Public Safety

Plus: 4 girls were rescued after getting stranded on Lake Superior near Silver Bay; the Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers hosted their 49th annual show Aug. 15-17, 2025; MnDOT will host an open house Aug. 20 ahead of a 2027 project in downtown Crookston; and three Northern Minnesota cities received contamination cleanup grants.

The Itasca County Sheriff's Office said the crash was on Prairie Lake Road on Aug. 17, 2025.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the girls, whose ages ranged from 8 to 14, were returned safely to their parents after a helicopter rescue.

Ryan Denzer-Johnson, who also formerly taught at Northeast Range, was charged with three felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.

Minnesota was the first state to spend money on a media campaign to discourage smoking. And in the 1990s, it was early to sue tobacco companies and conduct sting operations against retailers.

Foxhaven in La Prairie will offer maintenance-free living for those 55+ as soon as November. Mill + Miss near West Rapids Elementary will start renting in spring 2027.

Plus: Gov. Tim Walz authorized Beltrami County's request to use the state's disaster relief account; Anderson Brothers Construction in Brainerd can no longer bid on major government projects; and over $1 million in federal funds are earmarked for Northern Minnesota child care organizations.

And: 15-year-old girl raped by a stranger in International Falls, charges say; Crow Wing County appoints first new attorney in decades and first female in role.

Plus: The remains of two people were found inside in Outing; a handful of northern Minnesota cities and school districts held special elections on Aug. 12, 2025; and a Judiciary committee recommends three attorneys as candidates for a Roseau County judicial vacancy.

Minnesota Judicial Branch data shows that more extreme risk protection order petitions were filed in the state in the first seven months of this year than all of 2024.