We have another state record right here in Koochiching county. Balsam fir’s scientific name is Abies balsamea. It is often misidentified as a Christmas tree or pine tree. It is not a pine tree but is the only native fir tree species to Minnesota. Balsam fir grows in a wide range of habitats. However as […]

Average retail gasoline prices in Minnesota have fallen 12.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.02 per gallon Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 2,856 gas outlets in Minnesota. This compares with the national average that has fallen 6 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.21 per gallon, according to […]

Minnesota teenagers anxious to become licensed drivers will have to wait a little longer before hitting the milestone after the first of the year. And, their parents will need to be trained, too. Teens are now required to log 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a licensed adult. The new statewide driver’s license law that […]

The Zenon Dance Company from Minneapolis leads Falls Elementary School students in dance exercises as part of a week-long residency program.

EDEN PRAIRIE (AP) – A rough day on the field for Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil against Green Bay was only compounded once he left the stadium that night. Video surfaced Monday of Kalil knocking the hat off a fan who was heckling him as he walked to his vehicle after Sunday’s game, a […]

An International Falls man was sentenced in Koochiching County District Court to nearly 5 years prison for felony sale of drugs. Daniel G. Johnson, 51, International Falls, was sentenced Nov. 17 for felony second-degree drugs – sale of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 57 months at the Minnesota Correctional Facility, St. Cloud. The […]

To the editor, An open letter to John Crippen, Minnesota Historical Society Historic Sites and Museums director: A story by Laurel Beager in the International Falls Journal (posted online on Nov. 6) discussed current efforts to restore and reopen the Grand Mound History Center. As a member of the Minnesota Historical Society, I strongly support […]

Minnesota’s municipal liquor stores recorded an 18th consecutive year of record sales in 2013, according to a recent report from the Minnesota State Auditor. State Auditor Rebecca Otto’s report found the 205 cities operating 237 municipal liquor stores generated sales totaling $332.8 million in 2013, which is a $3.2 million increase over 2012. Among individual […]

Gladys Welechenko, 85, of International Falls, Minn., died Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at Sanford Health Center, Bemidji, Minn. She was born to Paul and Gladys (Hayner) Reuter on April 11, 1929, in International Falls. Gladys was united in marriage to Steve Welechenko and had a daughter, Kallie. Gladys had been a retail clerk at J.C. […]

Scott Jensen, the former Republican state senator and recent gubernatorial candidate, recently went before the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice in defense of his medical license. Three years in the making, the March 24 discussion centered on Jensen’s public comments about the COVID-19 pandemic – comments that were characterized as reckless misinformation by his detractors. […]

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum hosted a celebration March 18 to highlight an exhibit on Indigenous art during its final week. The exhibit, Visions from the Land: Native Interpretations, ran from Jan. 12-March 26 and centered around the artistic works of four regional Indigenous artists: James Autio, Gordon Coons, Anna Johnson and Ivy Vainio. According to […]

Meeker County Sheriff’s Deputy Samuel Swisher was among 16 officers from Minnesota and Wisconsin to receive Minnesota D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) certification recently. The 50th class trained in Minnesota recently completed two weeks of training conducted by D.A.R.E. America and hosted by Minnesota D.A.R.E. and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. After a pause in [&...

Carver County Water Management is partnering with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in educational programming about aquatic bugs in the local lakes, streams and wetlands. An Evening with the Bugs, hosted by Madeleine Seveland with Carver County Water Management, will cover dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, giant water bugs, diving beetles and more. Four free sessions will […]

Olivia Stearns is a tiny dancer with big dreams. Thanks to the Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota, the Prior Lake first-grader’s dream of becoming a professional ballerina will be coming true as she takes the stage this spring in its production of Cinderella 1944: A Love Story. Twin Cities Ballet is a professional ballet company, […]

A commercial fishing business contracted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources captured 30 invasive carp March 23 in the Mississippi River near Winona. While invasive carp have been previously captured in that area and upstream as far as the Twin Cities metro, this was the largest number captured at one time this far upstream, […]

At its work session on April 24, the Jordan City Council directed city staff to look into the process of phasing out Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services at City Hall. Jordan is the only city in Scott County, and one of the increasingly fewer cities in Minnesota, to offer DVS services like license renewal, tab […]

The Minnesota Valley Community Band presents its 37th annual spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at Chanhassen High School. Natalie Roth, senior trumpeter at Chaska High School, will join the band as soloist for Movement I of Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet in Eb. In addition to playing lead trumpet in the Wind Symphony, […]

A new report confirms what was found in earlier studies: Even Minnesota’s northern, remote lakes are contaminated with chemicals and the source of, and appropriate level of concern about, those contaminates is not yet known. The report released this week was about samples taken in 2013 from 11 lakes and four rivers tested for 125 […]

Sterling L. Phaklides, 73, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., passed away peacefully in his sleep Tuesday, June 30, 2015, after a battle against esophageal cancer. Sterling was born Feb. 13, 1942, in Littlefork, Minn., to Leroy Earl and Lillian Martha (Goldamer) Phaklides. He grew up with two sisters, Kitty and Nancy, in International Falls, Minn., and […]

Alice Mae Dixson, 86, of International Falls, Minn., died Saturday, July 25, 2015, at Littlefork Care Center, Littlefork, Minn. She was born Nov. 22, 1928, to parents Axel Leander and Hulda Victoria Wickstrom in International Falls. She grew up and graduated from Falls High School with the Class of 1946. The former Alice Wickstrom was […]