Today is Saturday, Oct. 4, the 277th day of 2025. There are 88 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 4, 2002, “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh received a 20-year sentence after a sobbing plea for forgiveness before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia. (He was released from prison in May, 2019.)

Also on this date:

In 1777, Gen. George Washington’s troops launched an assault on the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, resulting in heavy American casualties and the retreat of Washington’s Continental Army.

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In 1927, sculptor Gutzon Borglum began construction on what is now Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

In 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit.

In 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the Western Hemisphere as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

In 1970, rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27.

In 2001, a Russian airliner flying from Israel to Siberia was accidentally downed by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile over the Black Sea, killing all 78 people aboard.

In 2004, the SpaceShipOne rocket plane broke through Earth’s atmosphere to the edge of space for the second time in five days, capturing the $10 million Ansari X prize aimed at opening the final frontier to tourists.

Today’s Birthdays:

Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is 81.
Actor Susan Sarandon is 79.
Actor Armand Assante is 76.
Actor Christoph Waltz is 69.
Singer Jon Secada is 64.
Actor Liev Schreiber is 58.
Actor Abraham Benrubi is 56.
Actor Alicia Silverstone is 49.
Actor Caitríona Balfe is 46.
Actor Rachael Leigh Cook is 46.
Actor Melissa Benoist is 37.
NBA All-Star Derrick Rose is 37.
Actor Dakota Johnson is 36.

A shifty Jacob Reubish raced through the Tartan defense for his third touchdown of the game late in the third quarter.

A six play, 94 yard drive that epitomized the Zephyrs 39-6 win over the Titans. Mahtomedi’s defense suffocated the Titans and after claiming a first quarter lead they cruised to the victory Friday night.

Mahtomedi head coach Dave Muetzel said his offensive line leaned on Tartan.

“Guys up front is where it started,” Muetzel said. “They just continued to kind of wear them out a little bit and then our backs behind them were running hard.”

It was the Zephyrs first home game since Mahtomedi High School officials canceled its original homecoming game against Bloomington Kennedy on Sep. 19th. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office advised them to because of ongoing law enforcement activity in the area.

Tartan grabbed the lead early with a field goal on the games opening drive.

After two fumbles in the first quarter, one lost, the Zephyrs got on track. Senior quarterback Mark Graff rolled to his right and fired outside the numbers to junior wide receiver Gavin Bifulk for a 30 yard gain into Tartan territory.

Mahtomedi continued their march down the field and punched it in on a nine yard rushing touchdown by senior tailback Jacob Reubish. The Titans broke through and blocked senior kicker Harlow Berger’s extra point keeping it 6-3 Zephyrs.

Bifulk, also the Zephyrs kickoff specialist, took offense to the blocked kick and booted the ball off Tartan up-man John Wenker on the ensuing kickoff. Mahtomedi senior lineman Thomas Bengston pounced on giving the Zephyrs favorable field position at the Tartan 48 yard line.

Mahtomedi rode the momentum and without completing a pass crossed the goal line again. A Graff one yard quarterback sneak made it 12-3 as Mahtomedi failed to convert two-point conversion.

Tartan responded with a sustained drive of their own spearheaded by senior tailback Martin Kelly Brown. A drive that ended with kicker Damien Smith drilling 44-yard field goal to pull within six.

The Zephyrs mounted a six play, 65 yard drive in just 1:22 and Reubish scored for the second time on the night. Another failed two point try kept it 18-6 Mahtomedi with 42 seconds left in the half.

Tartan’s junior quarterback Isaac Ou strung together three straight completions to reach field goal range for Smith with 3 seconds to play. But, Zephyrs senior defensive back, Alex Haase, blocked Smith’s 49-yard attempt, aided by a no-call as he jumped offside before the snap.

Reubish was the engine for the Zephyrs producing 123 yards on 16 carries in the first half. He said the offense found its footing after its opening drive.

“I feel that we stayed composed,” Reubish said. “We knew that we had a plan going into it and that we just stuck with our plan and it worked out.”

That plan was on display during Mahtomedi’s methodical 10-play drive to start the second half that junior running back Gavin Kruse finished off with Mahtomedi’s fourth rushing touchdown. Harlow Berger knocked the extra point through making it 25-6 Zephyrs.

Tartan drove down inside Mahtomedi’s 10 but stalled out, and the Zephyrs punished the Titans for their inability to score. The Zephyrs going 94 yards on six plays, capped off by Reubish’s third rushing touchdown of the night.

Mahtomedi tacked on another touchdown late in a 39-6 win over Tartan, improving to a record of 6-0.

The Zephyrs will put their unbeaten record to the test next Friday against Cretin-Derham Hall at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the campus of the University of St. Thomas.

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A little aerial success in the first half was enough to keep Forest Lake unbeaten Friday night.

The Rangers got a pair of first-half touchdown passes, including one in unexpected fashion, on their way to beating East Ridge 28-7 on an unseasonably warm early October night at Ranger Stadium.

Forest Lake – ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 6A – improved to 6-0. East Ridge – which has been without starting quarterback Cedric Tomes since the University of Minnesota basketball recruit suffered a broken finger in a season-opening loss to Minnetonka – fell to 3-3.

The Rangers got on the board first when senior Connor Johnson connected with classmate Jacob Rehfeld on an 11-yard touchdown pass, then ran for the 2-point conversion with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.

A 28-yard field goal by senior Jayden Onuonga expanded the margin to 11-0 with 5:32 left in the second. Then, after recovering a fumble at the Raptors’ 41 on East Ridge’s next possession, the Rangers reached into their bag of tricks.

Johnson tossed the ball back to junior wide receiver Mika Sauvageau, who found wide-open senior DJ Westman streaking toward the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown strike.

That put Forest Lake on top 18-0 with 3:25 remaining before halftime.

The Raptors had two chances to get on the board in the final seconds of the first half. After Forest Lake blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt, the officials ruled the ball remained live and a whistle should not have blown.

That allowed East Ridge a second chance at the field goal, but the next kick too was no good.

After a scoreless third quarter, Onuonga added another 28-yard field goal early in the fourth, then junior Mack Jurkovich scored on a 10-yard run with 7:07 left to play.

The Raptors, though, spoiled Forest Lake’s bid for a third shutout of the season when senior Ben Knaup scored on a 1-yard run with 3:38 to go.

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A 26-year-old Minnesota wildland firefighter died last week during a prescribed burn in Idaho, prompting Gov. Tim Walz to order flags to fly at half staff from sunrise to sunset Saturday.

All U.S. flags and state flags on state buildings will honor and remember Isabella “Bella” Grace Oscarson, who died in the line of duty on Sept. 26 while working as a seasonal Idaho Department of Lands firefighter.

Isabella Grace Oscarson died in the line of duty on Sept. 26, 2025. (Courtesy of The Minnesota Fire Service Foundation)

“Bella Oscarson dedicated her life to protecting people and nature as a wildland firefighter,” Walz said in a statement. “Her courage, service, and compassion touched lives across Minnesota, Idaho, and beyond. Gwen and I extend our deepest condolences to her parents, her partner Matt, her siblings Anarosa, Jacob, and Sophia, as well as her family, colleagues, and friends.”

According to an Idaho Department of Lands Facebook post, Oscarson died after being struck by a falling tree while helping with the U.S. Forest Service’s Tinker Bugs prescribed fire in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

“IDL extends its deepest sympathies to Isabella’s family and friends. This is a tragedy that hits the employees at Idaho Department of Lands and the broader wildland fire community extremely hard,” said Dustin Miller, Director of IDL. “We are heartbroken and doing everything we can to support her family and our staff during this difficult time.”

According to the governor’s office, in addition to working in Idaho, Oscarson worked for the Minnesota Conservation Corps and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“Beyond her work, Bella loved spending time outdoors, cooking, crafting, gardening, reading, and dancing with her family and friends,” the governor’s office said.

She graduated from high school in Watertown, Minnesota, in 2017. She and her husband, Matt, moved to Stites, Idaho, in early 2025.

Individuals, businesses and other organizations also are encouraged to lower their flags.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony.

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