A head-on collision on Highway 169 in Mille Lacs County resulted in four deaths and one passenger sustaining life-threatening injuries on Wednesday. According to the state patrol incident report, a Buick LaSabre was traveling just north of Shakopee Lake Road in Kathio Township around 7 p.m. when it crossed the center line and struck a southbound Saab sedan. The Buick's driver, 21-year-old Isle resident Samantha Ajax, died in the crash. It's unknown if she was wearing a seatbe

A 50-year-old Garrison woman died in a crash on Highway 169 in Mille Lacs County on Tuesday morning. According to the state patrol incident report, a Kia Sorento was traveling north near 460th Street in Kathio Township just before 9 a.m. A southbound Subaru Impreza lost control during a light curve due to icy road conditions, crossed into the oncoming traffic lane, and was T-boned by the Kia. Both vehicles came to rest in the downward slope in the east ditch. The Subaru's dri

Rush City native Max Hageman is often known to east-central Minnesota venues as Relax With Max, but as the musician continues to write and release original songs — with plans to put out an album in 2026 — his work ethic outpaces his stage name. "I've been playing music since I was about six years old, playing guitar," Hageman said in an interview with WCMP on Feb. 18. "I got my first band when I was 14, and I've been playing music ever since." Hageman said he picked up his in

The Mora City Council officially approved the hire of Deb Steele as city administrator at Tuesday’s meeting. Steele has served as the fiscal officer for Clinton Township, located in Franklin County, Ohio, since October 2013. At a special meeting on Feb. 12, the council unanimously voted to offer Steele the position. Steele and Mora human resources director Mandi Yoder were interviewed as finalists for the role. According to public utilities general manager Joe Kohlgraf, Steel

The Kanabec County Fair will bring a supercross event to the grandstand on Friday, July 24. The fair is partnering with Berm Benders Raceway out of Brook Park for the event. “Motocross, in the past, has been very big for Kanabec County,” said fair board member Jeremy Ringler, speaking on behalf of the all-volunteer board in an interview on Monday. “When you start looking back, back in the 90s and early 2000s, that was the big event at the fair.” Redneck races have been schedu

MnDOT will host an open house on March 11 to share information about planned improvements for Highway 65 in Mora. According to a MnDOT news release, the open house will kick off the design phase for the project, and reflects findings from the Highway 65 and Highway 23 corridor study completed in 2024. The open house will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Mora City Hall. MnDOT plans to reconstruct Highway 65 in 2030 and 2031 to improve access and connections, including parts o

Voters rejected both ballot questions in a Chisago Lakes School District referendum election on Tuesday. The first question sought $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. According to the unofficial results, it failed with 2,412 residents voting no, and 1,810 voting yes. The second question was contingent on th

The Vasaloppet Art Show saw a record number of visitors over the weekend, and area artists were recognized for their submissions. According to a news release from the Kanabec County Art Association, the art show — held in conjunction with the ski race — welcomed 733 visitors over the weekend of Feb. 6-8. The gallery featured 81 works created by 35 artists, including several first-time entrants. On Friday, Minnesota artist Surelle Strike served as the gallery guide. She select

The Mora City Council will conduct interviews with at least two finalists for city administrator at a special meeting on Thursday. The council interviewed four candidates for the position — Mandi Yoder, Debra Steele, Angela Grafstrom, and David Dubary — on Jan. 27. Yoder and Steele were selected to move forward with final interviews at that meeting. A fifth candidate, Natasha Segelstrom, was rescheduled to be interviewed on Feb. 9 after an unexpected cancellation due to a tim

The Kanabec County driver's license renewal office located at 903 E. Forest Ave. in Mora will no longer provide driver's license renewal services after March 6. According to a news release from Kanabec County Public Works director Chad Gramentz, the discontinuation only applies to driver's license and identification card services. It does not impact the local deputy registrar/motor vehicle office in Mora (located at 1855 Frontage Road), where residents can obtain vehicle tabs

Downtown Mora will welcome more than 1,000 cross-country skiers when Vasaloppet race weekend kicks off on Saturday. In an interview on Tuesday, Vasaloppet USA president Chip Gerdin said there's enough snow to make a Union Street start and finish line work for the 2026 schedule. "It's shaping up really good," Gerdin said. "It's going to be an absolutely fabulous, beautiful race course. The trails are really, really nice skiing now. Just fabulous." Gerdin said crews would put f

East Central Energy has officially been keeping the lights on in the region since 1936. On Monday, ECE president Justin Jahnz joined KBEK for an interview about the cooperative's past, present, and future at its 90-year milestone. 'Wonderful opportunity made available by the government' "Back in the 1930s, there were a lot of people in big cities that had electricity, and a lot of rural areas in our country did not," Jahnz explained. "And Franklin Delano Roosevelt actually si

As winter weather brings dangerously cold wind chills to east-central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, here's a look at closures, cancellations, and delays in the region. Thursday, Jan. 22: Hinckley-Finlayson School District: All after-school activities cancelled. Grantsburg: All after-school activities cancelled. Pine City: After-school activities cancelled. Friday, Jan. 23: Pine City: School cancelled. East-Central: E-learning day. Ogilvie: School cancelled. Rush City: Sc

An extreme cold watch is set to take effect on Thursday across east-central Minnesota, bringing dangerously cold wind chills to the region. According to the National Weather Service, the alert will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday in Pine County, and 9 p.m. elsewhere in east-central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. It extends through noon on Saturday. The National Weather Service stats that wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero are possible, which could cause frostbite on exp

Braham Area High School briefly went into a Code Yellow lockdown on Wednesday morning as officials investigated a rumor about a firearm at the school. According to information from superintendent Ken Gagner, the rumor started after a student reported they had received a BB gun as a gift over the holidays. A rumor then started that a student had a gun and brought it into the school. An investigation conducted by district officials and local law enforcement determined that the

The Kanabec County Art Association is seeking submissions from area artists for the annual Vasaloppet Art Show. The gallery is held in conjunction with the ski race, from Feb. 6 through Feb. 8. Artists over 18 years of age are invited to enter up to three recent original works for the exhibition. Entries are due by Saturday, Jan. 31. Entry forms are available at Vasaloppet USA headquarters and the Oak Gallery, both located in downtown Mora. The art show will be held at the lo

East Central Minnesota Pride will host its third annual Silver Social event in Braham on Sunday, Feb. 15. According to a news release from the organization, the event will be held at the Braham Event Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event brings together LGBTQ+ seniors and allies from Pine, Kanabec, Isanti, Chisago, and Mille Lacs counties for connection, community, and conversation. “It’s community building at its finest,” event organizer and East Central Minnesota Pride bo

The Mora City Council outlined the next steps in the search for a city administrator at Tuesday's meeting. The council has a special meeting scheduled on Jan. 27 for a first round of interviews with candidates. Mayor Jake Mathison said Mora has received "a healthy amount of applicants" for the position. Interim city administrator Joe Kohlgraf corroborated by saying seven applications have been submitted, with a deadline of Monday, Jan. 18. Five candidates will be interviewed

The Vasaloppet USA board is hopeful the start and finish line for this year's ski race weekend — Feb. 7 and 8 — will return to Union Street in downtown Mora. At Tuesday's city council meeting, board member Jack Schwinghamer said the organization has been "blessed with some snow" early in 2026. "The Vasaloppet's main goal here is to start and finish our race down on main street in Mora here," Schwinghamer said. "I think the skiers love that venue, and I think that's great for

Some locations in east central Minnesota and western Wisconsin saw over half a foot of snow during Sunday's winter storm. According to snowfall reports from the National Weather Service , 6.8 inches of snow accumulation was reported in Cambridge. Webster, WI, saw 6.5 inches, and Chisago City recorded 6 inches. 5.9 inches were reported in Rush CitySome locations in east central Minnesota and western Wisconsin saw over half a foot of snow during Sunday's winter storm. According