A new season of performances from the Northern Lights Concert Association got underway Friday night in Roseau.
The first show of the 2026-27 season featured “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” at the Roseau School Theatre. The group took the audience back to the era of sock hops and early rock and roll, performing music from the 1950s and beyond.
The Northern Lights Concert Association has been bringing live entertainment to the area for more than four decades, with several performances planned throughout the new season.
Friday night’s concert was the first of those shows, with additional performances scheduled in the months ahead at venues including the Roseau School Theatre and Warroad RiverPlace.
The concert association provides an opportunity for residents across the area to enjoy a variety of live entertainment close to home.
2026 was a record breaking year of planting trees in Northern Minnesota for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota.
The global environmental nonprofit planted 3.2 million trees in just seven weeks this spring. Making it was the largest planting season in the organization’s history.
Seedlings were planted across 5,586 acres of public land across the Bemidji, Hibbing, Leech Lake, and North Shore areas.
Since 2005, The Nature Conservancy has planted more than 16 million trees across northern Minnesota.
The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota partnered with the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
You can learn more about The Nature Conservancy and volunteering opportunities by visiting their website www.nature.org.
The Minnesota Bear season opens today, and experts are expecting it to be a solid year for hunters. Minnesota DNR Wildlife Supervisor Rob Baden gives us a preview of what hunters can expect this season.
Baden says hunters can also take advantage of the mourning dove season, which also opens on Tuesday.
Local DNR conservation officer Coby Fontes joins us for community conversation to talk more details on Bear season Tuesday September 8th. More information can be seen on the Minnesota DNR website.
The busy summer season is winding down at Lake Bemidji State Park, but that does not mean that there still isn’t fun to be had. Lake Bemidji State Park Naturalist Christa Drake reminds people that the park is open year round, and that their programming will continue through the fall.
If you’re looking to get away for the weekend, Drake says they have an underrated late summer/early fall wildflower scene at the park.
You can learn more about Lake Bemidji State Park, and their free programming, by going to the Parks webpage on the Minnesota DNR Website.
By: Graham Scher – R&J Broadcasting Inc. | Friday, August 25, 2026
WARROAD, Minn — Ben Schierer, Democratic Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar’s running mate, was in Warroad Friday afternoon, speaking with community members at the library about some of the challenges facing rural Minnesota and ideas for strengthening local communities.
Schierer, who has owned a small business, emphasized the importance of making state policies work for rural communities and small business owners. He said permitting and regulations can make it difficult to start and operate a business, and argued the state should look for ways to make those processes easier.
He also discussed education, saying a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for every community. Schierer pointed to challenges finding qualified teachers, rising education costs and student loan debt, while questioning whether schools and state government are getting the best results from current spending.
Property taxes and local government efficiency were also topics of discussion. Schierer said communities need to consider innovative ideas when looking at how schools, cities and law enforcement use available resources.
On healthcare, he raised concerns about staffing and qualifications, particularly in emergency medical services, and said rural communities face serious consequences if they lose access to a hospital or school. He also criticized what he described as inefficiencies in the healthcare system, including the higher costs that can result when people without insurance delay primary care and eventually seek emergency treatment.
Schierer also discussed Minnesota’s economic relationship with Canada, including the impact of tariffs, and said governors can help develop relationships with other countries and communities.
In summarizing his message, Schierer said, quote, “The solutions to our problems exist and the laws we passed were created by human beings and the laws we pass are to help the things that we want to improve around the state of Minnesota”.
ROSEAU, Minn — The Roseau County Board recently met in regular session at the Roseau County Courthouse in Roseau, where commissioners approved a courthouse security grant application and a new agreement with Warroad Public Schools.
The security grant could help fund several improvements at the courthouse. Those improvements would most likely include security cameras, parking lot lighting, and door fobs. If approved, The grant would require the county to provide a 50 percent match.
Commissioners also approved a memorandum of understanding with Warroad Public Schools involving 5-thousand dollars in Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative grant funding.
The JDAI funding will allow Gracie Ditsch to continue providing skills work with Warroad students. Ditsch had previously been doing that work through a company whose contract with the school district has since ended.
WARROAD, Minn — The Roseau County Board has re-appointed Keith Landin and Bill Thompson to the Warroad River Watershed District Board.
Both Landin and Thompson are incumbents and were the only applicants for the two positions. The county had previously announced that their terms were set to expire this year and that both could apply for another term.
The Warroad River Watershed District lists Thompson as its president and Landin as its treasurer. Both of their current terms expire September 18, 2026.
The Warroad River Watershed District works on water management and conservation projects throughout the watershed, including efforts involving drainage, flood reduction and water quality.
Folks across Northern Minnesota, including Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties, have a chance to bid on equipment from the Minnesota DNR’s first online confiscated equipment auction of the year.
The DNR says bidding opens Friday, August 28, with the auction beginning to close Monday, August 31. The items were seized through DNR enforcement actions, and the bidding catalog and photos will be available starting Thursday at HillerAuction.com.
Online bidding opens August 28 and the auction starts closing August 31. If you want to see the items in person, they can be inspected at Hiller Auction Service in Zimmerman.
The DNR reminds buyers that anyone purchasing a firearm must pass a federal background check before taking possession.
A second DNR online auction is scheduled for late September. Find more on the DNR website.
DETROIT LAKES, Minn — The Red River Watershed Management Board, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with festivities in Detroit Lakes earlier today.
R&J News’ caught up with Tracy Halstengard of the Roseau River Watershed District, who discussed some of the projects they have completed in recent years, along with more details on the major Roseau River project.
Halstengard says the project is designed to serve multiple purposes, including improving water management while also protecting and improving habitat.
And because the Roseau River Watershed crosses the U.S.-Canada border, Halstengard says the district faces some unique challenges when managing water and working with partners.
The Roseau River Watershed District is one of 7 watershed districts that make up the RRWMB, which was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1976. More information on the board and its work can be found at RRWMB dot U-S.
