A sudden permanent closure of Circle B Weddings and Event Venue in Isanti left future bride and groom Katelyn Stalboerger, 26, and Issac Nelson, 28, with no where to host their wedding. And it’s less than two weeks away. “I feel like it’s every bride’s worst nightmare,” Stalboerger said. Her wedding was scheduled for May...

The Isanti County Public Health unit, which hosts the Baby Café, will hold an event to honor its third anniversary on Thursday, April 25. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Cambridge-Isanti Adult Enrichment Center, which is located at 540 Fifth Ave. NW in Cambridge. Last year the Baby Café served 36 families, with 21 of them attending the Baby Café for the first...

Gracelyn Szynal was nervous as she approached her graduation at Cambridge-Isanti last spring. “I came from a really, really tight band program at Cambridge-Isanti,” she said. “I came from a place where I knew everybody, so it was terrifying to go to a place where I wouldn’t know anybody.” So Szynal was happy when she joined the Gustavus Adolphus Wind Orchestra as a trumpet player. ...

During National Volunteer Month, the American Red Cross asks donors to help protect the nation’s blood supply by making and keeping blood or platelet donation appointments in the weeks ahead. According to Sue Thesenga, who serves as the American Red Cross regional communications manager for Minnesota and Dakotas Region, to be eligible to donate blood, an individual must be in good health and feeling well, weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 16 years old in Minnesota (with parental consent) or 17 years...

Coach: Joel Santjer. Last season: 5-13 overall, 7th in Mississippi 8. Key returnees: Singles lineup. Outlook: The North Branch boys tennis team enters the 2024 spring campaign with the idea of getting better each and every day. “We’re a small...

Dry conditions and the winter that wasn’t is accelerating nutrient management decisions. Should farmers be applying fertilizer once the snow melts? “If phosphorus, potassium or lime didn’t get applied last fall, this could be a good time to get that done,” according to Dr. Dan Kaiser, University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist. Without any rainfall, however, the fertilizer will just sit on the soil surface. Since it needs time...

During the April 9 North Branch City Council meeting, Council Member Kelly Neider attended just as any other meeting, despite council’s request for her to resign her seat after evidence allegedly proved she leaked information from a closed meeting. Council made the motion to request for Neider to voluntarily resign from the council, effective immediately. In addition, the resolution issued the council’s third censure of Neider. It was approved 3-1,...

Coach: Chad Carlson. Key returnees: Junior captain Ashley Bistodeau, sophomore Annabella Lattimore, eighth grader Lauren Thiel. Outlook: The North Branch girls golf team enters the 2024 spring season as a young unit seeking the necessary experience to compete at the highest level possible. The Vikings have just 13 total golfers on the roster this season, and nine of those athletes are in the eighth grade or younger. ...

Coach: Ryan Minke. Last season: 3rd in Mississippi 8, 5th in Section 5AA. Key returnees: Junior Tyler Minke, eighth grader Nick Melvin. Outlook: North Branch enters the 2024 season with lots of youth on its side, but plenty of talent as well. A three-time all-conference returner and one-time state entrant, junior Tyler Minke will serve...

The City Council of Rush City received a plan for a new development as part of its meeting held Monday, April 8. Builder Nic Malchow turned in a concept plan to the city’s Planning Commission to get feedback on a large parcel located on the north side of West Second Street between 935 and 875. The parcel has a 30-foot easement up to the high school, and the developer would...

Coach: Matthew Morgan. Last season: 7-10 overall, 6-6 in Great River Conference, lost in first round of Section 7AA tournament. Key returnees: Seniors Cole Glenna and Nolan Stepp, juniors Logan Kirby, Nathan Pace and Noah Pace. Outlook: The Tigers comes off a back-and-forth 2023 season where the team lost four valuable seniors to graduation in...

Coach: Kayla Jeska. Last season: 16-5 overall, 1st in Great River Conference, lost in Section 7AA tournament. Key returnees: Senior Annabelle Hanson, sophomore Kendal Pillar, freshman Cailyn Glenna. Outlook: A both productive and successful season took place last spring for the Rush City softball team, where the squad posted an impressive 16-5 record en route...

Terry and Mary Kay Bodeen were inducted into the Braham Area High School Hall of Fame as part of the Braham Education Foundation Gala held Saturday, April 13 at the Braham Event Center. The Bodeens both were honored for long teacher careers, which began at Braham in 1971, as well as their activities in the community as well as their support for their community, church and school. Terry Bodeen taught...

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway plans to conduct prescribed fires on approximately 391 acres in the Riverway corridor during the months of April and May when weather and fuel conditions allow. The National Park Service (NPS) is conducting these prescribed fires to improve prairie, savanna, and mixed hardwood habitat along the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. The areas where prescribed fire is to occur are as follows: ...

Coach: Eric Telander. Key returnees: Girls — Juniors Ruth Widenstrom, Abri Talberg. Boys — Senior Gabe Weidenstrom, Brayden Zaske, Eli Umbright. Outlook: The expectation of the Rush City boys and girls golf teams this season will be to rely heavily on improving their short game – and to compete for a Great River Conference title on the boys side, according to Telander. ...

As construction crews begin culvert replacement beneath Hwy 65 south of Hwy 10 in Blaine, motorists will encounter a single lane of traffic in both directions between Anoka County Road 10 in Spring Lake Park and Highway 10 in Blaine, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. At the same time, the ramp from eastbound Highway 10 to northbound Highway 65 will close and traffic will follow a signed detour south on Highway 65 to County Rd 10 and back north. The ramp from westbound...

Shipping containers are useful in many ways. And Ian and Janna Ebeling, of Isanti, proved that they can be crafted into a dream home. From the outside of the 4,100 square-foot home, you would never imagine six shipping containers lie between the walls. A decade-old dream has officially come to fruition, and the Ebelings are ready to make their forever home truly theirs. ...

Coach: Michael Vaughan. Last season: Boys placed 2nd in Great River Conference, girls placed 4th overall. Key returnees: Boys — Seniors Owen Dick, Braeden Rood; junior Braden Niessen. Girls — Seniors Lydia Bengtson, Mikayla Ertz. Outlook: Outside of its five seniors, the Rush City boys and girls track and field team are a fairly youthful...

Last week we all heard that O.J. Simpson died of cancer at the age of 76. For the younger crowd, that news probably was met with a yawn. For those of us who are a certain age, well, that news almost certainly brought back a flood of memories. Sadly, those memories are a mix of good and bad. ...

The numbers alone are staggering. Beyond the nearly one-third of Minnesota’s 444 crash fatalities and 1,910 serious injuries tied to excessive speed and distracted driving in 2022 are stories of heartbreak – of birthday parties missed, traditions lost and relationships forever shattered. In conjunction with April’s national Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Minnesota Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (MN NETS), with the support of a $35,000 grant from State Farm,...