Up North Report
Stay up-to-date on what's happening up north with KAXE News, bringing you the top stories across Northern Minnesota. KAXE is the oldest rural community radio station in the U.S. and an independent NPR member station.
Eichorn defense argues for no prison time; Feds award Mesabi Metallics $770M loan
Plus: Minnesota's archery deer season opens Sept. 19, 2026; and health experts caution that disease-carrying ticks surge in fall.
Family seeks answers in Walker teen's homicide; MN cannabis sales hit $150M
And: Mesabi Metallics eyes massive expansion as production of first pellets ramps up.
Itasca County removes Flock Safety cameras; New weather radar installed in Brainerd
Plus: MN Court of Appeals to host oral arguments at Pequot Lakes High School.
Bemidji adopts data center moratorium; Grand Rapids ends Yanmar Arena sales tax
Plus: Zebra mussels found at two lakes on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation; Pollution Control Agency seeks participants for fish consumption survey.
Death investigation in Cass Lake; BIA resumes management of Red Lake programs
Plus: DNR cancels mineral lease for Twin Metals; and ICE's immigration crackdown last winter may have ripple effects for farm labor during harvest season.
Amid Itasca County housing shortages, Mesabi Metallics could be a boon — or a burden
When active, Mesabi will bring jobs to the region and contribute to a productivity tax that returns money to communities. But Itasca County is in a housing shortage, and Mesabi Metallics is posed to uniquely hurt and help the region.
Fed officers raid Red Lake building; Commission approves natural gas for Boswell
Plus: Industry-specific minimum wage goes into effect for Minnesota nursing home workers; lawmakers hear continuity of care concerns amid fraud battles.
Hibbing School Board considers offer on closed school; 3 million trees planted in Northern MN
Plus: Fosston Schools accept garden bounties to fill gap from lost program.
Bemidji to self-manage Sanford Center; MN State to pilot tech to combat financial aid fraud
And: Questions about investigation go unanswered at Cass County sheriff candidate forum.
Wadena County investigates fatal fire; Red Lake police respond to 'incident' at Ponemah powwow
Plus: Essentia Health, nurses' union reach labor agreement for Deer River hospital; DNR finds "gaps" in review for Hermantown data center; and the fall color finder map is now live.
School trust fund could offer budget relief; Rural areas at a greater risk for Alzheimer’s
Plus: The Mesabi Trail is complete after 30 years
Range labor union leader talks growth, politics, workforce challenges
Emma Krab interviewed LiUNA Local 1097 business manager Shawn Braford about the state of labor in 2026.
Man shoots himself unloading gun; Prosecutors seek 5 years in prison for Eichorn
Plus: Marble getes funds to install water filters for manganese and iron; ag department accepts comments on socioeconomic impacts of large dairies, and it's a prolific pinecone season.
U.S. Forest Service keeps Grand Rapids office open, Mesabi Metallics offers reward for bomb threat info
Plus: District judges in Crow Wing County request deputy presence at hearings, highway construction project moves forward in Bemidji
Man dies in apparent drowning near Eveleth; Congress delays hemp ban by 4 weeks
Plus: Wildfire-affected areas in and around the Boundary Waters continue to reopen; lake associations are seeing impacts from new boating laws; and Grand Itasca Clinic is changing its name.
Koochiching County declared disaster area; DNR accepting comments on trail system
Plus: 4-H competitors show animals at Minnesota State Fair
Itasca sheriff IDs woman who died in jail; MN Supreme Court rejects recount request
Plus: Sanford Health and North Memorial Health sign 10-year agreement with state AG for a merger; and the Beargrease sled dog race returns to "out-and-back" format for 2027 event.
'The place where it grows:' Red Lake school unveils new outdoor space
Endazhi-Nitaawiging, a charter school on the Red Lake Nation, partnered with the Trust for Public Land for a new natural playground as part of a revamped schoolyard.
Woman dies in Itasca County Jail; Woman also charged in fatal Grand Rapids crash
And: Bemidji data center moratorium clears first step; and Flock cameras coming down in St. Louis County.
2 charged for 2025 Remer fire; Demuth plans $1 billion budget cut
Plus: Wild rice season shows promise despite shaky start
Brainerd man killed in crash with train; Carlton County enacts 1-year data center ban
Plus: A paved trail wrapping Gull Lake is one small section away from completion; and Leech Lake celebrates a new family-oriented homeless shelter in Bena.
