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May 15, 2026: The Brainerd translator at 89.9 FM is down. Parts have been ordered and we expect it will be a few days before it is fully operational. Thank you for your patience. Listen at kaxe.org!
Top Stories
Lorie Shaull
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KAXE
Evacuated homeowners will be able to return to their properties for the day, Monday, May 18, 2026. Crow Wing County declared a local emergency, the first step toward state disaster aid.
KAXE News is preparing for the midterms, and we want your perspective.

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Jobi Riccio’s second album, Face the Feeling, comes after her acclaimed debut, Whiplash, shifting from coming-of-age stories toward the challenges and possibilities of early adulthood.

Co-produced by Riccio alongside longtime collaborators and friends Isaiah Beard and Jesse Timm, the album blends mellow, tender folk songs like “A Little at a Time,” “Pilar, NM,” “Coyote,” “Easy,” with “Idaho” channeling the warm spirit of Joni Mitchell.

She then dips into indie rock with songs like “Buzzkill,” “Wildfire Season,” and “Doesn’t Matter,” all while keeping the storytelling of the Americana genre centered. With themes of self-growth, love, and grief running throughout the album, Riccio marks a new chapter in her burgeoning music career. - KH
Latest Stories
MN Legislature closes out session marked by partisan division, election year politics
In their final hours before the session ended, lawmakers passed a county hospital bailout, an infrastructure bill and small cuts to car tab fees and property taxes.
Breaking down the Legislature's $1.2 billion bonding bill
Here’s what made it into the Legislature's infrastructure package and what lawmakers and others had to say about it May 17, 2026.
Fresh Picks: Adulting, high-energy rap, Latin dance duo and Dolly in '76
The KAXE Music Team on new music from Jobi Riccio, Genesis Owusu, Aldous Harding, Helado Tropical, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Angine de Poitrine and Brooklyn Funk Essentials. Our Pick from '76 is Dolly Parton's "All I Can Do."
Rural Orr man arrested for allegedly shooting firefighting plane
Firefighters responded to a wildland fire between Orr and Crane Lake on Friday, May 15, 2026. After returning to the airport, it was learned a bullet appeared to have struck one of the planes.
Virtual book club connects rural Minnesota teens
Reaching Rural Readers sends free books to rural Minnesota high school students. This summer's list includes books by Dawn Quigley, K. Woodman-Maynard, and Kenneth Cadow.
More details emerge on Hermantown data center plans amid discourse
As next steps for a proposed data center are considered, Liz Schwab from Google addresses some of the concerns raised at a recent Hermantown City Council meeting.
Size of Flanders Fire revised to about 1600 acres; now 20% contained
Wildland firefighters are working on containment and mopping up hot spots Sunday, May 17, for a wildfire that began Saturday afternoon southeast of Crosslake.
Senate votes to cut funding for Friends of the Boundary Waters; Klobuchar's Rural Broadband Protection Act becomes law
Plus: Minnesota partners want you to help track wildlife collisions; and DNR upgrades four fishing piers in Northern Minnesota.
Crews battle wildfire threatening Gilbert amid extreme fire danger
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said the fire was one of at least a half-dozen blazes in the county as high winds, low humidity and drought conditions persisted.
DNR upgrades fishing piers at Cuyuna rec area, Little Emily, Vermilion lakes
The agency said it is also close to finishing upgrades on the pier on Sand Lake near Warba.
Partisan conflict in MN House threatens to hold up $200M in conservation funds
The Legislature must take action by Sunday night, May 17, 2026, to avoid the impacts on the Outdoor Heritage Fund projects set to begin or continue in coming months.
Eichorn pleads guilty to child porn charge; Lawmakers strike deal to end session
Plus: Dry, windy weather creates dangerous conditions across the state; and Wrenshall school district voters give the OK for consolidation with Carlton.
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With The Setlist, KAXE's Music Team curates the best live music to catch each week across Northern Minnesota and beyond.
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During the week of May 12, 2026, we enjoy reports of migratory arrivals, spring azure butterflies, and leafing plants. Staff phenologist John Latimer responds.
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