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Contributed/FBIThe new program increases monetary rewards for information on six cold cases involving Native people where the FBI has jurisdiction, including one from the Red Lake Nation. -
Plus: Meat processing facility in Staples opens -
Contributed/Deborah Rose / Minnesota Department of Natural ResourcesThirty-three communities received nearly $5 million in funding, including Virginia, Hill City and other Northern Minnesota cities. A new DNR grant closes Sept. 14, 2026. -
Megan Buffington/KAXELocal livestock producers face limited options for meat processing and slaughter amid market consolidation and workforce shortages. -
Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerWalz is instructing the DNR not to grant permits. This move bears a strong risk of litigation over Twin Metals, which wants to extract copper, nickel, cobalt and other valuable metals from underground veins. -
And: Glen's Army Navy in Grand Rapids to close after 80 years.
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Emma Krab/KAXEGlen’s Army Navy Store in Grand Rapids, founded in 1946, began liquidating its inventory Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, after 80 years in business. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerThe U.S. Department of Justice sued Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon over his refusal to hand over the voter registration list, which includes voters’ names, birthdates, addresses and partial Social Security numbers. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEIn an email to KAXE, the FBI provided statements on the active investigations into recent incidents on the Red Lake Nation. -
Red Lake and four other Northern Minnesota counties are classified as legal deserts, with fewer than one practicing attorney per 1,000 residents.
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.
Megan Buffington covers North-Central Minnesota from the Brainerd lakes area. Originally from Pequot Lakes, she joined the KAXE newsroom in 2024. Megan previously covered the Arrowhead for KAXE. She is passionate about amplifying Northern Minnesota voices and educating communities through local reporting.
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.
