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Chelsey Perkins
News DirectorChelsey Perkins spent the first 15 years of her journalism career as a print journalist, primarily as a newspaper reporter and editor. In February 2023, she accepted a role as News Director of KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where she's building a new local newsroom at the station.
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Plus: Reminders for WE Fest attendees, flaming puck hockey on unicycles in Bemidji, Grand Rapids to host annual swap meet, and American Pickers are coming to town.
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Plus: The science behind coal ash wastewater a week after the Boswell spill; small business funding headed to Red Lake Nation; and United Way of 1000 Lakes' Stuff the Bus campaign is underway.
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Plus: Test drilling at a manganese deposit near Emily suggests the highest grade manganese on the continent; and a Minnesota Housing Partnership study confirms many renters pay more for housing than they can afford.
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Plus: MnDOT is repainting turn arrows, crosswalks on Hwy 169 in Grand Rapids; Bemidji will host its first-ever rental housing summit; MN will begin challenging a federal broadband map; and a new law aims to encourage education among older drivers.
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Plus: New financial assistance program available to flood-impacted residents; Bemidji State University launches internship program with Polaris manufacturing facility; and the Olympics of unicycling is underway in Bemidji.
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Plus: Petition to remove Rep. Josh Heintzeman from the ballot fails; public to weigh in on home energy rebates; DNR proposes sale of school trust lands in the BWCAW; and a new park will open soon in Crow Wing County.
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Plus: Gas stations in Moose Lake and Proctor will receive funding for fast-charging electric vehicle stations; a business in Tower has an opportunity following the bear canister requirements in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness; and experts say employers can do a lot to keep workers cool and hydrated during Minnesota's first stretch of hot days this summer.
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Plus: Spongy moth treatments begin Thursday in St. Louis County; rental application fees can add up for people in need of housing; and the DNR recognizes new big fish records.
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"The Wizard of Oz" prop was infamously stolen from the museum nearly two decades ago. For the museum to get them back, it must win an auction, likely costing millions.
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Plus: What to do with your mail or absentee ballot; advocates tout efforts to prevent deforestation in Minnesota; and the Judy Garland Museum wants to buy back the ruby slippers.