks ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
Conversation at the city of Anoka continues to focus on what should be done about the development of the rail village. On April 21, the Anoka City Council approved a feasibility study that will answer if a community center is a realistic part of that vision. The 4-1 vote, Council Member Jeff Weaver voting against, gave the go ahead for HKGi to engage in a phased study on the area. Ian Wreisner covers education for ABC Newspapers.
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2 weeks ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
Boys’ volleyball has only been a sanctioned high school sport in Minnesota for two seasons — and this season, Columbia Heights Public Schools is getting in on the action. Columbia Heights High School held an inaugural celebration on April 16, before its varsity match against Robbinsdale Cooper High School, to celebrate the district milestone. While the team would lose in three straight sets, that didn’t dampen the mood amongst the crowd.
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2 weeks ago | 
hometownsource.com | Ian Wreisner
A site has been selected, a construction manager hired and plans voted on (but not finalized) for Anoka's foray into a municipally owned cannabis sote. The council voted 3-0 to pass site plans and set a bid date on April 7, with Mayor Erik Skogquist and Council Member Jeff Weaver absent from the regular meeting.
