The Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Tuesday’s loud boom across the Northeast region came from a controlled quarry blast north of Fort Frances. Koochiching County Sheriff Perryn Hedlund spoke with us to explain the situation.
Officials say agencies on both sides of the border were initially unaware of the activity.
Weather conditions helped the shockwave travel unusually far.
Future blasts will now be reported to Emergency Management when possible.
The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has approved more than $91 million in loans and grants to upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems in 26 communities statewide, including a major project in Thief River Falls.
The funding will help cities replace aging pipes, improve treatment facilities, and remove lead from local water systems. State officials say the investment will strengthen public health, protect water quality, and support local economies across Minnesota.
Here in Northern Minnesota, Thief River Falls will receive $930,710 to replace about 75 lead service lines with new copper lines. The upgrades are part of a statewide push to remove nearly 1,000 lead lines in 15 cities.
MPFA Chair Matt Varilek says the funding ensures every Minnesotan has access to clean and reliable drinking water. Executive Director Steve Walter adds that the program is especially important for communities that lack the resources to tackle costly infrastructure projects on their own.
Since its creation in 1987, the MPFA has awarded nearly $7.4 billion for clean water and public infrastructure projects, benefiting nearly every community in Minnesota.
More details on individual projects are available on the MPFA website.
Ice Fishing is underway, and the State of Minnesota has implemented some new regulations that will be in effect for this ice fishing season. Minnesota DNR Fisheries Supervisor Nathan Olson says one regulation that changed is the use of certain kinds of hook setting devices.
Olson says the Minnesota DNR will likely be pursuing some regulation changes during the 2026 Legislative session, including a change to the statewide walleye bag limit.
More information about ice fishing regulations, and other ice fishing materials can be seen on the Minnesota DNR’s website.
The Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the loud boom and ground tremors reported by northern county residents yesterday morning were caused by a controlled blast at a quarry just north of Fort Frances, Ontario.
The blast occurred around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, carried out by a construction company working at the site. Emergency Management officials have since been in contact with the company and will now receive advance notice before any additional quarry blasts take place.
County residents will be notified ahead of future scheduled blasts to prevent confusion or alarm.
Minnesota District 7 Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach updated that her office has been busy following Thanksgiving with the passing of several bills to address rising costs and social security issues for American families and seniors. Fischbach said they passed both the Claiming Age Clarity Act and the Social Security Child Protection Act, which in part recognizes the need to bring clarity to the Social Security Administration and protects children from identity fraud.
Fischbach also highlighted a major win for small businesses, with the House passing the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act and the DUMP Red Tape Act to eliminate certain burdensome regulations.
The Act prevents the SBA from issuing regulations that will increase costs for businesses, and creates a hotline for small business owners to report some federal regulations, empowering small businesses to hold federal agencies accountable.
