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Contributed/East Range Police DepartmentSgt. Cody Siebert of the East Range Police Department also served in the Mesabi East School District. He died Feb. 27, 2026, less than 24 hours after being diagnosed with a brain infection. -
Contributed/Canva Pro graphicCody Teie, 33, died in a crash in Gentilly, east of Crookston, on Feb. 28, 2026. -
Contributed/Karina Kafka / Report for MinnesotaOn Feb. 24, 2026, Gov. Tim Walz announced a 15-point package that includes a ban on assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines and additional school safety measures. -
Contributed/Karina Kafka / Report for MinnesotaRepublicans in the Minnesota House have been trying to force a vote on a bill that creates a new inspector general to oversee public programs. -
Contributed/Karina Kafka / Report for MinnesotaThe bill would implement an intelligent speed assistance program, or ISA, installed on a repeat offender's vehicle to prohibit driving above the speed limit in a given area. -
Each school district would be in charge of creating, implementing and enforcing a policy that meets these standards for the 2026-27 school year. -
Bemidji Area Boys and Girls Club launched an after-school site at J.W. Smith in 2023, and with the proposed closure of the school, program leaders and parents share their concerns. -
And: Walz releases anti-fraud package after Trump administration announces Minnesota Medicaid cuts; Rachel Anthony murder still unsolved after 25 years; Staples-Motley are state wrestling champs.
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Larissa Donovan/KAXEThe Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji Area operates a branch at J.W. Smith. Families and staff are concerned about the future of the grant-funded program if the school closes. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEDarrin Smedsmo's vintage aircraft was impounded following an emergency landing within the Red Lake Nation in October 2025, and he is still waiting for a day in tribal court.
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.
