Ruby's Pantry — a nonprofit organization that operated pop-up food pantries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Iowa — announced on Tuesday that operations ended effectively immediately. Pop-up locations included Access Church in North Branch, New Hope Community Church in Isanti, Memorial Drive Bible Fellowship in Askov, and New Life Church of Foley. A statement from Ruby's Pantry reads, in part: "Over the past several months, we have been thoughtfully realigning the w

MnDOT announced its 2026 road construction projects on Tuesday, including multiple that will impact motorists in east-central Minnesota. The projects include: Striping and pavement marking along I-35 in Pine County, which is expected to wrap up by May. Resurfacing and updating over 10 miles of Highway 65, starting between Stanchfield and Cambridge after the Fourth of July. A second segment between Stanchfield to north of Braham will start in spring of 2027. The project is est

The Hinckley-Finlayson school board unanimously selected two finalists for a second interview for the district's superintendent position after interviewing five candidates on March 30 and 31. According to a news release from the district, the finalists are Mike McNulty, who currently serves as the director of business operations at Rockford Area Schools, and Drew Goeldner, the chief financial officer at Country Services, Inc. The follow-up interviews are scheduled to start at

The CEO of the Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia said there’s “light at the end of the tunnel” after an issue with the Medicare and Medicaid billing system led to millions of dollars of withheld reimbursements since Jan. 1. In an interview on Monday, Andy Knutson explained that in July of 2025, the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) turned on an edit designed to reduce fraud in the system. "We felt we were ready for the switch to flip in July," Knutson said. "W