A winter storm watch will be in effect starting at noon on Tuesday in Pine, Kanabec, Chisago, Isanti, and Mille Lacs counties. According to the National Weather Service, a stronger clipper system is forecast to bring potentially heavy snow to parts of east-central Minnesota. The watch will run through 3 a.m. Wednesday in Pine County, with total accumulations between 3 and 5 inches possible. Snowfall rates of half-an-inch to one inch per hour are possible Tuesday afternoon and

The Pine City Council voted to pass the 2026 budget and property tax levy at Wednesday's meeting. According to city administrator Marcy Peterson, the proposed preliminary tax levy was approved in September at $2,258,862, marking a total increase of 7.49% from last year's levy. City staff worked to bring the levy down to $2,183,961, decreasing the approved 2026 preliminary levy by 3.57%. The final levy is a 3.92% increase from 2025. Peterson explained that the general fund lev

Pine County is seeking public feedback on an updated draft of the county's hazard mitigation plan. According to a news release from Denise Anderson, the county's emergency management deputy director, the plan is multi-jurisdictional, including all cities and townships within Pine County. Pine County Emergency Management has worked in cooperation with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments, and

The East Central Regional Arts Council will offer grant information sessions for artists and organizations in December, January, February, and March. According to a news release from ECRAC, the sessions cover basic information about grant programs, tips and best practices, and recent changes to the application process. Funds may be available for artists and organizations located in Pine, Kanabec, Chisago, Isanti, and Mille Lacs counties, with upcoming grant deadlines on Feb.

A juvenile party was arrested on Monday after law enforcement located a BB gun on Hinckley-Finlayson High School grounds. According to an update from superintendent Brian Masterson, the Pine County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a possible firearm at the high school on Monday morning. Masterson said the school resource officer was immediately notified by staff and promptly responded. When law enforcement arrived on the scene, a firearm was located during the invest

Midco finalized the acquisition of Hinckley-based SCI Broadband on Friday, Nov. 19. The company, founded by Ron Savage in 1984, served nearly 12,000 data customers in central Minnesota. According to a news release from Midco, the network built by SCI will reach nearly 28,000 passings by the end of 2025. "It's been an honor to grow SCI alongside so many talented team members, and I'm confident the integration of SCI into Midco will serve our customers well," Savage wrote in th

The Pine Center For the Arts will open its annual Snowflake Gallery and Marketplace on Friday, Dec. 5. The gallery will open with a holiday party from 4 to 7 p.m., and will continue throughout December. It will feature a variety of handcrafted art and gifts created by local artists and makers. The gallery is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The event is made possible through an operating grant fro

The East Central Regional Library will reduce service hours at six branches in 2026 in response to funding decreases. According to an update from the library system, Pine City, Hinckley, Sandstone, Cambridge, McGregor, and Aitkin will see reductions in hours starting Jan. 5. The Pine City branch will open two hours later on Mondays and Wednesdays, at noon instead of 10 a.m., and will only stay open until 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. It will also be open a half-hour

Area utilities are working to restore various power outages after Tuesday night's winter storm. According to a notice, Mora Municipal Utilities experienced outages on Tuesday night that will continue throughout Wednesday due to downed trees, which are being removed from power lines. MMU is asking residents for patience as crews work to safely restore power. Around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, East Central Energy reported scattered outages impacting over 500 members, with most locate

Pine City residents Michaela Engh and Allie Gosen have their sights set on a big year ahead for The Harlow Pennies, their folk-leaning musical duo. "I've had a heart-to-heart with Michaela, and I said 2026 is going to be the year of The Harlow Pennies," Gosen said. "So we've got a lot of stuff coming up." Those plans include releasing a live album after recording a mini-session at The Gothic Farmstead in Pine City. "That way, everyone has something to listen to while we're wo

Pine City Public Schools paraprofessionals represented by AFSCME Council 65 are continuing to call for "transparency, consistency, and adherence to district policy regarding starting wages for newly hired employees," according to a news release issued on Nov. 20. According to the release, paraprofessionals have been expressing concerns about new hires being placed at "unusually high" steps on the salary schedule for several months. "We have no interest in preventing the distr

A winter storm warning will take effect between 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26 in Pine County. According to the National Weather Service, heavy snow is expected, with total accumulations between 4 and 9 inches. Hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes. Visit the WCMP Facebook page for updates on delays and cancellations.

Dihanna Fedder, a retired member of the Pine City Public Schools staff after 39 years with the district, recalls a trip to Alexandria inspiring the Dragon Food Shelf project in Pine City. During a facility tour, a guide opened a door to show the Pine City contingent a food pantry, which caught Fedder off guard. "I was just shocked to see one inside a school," Fedder said. On the way back from Alexandria, Fedder recalls thinking "we should do that." She explained that through

The Pine Center For the Arts is partnering with Three Twenty Brewing for an Original Songwriters Showcase on Saturday, spotlighting five musicians from across Minnesota. Adam Moe, Austin Green, Brooke Anderson, Doyle Turner, and Brent Fuqua will take their talents to the stage starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for the showcase are $25, and will raise funds for the art center. WCMP news director Erik van Rheenen caught up with each of the songwriters ahead of Saturday's

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has completed work on a multi-year project on I-35 in Hinckley. According to a MnDOT press release on Wednesday morning, the project replaced the northbound and southbound Grindstone River Bridge and the bridges over the BNSF railroad located just over a mile north of the Highway 48 junction. The work also resurfaced just over 3 miles of I-35, and the Highway 48 on- and off-ramps. According to the project website, the work cost $25.6

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is cautioning residents of east-central Minnesota that fire danger is predicted to increase over the next few days. As fall continues, dry vegetation and falling leaves increase, which help fuel wildfires. Information officer Philip Weyhe said the DNR has responded to over 20 fires during the last week. "Wildfires can start and spread quickly, especially in dry, windy conditions," Weyhe said in an email. According to DNR wildfire

The Pine County Sheriff's Office rescued a driver from a vehicle submerged in a creek on Saturday, Nov. 8. According to the citation summary, the incident occurred just before 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Beroun Crossing Road and Contrast Road. On Thursday, Sheriff Jeff Nelson explained that dispatch received an auto-call from a vehicle with a crash detection triggered. "The female driver was reporting that the water was up over her lap," Nelson said. "She couldn't get

The Pine City Council voted to move forward with applying for grant funding for a Housing & Redevelopment Authority project to rehabilitate the Hillside Court Apartments property at last week's meeting. "As you're well aware, that property, Hillside Court, has some foundation issues," said economic development coordinator Lezlie Sauter. Sauter explained that the HRA was notified that it was not awarded grant funding through the Publicly Owned Housing Program at the end of Sep

With the page slowly turning on 2025, East Central Regional Library executive director Carla Lydon was an open book in sharing highlights and challenges from the library system in an interview last week. "It's been quite a year," said Lydon, who has been in the position since 2017. Lydon said ECRL started 2025 with a new strategic plan, and progress on those goals included a growing readers program piloted by the Mora Public Library. The program connects a student in grades 1

A wildfire reported in the Nemadji State Forest on Friday morning has been 75% contained, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. According to Minnesota Interagency Fire Center public information officer Leanne Langeberg, the Rash Road Fire was detected west of McDermott Creek on Nov. 7. Langeberg said the fire is burning in a "mix of hardwood trees and downed leaf litter." Over the weekend, fire crews mapped the blaze at 120 acres and have contained 75% o