Press Publications 4779 Bloom Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Scan for deals on page 2
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 9 CIRCLE PINES, MN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025 VOL. 22 NO. 20 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
Name________________________________________ Address______________________________________
PLACE STAMP HERE
City, State, Zip_________________________________
4779 Bloom Ave. White Bear Lake, MN 55110-2764
Subscription envelope inside!
BEST OF THE PRESS: Winners and finalists revealed in special section inside
Inside Minnesota’s new motorcycle law BY ERIK SUCHY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mayor Tom Weidt added, “The (tour) has been very good source for us and the council and the commissions to actually see what happens in reality compared to the drawing that we see when we approve it. We learn a lot of things on it, and it’s really amazing to see how the town is growing year after year after year.”
Minnesota motorcyclists, rejoice! A new law allows motorcycle lane splitting and lane filtering on roads and highways. Under the terms of the law, lane splitting is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is moving. Specifically, it permits a motorcyclist to pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction and in the same traffic lane, provided the motorcyclist is traveling at no more than 25 miles per hour and no more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant lanes. Lane filtering, on the other hand, is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is not moving. This allows motorcyclists to move through stopped traffic, including at traffic lights or in congestion, provided they are traveling no more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant lanes. While the law as a whole is new to Minnesota, Ramsey County Deputy Sheriff Erik Odmark said it is not new to the country. “California and Arizona have been doing this for a very long time, and it is just making its way to Minnesota. It’s going to be on the states to get advertisements and notifications out there that while this is legal now, it’s only legal under certain conditions. It’s going to be imperative that they emphasize the 25-mile-an-hour speed limit and make sure this isn’t going to end up being a speed limit-free free-for-all.” “These maneuvers may not be performed on roads with varying lane configurations like work
SEE BUS TOUR, PAGE 8
SEE MOTORCYCLE LAW, PAGE 2
SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The 19th annual citywide bus tour has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25. Despite the bus breakdown, community members still had a discussion about what to expect in the city of Hugo going into 2026 and beyond.
Annual bus tour aims to ‘start of a lot of conversations’ BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
HUGO — For the first time in 19 years, the city’s bus tour looked a bit different because the bus never left its first stop, Oneka Elementary School, due to some mechanical problems. City staff are trying to reschedule the event for Saturday, Oct. 25. Each year, elected officials, commission mem-
bers, residents and city staff take a look at what happened during the year, and what’s slated for next year. Participants often use the tour to come up with goals the council and various commissions want to accomplish in the future. “The goal has been to have a tour of the city that happens every year. It’s important. We put a lot of importance on showcasing what hap-
pens in the city, and we try to show good things that are happening, we try to show the bad things that are happening,” explained City Administrator Bryan Bear. “Some things just don’t go the way we want. There are certain things where people just have varying opinions; some people think something that happened is great, some people think the opposite.”
Orchid continues winning streak in ‘Best of the Press’ contest BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
One business continues to rise to the top of the ballot in not only the White Bear Press and Vadnais Heights Press “Best of the Press” contest, but the contests in other markets, including the Shoreview Press and The Citizen. The annual Best of the Press Readers’ Choice contest, which kicked off in 2020, allows community members to vote for a wide variety of their favorites, includ-
every year in the contest and has ing restaurants, doctors, schools, achieved the rank of “the best” in artists, services, events and much various categories throughout more. the years. Companywide, business This year, Orchid won nominations had its 2025 Best Pho Soup in the White biggest growth year in Bear Press; Best Chow 2025, increasing by 63% Mein, Best Fried Rice from 28,169 to 46,094 and Best Pho Soup in The nominations. Since the of the Press Citizen contest; along with contest’s launch, votes Best Fried Rice in both the have more than doubled Quad Community Press and from 150,399 to 409,238. Shoreview Orchid Restaurant, located at 1190 County Road J in White Bear Township, has been nominated SEE, ORCHID RESTAURANT, PAGE 5
BEST The Citizen
CONTRIBUTED
Orchid Restaurant in White Bear Township was voted the best in several categories and Press Publications contests.
AND SHRUBS FALL SALE TREES PERENNIALS FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1923
16155 Forest Blvd, Hugo (Highway 61) • Visit us On CIRCULATION 651-407-1234 ppcirc@presspubs.com
STILL TIME TO PLANT! 843546
Landscaping
• 651-488-6707 NEWS 651-407-1230 citizen@presspubs.com
ADVERTISING 651-407-1200 marketing@presspubs.com
CLASSIFIED 651-407-1250 classified@presspubs.com
PRODUCTION 651-407-1239 art@presspubs.com