WALKER — A man who served Cass County as a longtime sheriff and later as county commissioner has died.
Jim Dowson was 82 years old.
Dowson began his law enforcement career in 1963 as the police chief in Garrison and joined the Cass County Sheriff's Office in 1967.
He was chief deputy from 1974 through 1986, when he ran for sheriff and was elected. Under his leadership, the sheriff's office reinstated the mounted patrol, instituted a senior citizen's TRIAD program and started the sheriff's chaplaincy program, according to his obituary.
Dowson served as Cass County sheriff for 13 years until 2000.
He then ran for the Cass County Board and served as a commissioner until 2014, when he officially retired.
Dowson is survived by his wife Shirley of 56 years and three children, all of Walker.
Likely guilty plea in ruby slippers theft case
The Grand Rapids man accused of stealing Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Judy Garland Museum appears likely to plead guilty.
Court filings show a change of plea hearing is scheduled for later this month in the federal criminal case against Terry John Martin.
Martin is charged with one count of theft of major artwork and was indicted in May, 18 years after the 2005 theft.
The slippers were on loan from a private collection for a return visit to the Judy Garland Museum and are one of the four remaining pairs left from The Wizard of Oz. The actress honored by the museum spent the first four years of her life in the city.
At the time of theft, the slippers were insured for $1 million, but the current fair market appraisal value of the slippers is $3.5 million.
In 2018, the Grand Rapids Police Department and FBI announced they'd recovered the iconic footwear after they were missing for more than a decade.
Community health workers on the rise
Demand for community health workers continues to rise, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 14% growth in the industry over the next 10 years.
Organizers in Bemidji hosted the sixth annual community health workers conference at the Hampton Inn and Suites last Friday, Sept. 29.
Classes begin in January for certification in community health work at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, and a grant from the Minnesota Community Health Workers Alliance has a scholarship round opening this month to cover the cost of tuition.
KAXE/KBXE Reporter Larissa Donovan has more.
Here's your chance to design the Minnesota state flag and seal
Minnesotans can now officially submit their ideas for the next state flag and seal.
The State Emblems Redesign Commission is accepting public submissions on the Minnesota Historical Society website and by mail through Oct. 30.
The commission was established in this year's legislative session to adopt a new design for the state seal and flag by the beginning of 2024.
All entries must be original and follow the guidelines, and participants must be 18 or older, or have their submissions entered by a parent or legal guardian. Each eligible person can submit up to three designs each for the state flag and state seal.
Five submissions for each the new state seal and state flag will be selected for final consideration by the Commission.
Open house on Highway 87 project
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host a public open house tomorrow about upcoming construction projects on Highway 87.
The open house will be 5-7 p.m. at the Hubbard Community Center, south of Park Rapids. Project information as well as detour maps will be on display.
Construction on Highway 87, between highways 71 and 64, will take place next year and in 2025. It is split into three different sections, with the center portion taking place in 2024, and the western/eastern portions in 2025.
The highway needs long-term improvements to address intersection safety and aging infrastructure, according to the state.
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Plus: Local leaders sign the Civic Pledge for a Stronger Minnesota. -
From sporting events to first days of school, annual festivals to spontaneous gatherings, moments of triumph or devastating tragedies, Kohls documented it as part of the first draft of history. -
Current and former state legislators, city councilors and business and other community leaders signed the Civic Pledge for a Stronger Minnesota in Grand Rapids. -
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will investigate the Nov. 13, 2025, incident. The names of the victim and law enforcement involved have not been released. -
The Legislature-created task force will host three online public input sessions to gather information from Minnesotans who forage for mushrooms, berries and plants on DNR-managed state lands. -
Plus: MnDOT will host an open house on its Highway 34 corridor study in Park Rapids; and a state task force is hosting three public input sessions to gather information on how Minnesotans forage on state lands.
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The Minnesota Forestry Association hosted the first of two webinars focused on reforesting the Bemidji area after millions of trees blew down in the June 21, 2025, windstorm. -
Former Mesabi East math teacher Ryan Ross Denzer-Johnson entered a plea agreement with St. Louis County prosecutors after being initially charged in August 2025. -
Paul Bunyan Communications estimates that services will be available in all project areas by the end of January. -
The new contract will cover the almost 300 nurses who work for Essentia in the Brainerd lakes area for the next three years.
