COMMUNITY A Veterans town hall meeting is scheduled Tuesday, May 14, at 2 p.m., at the VA Clinic, 722 Northwest 7th St., in Brainerd. Veterans can attend in-person, or virtually by joining the meeting on a computer or mobile device at https://tinyurl.com/53j48yxk. Veterans may also call in (audio only) to listen to the meeting at 1-872-701-0185 and use access code 24981157#. The annual Toolin’ Tour Ride for Habitat, Aitkin County...

Opening day of the walleye season is right around the corner this Saturday, May 11 and from the sounds of it, it should be worth the wait. After a very successful ice fishing season (fishing wise) anticipation of a good opener is running high. This year is the first year since 2020 that Mille Lacs is back to the catch and release regulation. This will stay in effect until Friday, Aug. 16 when a harvest season is scheduled to open with one fish 21-23 inches or one over 28 inches will be allowed. ...

As spring arrives in Minnesota, it’s time for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to kick off its popular program that relies on Minnesotans to monitor our 12,000-plus lakes and 92,000-plus miles of streams: the Volunteer Water Monitoring Program. The MPCA is currently recruiting volunteers to measure water clarity in numerous lakes and streams – including several high-priority sites across the Mille Lacs area – and then report back to the agency. ...

Onamia High School assistant principal Karn Dols gave activities director Austin Hackett’s report to the school board at the April meeting, reporting the speech team won their 3rd consecutive Great River Championship, which was held at Onamia high school. Izzy Cerrillo placed 3rd in Extemporaneous Reading at Sections which qualified her for the State Tournament. “Izzy made it to the final round at the State Tournament and ended up placing 8th overall in the State, so that was awesome. Congratulations Izzy.” ...

Eighteen people of all ages participated in the annual Trinity Lutheran Church mission outreach project at Feed My Starving Children. Along with others, they packed 144 boxes (31,104 meals) that will provide nutritious food for 85 children for one year. Trinity members also contributed more than $1771 to that cause.

Historic changes coming to the Minnesota Indian Area Agency on Aging later this year will improve services for Native American elders across the state. Starting in July 2024, the agency’s planning and service areas will change to better serve American Indian elders in 10 of the 11 Tribal Nations that share geographic area with Minnesota. The changes are happening after several years of consultation with Tribal leaders seeking a better...

If you haven’t heard already, the ticks are out! The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has reported many early-season tick sightings going back to February. First sightings in late winter are not uncommon, what they report is uncommon is the number of reports of sightings. In Minnesota, adult ticks usually emerge once the snow has melted, and reach peak numbers by May. There is typically a second period of high activity in the fall before temperatures dip below freezing. This year, the MN DNR warns...

Suicide rates in the United States have increased 37 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And in Minnesota, it’s increasing faster in rural areas, when compared to urban and suburban numbers. A new report from the Center for Rural Policy and Development says there are unique challenges to rural life that make it harder to get help for those who need it. “It’s difficult to...

Motorists Question: I know it has been extremely dry but with the anticipation of spring showers can you talk about hydroplaning? Answer: At speeds of 35 mph or less, most tires will “wipe” water off the road surface to keep tires in contact with the road. At higher speeds, water can collect under tires and lift them off the surface of the road — this is called “hydroplaning.” When your...

Friday, April 19 Medical, Walnut Rd. Isle, 9:23 a.m. Property exchange, 350th St. Onamia, 3:17 p.m. Disturbance, 130th Ave. Onamia, 6:04 p.m. Public assist, Partridge Pass, Garrison, 7:19 p.m. ...

The Mille Lacs Raiders varsity baseball team had four games scheduled this past week, of which they managed to complete three, with the final one against Hill City cancelled because of rainy weather. Raiders head coach Tyler Soderstrom summed up the weeks performance thusly: “Our bats were hot all week - 37 runs in three games while facing East Central’s best pitcher and Braham’s two best pitchers. In the Braham games we just gave up too many free bases with walks, hit batters, and errors...

The Mille Lacs Raiders softball team split a pair of Great River Conference games last week to bring their overall record to 1-4. East Central The Mille Lacs Raiders hosted the East Central Eagles in a conference game on April 23. The Raiders scored runs in every inning, scoring 13 times on 15 hits on the way to a 13-3 win in a game called after five innings because of...

Seven major awards were given out last week to the outstanding Mille Lacs Raiders varsity basketball players from this past season. Award winners pictured above are: Front: Josiah Mueller (6th-man Award), Josh Nicaboine (Practice Player of the Year), Gabe Honek (Team Defensive MVP). Back row: Gabe Gahbow (Raider Award), Wes Gahbow (Team Offensive MVP) and Thomas Schleis (All-Conference, Hustle Award.)

Final statistics for the bowling league season. Tuesday bowlers continue all year around. Youth Season High Scores: Max Hagel - 452; Haley Harris - 443; Cale Smith - 408 Monday Men’s League Teams and Points won: Team - Olson Woodcraft - 522; Fin Towners - 517; Build It Construction - 498; Isle Bowl and Pizza - 479; Mak Welding - 459; Lybacks Ice Fishing - 440, Beckham’s Bistro - 431 ...

With walleye, northern pike, bass and trout-in-lakes fishing opener right around the corner, anglers may be interested to know some Minnesota fishing facts. Anglers/waters • 1.7 million anglers fished in Minnesota in 2022. Of these, 1.2 million were Minnesota residents while 508,000 were nonresidents, according to the USFWS survey. • About 500,000 people are expected...

Dispatchers or 911 operators work behind the scenes to keep their communities safe. They are heard but not seen. They work hard to help people often experiencing the worst days of their lives, and yet rarely learn of the outcome. Mille Lacs County dispatchers are no different, with 10 people working around the clock, one of whom is in training, to help the community through its emergencies. The week of...

The 3rd annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) event is set to take place on Thursday, May 2, at 12 noon. The event will be held at the Health and Human Services Building located at 18562 Minobimaadizi Loop, Onamia. Attendees can anticipate a program that includes an Opening Prayer by Adrienne Benjamin, followed by welcoming remarks from Melanie Benjamin, Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive, and Nicole Anderson, Commissioner of Health and Human Services. Scheduled presenters for the event include District II Representative Wendy Merrill, Juliet Rudie, Director of the MMIR Office for the State of Minnesota, Addison Grap-Gahbow with a Youth Essay, Eldayshun Bigbear with a Performance, Adrienne Benjamin presenting a Poem Performance, and Virgil Wind providing the Closing remarks. Light refreshments will be served, courtesy of Aanji and HHS Population Health. The event is hosted by Health and Human Services Victim Services and can be contacted at 320-532-7793 for further information.

An in-person training session on suicide prevention will take place Thursday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes in Baxter. This training day is free and includes lunch, but registration is required as attendance is limited. Registration will close Friday, May 3. Titled “Northern MN Suicide Prevention Training...

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a single vehicle crash near the intersection of County Road 138 and Loveland Pass, in Roosevelt Township near Garrison Wednesday, April 24, to the report of a single vehicle crash. As a result of the crash, a 63-year-old male from Brainerd was pronounced deceased. The crash remains under investigation. He was later identified as Todd Robert West of Brainerd, formerly of Faribault. ...