Wild River State Park closed to the public this weekend

The entire Wild River State Park will be closed to the public from November 7-9 for a special hunt. Only hunters that were drawn and have a valid permit will be able to enter the park during those three days. Normal camping and day use will resume on November 10, …

2026 Election Results

Results from balloting Tuesday this week have not been canvassed and made final as of print deadline, but preliminary totals show a longtime county commissioner was removed, the North Branch mayor was ousted by a former employee of the same city and the majority of county voters embraced a few …

North Branch 2027 project gets green light

The North Branch city street 2027 improvements package was approved to proceed on to final engineering review and be sent out for bids for next year, in action by the full council last week.

Taylors Falls dispensary owner going with the flow

If you have driven through or strolled the streets of downtown Taylors Falls recently you may have noticed a store sign that reads “The Bridge”. The Bridge is the brainchild of Buck Duncan. Duncan, who resides in rural Wisconsin, has been growing hemp on his farm for years and has …

Law Enforcement

October 26 Stacy Fire Department was called out on a report of a vehicle fire at the Casey’s convenience station at about 10 a.m. The vehicle owner was able to disconnect a trailer behind the smoking pickup truck and the F150 had to be towed after firefighters put out the …

Halloween is over... and the ads!

Halloween has come and gone. For the sixth year our street had zero trick-or-treaters. I am not sure if they just focus on the dense neighborhoods or if the community events such as Trunk or Treat or the downtown trick-or-treat or Chisago City’s Falloween satisfied their candy needs. Once again …

Let’s get a little nuts in here!

Nuts are such a nutritious and delightful treat, and I don’t think I’ve ever really dedicated much space to them here. They are versatile as well, pairing perfectly at times with meat for that salty hint that you’re looking for, or making a great part of a sweet dessert as …

Chisago Lakes High School Musical “Suessical The Musical’ Nov. 13-22

An elephant, a cat in a hat, and a town full of tiny people walk onto a stage. No, it's not the beginning of a joke; it's Chisago Lakes High School's fall musical. Directed by Rachel Lexvold, Chisago Lakes High School is proud to present Seussical, a musical that brings …

Margueritte Malcomson

Our beloved mother and grandmother, Margueritte Louise (Bany) Malcomson, age 96 passed away peacefully on October 21, 2026 at the Valentine High Assisted Living facility in Lake City, Minnesota. She was a long time resident of Lindstrom and Center City, Minnesota.

Carol Cummins

Carol Ann Cummins, was born September 11, 1951 at the US Army Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia to Frank and Ingeborg Cummins. She passed away October 27, 2026 at Parmly on the Lake in Chisago City, MN. Carol graduated from John F. Kennedy Senior High School of Bloomington, MN on …

Paul Martin

Paul Francis Martin, age 91, of Chisago City, MN, passed away at home on October 23, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of faith, perseverance, and love. Paul shared 68 beautiful years of marriage with his loving wife and devoted caregiver, Donna (Ginsky) Martin. Together they built a life rooted in …

Sandra Mitthun

Sandra Irene Mitthun, 82, passed peacefully in her home on October 29, 2026. She will be remembered for her loving, hardworking nature. Sandy was born to Melvin and Dorothy (Cone) Hanson on May 24, 1944, in Saint Paul, MN. She then met her life partner, Stanley and enjoyed many amazing …

Phyllis Weise

Beloved Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and Great-Great Grandmother Phyllis (Groehler) Weise, 99, of Minnesota passed away on October 14, 2026.

Nancy Hoover

Nancy Kaye (Hybben) Hoover, 82, of Mendota Heights, died peacefully October 31, 2026. She was born March 5, 1944, in Clear Lake, Wis., the oldest of eight children of Andrew and Kathryn (Peabody) Hybben, and graduated from Boyceville High School in 1962. She moved to St. Paul, where she met …

CLEAN SWEEP

History was made at Whitefish Golf Course in Pequot Lakes on Thursday, October 29, as both the Chisago Lakes boys and girls cross country teams captured section championships, marking the first time in school history that both Wildcat squads have qualified for the state meet in the same season.

Pioneers use four touchdown quarter to pull away from CL

In the Class AAAA Section 3 football semifinal, played at Hill Murray High School, the fourth-seeded Wildcats tied the top-seeded Hill Murray Pioneers 7-7 early in the second quarter. But the Halloween day game turned into a nightmare for the Wildcats after that as the Pioneers turned up the heat …

Mickelson wins one before bowing out of state meet

Chisago Lakes sophomore Claire Mickelson made the most of her trip to the Class AA state girls tennis tournament on Thursday, October 29, picking up an opening-round victory before falling to one of the tournament's top seeds in the quarterfinals.

Wildcats get to section final but fall apart after getting 2-0 lead

Chisago Lakes' volleyball team played in the Section 4AAA championship match after picking up a pair of postseason victories last week, including a dramatic five-set win over St. Paul Harding that was almost a near meltdown

Vikings fall short of state in section title game

North Branch's volleyball team is one win away from a trip to the state tournament after taking care of business in its first two Section 7AAA playoff matches last week, knocking off Rock Ridge and Grand Rapids to earn a spot in the section championship match against top-seeded Princeton.

Last second touchdown ends Vikes’ season in heartbreaking fashion

North Branch was just seven seconds away from advancing to the Section 7AAAA semifinals, but Duluth Denfeld had other plans in a wild playoff opener that featured plenty of offense, numerous lead changes and a devastating finish for the Vikings.