ELY — The Horse River Fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is now 100% contained.
The National Incident Management Organization reported all crews and firefighting equipment were removed from the area. Crews paddled the 7 miles out of the BWCAW to the landing at the paved highway on Echo Trail.
Management of the 13-acre fire was transferred back to the Superior National Forest.
Meanwhile, about 200 fire personnel continue to work on the Jenkins Creek Fire. That fire is about 94% contained.
Fire lines are improving with the help of tools for mulching and vegetation removal.
Thunderstorms grounded drone flights on Sunday, so there was no new information on hot spots as of Monday morning.
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Contributed/Ruby's Pantry - BemidjiRuby's Pantry, a faith-based nonprofit coordinating monthly pop-up food events with local churches, including 11 in Northern Minnesota, closed its operations as of March 31, 2026. -
Contributed/NWSHeavy and wet snow, freezing rain and mixed precipitation are possible. Highest snowfall rates of around one-quarter to a half-inch per hour are expected during the daytime April 2, 2026. -
Flooding in June 2024 closed the underground mine to tours for nearly two years, following another two-year closure in 2022 for restoration. -
Contributed/Minnesota Chippewa TribeCandidates who receive more than 50% of the vote in the primary win their elections; otherwise, the top two vote-getters face off in a general election June 9, 2026. -
Plus: Two local elementary schools meet their fates, with Bemidji's J.W. Smith set to remain open for at least a year, while Greenhaven in Hibbing will close. -
Contributed/Meal Train for the Rife Family Adult Foster CareKimberly Soon Jim Rife, 39, died, and her 13-year-old daughter suffered life-threatening injuries. Rife ran an adult foster care and coordinated a program to help hungry students. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerEven during the most intense immigration enforcement in Minnesota, however, immigration authorities were arresting nearly triple the number of immigrants in Texas. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEA motion to close and consolidate the Bemidji school, dispersing students to other area elementaries serving kindergarten through third grade, failed to pass on a 3-3 vote. -
Contributed/City of HermantownThe city and Google jointly agreed to an updated alternative urban areawide review study with a smaller geographic footprint than last fall’s study. -
Contributed/Becker County Sheriff's OfficeThe Becker County Sheriff's Office received a call March 30, 2026, from a man who went to check on his brother because he hadn't shown up at work.
