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HOPKINS SCHOOLHOUSE: ‘A Night of Laughter’ PAGE 9
Hugo’s 19th annual bus tour fuels vision for 2050 BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
HUGO — They say the third time’s the charm, but for the annual Hugo citywide bus tour, the second time did the trick. For the first time in 19 years, the tour had to be rescheduled after the bus broke down in the parking lot where it was scheduled to pick up riders at Oneka Elementary School. A couple of weeks later, everything went off without a hitch. Each year, elected officials, commission members, residents and city staff use the tour as an opportunity to review what happened during the year and what’s slated for the near future. Discussions at the event then leads to forming
the goals of the City Council and various commissions for the next year. Going into 2026, those discussions will also help kick-start the city’s update to its 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Over the next three years, the city will work to draft the plan for the next decade, 2050. “The main purpose of the bus tour is to use this information to evaluate how we are doing,” City Administrator Bryan Bear explained. “This is not just about accolades. We are not just here to brag about what’s happened here in the city of Hugo. We want to learn from what’s happened. So, if we’re doing something right, we want to keep doing those things that are right. We want to recognize that we try things out … When we try something, it isn’t always
perfect, and it doesn’t play out the way that we wanted or the way that we planned.” Housing Bear explained that housing is an important topic, not only for the city of Hugo, but all cities in the state. Each year at the Capitol, zoning preemption legislation is introduced that tries to limit what cities can use zoning for. One example is legislation that would prohibit single-family zoning, meaning a city would not be able to create a zoning district that solely allows single-family homes. SEE BUS TOUR, PAGE 11
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Oneka Fields Apartments are under construction on Goodview Avenue. There will be five 12-unit buildings for a total of 60 units.
City of Hugo considers disputing Metropolitan Council document BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
HUGO — The city of Hugo has received its 2025 System Statement from the Metropolitan Council. City staff, as well as the City Council, have some concerns about how density requirements and population forecasts could impact the city’s future. “It’s an important document that sets some things in motion for us,” City Administrator Bryan Bear explained. The system statement is a customized document informing each community in the seven-county metropolitan area about how it is affected by the Metropolitan Council’s policy plans for regional systems, including transportation, aviation, water resources, and regional parks and open space. The document, required by state law, is intended to help communities review and, if necessary, amend their local comprehensive plans. The document launches the city’s next comprehensive plan update. Currently, the city is operating under its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, but by December 2028, it will have to have a new, updated plan for 2050.
‘Cinderella’ glides into Performing Arts Center BY LOGAN GION CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The White Bear Lake Area High School fall musical is always enchanting, but director
SEE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL, PAGE 3
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Wendy Suoja wanted the first musical in the Performing Arts Center to be truly magical. Thus, this fall’s show is “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which originally premiered
in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. It was remade in 1997, starring Whitney Houston. Suoja emphasized that, while SEE CINDERELLA, PAGE 6
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Fellow cast members look on as a moment between Prince Topher and Cinderella (Ethan Christensen and Holly Flood) is interupted by Sebastian (Lucas Maahs) during a rehearsal for the upcoming fall musical production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”
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