2023 was an incredible year for news at KAXE — especially because it was our first with an expanded news department.
I joined the staff as the news director in February, tasked with building a newsroom focused on local stories across Northern Minnesota.
My background as a newspaper editor provided a solid foundation, but public radio was a new frontier. And it turns out, starting something new in a much bigger challenge than I anticipated.
Which is why I'm so proud of the journalism we've produced thus far. In July, reporter Larissa Donovan joined our ranks, writing stories from the Bemidji area. In August, we launched a daily newscast, the Up North Report, which can also be found on your favorite podcast app.
We've covered labor strikes, cannabis legalization, the 2023 election, issues with rural mail delivery and severe drought conditions across the region. We've traveled across the area to witness court proceedings, attend local government meetings and see the unveiling of new facilities.
We also produced our first series of in-depth stories in collaboration with Energy News Network, a nonprofit news partner. The series covered the green energy transition in the mining industry on Minnesota's Iron Range.
Looking ahead, a third journalist will join our team in January, giving us even greater capacity to cover the news that matters to you. We are planning ahead for the 2024 election and hope to provide the news to you in even more ways, including an e-mail newsletter and social media outreach.
Reach us at news@kaxe.org with story tips, comments, concerns and more. Thanks for all those who've reached out so far and the support you've offered. We look forward to what's ahead!
Here's the top 10 stories we covered this year.
1. Blandin Paper strike
2. Marijuana legalization
3. Election 2023
4. Rural mail issues
5. Severe drought
6. IMCare-Lakeview contract dispute
7. Line 3 impacts
8. County jails, new and old
9. Ruby slippers case
10. Mystery boom in Bemidji
1. First-ever Blandin Paper strike shutters Grand Rapids mill for 2 months
GRAND RAPIDS — Something was missing from the horizon this summer in the city of Grand Rapids: the white smoke puffing from the stacks at UPM Blandin Paper Co.
Beginning July 15, more than three-quarters of the mill’s workforce walked off the job, launching a strike for the first time in the mill’s 122-year history. This halted production at one of North America’s largest suppliers of magazine and catalog paper — a stoppage that would ultimately last for more than two months.
Once one of the largest employers in the city, the Blandin mill employed about 900 people in 2000. That number has since dwindled to 230, with the permanent shutdown of three paper machines over that time.
Teamsters Local No. 346 demanded better wages, the elimination of a two-tier system of benefits for newer employees and changes to staffing levels. Workers, their families and members of other unions picketed in support of the effort, with the red and white strike signs visible at almost all times along the city’s two major thoroughfares of highways 2 and 169.
A July 21 rally featured fiery speeches drowning out the honks of passing motorists as union leaders and state legislators supported the strike participants.
“I swear to goodness I saw the most American thing I’ve seen in the past 10 years happen today,” said Zak Radzak, secretary/treasurer for the Teamsters Local No. 346. “There was a man walking across the street with a picket sign on his shoulder. And that is America, boys and girls. That is what this country was founded on.”
The strike lingered into August as negotiation sessions failed to result in a compromise. Finally, on Aug. 11, a union member vote saw a majority of striking workers agree to a new contract.
The contract provides employees with industry competitive pay and benefits, the company stated. The three-year agreement included year-over-year wage increases and year-over-year increases to shift differential. It also provided improved benefits in areas including paid time off and health savings account contributions, UPM said.
After the vote, union leader Jeff Oveson said while not all demands of the workers were satisfied, the strike coming to an end was positive.
“There was a man walking across the street with a picket sign on his shoulder. And that is America, boys and girls. That is what this country was founded on.”Zak Radzak, secretary/treasurer, Teamsters Local No. 346
“We got enough to narrowly accept an offer from the employer and go back to work,” Oveson said. “ … A strike is never good for anyone. No one wins. But we made some good advancements that we’re happy with.”
Fresh paper began rolling out of the mill again in September.
- Chelsey Perkins
2. Marijuana legalization prompts new rules, road trips and big promises
The legalization of recreational cannabis in Minnesota this August meant a multitude of changes, big and small.
While state lawmakers predicted most recreational dispensaries wouldn’t open until 2025, tribal governments created their own regulatory bodies for legal marijuana sales.
The Red Lake Nation was the first to open the doors to NativeCare, a tribal-owned cannabis dispensary on Aug. 1. Minnesotans traveled from across the state to line up and make legal purchases for the first time.
“(It’s) the end of prohibition, the end of this war on drugs that was really meant to oppress minorities — so it's only fitting that the Native American tribes are participating in this industry," said Sam Strong, Red Lake tribal secretary.
“We've been harmed most by the war on drugs,” he continued. “Now it's time to flip that script and create an economic development venture that can help heal our community."
The White Earth Nation soon also opened the doors to its dispensary Waabigwan Mashkiki, Ojibwe for medicine flower.
"There are not many opportunities you find like this where you are potentially only two or three competitors in a market for a couple of years,” said Tom LaVoy, interim director of White Earth Enterprises.
“Now it's time to flip that script and create an economic development venture that can help heal our community."Sam Strong, Red Lake tribal secretary
Meanwhile, local governments discussed how to regulate the smoking of cannabis in public, with some also exploring the opportunity to get into the cannabis business, similar to municipal liquor stores.
Private enterprises also jumped on the chance to be part of a new industry.
A Missouri-based company sought loans from the state to partially fund its proposed cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in Grand Rapids. To be housed in the long-dormant Ainsworth lumber mill, the facility would provide up to 400 jobs, according to those leading the effort.
The Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation approved a $10 million loan in a split vote.
“What the northeastern Minnesota range is saying is — all its projects like these and the others — we’re this close to start rolling down that hill and really getting our region to economic prosperity,” said Rep. Spencer Igo, who serves on the IRRR Board.
The decision to provide the loan to the out-of-state business so soon after legalization was met with some criticism, however, including from Grand Rapids Republican Rep. Justin Eichorn. And another state agency involved in funding says it isn’t a done deal. At least one other cannabis grow operation led by Minnesotans is in the works in Itasca County, with its own sights on IRRR funding.
- Larissa Donovan
3. Election 2023: Area school districts suffer referendum defeats, almost across the board
While the Minnesota Legislature budgeted $2.3 billion in K-12 education spending over the next biennium, many school districts across Northern Minnesota put questions to voters to fund schools.
These referendum asks — some in the form of per-pupil funding increases for operating expenses and others for school building bonds — failed almost without exception across numerous districts in the northern part of the state.
Three referendum questions were rejected by voters in the Grand Rapids School District, and the district now must determine how to move forward with a projected $3 million budget deficit.
“Our voters were pretty clear on … what they were for and what they were not for,” Superintendent Matt Grose said by phone Nov. 7. “ … I think there were two things that were really on people's mind. One was timing and the other one was taxes.”
Grose said the district’s requests faced headwinds brought on by a tough tax environment in the community.
“(It’s been) a tough tax environment for the last couple of years, big changes to people’s market value that's affected their property taxes to sales taxes that were proposed and passed. And I think people are just sick of talking about more taxes and hearing about more taxes again,” Grose said.
“That's unfortunate that our system in Minnesota is designed in a way that requires school districts to do this. It's unfortunate.”
Deer River, Crosby-Ironton, Clearbrook-Gonvick, Pequot Lakes, Thief River Falls also saw their referendum questions rejected by voters. All must now determine how to move forward with expected layoffs, program cuts and space constraints ahead.
The two districts that saw success in their referendum questions are both small, in towns with populations of less than 200. Goodridge Public School in Pennington County and Laporte Public School in Hubbard County achieved more than 50% of “yes” votes in their referendum requests.
- Larissa Donovan
4. Mail disruptions, rural Postal Service working conditions in spotlight
BEMIDJI — Rural postal carriers demonstrated outside of the Bemidji Post Office in early November, which caught national attention as members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives called for action to address what workers described as untenable conditions.
In Bemidji, postal workers are decrying long workdays and denied time-off requests after a sudden influx of Amazon and other package deliveries, resulting in long mail delays felt by residents and businesses alike. Similar circumstances are blamed for delays all over the country, especially in rural areas.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she is pushing for additional staffing as well as route counts that reflect the current situation.
"They did (the route check) right before they started taking Amazon packages, and that skews what the numbers should be," Klobuchar said. "So one of the things I'm going to be asking for is that they do another one immediately and not wait, because they just started increasing their package load."
One community member, at a Dec. 6 roundtable meeting with Klobuchar and Smith staffers, said rural carriers are not paid an hourly wage.
"They are paid at a daily rate set back in October, right before Amazon came," they said. " ... They are working terrible hours and not being paid for it."
Meanwhile, many rural Minnesotans rely on timely delivery from the Postal Service for things like bills and prescriptions.
The same day staffers heard concerns in Bemidji, Sen. Tina Smith received a response from the U.S. Postmaster’s office. The letter claimed mail is being delivered daily in Bemidji and elsewhere and blamed media misinformation for misconceptions about package delivery and working conditions for postal carriers.
"They can see firsthand what the reality is, which is the packages piling up."Sen. Tina Smith
In a Dec. 8 interview on the KAXE Morning Show, the Democratic senator said she found Gordon’s letter insulting to the people of Bemidji.
“They can see firsthand what the reality is, which is the packages piling up,” Smith said. “ … Not having in the capacity in the post office and the energy to deliver all those packages, and the direct conversations that I’m having with the people who are working in the Bemidji office, saying they’ve been told to prioritize Amazon packages.”
Klobuchar and Smith have introduced legislation on the issue, and Rep. Pete Stauber says he will continue to pressure USPS for answers.
- Larissa Donovan
5. Drought conditions fuel wildfires, lead to stringent fire restrictions
After a particularly snowy winter of 2022-23, rain became scarce in the spring and throughout the summer in much of Minnesota.
Local wildfire threat persisted throughout the summer under the drought conditions, while blazes to the north in Canada created a smoky haze in Northern Minnesota skies. Local municipalities issued water restrictions and state agencies suspended water use permits while area farmers dealt with crop loss. The state and federal park systems restricted fires and burning permits weren’t issued in many areas.
By September, more than one-quarter of the state was experiencing extreme drought conditions, while in some areas, drought deepened even further to extraordinary levels. This included Carlton County, where a large wildfire threatened structures and burned for days.
After a period of wet weather this fall, early winter has again returned to a dry pattern, prompting the DNR to again warn of high fire danger into December.
The frequency of extreme wet and dry conditions in the Midwest are expected to increase as the climate changes, with a recent report outlining grim predictions for the region.
- Chelsey Perkins
6. Impacts of IMCare-Lakeview contract dispute on Itasca County residents under scrutiny
A decision by Itasca County to cancel a contract with a Grand Rapids mental health care provider in September affected about 700 people on public health insurance.
The IMCare contract dispute prompted immediate outcry by leaders of Lakeview Behavioral Health, who asked people to oppose the move. Community members questioned whether the move would make it more difficult for some of the most vulnerable to receive the care they need in a rural area. IMCare is the sole public insurance provider in Itasca County.
County officials, meanwhile, said questionable billing practices and various other administrative concerns led to the cancellation. They characterized the move as part of their obligation to be stewards of taxpayer dollars. A transition plan approved by the state meant those impacted would be assisted with finding new providers.
The dispute hit the courtroom in November when Lakeview filed suit against IMCare for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and defamation. The company sought a temporary injunction to stop the end of the contract set for Dec. 29.
Attorney Christianna Finnern, who represents Lakeview, said more than 200 of these patients had not yet transitioned to a new provider as of mid-December. The attorney representing IMCare, Daniel Supalla, told the judge there is evidence to suggest Lakeview employees themselves are discouraging patients from making the switch, telling them the contract probably wouldn't end.
A week later, Judge Heidi M. Chandler denied the motion, allowing the county to proceed with ending the contract. The lawsuit continues, but Lakeview will no longer be an in-network provider in 2024.
- Chelsey Perkins
7. Enbridge Line 3 protester trials continue as activists root out environmental impacts
Now entering its third year of operation, Enbridge’s new Line 3 oil pipeline continues to make headlines.
In July, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced an investigation into a fourth aquifer breach discovered along the pipeline’s route. The remote site of the breach near Swatara was estimated to be 10-15 gallons of groundwater per minute.
The breach was first identified by Waadookawaad Amikwag, or “Those Who Help Beaver” in Ojibwe. The independent community group is surveying the route with drones and thermal imaging cameras in search of groundwater leaks.
Among the hundreds arrested while protesting the pipeline’s 2021 construction, several activists saw their court proceedings move forward.
In August in Clearwater County, a jury found a 68-year-old woman guilty of a misdemeanor for her participation in a demonstration.
A trial soon after in Aitkin County resulted in the felony conviction of Mylene Vialard, a 54-year-old Boulder, Colorado, woman. Vialard was one of two people who attached themselves to a self-supporting bamboo structure in the driveway of an Enbridge pumping station near Swatara. She said she traveled to Minnesota in solidarity with the Indigenous people leading resistance efforts.
Weeks later, a different judge overseeing an Aitkin County case dismissed charges against three defendants, including Winona LaDuke, former executive director of Honor the Earth.
In a memo, Judge Leslie Metzen described the three women facing charges as “Anishinaabe people who gathered to protest the construction of Enbridge's pipeline as an expression of heartfelt belief that the waters of Minnesota need to be protected from damages that could result.”
In November, the judge sentenced Vialard to probation for the offense.
- Chelsey Perkins
8. Local officials grapple with how to fund, design and fill new jails
The topic of jails — those in need of repair, on blueprints or soon to operate — appeared often on county board agendas across the region this year.
In Beltrami County, the discussion about a new jail is years in the making. In 2023, voters overwhelmingly approved a sales tax to fund the future building, with construction expected in the next two to three years.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections issued an order to the county in 2019 to make serious and long-term improvements to the jail. The current building opened in 1989, and at its peak capacity, housed up to 150 inmates over three levels in a downtown location.
Today, the jail is operating at a 72-inmate capacity, and Beltrami County officials estimate an average 75 Beltrami County inmates are housed in other county jails.
After a bumpy site selection process, the new facility is poised to be constructed in a bare lot in Bemidji’s Industrial Park.
With voter approval of the tax to help finance the up to $80 million in construction bonds, work on the project will continue to move forward, according to Riggs.
Meanwhile, Itasca County’s new jail is set to open January 2024, and officials there are seeking out contracts to fill bed spaces.
Commissioners in Cass County unanimously approved a facility agreement to house inmates at the new Itasca County jail, which is set to save taxpayers $170,000 each year. This ended its similar arrangement with Crow Wing County.
“When the … county commissioners decided to do this jail project, what they told the community was we were building a jail bigger than we could house so we could get contracts,” Itasca County Sheriff Joe Dasovich said. I felt it was my duty to get inmates in that space.”
In addition to the space, the new Itasca County Jail will have on-site mental health professionals, a unique offering in a correctional setting, according to Dasovich.
Carlton County is in the process of replacing its 1970 jail with a new justice center, and designs are seeking to create more humane spaces for a changing jail population. And Hubbard County plans improvements to its jail and law enforcement center in 2025.
- Larissa Donovan
9. Long-sought suspect behind infamous 2005 ruby slippers theft brought to justice
GRAND RAPIDS — It’s a bizarre tale made for the silver screen. And for nearly two decades, people were left to wonder: who did it?
The answer finally came this year. A federal jury indicted 76-year-old Terry John Martin for the 2005 break-in theft of Dorothy’s ruby slippers Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. He pleaded guilty this fall to one felony count of theft of major artwork.
One of the most famous movie props in history from The Wizard of Oz, the slippers were on loan to the museum. Garland was born Frances Gumm, and she spent the first four years of her life in Grand Rapids.
At the time of theft, the slippers were insured for $1 million, but current fair market appraisal value the slippers at $3.5 million. The slippers are one of the four remaining pairs left.
Martin, who lives in the Grand Rapids area, said at his plea hearing he believed actual rubies covered the slippers when he burglarized the museum. When he learned from a “jewelry fence” — or someone who sells stolen goods — the slippers were made of glass, he left them.
Where they spent the next 13 years is still unknown. In 2018, the FBI and the Grand Rapids Police Department announced they’d found the stolen artifacts in Minneapolis. They remain in the possession of law enforcement.
- Chelsey Perkins
10. Big, loud boom in Bemidji area is mistaken for meteor, never identified
It wasn’t a meteor hitting Earth’s atmosphere the night of Nov. 12, and there isn’t a meteorite lying somewhere in a field outside of town.
That’s what Beltrami County officials said after first speculating a bright flash and thundering explosion heard in Bemidji and beyond might have been from outer space.
What was it, actually?
The sound was loud enough to rattle windows, shake houses and set car alarms off. Video (and conspiracy theories) ricocheted across the internet. It was the talk of the community that week. Even people from NASA weighed in on whether residents witnessed a celestial event.
But we may never know the source behind the big boom.
“Unless there is significant development or definitive determination there will be no further updates,” the sheriff's office said.
- Chelsey Perkins
