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Contributed/Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails via FacebookThe DNR said a closure notice because of a land dispute in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area was an error, but it’s unclear how access could be affected moving forward. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEBemidji Area Schools is considering consolidating its elementary schools by closing J.W. Smith, and community members are urging the Board to look at other options. -
Chelsey Perkins/KAXEThe Bridge on 7th gained the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission for its permit. On April 6, 2026, that permit will go before the Brainerd City Council. -
Ekaterina Bolovtsova via PexelsDanielle Westphal, 51, is expected to be sentenced to five years of supervised probation during an April, 20 2026, hearing. -
Plus: An overnight shelter in Brainerd is again seeking city approval to operate year-round; and Paul Bunyan Communications is expanding in more locations in Aitkin, Hubbard, Itasca and St. Louis counties. -
Contributed/Sora Shimazaki via PexelsTimothy Scouton was charged after 11 people voted without registering to do so in Badoura Township, where he served as an election judge in 2024. -
Contributed/Grand ItascaThe trauma system ensures seriously injured patients quickly get care at hospitals that can meet their needs. Grand Itasca has also been designated a Primary Stroke Center. -
Federal dollars are helping the county use crash data and community feedback to craft a plan to make its roads safer for all users. -
Contributed/Adobe Stock via Minnesota News ConnectionMinnesota and other Midwestern states face an uphill climb in boosting their population to maintain a strong labor force and meet other needs. -
And: Lawmakers move to limit AI use in therapy; Sacred Bundle hosts first event in former Bemidji elementary school; and Grand Itasca redesignated Level III trauma hospital.
Chelsey 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.
Larissa Donovan has been in the Bemidji area's local news scene since 2016, joining the KAXE newsroom in 2023 after several years as the News Director for the stations of Paul Bunyan Broadcasting.
