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Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
After 10,000 tree seedlings were claimed within 48 hours, the ReForest Bemidji program secured an additional 5,000 trees for its distribution May 18, 2026.
When our neighbors are in need of food, organizations and volunteers across Northern Minnesota step up. Food shelves, community meals and soup kitchens aim to the fill the gaps.
As the title of their second full-length release suggests, Chicago indie-rock quartet Friko are searching for something.

Whether it's hope, connection or meaning in an increasingly discordant and lonely world, it always seems to be tantalizingly close but still out of reach of lead singer Niko Kapetan's trembling voice. But most importantly, that something is out there and it's enough to keep going.

Something Worth Waiting For builds on the band's wide ranging debut, from the power-pop and hook filled ("Still Around," "Hot Air Balloon," "Seven Degrees"), jagged and angular ("Guess," "Choo Choo" and "Something Worth Waiting For") and blossoming chamber-folk ("Certainty" and "Dear Bicycle").

"Certainty," the halfway mark of the album, is remarkable on its a own. A piano ballad with strings winding throughout, Kapetan paints an icy picture of winter in the city with lines like "Now you're out through the door with the sun in you eyes / Jump to the sidewalk up over the lines / And the salt is like lava, there's no solid ground / God, wasn't it winter three months ago now?"

Unrelated to the music, isn't the album art amazing? Who wants to form a bike gang? -Malachy Koons
Latest Stories
Feds raid 22 locations in fraud investigation; MN House votes 133-0 on anti-grooming bill
Plus: the federal government approved St. Louis County's public labor agreements for road and bridge projects; an additional 5,000 trees will be distributed in the ReForest Bemidji event; and four Northern Minnesota fire departments will host Women Explore Fire Day events on May 2, 2026.
Expert: Minnesota has tools to counter growing wildfire risk
Research indicates that in the coming decades, the state is likely to see more risk days of wildfires starting on the ground due to more extreme droughts connected to climate change.
Feds serve 22 search warrants related to Minnesota fraud investigations
The sites included autism service providers that received payments through Medicaid, according to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Events statewide offer opportunities for women to explore fire service
Women Explore Fire Day in Minnesota offers hands-on opportunities to learn more about volunteer, paid on-call and full-time positions in local fire departments in all regions.
Citizen scientists in Minnesota shine brightly during Earth Month
A recent national study found an increasing number of federal environmental impact statements are receiving significant contributions from citizen science data.
Walz signs bill on nursing home 'happy hours,' local liquor authority
The multi-bill omnibus signed April 21, 2026, allows happy hours for nursing home residents without a license and expands local authority in some Northern MN communities.
When is an e-bike too powerful? When it’s an e-moto, some MN lawmakers say
The bill would define e-bikes as having output of no more than 750 watts, and motorized bicycles, 750-1,500 watts. Anything with higher power is defined as an electric motorcycle.
MN Housing awards $1.1M in grants to small Greater MN cities
Three of the communities receiving grant funding in this cycle are in Northern Minnesota: Floodwood, Fosston and Deer River.
Minnesota educators ask Legislature to help lower health insurance costs
Rising health care costs are stressing K-12 teachers whose pay is already estimated to lag similarly educated professionals by more than 30%, according to a 2025 study.
Cass County plans search near Outing; MN Housing issues grants to small cities
Plus: Local and regional political organizers have been endorsing candidates for state and federal office; and a Hermantown speaker wins category while 22 other Northland speakers earned medals in state tourney.
Anti-grooming bill passes unanimously in Minnesota House
The bill would establish rules for field trip supervision, improve mandatory reporting to include grooming and create a new felony offense for child grooming.
Minnesota Senate approves new benefits for ‘Secret War’ veterans
The secret war began in 1961, and the Central Intelligence Agency sought out around 50,000 Hmong and Lao men to be proxy soldiers for the U.S.
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iNaturalist user laterlars
During the Phenology Report for the week of April 21, 2026, Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on aspen flowers, migrating swallows, and the beginning of the dawn chorus.
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