BABBITT — A subsidiary of Twin Metals is seeking approval to explore for metallic minerals in St. Louis County, 5 miles east of Babbitt.
Exploration at the site has occurred intermittently since 2010, according to the exploration plan submitted by Franconia Minerals.
A month ago, a federal judge dismissed the mining company's lawsuit against the Biden administration over its mining proposal in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. President Joe Biden in January placed a 20-year ban on mining activity in the watershed containing the BWCA.
Franconia proposes diamond drilling exploratory borings at up to six drill sites within the leased boundary, which is less than 30 miles from the wilderness area. Four of the sites, according to the company's map, are near Birch Lake, a 21-mile long lake with 80 miles of shoreline and many islands. The lake is within the Superior National Forest on lands managed by the DNR.
The proposed exploration would also occur near the site of the Dunka Mine, a taconite mining site shuttered for almost 30 years.
Waiting lists, budget shortfalls for Boys & Girls Clubs
GRAND RAPIDS — The Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids and Greenway are inviting parents and community members to a town hall discussion to share concerns and ideas for the future of the club programming in Itasca County.
Challenges caused by budget shortfalls, low staff numbers and space limitations have put a strain on club programming to a point that both clubs have hit maximum membership. Waiting lists mean several families must find alternative care for their children.
Ideas for the future of the clubs include adjusting to a fee-for-service model, merging the two clubs, moving club locations and more. The public meeting will be 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Robert J. Elkington Middle School library in Grand Rapids.
The Grand Rapids Herald Review reported recently that Itasca County is experiencing an ongoing child care shortage, with just 65 providers in the entire county. According to county officials, the need for infant and toddler care is especially high, which can force young families to choose between quality care and a career.
Wolves don't eat that many fawns, evidence says, despite billboard claims
COTTON — It’s been a tough few years for northeastern Minnesota deer hunters and that has put the state’s most prominent predator in the cross hairs on a billboard erected recently along Highway 53 in Cotton.
The billboard makes a controversial claim — that the state’s estimated 2,800 gray wolves consume 54,000 white-tailed deer fawns a year.
It’s an astonishing number that has generated plenty of heat on social media from people with widely conflicting claims.
Marshall Helmberger spoke with Jared Mazurek, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association about the billboard, which was rented by the Sturgeon River chapter of the organization. The statewide group asked the local chapter to supply peer-reviewed information in support of the claim but hasn't heard back.
Based on available data, according to the Timberjay, the number of fawns killed by wolves is likely closer to 20,000. Fawns also meet many other predators in nature, like black bears and coyotes. Hay mowers kill fawns bedded in the spring, and an estimated 40,000 are killed each year by motor vehicles.
While the billboard may have created a headache of sorts for the deer hunters association, the organization's leader says it has brought plenty of attention to the discussion around the degree to which wolves may play a role in the lackluster deer population recovery in recent years in northeastern Minnesota.
Sanford Bemidji offers new service for chronic illness patients and those just released from hospitalization
BEMIDJI — Sanford Health Bemidji is offering a new remote monitoring service to help patients stay healthy from the comfort of their home.
Sanford CareSignal allows patients to stay in contact with their care team between appointments.
The program helps monitor those recovering after discharge from the hospital along with chronic conditions like heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, COPD and depression.
Patients can self-report symptoms either via phone call or text message, automated to check in regularly to monitor health.
The program helps reduce avoidable hospital admissions, the rural hospital system says.
There is no cost to enroll for eligible participants and interested patients will be enrolled by their clinician.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated to clarify the Biden administration's mining ban is in the watershed within with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located.
It was also updated to make clear the drilling exploration sites proposed by Franconia Minerals is within the Superior National Forest, but on lands managed by the state.
KAXE regrets the errors.
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Scott Alan Larson, 57, was discovered while firefighters responded to a fire in Normanna Township, west of Two Harbors, on Aug. 24, 2026. -
Plus: High fish kills were reported this summer after prolonged heat and drought; and an iron reclamation project is underway at an abandoned Calumet mine. -
Residents around Calumet received a peek behind the curtain Aug. 21, 2026, at the iron reclamation project set to transform the former Hill Annex Mine. -
Cisco and other cold water fish died by the thousands in the large, shallow lake as water temperatures soared to an average of 77 degrees in late July and early August 2026. -
One of the occupants of the pickup truck was in custody in Itasca County Jail on Aug. 24, 2026, on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation. -
The campfire ban across the Superior National Forest was lifted Aug. 24, 2026, as cooler temperatures reduce wildfire risk. Parts of the Boundary Waters remain closed due to wildfires. -
Six Minnesota counties will receive state assistance to repair public infrastructure damaged by severe summer storms. -
A new state aid covers part of the operating levy for school districts that have lots of cabins. Some districts say they'll offset the levy if voters approve it, meaning more money for the school, while taxes stay the same or go down.
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Plus: Bemidji is closer to being the next home of a YMCA after a ceremonial groundbreaking; and local governments receive assistance to replace emerald ash borer-damaged trees.
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Neighbors converge for fair fun: showing or judging livestock, enjoying classic or new foods on offer, admiring prize-winning artwork or baked goods or simply gathering in community.
