MINNESOTA – The Minnesota Department of Health has been awarded more than 193 million dollars in federal funding to support rural health care across the state.
The money comes from the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and recognizes Minnesota’s plan to strengthen and stabilize rural health care delivery.
The funding will support new technology to bring care closer to home, improve outcomes for chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, and expand the rural health care workforce through education and training.
Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham says the funding comes at a crucial time as rural communities face growing access and funding challenges.
Implementation is expected to begin in early 2026.
Traveling on Minnesota roads was treacherous during Sunday’s blizzard. Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol says he and other state troopers were busy Sunday night into early Monday morning.
Grabow was asked if there were any fatalities or serious injuries from those road mishaps.
Grabow also reminds drivers to carry an ice scraper and winter survival kit in their vehicles just in case they end up stuck in a winter storm.
Well, listeners and readers, it’s been quite the year here at KQ92 and KRWB Radio! We covered community gatherings, local meetings and events, and sat down with your friends, family and neighbors, listening, writing, and reporting with care, so you could hear yourselves reflected in the stories we’ve told about the places you call home.
From local student heroes building Flag Disposal Boxes for veterans, to coverage of Roseau and Lake of the Woods County Fairs, and of course local city council meetings, our news and programming team really hit the ground running to collect and share your stories this year. We’re looking forward to continuing on that path and doing even better for you in 2026.
It’s been the honor of our year (and I can confidently speak for the entire news and programming team) to sit down and interview the likes of the now retired Honorable Judge Donna K. Dixon, the mayors of Warroad, Roseau, and Baudette, and even our very own Daniel DeMolee as he ended a broadcast career that spanned over five decades.
Fun fact: a little over six years ago, an editor from the New York Times (yes, that New York Times) quoted yours truly as saying, “…Warroad still has many stories to tell.” shortly after the Warroad Pioneer, and the Warroad Advocate, both ended production.
That editorial posited several questions about who would tell your stories, connect and inform the community, and provide updates to former students and residents that have since moved away but wanted to stay connected.
I had no idea back then, when I said that, that I would become part of a team that would answer so many of those questions. But when Jim Birkemeyer, President of R & J Broadcasting, Inc. put together our team, I think he recognized that belief, and how closely it aligned with his vision for KQ92 and KRWB as your local, homegrown radio station.
We’ve invested a good chunk of time into developing digital infrastructure like our website, social media, and now our own apps, to better host, share, and connect you to the stories that matter most to you and your communities. While continually improving, we’ve been working out logistics, organization, and processes to provide consistent and important content to you, whether that be in our daily community conversation shows, getting student-athlete interviews on the air and online, putting together weekly Coaches Corner shows to keep you in the know on local sports, or providing the most current information on local construction projects to help you plan your week. Our team can really proudly say we put our best foot forward to serve all of you.
Thank you for trusting us with your time, information, stories, and voices. None of this is possible without our listeners, readers, followers, and fellow community members. Keep giving us your feedback, because we’re listening too. Keep sharing your events and stories: our news team’s contact information is publicly available on our website for this reason. This is YOUR local, homegrown radio station, and as your humble fellow community members, we thank you for allowing us to share your voices.
With students on Christmas break currently, there is a good chance some will be heading out on the ice this ice fishing season. Be mindful that no ice is 100 percent safe. Minnesota DNR’s Lisa Dugan says if you’re going to venture out over this winter break:
Dugan says there should be at least four inches of new, clear ice if you’re walking on, at least five to seven inches of ice for an ATV or snowmobile, and for vehicles, there should be 12 inches or more of ice.
The president of Minnesota Farmers Union says while the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program is welcome, ag producers don’t want to rely on ad hoc payments from the government. Gary Wertish says farmers want their money from trade, not aid, and that the farmer mediation program helps producers with just that. By August or September, he says they already had more people filing for mediation in 2025 than all of 2023 and ’24 combined, helping producers dealing with difficult financial situations.
Wertish calls the $12 billion dollars being distributed primarily to row crop farmers a band-aid in the midst of a financial crisis in agriculture.
2026 is a big year for the Red River Watershed Management. RRWMB Executive Director Rob Sip says they are celebrating their 50 year anniversary in the year 2026, and in celebration, are holding some special events throughout the year to celebrate. Sip tells us the latest
You can learn more about the Red River Watershed Management Board by going to their website at www.rrwmb.us.
Aaron David Lunbohm of Roseau is being charged with a felony after police say Lunbohm made a note suggesting bombs could go off at the Roseau Memorial Hockey Arena.
According to the statement of probable cause, an arena worker contacted law enforcement on December 15. The report came in at about 10:40 a.m., police said. Police were told suspicious items were left outside the arena’s front doors. The items were brought to the police department for review where police say the items included a yellow grocery bag and four separate packs of hamburger.
Investigators also reported a note inside the items that read “Which bomb goes off first? One, two, three, or four?” also noting the number “one” was circled on the note. Lunbohm was also seen on camera driving and later walking outside Memorial Arena. Lunbohm is charged with felony Threats of Violence.
Minnesotans need to make sure they’re properly disposing of those holiday greens. Minnesota Department of Ag Entomologist Angie Ambourn says proper disposal can avoid the spread of invasive species.
Ambourn says check with your local municipality for a curbside pickup and don’t toss greenery into the woods. More tips can be found on the MDA website.
Communities across the state are hoping for an increase in Local Government Aid from the legislature in 2026. Bradley Peterson of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities says they’re proposing an index to the appropriations that has precedent.
Peterson says L-G-A helps cities meet their needs without significantly increasing property taxes. However, many local governments are still raising property taxes next year to help pay for city services and other various projects. Peterson gives a wider look at the push for an increase in Local Government Aid.
Peterson says cities use L-G-A to pay for police and fire, libraries, employee health insurance, and city programs.
If you’re looking for something to do over Christmas break, Itasca State Park’s Twinkle Light trail is now open every evening this winter. Itasca State Park Lead Naturalist Connie Cox tells us more about the trail.
More information about Itasca State Park can be seen online at the Minnesota DNR website.
