History, Outdoors, Sports by Daniel Huss | May 2025 Your golf course has some history when cut hayfields served as fairways and borrowed tomato cans Your golf course has some history when the fairways were watered by a team of horses And your golf course really has some history when green fees were 35 cents Leo Feser referenced the above in a story penned in May 1971 describing the history of Orono Orchards Golf Course (The City of Orono purchased the course from the Feser family in 1967.) Feser designed played and ran the course—with lots of help from family and friends making this year the course’s 101st anniversary Orono Orchards Golf Course was the first privately owned public course in Minnesota and the first public course in the state to feature grass greens all the other municipal courses played sand greens.) When it opened the only other public courses in the Metro area were Glenwood (now Theodore Wirth Golf Course) and Columbia courses The Orono Orchards Golf Course clubhouse is the former Feser family home was here to talk about the course last year for the 100-year anniversary He knew exactly how the glass in a window cracked.” Let’s just say a little brotherly disagreement led to a slammed door as there are plans to extend the first and second holes the goal is to transform the nine-hole course into a par-36 course “Number five is where the original clubhouse was,” she says “It features a pond and a water fountain.” Linder says Orono Orchards’ Tuesday men’s league is the longest running men’s league in the state kids weren’t allowed to play without an adult,” Linder says as junior players are the future of the sport.” Some 15,000 rounds were played on Orono Orchards last year This factors in losing 10 days because of inclement weather and 49 days when golf carts couldn’t be used If you’re one of those hitting the course this year a charter member of the golf course construction crew would take the ground’s watering wagon home at the end of each day and refill the water tank from a windmill-powered well to water the greens—in preparation of welcoming another round of golfers The City of Orono hosts a tree-lighting ceremony on the Orono Orchards Golf Course grounds on the first Saturday of December The day’s festivities are followed by what has been described as the best fireworks of the season the course features free sledding throughout the winter season and the clubhouse opens for snacks and hot chocolate on designated days Sign up for our newsletter and receive email updates with our top stories History, Noteworthy Noteworthy, Recipes Noteworthy, Shops, Style © Copyright 2026 Local. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy Read the May 2025 Lake Minnetonka Magazine Digital Edition            The two cities near Lake Minnetonka have been embroiled in a contentious lawsuit since Orono tried to form its own fire department Orono and Long Lake have reached a tentative deal to form a joint fire department next year a move that could bring an end to a contentious lawsuit over fire services in the two cities but this is a pretty major hurdle,” Long Lake City Council Member Jahn Dyvik Councils in both cities agreed this week to negotiate a new agreement that “establishes a new fire department,” with a goal of setting it up by January of 2026 Many details — including its budget and the size of its staff — still need to be determined the two cities will do some training together and offer each city’s firefighters access to the others’ equipment The future of fire services — and how Orono should navigate its relationship with Long Lake — proved to be key issues in last fall’s elections which drew thousands of dollars in campaign spending Orono voters selected three new leaders who said they wanted to work with Long Lake “We wanted to be very thoughtfully considerate about the impacts this would have on the firefighters,” Orono Council Member Steve Persian said in a meeting earlier this week adding that the agreement was “not perfect to either side” but is meant to be a compromise Orono surrounds the smaller city of Long Lake and the two communities shared fire services for years Orono leaders in 2023 decided to form their own department arguing that they could do a better job overseeing the department and would spend more on staff in hopes of improving response times Long Lake sued for breach of contract and accused Orono of trying to hobble the department The two cities are scheduled to go to trial in September. But the two cities began negotiating earlier this year after Orono residents elected the new wave of leaders who said finding a new fire agreement was among their top priorities. The agreement drew opposing reactions from firefighters who attended the Orono council meeting. Some said a consolidation was the logical way forward. Others worried a transition agreement could eliminate Orono’s on-call firefighters and reduce staffing. Shea Chwialkowski, a deputy fire chief in Orono, told city leaders he believes the transition agreement “is dangerous.” He urged city leaders to focus instead on finding a longer-term plan for the department and to bring firefighters into more of those discussions. Cody Farley, assistant chief of the Long Lake Fire Department, pushed back, telling officials the agreement wasn’t dangerous “What is dangerous is having these two cities attempt to operate two separate fire departments in our one larger community,” Farley said. “If we continue down that road, both departments will struggle. Both will fall short of their expectations.” Liz Navratil covers communities in the western Twin Cities metro area. She previously covered Minneapolis City Hall as leaders responded to the coronavirus pandemic and George Floyd’s murder. News & Politics Minnesota’s kindergartners have been below the recommended 95% threshold for years and more parents are getting exemptions for the MMR vaccine Where are children most vulnerable to infectious spread Hennepin County is highlighting salvage businesses in May to encourage residents to reuse construction materials and limit what gets sent to landfills Klein hopes to win the party’s endorsement in what could be a crowded DFL field he plans to move on to the primary election 2 Delano Tigers (8-0) remained unbeaten Wednesday with a 9-0 win against No Delano senior pitcher Kaitlyn Pink gave up no hits and struck out 11 batters through 5 innings She also contributed with a three-run triple ***Click the video box above to watch highlights*** Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 Signup for our newsletter to get notified about sales and new products Return to shop The Orono Spartans pulled off a minor upset with an offensive onslaught in which they scored seven goals 6 seeded Spartans defeated the Northfield Raiders Wednesday afternoon in their Class A Quarterfinal matchup The Spartans played the game with a significant handicap given the absence of leading scorer Jackson Knight led the team in goals (33) and tied for the team lead in assists (29) the Orono top line is still a potent attacking unit and they proved it when Trey Landa scored the first goal of the game to put the Spartans in the lead Landa’s goal came on a fantastic shot from the top of the faceoff circle The Northfield Raiders got two golden opportunities towards the end of the first period with two powerplay chances The Raiders hit the post on their first powerplay but Orono stood firm and maintained their one-goal lead The Spartans then added to their lead on a powerplay with minutes remaining in the period A pass from behind the net found Ethan Pagel in front Pagel backhanded the puck into the net during a scramble to extend the Spartan lead before the end of the first period Northfield came into the second period needing an answer to the first frame Griffin Kennelly brought the Raiders to within one just 33 seconds into the second period on a backhand rebound effort The Raiders’ one-goal deficit wouldn’t last long as Orono answered Northfield’s goal with an odd-man rush tally of their own Talan Reuter scored the goal to put the Spartans up 3-1 Both defenses hadn’t been allowing much offense in the way of shots Orono added another goal to their lead when Rory Kvern scored his 14th goal Kvern made a great play to get from the goal line to the front of the net all alone before backhanding it home to give Orono a 4-1 lead The Spartans’ onslaught continued with another goal from Rory Kvern Pagel picked up an assist this time when he sent Kvern a pass from behind the net Orono’s offense was imposing in the second period especially considering they were missing their top scorer and Northfield’s defense was so stingy during the regular season The Raiders would get their goal back on a powerplay goal at the end of the period made the initial save on a shot by Northfield but the puck bounced into the air and landed behind him A scramble to the loose puck led to Michael Steward scoring for the Raiders to bring the game to 5-2 heading into the third period Northfield scored to generate some momentum at the end of the second period but Orono put the game out of reach shortly into the third period with a goal by Lachlan Hoffman The Spartans later added two more goals to skate away with a resounding victory Trey Landa and Rory Kvern each scored twice for the Spartans Orono punched their ticket to the Class A semifinals with the 7-2 victory The Spartans will go on to face defending champions St Cloud Cathedral after the Crusaders won their quarterfinal game 3-0 Orono and the Crusaders face off Friday at 11:00 AM with a trip to the championship game on the line Click the button below in order to sign into your account to renew your subscription update your payment method and much more.. 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Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More ORONO — A longtime Orono eatery appears to have closed its doors for good The Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Orono has been a staple of the college town for roughly 40 years A sign on the front door now reads "permanently closed” and the restaurant’s phone number is no longer in use Locals said the sudden closure came as a shock and one business owner whose shop sits just across the street from the shuttered dining spot said she’s concerned the loss could impact other shops on Mill Street “There are a lot of customers that we share [with Margaritas] that bring that life to downtown Orono and if businesses start popping off then no one’s going to come to Orono just to buy a cookie from me,” said Roberta Bradson “They’re going to need other businesses to make the place look lively.” Bradson said she remembers when the restaurant welcomed its first customers back in 1985 We saw it go from the Salty Dog to Barstan’s and then to Margaritas,” said Bradson Bradson also said she’s hopeful someone else will pick up the mantle “Maybe somebody else will pick up the pieces and start over,” she said The Mexican restaurant chain is now down to five locations in the state The chain also has more than 20 restaurants across New England and the Mid-Atlantic Orono’s Town Manager Clint Deschene said it’s not yet clear why the Orono location closed Spectrum News has reached out to the owner of the Orono location for comment Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. The state’s leading scorer at 34.2 points per game this season backed out of his previous commitment to Yale and had an offer from the Gophers. Orono guard Nolan Groves announced Saturday night that he will play college basketball for Texas Tech. He announced his commitment during a visit to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend. The 6-5 Groves, the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged a state-best 34.2 points per game this past season. He had committed to Yale as a junior last year, but he recently reopened his recruitment and on Monday received offers from Texas Tech as well as the Gophers and Wisconsin. Groves told the Minnesota Star Tribune this past week he had hoped to take an unofficial visit to the Gophers soon, but Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland — who led the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight last month — snared him before that trip was made. “I like what’s going on over at Tech,” Groves said last week. “They almost took down Florida, the national champs. Texas Tech had a phenomenal team last year. They have lots of studs returning and coming in out of the transfer portal.”  ShareCommentabout the writerMarcus FullerReporterMarcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball, national college basketball, college sports and high school recruiting for the Minnesota Star Tribune. High Schools Minnesota high school scores and results for all sports from around the state Owen Marsolek struck out 17 to lead the Hilltoppers to a 3-0 victory Monday at Siebert Field has a state-high 40 goals in seven games for St Zoe Lopez capped of her excellent showing at the state tournament with a hat trick as Orono defeated Academy of Holy Angels 6-2 for third place in Class A It was the fourth consecutive season the Spartans have finished third place or higher Lopez opened the scoring 32 seconds into the second period and capped off the scoring with an empty netter The Spartans were coming off a heartbreeaking loss to defending champion Warroad from Friday where they lost in triple overtime but Warroad goaltender Payton Rolli made several key saves to keep the game going Alex Christian and Maddy Kimbrel also scored for the Spartans Macy Rasmussen and Gabi Lopez each had a pair of assists and Anna Rausch Christian and Alex Paulsen also had helpers in the win Calli Holmes and Anya Anderson both scored for Holy Angels Zoe Rimstad faced 41 shots and made 36 saves Orono netminder Vivienne Anderson had 28 saves on 30 shots Zoe Lopez finished with 38 goals and 59 points to lead the Spartans Taylor Lesnar finishes with 22 goals and 23 assists to lead the team Jori Jones finalist Zoe Rimstad finished the season with a .928 save percentage A two-year dispute over firefighting between Orono and Long Lake appears to have been resolved This comes after lawsuits millions of taxpayer dollars spent and a grassroots election campaign The relationship between the two neighboring cities soured to the point that a judge held the city of Orono in contempt of court The current mayors of Orono and Long Lake announced a plan to repair a 20-plus-year-old relationship In 2023 KSTP reported that Orono’s then-mayor and city council moved forward with a plan to start up their own fire department Orono’s previous leadership believed the city could run its own Long Lake sued for breach of contract and claimed its firefighters were being forced to pick sides.Ultimately the voters of Orono decided for a change this past November “Our electorate in Orono spoke very loudly that we didn’t want separate fire departments… we wanted one fire department serving our broader community,” said Orono Mayor Bob Tunheim The votes this week will only repair the current agreement set to expire at the end of this year but money already spent won’t go to waste “There was a lot of money spent on that but it’s equipment that the joint department needs,” Tunheim added “It’s up to citizens to stay involved in their communities… but there’s a lot going on in your own backyard… if you’re not paying attention it can get away from you,” said Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner As both cities recognize that reaching this agreement has been a challenge they encourage residents to be a part of a new long-term agreement The first of those community meetings is set for early May Nolan Groves (5) led Orono to the Class 3A boys basketball semifinals this past season The Spartans lost to Mankato East 64-62 in the semis before defeating Totino-Grace 87-85 to finish third in the tournament (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune) Orono combo guard Nolan Groves committed to Yale as a junior last year but he wasn’t a high-major prospect at the time “I kind of grew into one,” the 6-5 senior said the 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in Minnesota recently reopened his recruitment and on Monday received offers from the Gophers For more on Groves, click here to read this story on startribune.com. Pugsley Addams poses for a photo with his family members on April 3.Liam James Doyle for MPR NewsPlayListenMeet the world-famous Minnesota cat with a record-setting tailGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories The nearly two-year-old Maine coon cat is often the center of attention in the Cameron household and lives among three other equally as beautiful Maine coons has something that makes him stand out from his siblings — the world’s longest tail on a living domestic cat Pugsley’s tail was officially crowned number one by the Guinness World Records in March Amanda Cameron of Orono said it started when friends family and even the veterinarian would comment on the length of his tail she and her kids decided to check out what the record was and we just remeasured it a month ago and it’s grown another two centimeters The vets don’t know what’s going on,” she said Pugsley Addams lounges on the floor of his home.Liam James Doyle for MPR NewsThe previous longest tail measured at 16.07 inches MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all It’s possible the tail is so long due to extra or abnormally long vertebrae but it doesn’t seem to be in the way — except for when family members steps on it accidentally the Cameron’s got word that Pugsley had made the world record and soon People Magazine and more covered Pugsley’s story as the news spread to the U.K. “I think people are really hungry for news that doesn’t suck right now.”  Pugsley Addams has his tail measured by family members Finn and Joie Cameron.Liam James Doyle for MPR NewsThe family got their first Maine coon The Camerons daughter Joie had been asking her parents for a cat since she could talk “I just feel like they’re really pretty and I would just choose them over dogs.” Joie had a vision for her cat: she wanted it to be the world’s fluffiest white cat Amanda Cameron started looking and found a Maine coon from a breeder in Ukraine she decided she wanted a cat for herself too so Dutchess and Winifred flew to Minnesota Pugsley Addams saunters through his home while another cat peers below.Liam James Doyle for MPR NewsThen came Gomez He was re-homed from Wisconsin but originally from Russia The movies “The Addams Family,” “The Aristocats” and “Hocus Pocus” inspired the names And each member of the family has a cat that they’re a little bit closer to He and Joie said it was hard not to tell people at school the big news when the family found out Pugsley is getting his time in the limelight the family feels like he’s always deserved They’re just nice pets to have around,” Finn said of the four Maine coons Pugsley Addams is held by Joie Cameron while sniffing a treat in Amanda Cameron's hand.Liam James Doyle for MPR NewsPugsley is described The Cameron family doesn’t plan to get more cats at the moment “Maine coons aren’t fully grown until they’re four or five and they don’t grow a whole lot after they are about one and a half or two I think it’ll probably grow another centimeter or two,” Amanda Cameron said Orono head coach Barry Wohler gives instructions during Thursday's game against Mankato East Lucas Knudson, an Orono senior, a boy basketball team leader, a point guard, was involved in a fatal, one-car accident on a drive home on Nov. 16. Spartans coach Barry Wohler and the team would be having the first practice for a season of sizable expectations the next day Wohler was given the stunning information of Knudson’s death close to 6 a.m The news then reached the close friends he’d had since early grade school and then to the crowded hallways of Orono High School 2024 an incident occurred in Orono where two University of Maine students were assaulted by Noah Lachapelle-Quinn Noah is not an Orono resident or University of Maine student but he is known to frequent student gatherings in Orono At this time an arrest warrant has been issued for Noah Lachapelle-Quinn for Aggravated Assault The Orono Police Department is working closely with the University of Maine Police as well as local law enforcement please use caution and call 911 immediately If you have any tips or leads on where Noah is located please contact the Orono Police Department at (207)866-4000 The Cougars shot 41.4 percent from the field while holding Orono to 34 percent shooting from the field Orono's Nolan Groves led all scorers with 31 points Ganden Gosch led Mankato East with 16 points 10:43 remains and Mankato East has an 11-5 lead Orono continues to shoot poorly and have turnover issues Nolan Groves with all five points for the Spartans Orono cuts the lead to 16-13 with 7:43 remaining Ganden Gosch has nine points for the Cougars but they're only 5-for-17 from beyond the arc The Cougars lead 24-20 with 3:43 remaining One minute remains and Mankato East leads 27-21 and Orono shoots 29.2 percent in the first half Gosch and Groves have 12 points each for their teams Orono has seven turnovers to Mankato East's one Mankato East starts the second half strong The Cougars lead 44-34 with just over 13 minutes remaining They've started 6-of-8 from the field in the second half Orono has trimmed Mankato East's lead with a 7-2 run entirely from free throws Mankato East leads 46-41 with 10:51 remaining Orono continues to struggle shooting the ball The Spartans are 5-of-14 in the second half as Mankato East leads 54-46 with 7:30 remaining Groves up to 29 points for the Spartans as they tie the game with 4:31 remaining The Spartans are starting to make some shots The game is tied at 62 with 1:43 remaining Groves gets fouled while going to the basket with only two seconds left Orono can't hold onto the intentionally missed free throw Mankato East calls timeout during the inbound play JACK BUTLERJack Butler is the Regional Editor of the Midwest for SBLive/High School on SI Jack has covered high school sports in Oregon © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Northfield faced off against Orono in a nonconference match that some figured could be a prelude to something bigger down the road The Raiders posted a two-goal victory to move to a 6-0-1 start.  Fast forward three months and the clubs squared off again proving those premonitions to be true.  Orono clearly learned something from that loss.  Orono recorded a victory over Northfield in the state tournament environment this one an 8-2 upset win in the Class A quarterfinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Hockey State Tournament on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center.  ***Click the video box above to watch highlights*** 6-seeded Spartans (16-10-3) scored early and kept coming at the No 3 Raiders (22-5-2) with two three-goal outbursts in the second and third periods Senior forwards Trey Landa and Ethan Pagel and junior forward Rory Kvem each two goals each to extend Orono’s postseason winning streak to four and a next-game matchup with No just one goal was scored when Orono and Northfield last met in the state tournament and it came from the Spartans to secure a 1-0 victory in the Class A consolation final at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.  RELATED: KSTP Sports State Hockey Central Homepage Goals were much more abundant this season.  Landa and Pagel staked the Spartans to a two-goal advantage after one period split the deficit in half just 33 seconds into the second period on an even-strength goal by senior forward Griffin Kennelly Orono didn’t panic and responded with three goals to extend its lead to 5-2 after two periods.  RELATED: Under new first-year head coach, Orono heads to State Hockey for third straight season on an 8-1-0 run entering the state tournament Orono looks to reverse any result from the regular season: The Spartans lost to St Orono is seeking its first Class A crown since 2018 Cloud Cathedral is the defending Class A champion and had another title in 2019.  The Orono boys basketball team is one win away from reaching the Class-3A state tournament The lone win will have to come against a 26-2 Benilde-St who is averaging over 34 points per game this season ***Click the video box above to hear comments from Groves and Orono head coach Barry Wohler*** Margaret’s last game against each other was on February 25 Margaret’s are scheduled to tip off Thursday night at 7 p.m The winner of this game wins a Section-6AAA title and clinches a berth in the state tournament RELATED: Orono routs Benilde-St. Margaret’s in section 6AAA championship Click the video box below (swipe the video frame above on the mobile app) to watch KSTP Sports’ segment on Orono boys basketball that aired on 3-14-25 The Spartans jumped to a 3-0 lead after the first period with one goal from Macy Rasmussen and two goals from Maddy Kimbrel Kimbrel added her third goal of the day in the second period as Orono pulled way Fergus Falls moves to the consolation bracket where it will play the loser of the Warroad/Marshall game Orono wins the opening faceoff and we're underway Fergus Falls will have a power play with 15:01 remaining in the first period Fergus Fall continues to turn the puck over in its own zone The game is tied at zero with 8:34 remaining Macy Rasmussen buries the puck from the middle of the Otters' zone Orono leads 1-0 with 4:52 remaining in the first period Alex Paulson and Ryan Regan with the assists The Spartans have a power play with 3:30 remaining in the first period Maddy Kimbrel puts one behind the Otters' goaltender Orono leads 3-0 with 1:27 remaining in the first period Fergus Falls had a 1-on-1 opportunity in the final seconds but Orono goalie Vivienne Anderson made the save Freshman Gabi Lopz scores as Orono takes a 4-0 lead with 15:14 remaining in the second period Orono on the power play with 12:20 remaining Orono leads 5-0 with 9:40 remaining in the period Orono leads 6-0 with 7 minutes remaining in the second period With four minutes remaining in the second period Orono has 25 shots to Fergus Falls' nine Freshman Lillian Peck scores in front of the net Orono leads 7-0 with 2:54 remaining in the second period Lopez scores on a 1-on-1 breakaway over the goalies' pad Orono leads 8-0 with two minutes remaining in the second period Orono wins the faceoff and we're underway The Otters are on the power play with 8:40 remaining in the game Lopez scores her second goal during the power play Orono leads 9-0 with three minutes remaining To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App Orono guard Nolan Groves (5) will join a Texas Tech program that advanced to the Elite Eight this past month Orono guard Nolan Groves announced Saturday night that he will play college basketball for Texas Tech He announced his commitment during a visit to Lubbock averaged a state-best 34.2 points per game this past season For more on Groves and his commitment, click here to read this story on startribune.com Council Member Claire Berrett was appointed by former Mayor Dennis Walsh Her seat will come up for a vote in a special election Orono residents will vote for a City Council member in May in a special election that could unseat a member whose recent appointment by the former mayor proved controversial “I think the interests of the voters are best met by having a special election as soon as possible,” Mayor Bob Tunheim said in a meeting Monday night when the council voted 4 to 1 to set a May 13 election date city officials received a letter from the conservative Upper Midwest Law Center saying it would consider a lawsuit if the council tried to unseat Council Member Claire Berrett the only council member to vote against setting a special election date said during the meeting that she was in a “super awkward place.” City officials initially announced plans to hold a special election to fill his seat. But later that month, over the objections of some of his council colleagues, Walsh appointed Berrett to the seat That’s not me,” Berrett said during the meeting Monday “But I think that we owe the public the opportunity to understand the implications of taking this forward At the center of the debate is a question of whether Berrett should remain in place until November of 2026 fulfilling the remainder of the term for the council member she replaced or whether her seat needs to go before voters City Attorney Soren Mattick told council members Monday night that he has struggled to find another case that provides perfect guidance for how the city should handle this situation The next regular city election is scheduled for November of 2026. Orono didn’t have a special election ordinance on the books when Berrett was appointed to her seat. Council members, including Berrett, approved an ordinance Monday night that would allow special elections to be held earlier in some instances. Mattick told council members there is “some legal quandary” surrounding the question of whether they could apply that ordinance retroactively to Berrett’s seat. “I can’t sit here and say that the courts have ruled on that at this point,” he said. Doug Seaton, founder and president of the Upper Midwest Law Center, who describes his organization as a group of conservatives and constitutionalists trying to enforce the rules, said he intends to meet with his board this week to decide whether to file a lawsuit. He said the group is representing Walsh and could bring on additional plaintiffs as well. “To do that this May, in our view, after passing an ordinance, after the vacancy not only arose but was filled, is not appropriate and not lawful,” Seaton said. Tunheim said during Monday night’s council meeting that he had discussed special election questions with a lawyer at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. He said he enjoyed working with Berrett but believed holding a May election was “the right thing to do, though, for the citizens of Orono.” He added that he encouraged Berrett to run. “That’s her recourse, to be able to run in the election,” he said at the council meeting. Then, he turned to Berrett, adding, “And I hope you do so.” Margaret’s in the section final for the third season in a row Orono left no doubt Thursday about who is the best team in Class 2A The Spartans had the upper hand on Benilde-St Margaret’s at both ends of the floor in a 76-55 victory in the section final at Benilde-St It’s the third year in a row that Orono ended Benilde-St helping the Spartans pull away in the second half We’re smart and we’re scrappy on defense.” the Spartans did not let the Red Knights (26-3) get into a rhythm at any point and when the Red Knights were able to get looks Because the first two times Jaleel [Donley] was able to get them into anything they wanted and get their guys to their spots,” Spartans coach Barry Wohler said “We just wanted to make them a little uncomfortable Our guys did a really nice job matching up out of the zone and rebounding.” The Spartans (22-7) started to pull away from the Red Knights late in the first half without Groves He was assessed his third foul of the game with just under five minutes left in the first half and spent the rest of the half on the bench the Spartans built a nine-point lead that they took into halftime The stretch included a rare three-point shot from Brady Wooley “He’s been working on his three-pointer,” Groves said Jalen Wilson scored 13 points in the first half for the Red Knights but was troubled by cramping in the second half. He was out of the game twice to get help from the trainers, and finished with 15 points. “We never got into a rhythm. We didn’t knock down shots. They did,” Red Knights coach Damian Johnson said. “We didn’t get the good looks that we normally do. We didn’t play enough inside-out. We settled too much.” TJ Stuttley led the Red Knights with 21 points, including 17 in the second half. After a close loss to East Grand Forks 7-5 on Friday #1 Hibbing/Chisholm boy’s hockey dropped into the third-place matchup against #6 Orono set for Saturday Orono would take the third-place title with a 5-1 win over the Bluejackets Scoring wouldn’t start until late into the second period when Orono’s Brenner Kanive would take a shot from the circle to put the Spartans on the board It would only take seconds for the Spartans to put themselves up 2-0 with a backhanded shot from Talan Reuter Just over two minutes into the third period Orono would extend their lead to 3-0 with a backhanded shot from Rory Kvern on the power-play The Bluejackets respond quickly with a deep-shot goal from Blake Riccio to makes things a two-point game Kvern strikes again on another power play to bring the score to 4-1 in favor of the Spartans Hibbing/Chisholm ends their season with a 20-11 record and take home the State Class A fourth-place title for the 2024-25 season Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public file should contact Vicki Kaping at vkaping@wdio.com or (218) 727-6864 Nolan Groves and the Spartans wouldn’t let DeLaSalle stand in their way this year.  5 DeLaSalle 87-71 in a Boys Basketball State Tournament Class AAA quarterfinal game Tuesday afternoon at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.  ***Click the video box on this page to watch extended highlights from this game*** Orono came up short against DeLaSalle in last year’s quarterfinals and the 2023 semifinals Groves quickly made those previous meetings irrelevant.  Groves made seven of his first eight shots and accounted for the first 23 Orono points via 17 points himself and three assists to big man Brady Wooley The Spartans raced to a 25-9 lead and were up 46-33 at halftime.  Jaeden Udeen tallied 27 points as DeLaSalle rallied to within 76-71 with 3:32 to go Orono called timeout and gave the ball to – who else Demonstrating the strength and balance that made him so effective all afternoon the senior got to the rim for a key bucket that pushed the advantage to seven and the Islanders got no closer Wooley was 10-of-13 in assembling 22 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds 1 Mankato East in a noon semifinal Thursday Paul Harding in a consolation game at 2 p.m Wednesday at Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St Cloud Cathedral's goalies have gotten hot at the right time "Our goalie coach (Cal Herold) has been with us for 10 years now He knows how to prep the guys for games like this," Cathedral head coach Robbie Stocker said "Keaton — and all of our goalies — have put the time in to keep improving this season." The Crusaders (20-8-2) have won seven straight games headed into Saturday's championship game They will play East Grand Forks at noon Saturday in St Cathedral beat the Green Wave (15-13-2) 11-5 back on Jan "We've committed to a defensive structure and our roles around Keaton," CHS senior defenseman Mason Layne said "We don't get too outside of our heads and start chasing We've worked on that a lot throughout the year and it's really showing." The Crusaders took control in the first period after a motivated Orono came out strong offensively CHS senior Joey Gillespie scored 5:32 into the first to make it 1-0 on assists from Griffin Sturm and John Hirschfeld "Our experience is showing right now in these games," Gillespie said I think the momentum just builds and builds for us I feel like I need to step up and do that to get us going "And that first one really got us going." Wood made it 2-0 in favor of the Crusaders on a power-play goal — with assists from Caden Johnson and Connor Stockman — 7:21 into the game Orono (16-11-3) looked shell-shocked after that The Spartans missed a golden opportunity on LeGrande late in the first when he was pulled away from the net Orono also whiffed on several shot opportunities close to the net "That second goal was a good feeling," Wood said "It feels so good to get back to the state championship game We know we're good enough to beat any team We have to show up (Saturday) and play our game." Cathedral's defense and penalty kill unit was also a big reason Orono couldn't get it going offensively The Spartans had 23 shots on goal to the Crusaders' 22 "Our defense has been fantastic," Stocker said The commitment to team defense — across the board — from our forwards to defenseman has been fantastic We've played our best defense of the year the past few weeks A power-play goal from Cathedral freshman Bo Schmidt 8:25 into the second period helped put the game out of reach who finished with three assists in the victory "Bo is playing with a ton of energy for us right now," Stocker said There are nerves and sometimes you wait for those big plays to just happen It's nice to have a freshman who goes out and just does things for you like that." Orono's lone goal on LeGrande came from Ethan Pagel 13:39 into the third The Spartans pulled goalie Evan Schmidt (who had 21 saves) after that but Wood chipped in an empty-net goal with 1:05 remaining the Crusaders are right back to where they thought they'd be "There were some games earlier this season where we were out-shooting teams by 20 shots sometimes and not winning," Stocker said It's a testament to our seniors that they've stuck with it We were hovering around .500 when the calendar turned "There were plenty of opportunities for guys to turn on each other Orono 0-0-1—1Cathedral 2-1-1—4First period1 Goalies: O — Evan Schmidt (18 saves); SCC — Keaton LeGrande (22 saves) thanks to a newly announced agreement between city leaders Stock image of a firefighter using the Jaws of Life announced a "shared vision" to collaborate on the formation of a "consolidated" inter-city fire department This signals a breakthrough in a legal conflict that began in 2023, when Orono created its own fire department after years of receiving fire services from neighboring Long Lake Orono leaders wanted a "more efficient fire department" with faster response times, but the move was apparently in breach of a longstanding contract between the cities, as KSTP reports.  and during the legal battles that followed, the city of Orono was twice found in contempt for allegedly recruiting Long Lake firefighters against a court order As Long Lake argued the recruitment efforts "hindered" the Long Lake Fire Department's services and would prove "catastrophic" to the department if left unchecked.  things took a turn in the 2024 elections when Orono voters chose a new mayor and city council members all of whom wanted to bring an end to the inter-city scuffle Months of negotiations later, the mayors' joint press release says the two cities now have a "framework for aligning staffing and station access in the months ahead," all designed to "improve service" for both communities The release notes that the measure is "not the final answer" but a "step forward" in the fire services conflict.  The mayors say they will seek community feedback on how the new department is built starting with a "Joint Fire Forum" happening May 8 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Lake.  According to the Star Tribune, officials are aiming to have the new department set up by January 2026.  The announcement of the joint fire department was met with a positive response from local residents.  "So refreshing to see collaboration once again," reads a Facebook post by the nonprofit Friends of Orono. "Orono and Long Lake with mutual respect for each other and their firefighters pull our communities together for both better safety and fiscal responsibility." but may gave been missing for 'some time prior.' a screening of the movie Sight and Sound says is the best movie ever made saying he'd killed the mother of his child Rory Kvern and Ethan Pagel each scored two goals for Orono as the Spartans routed the Raiders Northfield scored shortly after the first intermission to cut the leads to 2-1 but Orono then scored three consecutive goals to pull away The Spartans only had a 23-to-21 advantage in shots-on-goal in the game Trey Landa scores for the Spartans from the top of the left face-off circle Luca DeCubellis and Miller Williams with the assists - Orono leads 1-0 with 11:31 remaining Shots are even with ten minutes remaining in the first period Orono's Rory Kvern gets two minutes for tripping - 9:29 remains Northfield registers three shots during the power play Northfield goalie Max Frank stops a 1-on-1 with Orono's Lachlan Hoffman Orono's Jacob Pfeifer gets called for hooking - 4:53 remains in the first period Just as the power play for Northfield ended Ethan Pagel scores on the power-play on a loose puck in front of net Orono ends the first period with a 6-4 shots-on-goal advantage Griffin Kennelly scores for the Raiders after a rebound dropped in front of the net Will Cashin and Michael Steward with the assists - 16:27 remains in the second period The Spartans respond two minutes later with a goal from Talan Reuter Boston Foster with the assist on a 2-on-1 chance Orono leads 3-1 with 14:07 remaining in the second period and Orono has a 9-8 shots-on-goal advantage Kvern scores under the goalie's pads as he drove to the net Kvern scores his second goal of the day for the Spartans Orono leads 5-1 with two minutes remaining in the period DeCubellis gets called for high sticking - 1:19 remains in the period Assists for Benjamin Geiger and Riley Bridger - 58 seconds remain in the period Northfield with a flurry just before the buzzer sounded Lachlan Hoffman adds a sixth goal for the Spartans Henry Raiche and Ryan De Lange with the assists - Orono leads 6-2 with 15:21 remaining Orono's Talan Reuter is called for cross checking Oliver Benjamin is called for hooking as Northfield's power-play has 41 seconds remaining - 10:53 remains in the game Orono leads 7-2 with 9:44 remaining in the game Pagel scores for Orono right off of the face-off Jacob Faust gets two minutes for indirect contact to the head - 1:03 remains in the game Orono set a May 13 special election for Claire Berrett’s City Council seat A new lawsuit argues the election is illegal Former Orono Mayor Dennis Walsh has asked a court to halt a May special election that could unseat a City Council member he appointed The Orono City Council voted 4 to 1 last week to hold a May 13 special election for Berrett’s seat arguing it was required under state law and in the best interest of the voters filed last week and accepted by the court Tuesday that Berrett should serve the remainder of Johnson’s term “No vacancy exists in Orono,” James Dickey an attorney from the Upper Midwest Law Center wrote in a petition asking a Hennepin County district judge to halt the election “The City Council cannot apply a post-appointment ordinance to shorten Ms But an attorney for the city on Tuesday pushed back on Dickey’s interpretation “When a city council seat becomes vacant with more than two years remaining in the term any appointment to fill the vacancy is temporary and expires when a successor is chosen at a special election.” She was the only council member who voted against setting the special election date She said in a public meeting last week that she anticipated there would be a lawsuit but “I’m not bringing it.” residents selected two new council members and replaced Walsh with Bob Tunheim City officials initially announced plans to hold a special election to fill his seat over the objections of some of his council colleagues The next regular city election is scheduled for November 2026. Orono didn’t have a special election ordinance on the books when Berrett was appointed to her seat. Council members, including Berrett, approved an ordinance last week that would allow special elections to be held earlier in some instances. Dickey, who is representing Walsh, argued in the lawsuit: “Minnesota law simply does not grant a city power to pass a retroactive special-election ordinance. It can pass a future-looking ordinance, to be sure. But that ordinance cannot apply retroactively because state law does not explicitly provide for it.” But Zoll, Orono’s attorney, argues the special election is allowed under state law and beneficial for voters. “Instead of waiting until November 2026, the City of Orono took action, consistent with state law, to authorize a special election in May 2025 and empower voters to elect a city council member at the earliest opportunity,” he said. Old enough to remember when their program won its first and only State Boys Hockey title in 2018 the 2024-25 edition of the Orono Spartans hope to ring up another title this year in their third-straight trip to the Tourney Paul under first-year head coach Mitch Hall Hall was an assistant under former coach Sean Fish Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports’ interviews with Orono Spartans head coach Mitch Hall and players Luca DeCubellis and Miller Williams as they prepared for their third straight trip to the State Boys Hockey Tournament Hall’s crew navigated a tough schedule that spit them out of the regular season with a 12-10-3 record.That landed them the 3-seed in the Section 2A playoffs which they survived with a 6-2 win over 6-seed Hutchinson then a pair of thrilling 4-3 wins over 2-seed Delano – in overtime – then #1-seed Minneapolis whom many tabbed a prohibitive favorite to make it to State with two State Tourneys under their belt few expect the Spartans to be wide-eyed when they hit the ice as the 6-seed against 3-seed Northfield in the Class A State Quarterfinals at 1:00 p.m RELATED: KSTP’s 2025 State Boys Hockey Tourney Central The State Hockey Tournament airs live on 45TV and streams free on Prep45.com and the KSTP mobile and Smart TV apps Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here ORONO, Maine – Maine Athletics, along with Orono Brewing Company, is proud to announce the launch of the We Love Black Bear Nation Giving Challenge In celebration of Orono Brewing Company's 10th anniversary have jump-started the campaign with a generous donation of $10,000 "UMaine is incredibly important to us," the staff at Orono Brewing Company said "We're thrilled to kick off a $100,000 campaign to raise funds to support the athletics facilities master plan with a gift of $10,000 from Orono Brewing as part of our 10-year anniversary celebrations We believe in UMaine's exciting plans for the future Maine Athletics and Orono Brewing Company have issued a challenge to Black Bear Nation to join together in raising $100,000 towards this effort by Homecoming Weekend in October of 2025 All gifts will also count toward the match required by the Harold Alfond Foundation UMS TRANSFORMS grant to fund the athletic facilities master plan "We are currently in a time of incredible momentum for Black Bear Athletics," Seth Woodcock Senior Associate AD for Development and Capital Planning said "We have raised over $25 million towards our $38 million goal as part of the challenge presented to us by the Harold Alfond Foundation to match their transformational $170 million commitment to Maine Athletics Gifts of all sizes are critical to the campaign and we are excited  that Orono Brewing Company is calling on their friends in the community to join them in supporting our campaign in honor of their 10th anniversary." For more information, and to support the We Love Black Bear Nation Giving Challenge, click here. For more information on the athletics facilities master plan, visit GoBlackBears.com. Thanks for visiting The Spartans all season have honored Lucas Knudson their point guard who died in a car crash the day before practice began The Orono basketball team checked into a downtown Minneapolis hotel Tuesday for its appearance in the Minnesota boys state tournament four-class extravaganza that requires two sites One of those, Target Center, was unavailable Wednesday, because of the Timberwolves requiring it for the purpose of giving away a home game to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. the 24 teams in the three larger classes would be starting play a day earlier than the norm The Spartans made it through the Tuesday quarterfinals of the loaded Class 3A bracket with an 87-71 win over always dangerous DeLaSalle Mankato East, the No. 1 seed, had an easy time with the bracket’s one overmatched entry, St Paul Harding, and that set up a noon semifinal Thursday at Williams Arena Orono was in need of a place to practice Wednesday and that gym was unavailable,” coach Barry Wohler said “Then I called about using the Gophers practice facility and was told The goings-on would be the Gophers being in the midst of hiring a new coach. Wohler finally decided to put the players on a school bus and head back to Orono to use their home gym for a 3 p.m a Ziggy Kauls man from way back at Mounds View High School and with many other stops perhaps get an opinion from the senior sage next to him Wohler and other assistants said a few words There was also a jersey with “Luke 1″ near the circle, this in honor of Lucas Knudson, a senior, a team leader, a point guard, involved in a fatal, one-car accident on a drive home on a Sunday night. and Wohler’s Spartans would be having the first practice for a season of sizable expectations the next day Wohler was given the stunning information of Knudson’s death close to 6 a.m The news then reached the close friends he’d had since early grade school and decided Luke would want us to have a first practice but after 15 minutes we called it off,” Wohler said we had perhaps the most intense two-hour practice we had all season.” Nolan Groves has been the 6-foot-5 guard/superstar for the Spartans He talked about Knudson for a few minutes after Wednesday’s practice “I think about Luke every day,” Groves said Groves managed a slight smile and said: “Luke had an extreme personality Tyler Shannon has been a junior reserve for the Spartans and Knudson’s close friend since fourth grade “What I’ve noticed is going through the day there’s suddenly a memory of Luke,” Shannon said but before a recent game … I just cried for an hour The Spartans wound up playing most of the schedule without him He had a torn ACL in practice before the season started managed to come back for five games with a wrap Then he twisted the knee again and had shut down his basketball Chavez has remained a regular at practices and said Tuesday: “Every practice “We have gone to all of the team’s games, and the players — Luke’s friends — have reached out to us in an amazing manner," Renae said. “I do believe we have helped each other.” Luke’s mom then paused for a moment and said: “Two points! We were so close.” Patrick Reusse is a sports columnist who writes three columns per week. The #1 Caribou Vikings Boys Basketball Team beat the #3 Orono Red Riots 41-40 on a free throw shot by Landon Belanger with 0.5 seconds remaining to win the Class B Northern Maine Regional Title Orono's Bergen Soderberg hit a 3-pointer with 1:28 left to give Orono a 40-38 lead With 52.2 seconds Robbins sank a 2-point shot to tie the score Belanger hit the 1st free throw and missed the 2nd Will Francis pulled down the rebound and threw a Hail Mary full court shot that bounced off the backboard giving Caribou the win and ending Orono's dream to win 3 State Championships in-a-row Caribou was led by Tristan Robbins with 17 points including a 3-pointer Landen Belanger had 8 points with a 3-pointer Owen Corrigan had 2 3-pointers and Brayden Brescia had a 3-pointer The Vikings were 6-11 from the free throw line Orono was led by Bergen Sodenberg with 13 points and 3 3-pointers The Red Riots were 2-3 from the free throw line Orono will take on #2 York in the State Class B Title game on Saturday The #1 Caribou Vikings Boys Basketball Team beat the #3 Orono Red Riots 41-40 on a free throw shot by Landon Belanger with 0.5 seconds remaining to win the Class B Northern Maine Regional Title. Check out the Stats and Photos from the game\nRead More A 17-year-old boy was killed in a crash in Minnetonka on Sunday night An incident report from Minnesota State Patrol states he was driving a Cadillac Lyriq east on Highway 7 around 10:47 p.m when he went off the road near County Road 101 and hit a light pole The teen was listed by the State Patrol as being from Corcoran and Orono Public Schools identified him as Lucas Knudson in a letter that was sent to families and staff on Monday Grief support is being offered to students at the school Knudson “was an outstanding student” was a starter on the Orono High School varsity basketball team and participated in Unified and Letters of Love The letter acknowledged that Monday and the coming days will be difficult and district officials want to offer help and resources for grieving classmates painted the school’s rock with “RIP Lucas,” and throughout the day mourners laid flowers next to it dozens gathered outside his Corcoran home for a vigil including many of his basketball teammates and coaches.  “We’re just feeling so sad and we miss him already,” Barry Wohler head coach for the Orono Spartans boys basketball team Wohler adds Knudson was the team’s “energizer” and that they’ll be finding a way to honor him throughout the season.  and he usually [had] some kind of sarcasm towards somebody and the guys knew that he loved him,” Wohler added.  always the guy who wasn’t afraid to take a shot He was always the guy who could make something happen out of nothing so it’ll be tough missing him but we’ll definitely dedicating this season to Luke,” said Nolan Groves fans at Williams Arena waited in anticipation to see who would come down with the ball.  which was nursing a two-point lead with 2.9 seconds left in the Class AAA semifinal matchup with Orono Or would the Spartans intercept and create one last-ditch effort to complete what earlier looked like an improbable comeback Mankato East senior Ganden Gosch hit junior teammate Amari Nobles in stride as the Cougars finally drained the clock to zero to preserve a 64-62 victory on Thursday That crucial pass connection completed a dramatic second half when Orono (23-8) rallied from an 11-point deficit to actually take the lead momentarily had to skillfully manage the Cougars down the stretch as one player fouled out and four others were assessed four fouls each in the physical Nobles scored what would be the final basket of the game on a powerful layup with 1:25 remaining in regulation That snapped a 62-all tie and was enough to hold up and send the top-seeded Cougars (29-1) to the Class AAA championship game for the second consecutive season are looking for their first state championship.  had a chance to tie the score with 2.9 seconds remaining and the Spartans trailing by two He purposely missed the second free throw by whipping the ball off the backboard in hopes Orono would snare a rebound the ball was blown dead because it didn’t hit the rim and possession was awarded to Mankato East.  Junior guard Lucas Gustafson added 15 points while senior guard Brogan Madson contributed 12 points and nine assists.  As the Warriors and the Spartans played to overtime after overtime Warroad head coach Dave Marvin had a simple strategy "Hang in there long enough until someone makes a mistake," he said "That was our gameplan toward the overtimes." goalie Payton Rolli didn't make a mistake despite many opportunities to do so keeping Warroad in the game long enough for freshman forward Lindsay Lorenson to place the puck in the top of the Orono net in the third overtime "We wouldn’t be here without our goaltender playing so dang well," Marvin said "It’s actually not even a surprise to us that [Rolli] did that today We wished it wouldn’t have taken that kind of effort and it’s super gratifying that she held us in there long enough where we could finally make a play." Orono took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Zoe Lopez scored on a power play The Warriors tied the game in the second period with a goal from Kaiya Sandy on a power play Orono built a steady advantage in shots on goal as Rolli continued to keep the game tied The Spartans finished with a 62 to 40 shots-on-goal advantage you just have to give credit where credit is due," Orono coach Paul Antonenko said it's another magical performance in the Xcel Energy Center The Warriors can win their fourth straight Class 1A title with a win against either Dodge County or Academy of Holy Angels on Saturday "We’ve put ourselves in a position to play for something special," Marvin said "There is nothing to save it for." Teams are on the ice for the national anthem and introductions 13:30 remaining - Orono has a great chance after a Warroad turnover in the middle of the Warriors' zone but Warraod goalie Payton Rolli makes the save Ten minutes remain in the period and the game is scoreless Orono put three shots on goal in the last minute Warroad's Jaylie French gets two minutes for tripping Zoe Lopez scores on the power play from the left face-off circle Orono leads 1-0 with 3:35 remaining in the period Orono goalie Vivienne Anderson makes two breakaway saves to keep Warroad off the scoreboard Orono with 16 shots on goal to Warroad's 13 Warroad wins the opening face-off and the second period is underway Orono gets a penalty for two many players on the ice Kaiya Sandy deflects the puck in the net on the power play The game is tied 1-1 with 15 minutes remaining in the period 7:00 remaining — Orono with slightly more shots on goal in the period but Warroad's goal is still the only highlight of the period Orono goalie Vivienne Anderson with two great saves in a row on the penalty kill Orono gets a goal called off for a high stick The Warriors get a power-play goal in the period to tie the game Warroad wins the face-off and the third period is underway Orono's Maddy Kimbrel gets two minutes for tripping 7:46 remaining – Orono with more sustained pressure in this period than Warroad Warroad with a few shots over the past two minnutes and Orono had a great chance but couldn't convert Orono outshoots Warroad 11-8 in the period Orono wins the opening face-off and the overtime period is underway Warroad's Vivienne Marcowka called for tripping Orono had six shots on the power play — 1:30 remains Orono continues to pull away on shots on goal with a 47-30 advantage Warroad goalie Payton Rolli with 46 saves in the game so far Warroad wins the face-off and we're underway Orono continues to pull away in shots on goal but with nothing to show for it — 10:30 remains in the overtime period Orono with a great chance from the right face-off circle Warroad goalie Payton Rolli has 61 saves in the game so far the record for most stops in a game at the state tournament is 69 The Warriors win on a goal from Lindsey Lorenson after she deked a defender and put the puck in the top corner crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.