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DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long, left, congratulates Rep. Spencer Igo on May 4, 2026, following the passage of HF3900, which would place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot allowing larger annual payments to school districts and charter schools from the permanent school fund.

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Michele Jokinen / Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota voters will likely decide whether school funding will get a boost

Abbey Mulcahy | Report for Minnesota

The Permanent School Fund uses revenue from the sale of timber, minerals and land on 2.5 million acres of School Trust Lands to fund public school districts and charter schools around Minnesota.

The mugshot of Minnesota State Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, who was arrested March 17, 2025, on suspicion of soliciting a minor for sex by the Bloomington Police Department.

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Bloomington Police Department

Local News

Eichorn files notice of intent to change plea in minor solicitation case

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Tom Daniel

Music

Beyond the Voice: Tom Daniel

Dan Gannon

A collage of artwork for 3 albums and 6 tracks of music.

Malachy Koons

KAXE

Music

Jazz is Dead, Makthaverskan, Paul Cauthen, Genesis Owusu, Beth Orton and more on 'Spin That Ish' April

Malachy Koons

Vote Here sign outside Keewatin Community Center on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.

Help shape KAXE's midterm election coverage

KAXE News is preparing for the midterms, and we want your perspective.

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A black and white photo of a man wearing a scarf and sunglasses singing into a microphone. Around him is an orange background.

Album of the Week: 'Electric Love' by Brother Wallace

Delivering on the promise of five killer singles stretching back to November 2025, Electric Love is the highly anticipated debut from Georgia soul singer Brother Wallace. It's everything you want in soul music: the grittiness of Southern soul, the sweetness of Motown, the sweaty gospel of Sam Cooke and the piano riffs of Ray Charles' R&B. Love songs, protest music, uplifting themes, sparse ballads and rowdy rave-ups, Brother Wallace can do it all. -MK

More New Music Here!

Latest Stories

Divers recover teen's body in an Emily lake; Former Sen. Eichorn appears to change to guilty plea

Plus: MN voters will likely decide whether school funding will get a boost; and Brainerd educators rally after nearly a year without a contract.

Voting in Emily Town Hall on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.

Secretary of State Simon says midterm goals are high turnout, low drama

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon was a recent guest on the "KAXE Morning Show" to talk about preparations and security for the upcoming midterm elections.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office is located in Brainerd.

Divers recover 19-year-old's body after paddle boat capsizes in Emily

Two women, ages 20 and 22, reported the man had not returned to shore. One of the women was transported by ambulance for injuries related to cold exposure.

Hibbing man who escaped custody, was mistakenly released, pleads guilty

Michael Hart pleaded guilty to burglary and assault, the charges he was originally in custody for when he escaped from a corrections facility.

MnDOT to host open house for 2029 Highway 2 project in Polk County

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host an informational open house in McIntosh on May 13, 2026, for its planned project on Highway 2 from Fosston to Erskine in 2029.

KAXE Thanks Supporters for Successful Spring Member Drive

KAXE is headed into its next 50 years with full hearts and a lot of gratitude for our members and volunteers.

Hibbing Mayor Pete Hyduke, left, Rock Ridge Superintendent Noel Schmidt, center, and St. Louis County Commissioner Mike Jugovich, right, spoke on a panel April 22, 2026, at a meeting in Chisholm about the budget impacts of a downturn in mine production.

'This time is different': Iron Range braces for impacts of idling mines

With hundreds laid off and bleak economics, Iron Range leaders are warning elected officials to carefully plan their budgets over the next few years.

White Earth man dies following Becker County pursuit; MN firefighters on high alert for wildfires

Plus: The producers of "Ghost Lake" are filming in a new location after the Bois Forte Band revoked its approval; and one year after Cleveland-Cliffs laid off 600 miners, Iron Range leaders are sounding the alarm on an economic downturn.

Max Hites, center, checks out the cards and cakes during his last day at Lueken's Village Foods in Bemidji on May 1, 2026.

Lueken's Village Foods sends off its longest-serving employee

Max Hites had been with Lueken's Village Foods since the store's beginning. Employees and customers joined in celebrating Hites' 60-year career at an open house on May 1, 2026.

Legislators and staffers fill the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives on May 7, 2026.

Minnesota lawmakers look to standardize payroll reporting for state-funded projects

The bill’s proposed portal, accessible via the Internet, would provide contractors and subcontractors a place to submit payroll reports, which would be stored in a database for public or state use.

Artwork for seven albums or singles in boxes of different sizes. In the biggest square, placed in the center of the image, is a black and white photo of a man in sunglasses singing into a microphone. There are two of the next biggest square, in the top left one is a black and yellow painting of a panther draped over a guitar, in the bottom right one is a red heart over a black background. In the next biggest square is a drawing of animals over a black background. In the three smallest squares, the top middle has a snowy village, the top right has a woman in a dress laying on her side, and the bottom middle has a painting of people sitting by a gas station.

Fresh Picks: Sweaty soul, MN slowcore, Poet Laureate jazz, Queen in '76

The KAXE Music Team on new music from Brother Wallace, Willem Dafoe Fan Club, Joy Harjo, Oteil Burbridge & Lamar Williams Jr., Allison Russell, Lone Bellow and '76 Queen.

A wildland firefighter watches as a helicopter drops flame retardant from above to tamp down flames of a wildfire in a Minnesota forest.

Minnesota firefighters at Level 4 for wildfire preparedness

As "green-up" slowly makes its way north, Minnesota's firefighters remain alert to conditions where wildfires can easily spread due to available fuels and dry weather.

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Looking For Live Music?

With The Setlist, KAXE's Music Team curates the best live music to catch each week across Northern Minnesota and beyond.

Check it out

Phenology

A Bald Eagle chick stares disconsolately at the camera. It looks like a oddly-shaped pile of dryer lint affixed with a big beak, large eyes. Some wispy white hairs sticking straight up from the top of its head give it the air of a confused old man. Its beak is partially open, and a large pine tree and mountain are out of focus in the background.

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Science and Nature

John Latimer delighted to spy two eaglets peeping over the nest's edge

Charlie Mitchell

During the Phenology Report for the week of May 5, 2026 Staff Phenologist John Latimer hoots and hollers about eaglets, finds spring wildflowers, and reports on aspens.