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

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