RED LAKE — The Red Lake Nation is the latest tribe to sign a compact with Minnesota to sell recreational cannabis off-reservation.
NativeCare, the Tribal Council-authorized dispensary in Red Lake, announced plans to open new locations, with a grand opening event planned for Thief River Falls on Dec. 31.
Red Lake also announced its intentions to open a NativeCare dispensary in West. St. Paul sometime in January.
“The signing of this agreement is a testament to our commitment to empower our people and create economic opportunities on our lands,” stated Red Lake Tribal Treasurer Vernelle Lussier in a news release.
Dispensaries on the Red Lake Nation opened the first day recreational cannabis was legalized in Minnesota on Aug. 1, 2023.
“The Red Lake Nation’s unique status as a closed reservation requires that we develop the means to fund infrastructure projects, such as the replacement of outdated water and sewer systems,” stated Red Lake Chairman Darrel Seki.
“We are focused on making sure that our cannabis operations are a success.”
-
Plus: Ruby's Pantry will cease operations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa; Hermantown will accept public comment on a study for the proposed Google data center through April 30; and the Soudan Mine State Park will offer underground mine tours beginning Memorial Day weekend.
-
Ruby'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.
-
Heavy 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.
-
Candidates 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.
-
Kimberly 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.
-
Even during the most intense immigration enforcement in Minnesota, however, immigration authorities were arresting nearly triple the number of immigrants in Texas.
-
A 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.
-
The city and Google jointly agreed to an updated alternative urban areawide review study with a smaller geographic footprint than last fall’s study.