COOK — Authorities identified two women as the victims of a July 17 house fire in Beatty Township near Cook.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office identified 69-year-old Raeann Pry of Cook and believes the other woman to be 67-year-old Susan Hein, also of Cook, according to a news release on Wednesday.
First responders were dispatched at 9:20 p.m. on July 17 to a report of a house fire outside of Cook and arrived to find the house engulfed in flames.
The cause and origin of the fire is undetermined at this time, though the county sheriff's office stated there is no indication of suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire or the deaths.
-
Gov. Tim Walz commended Minnesotans’ compassion during tragedy and praised their resilience after a federal immigration crackdown, political assassination and school shooting.
-
Extra dollars in the state will fund the public input process ahead of possible changes to the state's financial aid program.
-
Research indicates that in the coming decades, the state is likely to see more risk days of wildfires starting on the ground due to more extreme droughts connected to climate change.
-
Women Explore Fire Day in Minnesota offers hands-on opportunities to learn more about volunteer, paid on-call and full-time positions in local fire departments in all regions.
-
After 10,000 tree seedlings were claimed within 48 hours, the ReForest Bemidji program secured an additional 5,000 trees for its distribution May 17, 2026.
-
A recent national study found an increasing number of federal environmental impact statements are receiving significant contributions from citizen science data.
-
The multi-bill omnibus signed April 21, 2026, allows happy hours for nursing home residents without a license and expands local authority in some Northern MN communities.
-
The bill would define e-bikes as having output of no more than 750 watts, and motorized bicycles, 750-1,500 watts. Anything with higher power is defined as an electric motorcycle.
-
Three of the communities receiving grant funding in this cycle are in Northern Minnesota: Floodwood, Fosston and Deer River.
-
Rising health care costs are stressing K-12 teachers whose pay is already estimated to lag similarly educated professionals by more than 30%, according to a 2025 study.