Outdoor enthusiasts of Roseau County are invited to attend the annual Ducks Unlimited Banquet, taking place this Friday, March 27th at Gene’s Bar and Grill in Roseau.

Doors will open at 5:00 PM for an evening featuring dinner, raffles, and both silent and live auctions. Proceeds from the event will support Ducks Unlimited’s ongoing efforts to conserve wetlands and protect waterfowl habitat across Minnesota and beyond.

This annual banquet has become a valued community tradition, bringing together supporters of conservation and outdoor heritage for an enjoyable and meaningful evening.

The evening gets underway Friday at 5:00 PM at Gene’s Bar and Grill in Roseau.

Tickets are limited, you can contact a local Ducks Unlimited representative for more information or visit the Ducks Unlimited website.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to reconstruct Highway 89 between Highway 11 and south of Seventh Street in Roseau, a project now in the design phase with construction expected between 2026 and 2028. Officials say the project would upgrade the corridor to an urban curb-and-gutter design similar to Highway 11 and address safety concerns, pedestrian and bicyclist access, drainage, intersection alignment, and nighttime visibility. The Highway 89 work is separate from nearby Highway 11 projects, including a 2026 reconstruction between Roseau and Warroad and other corridor improvements scheduled in surrounding years.

MnDOT says final construction timing and costs will be determined as design work is completed. The agency will also host a public open house on May 4, 2026, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Roseau City Center. Staff will present information starting at 4 p.m. and take questions on the Highway 11 and Highway 89 projects. More information is available at mndot.gov/d2/projects.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to use extra caution on early spring roads as conditions continue to change. Officials say motorists should slow down, stay alert, and increase following distances, especially where ice and snow may still be present. Drivers are urged to keep headlights on, avoid distractions, and give snowplows and road crews at least 10 car lengths of space. Under Minnesota’s Move Over law, drivers must also slow down or change lanes for stopped emergency vehicles and maintenance crews. MnDOT says checking 511mn.org or the 511 Minnesota app before traveling can help prevent crashes.

This morning at Warroad High School, a minor crash occurred involving a pickup truck and a school bus. 

The bus had already dropped off students and was leaving the school parking lot, heading back to the bus garage, when it was struck by a vehicle that was unable to stop due to icy road conditions. 

Fortunately, no major injuries occurred. The bus has since returned to the garage for inspection. Warroad Superintendent Dr. Shawn Yates wants to thank all emergency services who responded quickly to the scene.

One man is dead after his pickup truck went off the road, crossed through a residential yard and plunged into the Mississippi River east of Bemidji.

Law enforcement received a 911 call at 4:43 p.m. on Friday, March 20, reporting the truck had gone into the water on Sunnyside Road. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says the caller said the driver did not get out before the vehicle went under.

Bystanders tried to help when emergency crews arrived, but the truck sank quickly.

Divers from the Lakes Area Dive Team pulled the man’s body from the vehicle around 6:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man’s name has not yet been released and law enforcement continues to investigate what caused the truck to drive off the road.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Monday joined Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Roger Marshall of Kansas to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering fertilizer costs, a key concern for farmers across Minnesota.

The bills come as Minnesota producers face rising input costs and weak commodity prices ahead of the spring planting season. Prices for key fertilizers, including urea, have surged in recent weeks, tightening margins for corn, soybean and wheat growers across the state.

One measure would require mandatory price reporting to improve transparency in the fertilizer market, while another would expand grants and loans to boost domestic production and storage capacity — an effort supporters say could reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Minnesota farm groups backed the proposal, saying greater transparency and increased U.S. production could help stabilize prices and ease supply challenges for growers already under financial strain.

The Warroad Area Community Fund is accepting applications for its 2026 spring grant round, offering financial support to local nonprofits and public entities.

Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 are available for projects, programs and activities that aim to enhance quality of life for residents and visitors in the Warroad area. Eligible applicants must be located within the Warroad School District.

The fund, established in 2022, is supported by donations from local businesses, residents and community members. Applications are due April 30, and award notifications are expected by June 1. Past recipients must submit final reports to remain eligible for additional funding.

For more information or to apply, visit NWMF.org under the Open Grants section.

By: Graham Scher | R&J Broadcasting Inc.

Roseau, Minn — Roseau County and the Roseau River are expected to have ice for at least the next month. R&J Ag Reporter Nick Revier caught up with Jason Braaten of the Roseau River Watershed who talked about how times have changed from using the phrase “draining water” to “managing water”.

The water used to be considered something to get rid of immediately, Braaten says it is now looked at as a resource.

He also talked about flooding and how long we can expect to see ice in Roseau County.

You can listen to the full interview with Jason Braaten below:

A national report by REPUBLIC is naming the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness the most endangered public land in the United States.

The report was written by National Geographic Explorer Stephanie Pearson and warns that more than 640 million acres of public lands across the country are now, quote, “under siege.”

Despite its pristine, one-million-acre boreal forest and its status as the most visited wilderness area in the U.S., the Boundary Waters is facing growing pressure.

At the center of the concern are federal efforts to open parts of the region’s watershed to sulfide copper mining — a process widely considered one of the nation’s most toxic forms of mining.

Conservation groups have said these plans could threaten critical wildlife habitat, indigenous cultural homelands, and roughly 20 percent of the freshwater within the U.S. National Forest system.