FREE
Press Publications 4779 Bloom Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Sign up for the newsletter
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 9 CIRCLE PINES, MN
TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2026
PRESSPUBS.COM/SIGNUP
VOL. 44 NO. 29 www.quadcommunitypress.com $1.50
HONORING OUR HEROES: Recognizing past, present service members PAGE 6
Fire department merger still raises concerns, questions among residents BY MADELINE DOLBY EDITOR
LEXINGTON — Residents continue to express concerns and raise questions about the City of Lexington’s decision to enter into a temporary agreement with the Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View (SBM) Fire Department to provide administrative services to the Lexington Fire Department (LFD).
These types of mergers are designed to enhance service delivery, improve response times and create long-term efficiencies through shared personnel and resources. The interim nature of the agreement will allow Lexington to evaluate long-term service delivery while immediately enhancing public safety capabilities. For more than 70 years, the City of Lexington was served by the Lexington Fire Department.
At the city council meeting on April 16 Mayor Mike Murphy said the decision to disband the fire department was not made lightly. It was a result of extensive review conducted by the city council, personnel committee, city administration, the city’s attorney and the city’s finance director (see “Residents raise concerns about fire merger,” Quad Community SEE FIRE DEPARTMENT MERGER, PAGE 2
The meaning of Memorial Day
FILE
Honoring the fallen The Lino Lakes American Legion Post 566 will host a Memorial Day ceremony and community picnic from 5-8 p.m. on Monday, May 25. The ceremony will honor the service members who have passed. Find a calendar of community events honoring those who have fallen on page 2.
One of history’s most solemn days, Memorial Day is an American holiday that honors the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. In May 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the more than 620,000 soldiers who were killed in the Civil War. On Decoration Day, as Logan dubbed it, Americans should lay flowers and decorate the graves of the war dead “whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that didn’t fall on the anniversary of a Civil War battle. Some historians believe the date was selected to ensure that flowers across the country would be in full bloom. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May. The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff. In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that encouraged all Americans pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.
WE DON’T JUST PROMISE QUALITY...
24408 Greenway Ave | 651.464.6477 | www.BillsAutoBodyMN.com CIRCULATION 651-407-1234 circ@presspubs.com
NEWS 651-407-1226 quadnews@presspubs.com
ADVERTISING 651-407-1200 marketing@presspubs.com
A FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED AUTO BODY SHOP IN FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA.
CLASSIFIED 651-407-1250 classified@presspubs.com
PRODUCTION 651-407-1253 artmanager@presspubs.com
818511
WE GUARANTEE IT, FOR LIFE! certified collision repair, hail damage repair and auto body services