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Plus: Health coverage affordability is top of mind for many Minnesotans; new nonprofit sets sights on Grand Rapids downtown branding process; and KAXE compiled a food resources list. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEUncertainty around SNAP benefits has brought a lot of attention to food insecurity. Nonprofits have to figure out how to meet growing needs, now and into the future. -
Contributed/AnaFox_photo / Nastassia - stock.adobe.com via Minnesota News ConnectionThe enrollment start date for people who get their coverage through MNsure, Minnesota's insurance exchange through the Affordable Care Act, is Nov. 1, 2025. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEThe announcement from GoodNeighbor Properties follows recent action by the Bemidji City Council to prepare the site for development, including the demolition of three buildings. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerProviders and Democratic legislators reacted with alarm given the prospect of unpaid caregivers and vulnerable Minnesotans shut out of lifesaving services. -
Contributed/Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / CatchLight Local / Report for AmericaThe much discussed federal subsidy, whose Dec. 31, 2025, expiration strikes at the heart of the budget stalemate that led to the federal shutdown, is “only part of the answer” for mind-boggling health insurance hikes. -
Contributed/Steve GroveIn his new memoir, "How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention," Grove comes to see Minnesota as more than his home state, but a place for renewal and purpose. -
Events this week include an author talk in Brainerd, the First Friday Art Walk in Grand Rapids and craft sales in many communities. -
Megan Buffington/KAXELike all of Minnesota, Leech Lake is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought and extreme temperatures. -
Plus: A winter-hardy cover crop is being explored as a sustainable jet fuel source; and the Esko girls finished 4th place at the state soccer tournament.
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.
