Editor’s note: The weekly “Prior Lake in the Past” column contains summary excerpts of news items published in the Prior Lake American during the same week 60, 40 and 20 years ago. We hope our readers enjoy remembering those who are mentioned from years past, and this feature provides historical perspective about how much the community has changed over the decades.
Prior Lake American
Published 60 years ago
September 14, 1965
Class elections held: Prior Lake High School students elected class officers who served for the 1965-66 school year. In grade 12, they were: Larry Colbeck, president; Bruce Thomas, vice-president; Cheryl Carlson, secretary-treasurer. Grade 11 officers included Mike Keckeisen, president; James Mickley, vice-president; and Jessie Kop, secretary-treasurer.
Early morning chase: Several Prior Lake police squad cars were involved in an early morning chase through the Green Heights area. Police attempted to catch an unlicensed minor after a traffic violation who abandoned his car and attempted to hide but was later found.
Army serviceman: Pvt. Allen Busse was assigned to the Army Exhibit Unit after completing his basic training at Fort Leonardwood, Mo. The unit is responsible for constructing exhibits that appear at various events throughout the country. One recent exhibit appeared in Rochester, Minn., and featured “Man on the Moon.” Allen was a graduate of Prior Lake High School and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Busse.
Published 40 years ago
September 16, 1985
Two incumbents up for re-election: Two board seats for Independent School District 719 were up for reelection at the end of the year. Marge Kinney and Bill Schmokel were the incumbents who had to choose whether they would run for another four years as part of the November election.
Scholarship semifinalists: Lisa Koehn and Robert Hallberg were named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition based on scores compiled from the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.
Top scorer for Prior Lake: Mike Murray scored his 21st soccer goal when playing against Northfield and helped the Lakers earn a 7-0 win. He was named player of the game and leading scorer in Prior Lake High School’s history.
Published 20 years ago
September 17, 2005
City Council race competitors: Nine local residents filed for three open seats on the Prior Lake City Council, while incumbent mayor Jack Haugen had no challengers for the upcoming election. Council candidates included incumbents Jim Petersen and Joe Zieska, along with Cheri Dornbush, Warren Erickson and Randy Lentz for the four-year terms. Current councilman G. Bryan Fleming filed for the open two-year term, as did Jeff Evens, Steve Millar and George Victor.
Man vs. frog: Police cited a 45-year-old Prior Lake man on Main Avenue for discharging a firearm in the city limits, according to the weekly Police Report. The man told police he was shooting at a tree frog that “was loud and annoying.”
PLHS sophomore brings home the wins: Two weeks in a row, Laker sophomore Luke Choudek capped a second-half comeback with a long touchdown. His 81-yard run propelled Prior Lake to victory against Buffalo in the season opener. Choudek returned a free kick 61 yards for the game-winning score in Prior Lake’s 23-16 triumph over New Prague on Sept. 9 in the Missota Conference opener.