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(DrydenWire) -- Felony complaints have been filed in Burnett County and Washburn County circuit courts against Timothy Fitzgerald, age 23, alleging that he committed numerous crimes including mail fraud, identity theft, and forgery between September 2021 and December 2021. Read the full story below:. DrydenWire Insider. This content is only...

“Support Staff Spotlight” is a weekly series that shines a spotlight on those that work behind the scenes in our area county departments that keep everything running smoothly. These individuals rarely get any attention (or credit?) but are vital to their respective departments. A new “Support Staff Spotlight” (formerly known as "21 Things You Might Not Know About Me") from one of our six-county coverage-area county departments will be published each Monday on DrydenWire.com.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will host a hybrid public meeting on Wednesday, April 5 to discuss a study that focuses on the Highway 73 corridor from Kettle River to Cromwell. According to MnDOT, roadway from Cromwell to Kettle River is being studied to understand existing and future transportation needs. The results of the study will help MnDOT and local agencies plan improvement projects to address existing issues and make a plan for its future.

BURNETT COUNTY -- Criminal charges have been filed in Burnett County Circuit Court against Dorothy Alger and Gabriel Alger, alleging mistreatment of horses that were in their care. The criminal complaints filed against the two allege that the mistreatment resulted in the death of at least two horses, including a colt.

Hibbing, MN- The Hibbing Police Department is looking for volunteers. In May, the department will be hosting a Community Cleanup Day. Volunteers are needed for the Mobile Cleanup Team and Drop Off Center Team. They will also need help with donations throughout the day. A date has yet to be chosen for the cleanup, but those interested in volunteering can reach out to the department.

Angela “Iyegbah” Dawson is a 4th-generation farmer and land sustainability specialist, who is carrying on her family’s lineage through Forty Acre Co-op, the first Black farming cooperative in the U.S. since Reconstruction. “My father’s family were all farmers who had large farming colonies in Iowa,” she said....

BURNETT COUNTY -- DrydenWire.com has been informed by the Burnett County Clerk of Courts Office the following Criminal and Traffic Disposition and Warrant Status Reports for Burnett County. Burnett County Reports. DrydenWire Insider. This content is only for paid subscribers to DrydenWire Insider. Please Login or Subscribe. Note: Once you...

The Hinckley City Council approved annexing nine acres of Barry Township during its meeting on March 15. The process to acquire the property began after Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures petitioned the city to take the land located south of Lady Luck Drive along Morris Ave. As part of the ordinance,...

Duluth, Minn.-based St. Luke's partnered with Moose Lake, Minn.-based Gateway Family Health Clinic to open a new surgery center. Northern Lakes Surgery Center in Moose Lake opened March 22, according to a news release from St. Luke's. The ASC offers surgeries and procedures across specialties including gastroenterology, orthopedics, ophthalmology and...

Lakes and Pines Community Action Council Inc. announced the Central Minnesota Council on Aging has awarded the Older Americans Act funding to provide group respite services to older residents in Mille Lacs, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec and Pine counties. The funds provide in-person group respite services currently in Braham, Mora, North Branch and Pine City with staff working to expand services to a community in Mille Lacs County. Lakes and Pines welcomes volunteers to assist in providing in-person group respite services. Contributions are also welcome to help sustain these services. Contact Lakes and Pines via email at lap@lake sandpines.org or call 800-832-6082 or 320-679-1800, option 4 for more information.

In an effort to move past an incident involving the Hilltop Park Committee, the Pine City Council approved a resolution renewing its support for the group's work. This follows members of the committee being accused of consuming alcohol in the city park during a work project in December of last year. During a presentation in early March, Marco Schisano said the way the incident was portrayed by the City of Pine City and local media has caused attitudes among the group to be low.

Hinckley city administrator expected to begin mid-April After roughly a four-month search, the city of Scandia is set to hire Kyle Morrell, the current city administrator for the city of Hinckley, for the role of city administrator after the council approved an employment agreement with Morrell during its Tuesday, March 21 meeting. Morrell’s first day is expected to be Wednesday, April 17, and will earn $115,000 annually in the Scandia city administrator role. ...

The National Weather Service has released an update to their spring flood outlook, with no good news to share. Usually by the time we get to late March, we see a decrease in snow depth as snow begins to melt. This year, although there has been some snow melt, there has been more snowfall than snow melt, increasing snow depth.

Editor’s note: The following letter was signed by 14 sheriffs in Minnesota District 2, which includes Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine Counties, and sent to Minnesota Representatives regarding concerns over a specific House of Representatives gun control bill currently being considered. The letter is being reprinted here with permission from Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Seiberlich.

A six-year-old boy died after falling through ice and drowning west of Finlayson. According to the press release, the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a six-year-old who had fallen through the ice in rural McGrath. The location was near a dock on a small lake usually meant for ice skating. The lake was not covered with snow.

The Garry Allan presale password has finally been published! During this limited time presale period you have got a great opportunity to acquire performance tickets before the public. Please don’t miss this stellar date to see Garry Allan’s show in Hinckley!. Here are all the Garry Allan show...

MADISON, Wis. (Office of U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea Western District of Wisconsin U.S. Department of Justice press release) - In related cases charged in separate indictments, two individuals have been charged with engaging in fraud schemes to defraud the St. Croix Chippewa Housing Authority, a tribal agency of the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. The first indictment charges Karen Johnson, 55, Cumberland, Wisconsin, with three counts of wire fraud, theft from a federally funded organization, and aggravated identity theft. This indictment alleges that from November 2018 to June 2019, Johnson, while employed as a housing specialist with the St. Croix Chippewa Housing Authority, created false invoices and vouchers for work allegedly done by Individual A on behalf of the Housing Authority and then wrote checks payable to Individual A from the Housing Authority’s bank account. The indictment further alleges that Johnson endorsed each check by forging the signature of Individual A and deposited the proceeds into her personal bank account. According to the indictment, Individual A did not perform the work for the Housing Authority or create the invoices and he was unaware his identity was used in this manner. The wire fraud charges involve three Housing Authority checks totaling $12,700.

You can never really hide forever, well maybe DB Cooper can, but that's about it. Just ask the person who ran from the Pine County Sheriff's Office recently. They decided to flee, and once there was a K9 officer on the scene the suspect gave up knowing they weren't getting away.

All eyes remain on a system that could bring significant snow accumulation Thursday and Friday. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for much of the region. The Watch begins at 10 am Thursday and lasts until 10 am Friday for east central Minnesota reaching to South St. Louis County. The Arrowhead has the Watch from 1 pm Thursday to 1 pm Friday. Douglas, Bayfield, Burnett, Washburn, and Sawyer Counties have the Watch starting at 1 pm Thursday and lasting until 4 am Saturday. Ashland, Iron, and Price Counties will be in the Watch from 4 pm Thursday until 4 am Saturday.

East Central Minnesota sheriffs have added their voices to opposition of Minnesota House legislation concerning firearm and ammunition storage requirements. Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith, Pine County Sheriff Jeff Nelson, Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Seiberlich, and Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton are among the 14 sheriffs representing District 2 of the state sheriff’s association who signed their names to a letter opposing bill HF 396.