Local News Thursday, March 5, 2026

AT A MONDAY ROSEAU CITY COUNCIL MEETING, STACEY RUSEK WITH THE ROSEAU PULBIC LIBRARY SAID THAT BUDGET CUTS IS LEADING TO A REDUCTION IN LIBRARY HOURS. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THEY WILL REDUCE THE SATURDAY HOURS TO 10AM TO 1 PM. PREVIOUSLY THEY WERE OPEN UNTIL 4 PM. ADDITIONAL HOURS WILL BE CUT, BUT THOSE WILL OCCUR SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, DURING TRADITIONALLY SLOWER TIMES. SIMILAR CUTS WERE TO BE MADE AT THE WARROAD AND GREENBUSH LIBRARIES.
WE ALSO HEARD THAT PLANS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR COMPRESSOR TESTING AND REPAIRS AT MEMORIAL ARENA TO BE DONE AFTER THE ARENA IS SHUTDOWN FOR THE SEASON.
THE CITY OF ROSEAU CONTINUES TO WAIT ON ANY CHANGES TO ELECTRIC UTILITY RATES, BUT NUMBERS BEING FLOATED AROUND BY THE NORTHERN MUNICIPAL POWER AGENCY AND A WHOLESALE ELECTRIC RATE INCREASE SIT JUST SHY OF A 6% HIKE. NO OFFICIAL ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. MINNKOTA, WHICH SUPPLIES POWER TO MEMBER UTILITIES, IS FACING THE POSSIBLE NEED TO REPLACE THREE AGING POWER PLANTS, EACH NEAR 40 YEARS OLD.

ERIK OSBERG IS A DEMOCRAT RUNNING AGAINST INCUMBENT U.S. REP. MICHELLE FISCHBACH, OSBERG SAID HIS KEY AREAS OF FOCUS ARE ON AGRICULTURE, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, DEFENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND GETTING CORPORATE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. “I’M RUNNING BECAUSE I KNOW WE CAN DO BETTER, WHICH STARTS WITH LISTENING TO EACH OTHER AND EXCHANGING COMMONSENSE IDEAS,” HE SAID. “WHETHER SOMEONE WANTS ME TO COME TO THEIR LIONS CLUB, THEIR OUTDOORS CLUB OR THEIR BOOK CLUB, I’LL BE THERE.”

OSBERG, 53, GRADUATED FROM UPSALA AREA SCHOOLS AND HAMLINE UNIVERSITY. AN AVID ANGLER AND HUNTER, HE HAS LIVED IN WADENA FOR 20 YEARS WITH HIS WIFE AND THEIR THREE CHILDREN. HIS PRESS RELEASE SAYS OVER THE PAST YEAR, HE HAS MADE 140 CAMPAIGN STOPS, MEETING WITH BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS AND OTHER CONSTITUENTS.

MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS ARE PAVING THE WAY FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, INCLUDING SUGARBEET TRUCKS, TO FIND A PRESENCE ON SOME ROADWAYS IN THE STATE. IT’S A BILL SEEKING TO ALLOW A VEHICLE PLATOON PILOT PROJECT FOR CERTAIN TRAVEL CORRIDORS IN MINN-DAK FARMERS COOPERATIVE TERRITORY IN WILKIN COUNTY. IT HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS SUCCESSFULLY ON THE NORTH DAKOTA SIDE OF THE COOP’S TERRITORY. IT WORKS WITH A HUMAN DRIVING A LEADER TRUCK, WHILE A 2ND TRUCK CAN FOLLOW AND MIMIC EVERYTHING IN A FOLLOWER TRUCK. UNDER THIS PROGRAM, EVEN THE AUTOMONOMOUS TRUCK WOULD HAVE A CDL-TRAINED DRIVER IN THE SEAT TO TAKE OVER IF NECESSARY.

LIFECARE MEDICAL CENTER CURRENTLY HAS THEIR ADOPT A RESIDENT CAMPAIGN OPEN. THEY ARE ASKING FOR YOU TO HELP SPREAD THE JOY. CAROL’S CEDAR CELLAR WITH DELIVER FLOWERS TO THOSE ADOPTED RESIDENTS AT LIFECARE SENIOR SERVICES LOCATIONS IN ROSEAU AND GREENBUSH. A DEADLINE TO DO SO IS MARCH 9.

THE ROSEAU COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE YESTERDAY ACKNOWLEDGING CONCERNS RECENTLY RAISED ABOUT A DEPUTY ASSIGNED TO THE D.A.R.E. PROGRAM. THE MATTER HAS BEEN REFERRED TO A NEIGHBORING COUNTY FOR AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW. ADDITIONALLY, ROSEAU COUNTY WILL CONDUCT AN INTERNAL AFFAIRS EMPLOYMENT INVESTIGATION, CONDUCTED BY AN OUTSIDE FIRM. FOR THE TIME BEING, THAT DEPUTY WILL REMAIN ON REGULAR DUTY WHILE THESE MATTERS PROGRESS.

ROSEAU HAS A KNOWLEDGE BOWL TEAM ADVACNING TO REGION COMPETITON NEXT WEEK AFTER A 2ND PLACE FINISH AT SUB-REGION’S YESTERDAY IN CROOKSTON. THE TOP 9 ADVANCE. THE SECOND PLACE TEAM TODAY CONSISTED OF: HARRY ROTH, MEGAN DELANEY, JOHN DELANEY, DELAYNNA MORTVEDT, AND STEVEN WRIGHT. THERE WERE 18 TEAMS IN TOTAL, ROSEAU ALSO HAD A 12TH PLACE TEAM.

ICE FISHING REPORT FROM LAKE OF THE WOODS TOURISM…

ICE ACROSS THE BIG LAKE CONTINUES TO HOLD UP WELL. SPRINGSTEEL RESORT DID NOTE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THEIR ROAD LEADING TO BUFFALO POINT, AND AFTER THIS WEEKEND IT’S VERY POSSIBLE THEY WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THAT ROAD.

RAINY RIVER FISHING… NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO START MAKING SURE YOUR BOAT AND TACKLE IS READY. WHEN IT OPENS, IT OPENS FAST! TYPICALLY, THE RAINY RIVER WILL OPEN AT THE END OF MARCH AT THE NELSON PARK BOAT RAMP IN BIRCHDALE, MN—30 MILES EAST OF BAUDETTE

ANGLERS WHO ENJOY TARGETING WORLD CLASS PIKE ARE ALREADY REPORTING GOOD ACTION ON TIP UPS AND QUICK STRIKE RIGS.
FISHING AT THE NORTHWEST ANGLE AND ON THE SOUTH SHORE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE GOOD RESULTS.

IF YOU ARE FISHING IN MINNESOTA, YOU NEED A NEW FISHING LICENSE STARTING MARCH 1ST

A TRAGIC INCIDENT INVOLVING A NOW GROOMER HAS TAKEN A MAN’S LIFE. THIS WAS A LITTLE NORTHWEST OF DULUTH. A 67-YEAR OLD MALE WAS TRAPPED BENEATH THE GROOMER AND WAS PRONONCED DEAD AT THE SCENE. THE GROOMER WAS AN OLDER PIECE OF EQUIPEMENT AND PRIVATELY OWNED AND WAS BEING USED TO CLEAR THE DRIVEWAY OF THE MAN’S HOME, AND DID NOT HAPPEN ON A SNOWMOBILE TRAIL. THIS WAS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE INCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

A MAJOR REMODEL OF GRAND CASINO ARENA, ROY WILKINS AUDITORIUM AND THE ADJOINING RIVERCENTRE CONVENTION CENTER WOULD COST $600 MILLION, WITH FUNDING POTENTIALLY SPLIT BETWEEN A $200 MILLION REQUEST FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND $162.5 MILLION EACH FROM THE CITY AND THE MINNESOTA WILD.
THE REMAINING $75 MILLION — FOR THE ROY WILKINS AUDITORIUM — WOULD COME FROM AN AS-YET-UNDETERMINED SOURCE.
THE TEAM, IN TURN, WOULD AGREE TO A LEASE EXTENSION, CEMENTING ITS PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL PAST THE EXPIRATION OF THE WILD’S CURRENT LEASE IN 2035 TO THE YEAR 2061. THE CITY’S EXISTING HALF-CENT SALES TAX WOULD BE EXTENDED FROM 2035 TO 2061, AS WELL.

Last modified: 03/05/2026