Orono
Orono, MN · LATEST NEWS
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5 Minnesota Enclosed Malls That Opened Before 1970 and Still Operate in 2026.
On October 8, 1956, Southdale Center opened in Edina, Minnesota. No shopping mall in the United States had been fully enclosed and climate-controlled before it. The Dayton family had hired the architect Victor Gruen, and his plan set two levels of stores around a garden court under a large skylight, with Dayton's anchoring one end and Donaldson's the opposite one.
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Turnovers prove costly in Wayzata football defeat
After shellacking White Bear Lake 63-48 in the opening round of the state Class 6A football playoffs on Oct. 30, the Wayzata football team couldn’t provide an encore against No. 1 seed Champlin Park on Friday, Nov. 6. The Rebels used home-field advantage and four touchdown passes by quarterback Cash Miller to end the Trojans’ 2026 season by a final score of 48-13. Four turnovers took the steam out of the Trojans’ offense and for the first time this season senior quarterback Thor Soukup didn’t throw a touchdown pass. Wayzata scored its first touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run by senior halfback Michael Criswell in the second quarter to tie the score 7-7, but that was the last offensive bright spot until late in the fourth quarter when Alex McGarvey's 13-yard pass to Parker Milkes accounted for Wayzata’s final touchdown of the season. With the loss, Wayzata finished the season 5-5 overall – A far cry from last season’s 1-8 overall mark. First-year head coach Derrin Lamker pumped new life into the program and the first-round playoff victory broke a playoff drought that dated back to the 2021 season. Coach Lamker’s reputation as an offensive genius was verified
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Lake girls CC teams dominate the State AAA Meet
Perennial state contender Evie Malec, Minnetonka’s senior girls cross country captain, climbed to the top of the mountain in the State Class AAA Meet Saturday, Nov. 7, at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake. Malec sped to the state championship with a 5K time of 17 minutes, 33 seconds. Her performance led a Lake Conference rush that produced eight of the top 15 individual finishers. Lyla Drayna, the Edina sophomore, was second at state in 17:42.6. Fourth place went to Minnetonka ninth-grader Isla Griggs in 18:02.9 and sixth was another Lake ninth-grader, St. Michael-Albertville’s Makenzie Myran in 18:05.2. Rounding out the list of top-15 runners from Lake schools are Edina junior Eva Jain eighth, Hopkins senior Morgan Waechter ninth, Wayzata sophomore Faith Sundet 13th and Eden Prairie sophomore Winona Nelson 15th. The race for individual honors mirrored the chase for the team championship. Blaine broke through to take the title with 65 points. Second with 97 was Wayzata and third and fourth were Edina and Minnetonka, both with 119 points. St. Michael-Albertville took home fifth place with 126. Between cross country, track and Nordic skiing, Malec probably holds the Minnetonka school record for state medals won. What stands out
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Three Tonka girls named All-State in soccer
When the Minnesota High School Girls Soccer Coaches’ Association announced its All-State selections for 2026, Minnetonka head coach Jeff Hopkins was thrilled to see three of his players on the list. Coach Hopkins knew there was a possibility of that happening. The Skippers had one of the best records in school history with a final mark of 14-3-2 and they earned a berth in the State Class AAA Tournament. In all respects, it was a successful season, with a great defensive effort at the heart of that success. “We had 14 shutouts this season,” coach Hopkins noted. One of the All-State selections, senior goalie Lillian Jones, had a lot to do with that. “LJ and AJ Thorpe shared the goalkeeping,” coach Hopkins said. “For her varsity career, LJ had 33 shutouts, which is an incredible number. She made huge, defining saves to help us get to state. We have been blessed with a lot of great keepers at Minnetonka. Lizzy Crist is the record holder with 38 career shutouts.” Jones’ goals-against average was 0.53 this season. Thorpe, who had fewer minutes than Jones, posted a goals-against average of 0.21. Jones was named first-team All-State in her senior season. Minnetonka’s other
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Three Wayzata girls land All-State soccer berths
Three Wayzata High girls were named to the Minnesota Soccer Coaches’ Association All-State team recently. First-team honors went to junior defender Lila Hawkinson, a third-year varsity player. Named second-team All-State were junior goalkeeper Fiona Kinahan and junior midfielder Ellen Welliver. “Lila Hawkinson is the best defender in the state in my opinion,” Wayzata head coach Tony Peszneker said. “She has great leg strength. Lila plays on a club team where she is surrounded by other All-State players. This year she took a step forward with her leadership.” Kinahan was injured for half of the season, but played in enough matches to gain All-State consideration. “Fiona is a fierce competitor with sure hands,” coach Peszneker said. “When she was unable to play, we had two other goalkeepers, Chloe Sullivan and Kemper Steenson, step in and do a good job. With all three of them coming back, the team should have no problem in goal next season.” Welliver’s play in the midfield was a definite plus for the Trojans. “She is a capable player, all-around,” coach Peszneker noted. “Ellen played mainly outside defense as a sophomore. This year we moved her into the midfield. Part of what makes her an effective player