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

Work on Hinckley's I-35 bridge replacement project is nearing completion. According to the MnDOT project website, lane closures will be removed at noon on Friday, Nov. 7. A northbound lane closure will be put back in place on Monday, Nov. 10. That work is expected to last through the evening of Nov. 14. All work on the project, which carries a $25.6 million price tag, is expected to be complete by the end of November.

The Chisago Lakes school board voted to hold a special referendum election on Feb. 10 at a meeting on Oct. 23. The referendum ballot will feature two questions. The first seeks $48.1 million for acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities, including safety and security improvements at the primary school, middle school, high school, and Taylors Falls elementary school. The second question, which is contingent on the first question passing, seeks $7,505,000 for pr

Here are the preliminary results from local elections. Cambridge-Isanti School District referendum Question 1: 4,481 voted no (59.6%), 3,038 voted yes (40.4%). Cambridge: 2,005 voted no, 1,720 voted yes. Isanti: 2,476 voted no, 1,318 voted yes. Question 2: 4,931 voted no (65.73%), 2,571 voted yes (34.27%) Cambridge: 2,253 voted no, 1,462 voted yes. Isanti: 2,678 voted no, 1,109 voted yes. Willow River School District referendum 305 voted no, 190 voted yes. Princeton Public Sc

The Pine County Board voted to censure commissioner J.J. Waldhalm and remove him from out-of-county committee assignments until he completes commissioner training at Tuesday's meeting. According to attorney Laura Kingsbeck, who conducted the investigation, former county administrator David Minke reached out to the law firm of Ratwik, Roszak, and Maloney in July. Kingsbeck said two county employees brought forward claims regarding Waldhalm's conduct. "In particular, the claims

The Burnett County Sheriff's Office is investigating a case where a vehicle struck a pedestrian in the town of Lincoln in the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 2. According to a news release from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office, dispatch received a call from a person reporting he had struck a pedestrian near the intersection of County Highway FF and Perida Road just after 1 a.m. Law enforcement, EMS, and fire personnel were dispatched to the site of the incident. The pedestrian

New A Place For You executive director Anna Reiser has hit the ground running in the position. "I'm on week six, and learning as much as I possibly can about our programming there, so it's been an adventure," Reiser said. Opening in 2012, A Place For You is a transitional homeless shelter for single adults, serving six counties: Pine, Kanabec, Isanti, Chisago, Mille Lacs, and Carlton. "We are able to have people stay up to 90 days," said administrative assistant Kaitlyn Matti

A fire extinguished at a Grantsburg manufacturer in the early hours of Monday morning was determined to be suspicious in nature by authorities. According to a Grantsburg Police Department news release, a fire alarm at McNally Industries, located at 340 West Benson Avenue, was reported to the Burnett County dispatch center at about 3:25 a.m. The Grantsburg Fire Department responded to the scene and determined the fire was suspicious in nature. No employees were at the scene at

An investigation into allegations that Pine County Commissioner J.J. Waldhalm "used his position as an elected official to exert influence inappropriately" found the complaints were substantiated. According to information from the packet for the county board's upcoming Nov. 4 meeting, former administrator David Minke authorized an investigation earlier this spring/summer after receiving complaints regarding Waldhalm. The packet states that the investigation — which was conduc

Kara Troiber — founder of Caught in the Veil Paranormal (CITV-P), a Pine City-based paranormal investigations team — didn't have to go looking for the paranormal in her youth. Instead, the paranormal found her. "I had a lot of experiences as a kid, and growing up, and then eventually, just decided it would be fun to go check it out," Troiber said. Troiber's great-grandparents bought the property of the old, abandoned location of Bradford in Isanti County, when the site still

Winter parking regulations will be enforced once again starting on Saturday, Nov. 1. Here's a look at what that entails for municipalities across east-central Minnesota: Pine City: There is no parking on any city streets from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 through March 31. Vehicles left on city streets during those restricted times are subject to being towed at the owner's expense. Any damage incurred by towing will be the owner's liability. Mora: A city ordinance prohibits ve

UPDATE: The missing person alert issued by the Pine County Sheriff's Office has been canceled after Coyne was found safe. The Pine County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating a missing 30-year-old woman. According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Victoria Coyne was last seen at her residence on Honey Avenue in rural Rush City around 9 p.m. on Oct. 28. Coyne is described as five-foot-five, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eye

Area voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to decide on school board races and referendum elections. Here's a look at what will appear on area ballots. Ogilvie School Board Susan Brown, Michael (Snowy) Crnobrna, and Amanda Stevenson are on the ballot to fill a vacancy on the Ogilvie school board. Jim Hanna, who served on the board for 14 months, vacated his seat due to moving out of the school district earlier this year. The seat's term expires on Jan. 1, 2029. Eas

With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits not being issued for November, area food shelves are working to meet increasing community needs. Patrick Felker, director of food equity and access at Family Pathways, discussed the shutdown's impacts on the nonprofit in an interview on Tuesday. Family Pathways has food shelves in Pine City, Sandstone, Cambridge, Chisago City, Forest Lake, North Branch, and Onamia, and two Wisconsin locations in Frederic and

Pine County is navigating impacts from the federal government shutdown, including a program that helps support about 3,000 residents. Due to the shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits will not be issued for November. "In Pine County, that impacts over 1,400 households; about 3,000 people," said Pine County Health and Human Services director Becky Foss. Foss said the HHS office is directing residents to pinecountyconnect.org , which provides l