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

The Mora City Council voted to "recast the net" with the search process for the city administrator position in a split 3-2 vote at Tuesday's meeting. Interviews were held with two internal candidates — Human Resources Director Mandi Yoder and City Clerk Natasha Segelstrom — over the past couple of weeks. Yoder interviewed for the position at council meetings on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. Segelstrom's interviews — conducted remotely by interim city administrator Joe Kohlgraf on Dec.

Mora is encouraging residents to share feedback on services provided by the city and Mora Municipal Utilities through an annual community survey. The city has conducted the survey since 2011. It will be distributed with the city’s quarterly newsletter in January, and residents can participate online through the city’s website . Paper copies of the survey are also available at Mora City Hall. The deadline to complete the survey — which is completely anonymous — is Friday, Jan

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority announced $91.7 million in loans and grants for water infrastructure projects on Wednesday, with two east-central Minnesota municipalities receiving funding. According to a news release from the Department of Employment and Economic Development, Braham received $752,674 for upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant, including advanced treatment for phosphorous. Foley was awarded $664,898 for the service line replacement of app

A 39-year-old Minneapolis woman died in a fatal Mille Lacs County crash in Isle Harbor Township on Wednesday morning. According to the state patrol incident report, a Cadillac CTS was traveling northbound on Highway 27 near 400th Street around 6:30 when it struck a pedestrian crossing the highway. The pedestrian, identified as Danielle Boyd, died as a result of the crash. The driver, a 41-year-old Isle man, was not injured. The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office and Isle poli

Municipalities across east-central Minnesota recorded inches of snow following a winter storm on Tuesday. According to snowfall reports over the past 24 hours  from the National Weather Service, Hinckley, Bock, and Willow River each registered 7 inches of snow accumulation. Chisago City recorded 5.8 inches of snow, with Rush City seeing 5.5 inches, and Cambridge reporting 5.1 inches. Other area snowfall totals include: Mora: 5 inches Pine City: 4.9 inches Grantsburg, WI: 4.6

The East Central Regional Arts Council will offer grant information sessions for artists and organizations in December, January, February, and March. According to a news release from ECRAC, the sessions cover basic information about grant programs, tips and best practices, and recent changes to the application process. Funds may be available for artists and organizations located in Pine, Kanabec, Chisago, Isanti, and Mille Lacs counties, with upcoming grant deadlines on Feb.

A 37-year-old Mora woman has been charged with two counts each of felony-level drug sale and possession after allegedly coordinating plans to smuggle narcotics into the Rush City prison. According to the criminal complaint, the East Central Drug and Violent Offenders Task Force had been investigating Kristi Tyler for reportedly communicating with Rush City inmates. A search warrant for Tyler’s residence and vehicle was approved on Nov. 17. Law enforcement officers conducting

The Mora City Council did not make a decision about the city administrator position after a second interview with human resources director Mandi Yoder last week. According to the draft minutes from last week’s special meeting, a second internal candidate submitted an application for the role on Nov. 25. The council reached a consensus to hold at least two interviews with the second applicant before making any decisions. An initial interview with Yoder was held at the council'

The East Central Regional Library will reduce service hours at six branches in 2026 in response to funding decreases. According to an update from the library system, Pine City, Hinckley, Sandstone, Cambridge, McGregor, and Aitkin will see reductions in hours starting Jan. 5. The Pine City branch will open two hours later on Mondays and Wednesdays, at noon instead of 10 a.m., and will only stay open until 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. It will also be open a half-hour

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