Updated as of 3:50 p.m. Dec. 4, 2024.
Itasca County will have a special election early next year to fill the County Board seat left vacant by Burl Ives, who died in September.
Ives was up for reelection in 2024 for the District 4 seat. He died too close to Election Day for his name to be removed from the ballot.
District 4 is in southwestern Itasca County and includes southwestern Grand Rapids and Harris, Blackberry, Splithand, Wildwood and Spang townships.
The filing period for candidates opened Wednesday, Nov. 27, and closes 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.
Because more than two candidates have filed — and assuming none withdraw — the primary will be Feb. 11, and the special election will be April 8.
KAXE will put together an Election Guide for the race after the filing period closes.
Candidates who have filed for the seat:
- Daniel E. Chase
- Larry Hopkins
- Pat Medure
- Robert Preble
- Dick Sackett
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Plus: An Orr man was charged with two felonies for shooting a firefighting plane; and the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce recognized area businesses at its annual luncheon almost a year after the derecho. -
Events this week include "The Sound of Music" in Mountain Iron, the grand opening of a Deer River dog park and a mural unveiling in Bemidji. -
Mark Smith, 66, died Thursday, May 21, 2026, after hitting a deer near Hill City in southern Itasca County while riding a dirt bike.
