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, KVSC 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.
The team has earned dozens of awards from the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association, Public Media Journalism Association and the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2025, the team earned a prestigious Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for its work in digital storytelling. 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 Forum Communications Co. Editorial Advisory Board.
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Plus: Single-engine plane crashes at Pine River Airport; data center regulations to be discussed by Carlton County Board; and Independence Day parades get the weather gamut. -
The Brainerd lakes area city celebrates the Fourth of July before a quick turnaround to prep for its signature event: Bean Hole Days.
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Plus: Sigurd Olson mural to be painted in Ely; and where to find fireworks, parades and more in the Northland.
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And: 14 anti-ICE protesters plead not guilty in federal court; Water levels on Lake Ore-Be-Gone threaten Gilbert tourism; and 3M's old Camp Wonewok is under new management.
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We've partnered with ICTV to interview local candidates for the 2026 election. District 1 is in northwestern Itasca County, and three candidates are headed to a primary.
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Plus: Bemidji is the clay target state champion; and check out KAXE's fireworks guide, The 4th Up North.
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The second round of severe thunderstorms on June 29, 2026, knocked out power for even more people than the first round did, with strong winds, large hail and heavy rain. -
Plus: A allegedly intoxicated driver lands an SUV onto a building with a resident inside in Naytahwaush
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Reports of funnel clouds, strong wind, large hail and power outages accompanied the well-defined “bow echo,” a storm system that often produces straight-line wind events. -
Plus: Tourism-based businesses brace for slower summer amid high gas prices and consumer costs; Little Fork River watershed plan open for comment; and fireworks galore in the Northland.
