Area utilities are working to restore various power outages after Tuesday night's winter storm. According to a notice, Mora Municipal Utilities experienced outages on Tuesday night that will continue throughout Wednesday due to downed trees, which are being removed from power lines. MMU is asking residents for patience as crews work to safely restore power. Around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, East Central Energy reported scattered outages impacting over 500 members, with most locate

A winter storm watch will take effect from 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, through noon on Wednesday, Nov. 26, in Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Benton counties. Rain is expected to transition to snow on Tuesday afternoon and evening, and snow rates could exceed 0.5 inches per hour. According to the National Weather Service, heavy snow is possible, with accumulation between 2 and 4 inches. Winds could gust as high as 40 miles per hour, and lead to reduced visibility and blowing snow du

The Mora City Council held an initial interview with an internal candidate for city administrator at Tuesday's meeting. Mandi Yoder, the city's Human Resources director, was the lone internal applicant for the vacancy. Mora's employee labor relations committee met on Oct. 29, and reached the consensus to recruit from within and invest in the city's employees rather than seeking a contracted administrator or hiring a recruiting firm. "We're all aware that Mandi has been doing

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is cautioning residents of east-central Minnesota that fire danger is predicted to increase over the next few days. As fall continues, dry vegetation and falling leaves increase, which help fuel wildfires. Information officer Philip Weyhe said the DNR has responded to over 20 fires during the last week. "Wildfires can start and spread quickly, especially in dry, windy conditions," Weyhe said in an email. According to DNR wildfire

A two-vehicle crash on Highway 95 in Isanti County resulted in a fatality on Monday night. According to an Isanti County Sheriff's Office news release, law enforcement responded to a crash involving a semi and an SUV at the intersection of Highway 95 NE and Hornsby Drive NE in North Branch Township just before 9 p.m. Emergency personnel determined the driver of the SUV was deceased at the scene. The vehicle had no other occupants. The release states that the incident is being

A student food shelf at the Mora High School has been providing 'Food For Friends' for 10 years. Food For Friends is managed and maintained by Mustang students, with oversight from Mora Alternative Learning Center coordinator Karen Felger. The donation-driven food shelf provides food resources for Mora students, as well as other necessities, including hygiene products. "We do apply for some grants from some local businesses, companies, or banks, but our funding is almost enti

A 32-year-old Mora woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries following a single-vehicle crash in Kanabec County on Tuesday morning. According to the state patrol incident report, a Honda Civic was traveling westbound on 195th Avenue at Mahogany Street in Mora around 11:45 a.m. The vehicle went off the road and onto the shoulder, overcorrected, struck a tree and rolled onto its roof, and caught fire. The report states that passersby pulled the driver from the burni

With the page slowly turning on 2025, East Central Regional Library executive director Carla Lydon was an open book in sharing highlights and challenges from the library system in an interview last week. "It's been quite a year," said Lydon, who has been in the position since 2017. Lydon said ECRL started 2025 with a new strategic plan, and progress on those goals included a growing readers program piloted by the Mora Public Library. The program connects a student in grades 1

UPDATE: The alert has been canceled after the missing party was located safely. The Isanti County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating a missing 37-year-old woman. According to an alert from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Erin Severson left her rural Isanti County residence between Oct. 20 and Oct. 25. Severson is described as five-foot-eight and weighing 118 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. Her vehicle is a black 2016 Buick Enclave

Work on Hinckley's I-35 bridge replacement project is nearing completion. According to the MnDOT project website, lane closures will be removed at noon on Friday, Nov. 7. A northbound lane closure will be put back in place on Monday, Nov. 10. That work is expected to last through the evening of Nov. 14. All work on the project, which carries a $25.6 million price tag, is expected to be complete by the end of November.

The Braham City Council unanimously voted to authorize a purchase of a vacant lot for the purpose of establishing a compost site at Tuesday's meeting. City administrator Kevin Stahl explained that the property is about six acres, located on Hupp Street in Stanchfield Township. "As you're going out Second, you'd take a right, and it's about a city block, roughly, on the right side of the road," Stahl explained. "It's a wedge, and it's about six acres." The council previously a

The Isanti County Sheriff's Office and Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating a Tuesday structure fire in Athens Township as an arson case. According to a news release from the Isanti County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement responded to a structure fire in the 25600 block of Highway 65 NE just before 5:30 p.m. The structure was an abandoned residence, and there is no threat to the public. The sheriff's office received information from a witness who reported

Here are the preliminary results from local elections. Cambridge-Isanti School District referendum Question 1: 4,481 voted no (59.6%), 3,038 voted yes (40.4%). Cambridge: 2,005 voted no, 1,720 voted yes. Isanti: 2,476 voted no, 1,318 voted yes. Question 2: 4,931 voted no (65.73%), 2,571 voted yes (34.27%) Cambridge: 2,253 voted no, 1,462 voted yes. Isanti: 2,678 voted no, 1,109 voted yes. Willow River School District referendum 305 voted no, 190 voted yes. Princeton Public Sc

New A Place For You executive director Anna Reiser has hit the ground running in the position. "I'm on week six, and learning as much as I possibly can about our programming there, so it's been an adventure," Reiser said. Opening in 2012, A Place For You is a transitional homeless shelter for single adults, serving six counties: Pine, Kanabec, Isanti, Chisago, Mille Lacs, and Carlton. "We are able to have people stay up to 90 days," said administrative assistant Kaitlyn Matti

A Glendorado Township man was sentenced by a Benton County judge on Friday to more than 76 years in prison for a 2023 shooting that injured five members of the Sherburne County Drug Task Force just west of Princeton. According to a Sherburne County Sheriff's Office news release, 66-year-old Karl Holmberg had previously been convicted of seven counts of attempted murder of a police officer and assault and drug charges. He was sentenced to 918 months in prison. In October of 20

Mora's Maple Avenue reconstruction project is in the final stretch, according to public utilities general manager Joe Kohlgraf. "We are finally there, after many, many months here," Kohlgraf said on Friday. "We have a few more days, and unfortunately, they're going to be longer than what seems like the whole summer." Kohlgraf explained that blacktop completion was anticipated to be finished on Friday, with striping taking place on Monday. The rest of the traffic control signa

Winter parking regulations will be enforced once again starting on Saturday, Nov. 1. Here's a look at what that entails for municipalities across east-central Minnesota: Pine City: There is no parking on any city streets from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 through March 31. Vehicles left on city streets during those restricted times are subject to being towed at the owner's expense. Any damage incurred by towing will be the owner's liability. Mora: A city ordinance prohibits ve

Area voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to decide on school board races and referendum elections. Here's a look at what will appear on area ballots. Ogilvie School Board Susan Brown, Michael (Snowy) Crnobrna, and Amanda Stevenson are on the ballot to fill a vacancy on the Ogilvie school board. Jim Hanna, who served on the board for 14 months, vacated his seat due to moving out of the school district earlier this year. The seat's term expires on Jan. 1, 2029. Eas

With  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits not being issued for November, area food shelves are working to meet increasing community needs. Patrick Felker, director of food equity and access at Family Pathways, discussed the shutdown's impacts on the nonprofit in an interview on Tuesday. Family Pathways has food shelves in Pine City, Sandstone, Cambridge, Chisago City, Forest Lake, North Branch, and Onamia, and two Wisconsin locations in Frederic and

Mora Public Schools is experiencing a significant shortage of substitute school bus drivers. According to a notice from Chip Brandt, the district's director of transportation, the shortage means that if even one of the regular drivers is unavailable, an entire route may be left temporarily without coverage. In situations where an unexpected absence isn't able to be immediately filled, a "double run" for morning and afternoon routes may be implemented. A driver would complete