Local News Tuesday, May 12, 2026

CONSERVATION OFFICER REPORTS OUT OF THE FISHING OPENER WEEKEND STATED THE OBVIOUS, THINGS WERE BUSY. A NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS THOUGH WERE REPORTED INCLUDING ON UPPER RED LAKE WHERE A BOAT HAD BEACHED ITSELF AND BEGAN TO TAKE ON WATER BECOMING INOPERABLE. OTHERWISE, VIOLATIONS FOR ILLEGAL LENGTH FISH, REGISTRATIONS BEING EXPIRED, AND FOR A LACK OF PERSONAL FLOATATION DEVICES.

THERE WAS A WORK SESSION HELD LAST WEEK WITH THE ROSEAU SCHOOL BOARD WHERE TOPICS OF CONVERSATION WERE ON $500,000 IN BOARD MANDATED BUDGET REDUCTIONS. CELL PHONE USAGE WITHIN THE SCHOOL DAY WAS DISCUSSED, AND A BOARD REQUESTED DISCUSSION ON THE CONCEPT OF A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK, WHICH HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP IN AN INCREASING NUMBER OF DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE.

ROSEAU COMMUNITY EDUCATION HAS RELEASED THEIR SCHEDULE FOR SWIM LESSONS AT THE ROSEAU SCHOOL POOL THIS SUMMER. THE FIRST OF THOSE DATES BEGINS JUNE 1 AND VARIOUS COURSES CONTINUE THROUGH APRIL 13. REGISTRATION WILL OPEN MAY 20 AT 4 PM.

THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES REPORTS THAT SPRING TURKEY HARVEST IS JUST UNDER THE PACE FOR 2025. THROUGH THE C SEASON, HUNTERS HARVESTED 11,695 BIRDS COMPARED TO 13,480 AT THE SAME POINT IN 2025. SPRING TURKEY SEASONS CONTINUE THROUGH MAY 31.

CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED IN THE DEADLY CRASH NEAR ROSEAU LAST WEEK, INVOVING A PICKUP TRUCK AND MOTORCYCLE. PAUL DONAHUE OF BADGER, THE MOTORCYCLIST, WAS KILLED. THE INVESTIGATION STATING THAT HE FAILED TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN AND WENT INTO THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE PICKUP. THE TRUCK WAS DRIVE BY RODNEY WERK OF ROSEAU. HE BEEN CHARGED MOST NOTABLY WITH CRIMINAL VEHICILAR OPERATION WITH A BLOOD ALOCHOL CONTENT OVER .08 AND GROSS MISDEMEANORS OF DWI. SHAYLEIGH MCKAY OF ROSEAU, THE DRIVER OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, WHICH THE INVESTGATION SHOWED APPEARED TO BE RACING THE MOTORCYCLE, IS CHARGED WITH GROSS MISDEMEANOR DWI AND A FELONY FOR FAILING TO STOP AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.

STATE FISCAL STEWARDS FROM ILLINOIS AND MINNESOTA WILL JOIN FOR THE LONG TERM FOR A PRESS CALL DEMANDING FULL TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE TARIFF REFUND PROCESS. COINCIDING WITH THE CALL, STATE FISCAL STEWARDS ARE RELEASING A LETTER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP WITH THREE CONCRETE DEMANDS: PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF ALL REFUND APPLICATIONS AND DETERMINATIONS, ACCOUNTING FOR PASS-THROUGH COSTS TO CONSUMERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES, AND DIRECT RELIEF FOR HOUSEHOLDS AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT BORE THE TARIFF BURDEN.

WITHOUT TRANSPARENT ACCOUNTING, THE REFUND PROCESS RISKS DIRECTING RELIEF TO ENTITIES THAT NEVER ABSORBED THE ACTUAL COSTS. MEANWHILE, CONSUMERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES WHO PAID AN ESTIMATED $80 BILLION IN HIGHER PRICES ARE LEFT WITH NOTHING. STATE OFFICIALS ARE DEMANDING A RIGOROUS, TRANSPARENT PROCESS THAT ENSURES RELIEF REACHES THOSE WHO ACTUALLY PAID THE TARIFF COSTS.

THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (MDH) IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE 2026 ESCAPE THE VAPE VIDEO CHALLENGE. MORE THAN 260 STUDENTS FROM 29 SCHOOLS ACROSS MINNESOTA CREATED 30-SECOND VIDEOS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE DANGERS OF VAPING. WINNERS WERE SELECTED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISIONS.  DATA FROM THE 2025 MINNESOTA STUDENT SURVEY SHOWS THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS VAPING CONTINUED TO DECLINE IN ALL GRADES. FOR EXAMPLE, VAPING AMONG MINNESOTA 11TH GRADERS HAS DROPPED FROM 25% IN 2019 TO 8% IN 2025. WINNERS OF THOSE HIGH SCHOOL CONTESTS CAME FROM MINNEHAHA, MINNETONKA, AND EAGAN.

THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL END SPRING LOAD RESTRICTIONS IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL FROST ZONE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, AND IN THE NORTH FROST ZONE ON FRIDAY, MAY 15.

FULL-SUMMER OVERWEIGHT PERMITS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN THE CENTRAL FROST ZONE ON FRIDAY, MAY 15.

PLEASE CHECK WITH LOCAL AGENCIES PRIOR TO INCREASING ANY WEIGHTS ON THEIR ROUTES. THE SIGN ERECTED ON THE ROADWAY GOVERNS THE LOAD LIMIT IN EFFECT.

SEASONAL LOAD LIMIT ZONES AND RESTRICTED ROUTES CAN BE FOUND ON THE MNDOT LOAD LIMITS MAP.

A REMINDER FROM ROSEAU COUNTY AUDITOR/RECORDER/TREASURER MARTHA MONSRUD.

FIRST HALF TAXES ON ALL REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY ARE DUE ON MAY 15, 2026.

POSTMARKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

ALL LATE PAYMENTS WILL BE CHARGED PENALTY.

PAYMENTS ARE NOW ACCEPTED VIA ROSEAU COUNTY WEBSITE AT WWW.CO.ROSEAU.MN.US

THE ROSEAU HIGH SCHOOL WILL PRESENT THEIR CHOIR CONCERT ON WEDNESDAY EVENING AT 7 PM.

Last modified: 05/12/2026