Pine Technical and Community College president Joe Mulford shared updates with the Pine County board at last week's meeting. Mulford acknowledged the board and county staff for Pine County's recent trail expansion project, which he said has benefited PTCC. "Those are amenities that make a difference for everybody," he said. Mulford said Pine Tech's $25 million building expansion project — which includes about a 24,000 square-foot addition and over 15,000 square-foot renovatio

The Snake River Fur Post will host its annual Winter Frolic event on Saturday, Jan. 24. According to a news release from the Minnesota Historical Society, the event is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., and will feature traditional games and activities, historical reenactors, and opportunities to snowshoe on the site’s trail system. Entry costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, military members, and college students, and $8 for children. Future of Snake River Fur Post under discus

The Pine City Council unanimously voted to renew a contracted fire aid agreement with Rush City for 2026 at Wednesday's meeting. City administrator Marcy Peterson said Rush City remains interested in returning to a mutual aid agreement rather than continuing with contracted aid in the future. According to the agreement, no charges will be levied by Rush City for assistance to the Pine City Fire Department, unless the aid continued for more than eight hours or for an event tha

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Pine City’s new Kwik Trip on Tuesday afternoon after the location opened for business on Nov. 28. Speakers included CEO Scott Zietlow, Pine City mayor Kent Bombard, and state representative Nathan Nelson. Zietlow said the Pine City location was one of seven ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the La Crosse-based company in the span of a week; in 2025, Kwik Trip eclipsed the 900-location mark and celebrated its 60th anniversary of being in busin

The East Central Regional Library is partnering with Chisago County on an extended access pilot program at the Wyoming Area Library starting on Jan. 5. According to an update from the library system, a limited number of participants will have access to library services from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. The program will allow for self-service to the library during morning and evening hours beyond the library’s schedule. Participants will use their library card as a ke

Pine Technical and Community College has been awarded an annual grant of more than $272,000 a year from the U.S. Department of Education to help first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities. According to a news release from Pine Tech, the award is renewable for up to five years, representing an estimated total of $.13 million in federal funding. The funds fall under the federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program. Pine Tech's program will offer service

The Pine City Heritage Players will celebrate 20 years since the theater group's revival during its 2025-2026 season. Heritage Player veterans Mary Ellen Sauser, Elisa Mill, Dennis Howard, and Becky Schueller joined WCMP for a roundtable interview to share stories and laughs from the community theater organization's history. Let's put on a show Pauline Sills — an "iconic," in Sauser's own words, Pine City teacher who directed the high school's plays — received her flowers as

UPDATE: The missing woman was found safely. The Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department is seeking the public's help in locating a missing 44-year-old woman. According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Jessica Gago is missing from Minnesota, but was last seen in Webster, Wisconsin, on Dec. 8. Gago is described as five-foot-five and weighing 130 pounds. She has sandy hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black winter coat. Anyone with information about h

The Pine City Heritage Players have announced their upcoming 2025-2026 season, celebrating 20 years since the revival of the community theater group. The season will kick off with a Songs of the Stage musical revue, featuring duets and ensemble performances of Broadway favorites, on Saturday, Feb. 21, hosted at the Pine City Pizza Pub. Auditions for the "Let's Duet" revue are scheduled for Dec. 21. On March 21, the Heritage Players will host a one-night-only event, titled, "E

Municipalities across east-central Minnesota recorded inches of snow following a winter storm on Tuesday. According to snowfall reports over the past 24 hours from the National Weather Service, Hinckley, Bock, and Willow River each registered 7 inches of snow accumulation. Chisago City recorded 5.8 inches of snow, with Rush City seeing 5.5 inches, and Cambridge reporting 5.1 inches. Other area snowfall totals include: Mora: 5 inches Pine City: 4.9 inches Grantsburg, WI: 4.6

A two-vehicle crash resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries on Sunday morning in Burnett County. According to a news release from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office, dispatch received a report of a crash on State Highway 48/87 — south of Assembly Road in Anderson — just after 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 7. An investigation determined that a Toyota van traveling southbound was going around a curve and went onto the shoulder. The release states that it appeared the van overcorrecte

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