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Contributed/CLCMinnesota State Colleges and Universities' board of trustees named Kimberly Lynch as the interim president, to begin July 1, 2026. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEAs northern Crow Wing County residents address damage from the May 16, 2026, Flanders Fire, officials remind residents of common contractor scams. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerInput costs are rising due to the trade war and the Iran war. Eight farmers have already filed for bankruptcy this year, double the amount for the entire year of 2024. -
Plus: Minnesota State's board of trustees names new interim president for Central Lakes College; Gov. Tim Walz appoints Theodora Gaitas as next Supreme Court Chief Justice; and the U of M Extension is offering free well test kits in the Brainerd area. -
This is the Up North Lookback, where we’re digging into the local news archives from 50 years ago — the year KAXE was born. It’s the week of May 25.
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The tick biodiversity project is driven by citizen scientists' reports of all tick species. Similar research hasn't been done since the 1940s.
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Plus: An Orr man was charged with two felonies for shooting a firefighting plane; and the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce recognized area businesses at its annual luncheon almost a year after the derecho.
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Contributed/Canva Pro graphicMark Smith, 66, died Thursday, May 21, 2026, after hitting a deer near Hill City in southern Itasca County while riding a dirt bike. -
Plus: Red Lake Nation residents cast ballots for the tribal council election; and bipartisan housing legislation made it across the finish line in the divided Legislature.
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Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerFifteen people are charged with targeting over $90M across Medicaid programs aimed at helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people, children with autism and disabled people.
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 joined the KAXE newsroom in 2024 after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Originally from Pequot Lakes, she is passionate about educating and empowering 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.
