Effective July 6, Adams Publishing Group, the parent company of the Mille Lacs Messenger, will be opening office doors to the public again. Doors were closed March 16 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
A pedestrian was struck and injured with non-life threatening injuries in Onamia around noon on Sunday, June 28.
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The topic of issuing permits and who has the jurisdiction to do so on the original 1855 Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation was one among several topics readers submitted to the Messenger earlier this year when we committed to address concerns that may arise if the courts rule in favor of …
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On the evening of Wednesday, June 17, a fire broke out at Woodline Sawmills in Onamia, causing infrastructure damage. Four different agencies were present fighting the blaze, putting it out in three hours. Woodline Sawmills owner Katie Vivant spoke on the effort to fight the fire and how it …
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Mille Lacs County is starting a phased approach to reopening all county facilities. Resident and employee safety remains our primary focus to ensure that services are restored in a safe manner that mitigates the potential transmission of COVID-19 throughout county facilities.
The election season is officially underway as political hopefuls were allowed to file for candidacy from May 19, 2020 until June 2, 2020 at 5 p.m. The following is a list of candidates who will be seen on the ballot come election day on Nov. 3:
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A bait shop that served the Mille Lacs area for nearly 80 years went the way of a wrecking crew on Wednesday, May 20.
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A local apartment complex, Maplewood Terrace, located in Isle, has notified its tenants of what some would argue are aggressive measures and consequences to keep the complex free of COVID-19.
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There has been buzz among local restaurant and bar owners about opening their doors for sit down business before Memorial Day weekend. The businesses say they can’t continue to wait until June 1, the earliest expected date Gov. Walz will allow them to open amid the COVID-19 sanctions. A numb…
One of several shelter-in-place violations around the state occured in Mille Lacs County. An Elk River woman was charged with violating an emergency powers order (shelter-in-place) and also charged with a third degree DWI and second degree test refusal for an incident occurring in Princeton …
The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Department is ready to start using body cameras after a public hearing revealed little to no commentary had been made during the public comment period.
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On Thursday, March 19, Yazz, a 10-and-a-half-year-old retired K-9 officer, was slower than normal and refused to eat his evening meal, said his owner and former handler, Mille Lacs County Sergeant Kyle Burton. Yazz then began to sound wheezy, was very lethargic and coughed up blood.
An injury accident occurred in Ogilvie on Saturday, April 25 at approximately 12:55 a.m.
Due to the progression of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the Onamia Area Civic Association Board of Directors canceled most of the traditional Onamia Days 2020 activities at their meeting on April 13. The board believes that large gatherings would put the health and safety of area…
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“It’s not if it’s going to happen, it’s when,” said Onamia City Maintenance Supervisor Gene Falconer, in reference to bogs breaking loose on Lake Onamia and working their way toward clogging the dam site of the Rum River and being trapped a few blocks downstream in the trestle-work of the ol…
On the morning of March 29, a vehicle traveling on Hwy. 210 crashed and killed the driver.
On the morning of March 29, a vehicle traveling on Hwy. 210 crashed and killed the driver.
Customers in Mille Lacs County and surrounding counties experience mass weather-related power outages early Sunday morning. Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative and East Central Energy has been restoring power to the majority of their customers since Sunday.
As part of our ongoing coverage of coronavirus, we have created a tab in our navigation bar that allows you to see all the stories that have been posted to date. You can also click the link here "Coronavirus" to see those stories.
Late Sunday night, March 15, as more information about COVID-19 became available, APG of East Central Minnesota, the parent company of this newspaper, made the decision to close its office doors to the public for the foreseeable future. This is proactively being done to protect our staff fro…
On Friday, March 6, 2020, at approximately 2:30 p.m., the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota State Patrol responded to a two-vehicle crash with rollover approximately three miles north of the City of Aitkin in Aitkin Township. Upon arrival at the scene officers determined there wer…
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The Minnesota presidential primary was held on “Super Tuesday,” March 3, to determine Minnesota’s choice for the DFL presidential ticket.
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As the new recycling trailers in various locations around Mille Lacs County have been rolled out, the efforts of county residents to recycle has also increased. Stephanie Reynolds, Mille Lacs County solid waste coordinator, reported at the March 3 meeting that recyclables have been increasin…
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Wahkon Mayor Sandy Reichel passed away on March 2 at the age of 60. Mayor Reichel was the first female elected mayor for the City of Wahkon and served 17 years in that capacity from 2002 with her term to expire at the end of 2020. She resigned Jan. 31, 2020, due to health problems.
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“We have to be prepared that someone could walk in here tomorrow and need care. We need to be ready for that,” said Dr. Thomas Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System. Bracken started the discussion with key Mille Lacs Health System staff who gathered last…
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Judge makes allegations of ‘vindictiveness’ on part of Mille Lacs county attorney; county attorney fires back
A crash between two vehicles just south of Milaca led to one driver being airlifted at the scene due to life-threatening injuries on the evening of Feb. 4. The crash resulted from an attempted U-turn that occurred at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 169 and 110th Street in Milo Township.
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The Isle Airport is in jeopardy of being shut down by the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s aeronautics office should the City of Isle choose not to enforce the air easement.
Mille Lacs County, as well as other counties around the state, are in early primary voting season which opened on Jan. 17 of this year. The primary will help determine the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, respectively, for the November general election. Voters are required …
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Patrons of Farm Market Cafe met last weekend for what may have been the final meal of this nine-year-old eatery located just west of Hwy. 169 in Onamia–last meal, at least, under the present ownership.
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Where local telecommunications are concerned, Frontier Communications has been a prominent provider in rural communities like the Mille Lacs area for decades. However, those who use the company’s service may have recently had cause for alarm, as reports have begun circulating this month that…
Mille Lacs County has a new auditor-treasurer, Eric Bartusch. Bartusch was appointed by the county board, taking over on Dec. 2, 2019, for former auditor-treasurer Phil Thompson who retired after 41 years with the county.
Sheriff Scott Goddard informed the public that missing person, Jenna Bartylla, has been located. Jenna was found deceased early Friday morning, Jan. 10, in a wooded area not far from where she was reportedly last seen by witnesses.
Two Isle residents were found deceased on Jan. 7 on 280th Place in Lakeside Township approximately 4 miles east of Mille Lacs Lake.
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Mille Lacs County Attorney Joe Walsh and Mille Lacs County Sheriff Don Lorge have filed a lawsuit against the State of Minnesota for its refusal to honor its legal obligation–codified in Minn. Stat. § 3.736–to indemnify and save them harmless in connection with any tort, civil, or equitable …
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Mille Lacs County has stepped up its efforts to promote recycling this year. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, recycling drop site locations will be changing. There will be drop sites in Isle (465 Isle Street West), Milaca (565 8th Street NE), Onamia (35617 125th Avenue), and Princeton (10039 55th Street).
A Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s air boat experienced a mechanical failure and became stranded on Dec. 14 during a search and rescue air boat training exercise on Lake Onamia. The crew was unable to fix the problem.
Uptick in Onamia overdoses
Staff members sent to the ER
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Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding two rural communities in his district–the City of Isle and the City of Verndale–with a loan and grant each to help improve water infrastructure.
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Reconstruction of Hwy. 47 from Ogilvie to Isle is planned for May through October of 2020, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The project will require segments of road and bridge closures with detours.
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What meteorologists call a “very rare” occurrence happened on Monday on Mille Lacs Lake.
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Besides a rain gauge, one barometer for measuring how much rain has fallen in central Minnesota in a given season is to note the water level of Mille Lacs Lake.
A fire broke out the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 24, in several fish houses near White Cap Inn, located 8 miles north of Isle along Hwy. 47. Mike Haggberg, with Isle Fire and Rescue, told the Messenger that his department received a call about the blaze at 3:23 p.m. He stated that department…
On October 4, 2019, upon location of missing person Michelle Mae’s 2004 Jeep Liberty, investigation and searches began. Mae’s vehicle was transported to the BCA for processing.
On Oct. 8, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the Mille Lacs County Communications Center received a call of a motor vehicle accident in the area of 145th Avenue south of 190th Street, Milaca.
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A new report on the general health status and chronic conditions in Mille Lacs County was presented by Mille Lacs County Health Educator/SHIP Coordinator Alisha Fussy at the Mille Lacs Area Partners for Prevention (MAPP) drug coalition meeting last week.
Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard reports that the Crow Wing County Jail is currently experiencing two separate health related-issues – Salmonella and Hepatitis A.
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A very mobile moose has likely been either looking for love or habitat outside of its normal domain in the Isle area, according to DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor Steve Piepgras. The moose has been spotted north of Isle running through backyards, along the lake and trotting down the road last week.
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