Alborn
LATEST NEWS
How the Twin Cities’ Sahan Journal chronicles a diverse Minnesota
Our work with newsrooms across the country offers us a unique vantage point of how cities and towns are evolving, and it is always revealing to see what issues are coming to the fore and how communities are approaching them. In too many places, the local news operations are stressed...
Suicide ticks down, remains more common in Greater Minnesota
Minnesota’s suicide rate ticked downward in 2023, according to provisional data from from the state Department of Health. Last year there were 815 suicide deaths in the state, down from 860 the year prior. Adjusting for population, the suicide rate fell from 14.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2022 to 14.1 in 2023. Whether that decline […]
STATE’S FIRST LEGAL CANNABIS DISPENSARY HAS FIRST ANNIVERSARY
(Red Lake, MN) — Minnesota’s first recreational cannabis dispensary had its first anniversary. The Red Lake Nation opened the NativeCare dispensary on August 1st, 2023. Tribal leaders met their goal of being the first outlet to open when recreational marijuana became legal last year. Minnesota has yet to issue any licenses for recreational dispensaries outside of tribal lands, though the state began vetting eligible social equity applicants last month.
Minnesota State Trooper rescues injured eagle, dies on the way to the Raptor Center
MINNEAPOLIS — Though a Minnesota State Trooper attempted to rescue an injured eagle on I-35E on Friday, the bird unfortunately died before reaching the Raptor Center.The trooper found the eagle on the highway in between the Cliff Road and Cedar Avenue exit near Eagan. According to a representative from the Minnesota State Patrol, it's unclear how the eagle was injured. The trooper reported no obvious signs of injury on the eagle. When the trooper arrived at the scene to try and clear the animal off the road, that's when it was observed that the eagle couldn't fly. The trooper wrapped the eagle in a blanket and drove to the Raptor Center in Falcon Heights, said the Minnesota State Patrol. Unfortunately, by the time the trooper arrived at the facility, the eagle had died. The Raptor Center took possession of the eagle.
After losing 135 pounds, the new Mrs. Minnesota is living out a dream
From the moment she was crowned Junior Queen of Spring Lake Park at the age of seven, Katina Schroeder’s dream was to become Mrs. Minnesota America. The road to get there was arduous however.
Harris veepstakes watch: Tim Walz’s record on Israel, Holocaust education and antisemitism
(JTA) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has a reputation as an unassuming politician, didn’t immediately vault into headlines as a potential vice presidential pick for Kamala Harris. But Walz has rocketed higher in the veepstakes this week because of his viral criticism of “weird” Republicans — and as another contender, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, takes...
Minnesota Supreme Court in self-defense ruling: Retreat before brandishing a weapon
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a decision that one does not have the right to use deadly force in a situation where they feel threatened if they have the opportunity to escape.The court decided the principle also applies to people who merely use the threat of force — meaning one cannot pull a weapon in self-defense if there are other means to escape, even if the person is threatening them with death or bodily harm.The ruling comes after Earley Blevins was convicted of felony second-degree assault-fear with a dangerous weapon for pulling a machete...
First National Bank Bemidji announces plans to close downtown express location
BEMIDJI - First National Bank Bemidji announced Thursday its plans to close the bank's express branch in downtown Bemidji at the end of the year. "This is a decision that has been weighing heavily on our shoulders for nearly a decade. First National Bank Bemidji has been in operation since 1897, and during that time, has always maintained a presence in downtown Bemidji," Ryan Welle, president of First National Bank Bemidji, said in a release. "The gravity of that symbolism, coupled with the emotional and sentimental attachment to downtown Bemidji, continues to linger inside of me.
Man seriously wounded after being shot in rural Akeley
AKELEY, Minn. (KFGO) – One man is in jail and another is in the hospital after a shooting in Hubbard County. Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes says a man called the Sheriff’s Office just after 12:15 Friday morning saying he’d been assaulted. The caller, 26-year-old Jonothan Smith,...
Birchwood Manufacturing shut down in Rice Lake
Besse Forest Products closed its downtown Rice Lake Birchwood Manufacturing Co. facility and 46 employees lost their jobs on Friday. In a letter to the state Department of Workforce Development dated Thursday, Aug. 1, Besse said it was closing the facility, located at 38 E. Messenger St., effective Friday, Aug. 2, and the closure was likely to be permanent. The 46 employees are not represented by a collective bargaining representative,...
Hardwood veneer & plywood manufacturer closing 3 Wisconsin facilities, affecting 136 employees
(WFRV) – A hardwood veneer and plywood manufacturer is permanently closing three facilities across Wisconsin, including two locations in the northeastern part of the state. The closures will result in over 130 employees being laid off. According to three different letters sent from Besse Forest Products, Inc. to the...
Superior, Wisc., Moves Forward on Open-Access Fiber Network
(TNS) — The City Council will consider more proposals for ConnectSuperior when it meets Tuesday, Aug. 6. During its second meeting in July, the Communications and Information Technology Committee recommended an agreement with COS Systems to make the connection among the city's infrastructure, Internet service providers and customers of the Superior broadband utility.