Federal funding cuts

The county and MnDOT will exchange federal funds in a "highly unusual" move, so the county can keep using labor agreements. But three projects will have to be delayed a year.

The U.S. Forest Service will close its decades-old Grand Rapids research office as part of a national reorganization. The lab produces world-renowned work on woods and water.

The office is one of 47 research and development facilities closing amid a major reorganization of the agency. The Superior and Chippewa offices and their staffing are not impacted.

The federal government is behind schedule in approving the county's requirement of project labor agreements. County staff are asking for a temporary waiver to ensure they don't lose funds.

Uncertainty 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.

KAXE was chosen to receive more than $17,000 in community support, recognizing its role as Northern Minnesota’s independent, people-powered public radio station.

KAXE was the first rural public community licensee in the U.S. in 1976. When Congress rescinded federal funding, supporters gave over $170,000 to keep us on the air. Times are still tough, but people-powered radio marches boldly forward.

Beltrami County is proposing a 41% reduction in community funding for libraries in Blackduck and Bemidji, as well as the Beltrami County Historical Society and Paul Bunyan Transit, for the 2026 budget.

The Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts on Minnesotans and Economic Stability will have Republican and DFL members, and will travel around the state to hear from Minnesotans impacted.

From hearing Woody Guthrie on the air in 1976 to leading KAXE through crises, Maggie Montgomery reflects on the station’s resilience and the urgent fight to keep community radio alive after federal funding cuts.