Chelsey Perkins
News DirectorChelsey Perkins became the News Director in early 2023 and was tasked with building a new local newsroom at the station. She is based in Brainerd and leads a team of two reporters covering communities across Northern Minnesota from the KAXE studio in Grand Rapids and the KBXE studio in Bemidji.
The news team launched the Up North Report in August 2023 — a five-minute newscast airing daily on KAXE, WTIP and available as a podcast on Apple, Spotify and more. They also publish original stories at KAXE.org and make regular appearances on the KAXE Morning Show to dive deeper into their work.
In a short time, the team earned three second-place awards in the Public Media Journalism Association 2024 Awards in digital writing, daily newscast and interview podcast episode. In 2023, Chelsey was named a fellow of the Poynter Institute's Public Media Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative.
Chelsey grew up in Crosslake, Minnesota, where most of her family continues to live. She spent the first 15 years of her journalism career as a print journalist, primarily as a newspaper reporter and editor for the Brainerd Dispatch. There, she covered Crow Wing County government and served on the FCC Editorial Advisory Board.
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And: MN Pollution Control Agency taking comment on Itasca County's Smith Creek proposal; and Staples-Motley to start butchery program. -
Plus: The Minnesota Attorney General is suing TikTok for violating consumer protection laws; and the International Falls city council is seeking public input on how to rebuild Smokey Bear Park after a fire destroyed its bandshell in 2024.
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The Minnesota Attorney General's Office conceded to misconduct in the case against Mylene Vialard, who protested in 2021 at an Enbridge pumping station in Aitkin County. -
Plus: 4 girls were rescued after getting stranded on Lake Superior near Silver Bay; the Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers hosted their 49th annual show Aug. 15-17, 2025; MnDOT will host an open house Aug. 20 ahead of a 2027 project in downtown Crookston; and three Northern Minnesota cities received contamination cleanup grants.
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Plus: Gov. Tim Walz authorized Beltrami County's request to use the state's disaster relief account; Anderson Brothers Construction in Brainerd can no longer bid on major government projects; and over $1 million in federal funds are earmarked for Northern Minnesota child care organizations.
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And: 15-year-old girl raped by a stranger in International Falls, charges say; Crow Wing County appoints first new attorney in decades and first female in role.
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Plus: The remains of two people were found inside in Outing; a handful of northern Minnesota cities and school districts held special elections on Aug. 12, 2025; and a Judiciary committee recommends three attorneys as candidates for a Roseau County judicial vacancy.
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Plus: Cass County Sheriff's Office IDs drowning victim, Diamond Point Park in Bemidji reopens; and DNR plans aerial herbicide spraying in Northern MN.
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And: Federal auditors note "competing priorities" between logging and wildlife in the Department of Natural Resources.
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St. Louis County spring wildfires cause $2.3M in damage; MN's DWI penalties get tougher with new lawPlus: the administrative trial is underway on whether Northern Township will become a city or Bemidji's boundaries will include land around Lake Bemidji; and a new study by the University of Minnesota indicates the surf from wakeboats can cause ecological harm in depths less than 20 feet.
