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Contributed/Bastian Riccardi via PexelsThe bill would mandate verifiable parental consent when a minor creates an account and require the highest data privacy settings. It would also restrict targeted, paid ads and addictive interface features. -
The bill bans the future sale of so-called assault weapons and high capacity magazines and faces an uncertain future in the MN House, where Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked. -
Lorie ShaullProperty taxes have risen steeply in the past few years. According to the MN Department of Revenue, tax levies for local governments have increased approximately 6.8% since 2025. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEIn order to obtain veteran status now, a member of the armed forces must have 181 days of unbroken active service, and only they can be buried in state veterans cemeteries. -
Plus: Former Bemidji teacher sentenced for child sex abuse material; Firefighters in region respond to grass fires; Eighth District Democrats endorse Trina Swanson; and Bemidji State alumni brave cool weather to replant the campus. -
Scott Rodgerson/UnsplashThe deputy was shot May 4, 2026, on a call in Max, northwest of Deer River and east of S. Lake. The suspect is in custody, and the incident is under investigation. -
Contributed/Tingey Injury Law Firm - UnsplashAustin Claseman, 31, Bemidji, is a former charter school teacher and board member. He received a three-year sentence for distributing and possessing child sex abuse material. -
Contributed/Michelle Griffith / Minnesota ReformerThe senior senator released over 40 proposals to both eradicate fraud and streamline how services are delivered to Minnesotans. -
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEA 48-year-old Baxter man was identified as the victim in the crash. The driver of the vehicle was an 18-year-old from Brainerd. -
The Iron Range Child Care Task Force says employer contributions, public wage subsidies and philanthropic support can save struggling providers and build capacity.
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.
