Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is hoping school districts and law enforcement agencies in the state have more clarity when it comes to a new law governing school discipline.
Ellison issued a supplemental legal opinion outlining the intent of the law, which sought to limit the use of prone restraints on students in disciplinary situations.
In the legal opinion, Ellison said school employees and school resource officers may use force to prevent bodily harm or death, but the force must be reasonable in those situations.
They also may make physical contact to address nonviolent behavior, as long as they avoid the restraints outlined in the new law, including chokeholds or other holds restricting breathing or communication.
Ellison said while the supplemental opinion does not draw new conclusions compared to the original, he noted good faith questions from law enforcement and school officials prompted him to issue the clarifying follow-up.
The school districts of Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Virginia and others in the region saw school resource officer contracts canceled while officials grappled with conflicting interpretations of the law.
Some argued the law was too restrictive and exposed districts and police departments to liability issues.
Book challenge in Brainerd
A fantasy novel challenged by a community member in the Brainerd School District will remain in the high school library.
The Brainerd Dispatch reported a committee established for the purpose of reviewing the Sarah J. Maas novel Empire of Storms unanimously agreed the book should remain as choice reading material available to high school students.
The challenge raised concerns about sexual content in the book, which is the fifth in a series. Committee members were tasked with reading the book and walking through a series of questions about its value as a resource for students. Children's Book Review, the book publisher Bloomsbury and Common Sense Media all rated the book for ages 14 and up.
As part of the examination, district officials shared that the book has been checked out just three times in its history in the high school library.
The committee decided to apply its ruling to all of the books in Maas' "Throne of Glass" series, some of which are facing separate complaints.
Challenger Shirley Yeager has a right to appeal the committee's decision to the full school board. She told the Dispatch she doesn't know whether she'll appeal this decision, but said she intends to fight the recommendation about the rest of the series.
Read the full Brainerd Dispatch story for more.
IM Care-Lakeview contract woes
As the contract termination between Itasca County's public health insurance provider and Lakeview Behavioral Health will be effective at the end of this year, about 700 IM Care patients at Lakeview Behavioral will be affected.
Lakeview Behavioral Health issued a call-to-action regarding this contract termination decision by IM-Care, Itasca County's agency that handles insurance coverage for those who qualify for Medical Assistance or Minnesota Care.
In an interview with KAXE/KBXE, Itasca County Commissioner Terry Snyder said the contract termination is a legal issue, being contemplated by attorneys on both sides of the arrangement.
IM Care Director Sarah Anderson wrote in an email that the agency has a plan in place to make sure all enrollees have continuity of care with other providers, and enrollees are encouraged to contact IM Care Member Services for assistance.
Snyder acknowledged disparities in access to mental health care in Northern Minnesota and said the county is continuing to work toward improving that access.
Lakeview Behavioral Health offers out-patient mental health and substance abuse disorder services in their offices in Grand Rapids, Hibbing and Brainerd. Lakeview also operates Reflections Recovery Residences, an in-patient type of facility that promotes recovery with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
KAXE/KBXE News is following this story and will continue to provide updates.
Oak wilt treatment research
Trained tree climbers in the Superior National Forest are testing a new technique to improve forest health against oak wilt disease, one of the deadliest diseases to red oaks in the Eastern U.S.
Oak wilt can spread in two ways: above the ground through the movement of fungal spores by sap-feeding beetles to wounds in oak trees, or below ground through the grafted roots of neighboring oaks.
Treatments for oak wilt disease are often costly and damaging. They involve cutting and removing trees with the disease, including many nearby uninfected trees and disrupting the root systems using heavy equipment.
To test the oak wilt rapid response treatment, researchers need to infect oaks with the disease. To accomplish this, climbers drill into the branch and add the fungal disease to mimic a natural infection.
Following artificial infection, forest health managers girdle the trees at predetermined times to prevent the oak wilt infection from advancing down from the crown into the roots and spreading throughout the root systems to other trees.
Girdling is when bark and some wood materials are removed from a ring around the tree’s trunk.
It has been shown in recent testing to be an effective means in stopping the spread of oak wilt into the tree’s roots and protecting other trees in that area.
The project includes several state and federal partners and is in effect in Michigan's Huron-Manistee National Forest and Wisconsin's Octonto River Seed Orchard as well.
The group will conduct one more summer of treatment, then monitor the select trees for five years for effectiveness.
-
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. -
The future of a mosaic mural in the Nashwauk-Keewatin High School library is up in the air as the district moves into a new school. A ribbon-cutting is planned for Aug. 20, 2025. -
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. -
The projects are among 15 in Northern Minnesota included in Senate appropriations legislation that now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote. -
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.
-
Agricultural heritage was on full display near the Itasca State Park Aug. 15-17, 2025. -
The Itasca County Sheriff's Office said the crash was on Prairie Lake Road on Aug. 17, 2025. -
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the girls, whose ages ranged from 8 to 14, were returned safely to their parents after a helicopter rescue. -
The closure in McDavitt Township begins Monday, Aug. 25, and is expected to end Aug. 29. -
A boulder riffle and new culverts would allow fish passage upstream and allow for sediments to more naturally flow downstream.
-
The city is exploring its options after a fire destroyed the park's bandshell. -
Ryan Denzer-Johnson, who also formerly taught at Northeast Range, was charged with three felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. -
Volunteer firefighter Tia Muller died in an ATV crash on the Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area over the weekend of Aug. 16-17, 2025. -
Foxhaven in La Prairie will offer maintenance-free living for those 55+ as soon as November. Mill + Miss near West Rapids Elementary will start renting in spring 2027.
-
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.
-
Austin Claseman, 30, is charged in Beltrami County. He was a teacher and board member at the charter high school, Voyageurs Expeditionary School. -
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.
-
The sessions in Silver Bay, Virginia and Duluth will gather input on the future direction for programming and investment at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. -
The authorization allows Beltrami County to access the state's disaster assistance contingency account, which reimburses the county 75% of the costs to repair public infrastructure. -
Assistant County Attorney Kelsey Hopps will replace County Attorney Don Ryan when he retires in mid-September 2025, after nearly 31 years in the office.
