Due to a legal challenge to the absentee ballot extension of 7 days, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has overruled the state approved consent decree extending the deadline for submitting absentee and mail ballots. Read more

Mille Lacs County has a new county engineer on board. Neal Knopik came on staff as the interim county engineer on July 27 and was recently re-titled as the county engineer upon the transferring of his engineering license. Read more

Some local candidates for various seats in the Nov. 3 general election gathered on Monday evening, Oct. 12, at McQuoid’s Inn in Isle for a candidate forum. Read more

Questions for U.S. Congressional candidates: Read more

Though Hwy. 47 remains closed to through traffic, the bridges are completed, and the project is closer to an end. Read more

Mille Lacs County Auditor Eric Bartusch said that as of Friday, Oct. 2, the county auditor’s office has issued 3,350 ballots which includes all absentee, mail ballot and early in-person voting. Read more

Concerns have circulated on social media, and even reports have been made to several sheriff’s offices of mail thefts. Read more

MSA Flagship (Military Service Association) is a veterans organization that owns a bar and restaurant on Mille Lacs Lake. Many activities at held at the Flagship including Bingo, meat raffles and Karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays. “We have veterans who are members and also auxiliary members,”… Read more

Last week, an article from Minnesota Public Radio, entitled “Another COVID-19 ripple effect: Many meat processors booked up through deer season,” by Hannah Yang, indicated that Minnesota’s hunters may encounter trouble finding a processor for their wild game this season. The article cites th… Read more

County auditor addresses voting concerns for upcoming election Read more

Last week, Congressman Pete Stauber’s five-day constituent itinerary started with a community listening session and ended with a vice presidential campaign visit. Read more

With cost being covered through CARES Act funds, the Mille Lacs County Historic Courthouse will see sleek new handrails. Mille Lacs County Facilities Operations Manager Noelan Lange said the refinishing is a direct result of the COVID-19 cleaning process. Read more

Adrian,14, is a charming and intelligent teen who enjoys drawing, watching movies and reading books. He also loves Marvel and DC superheroes and Legos. Read more

Mille Lacs Area Partners for Prevention (MAPP) has been wading through all the difficulties presented by COVID-19, meeting via zoom and putting things on hold as so many groups and organizations have. Read more

A rollover and subsequent vehicle fire occurred on Friday around 3 p.m. on Maben Ave. N, southeast of Isle. Witnesses said that a driver in an SUV swerved into a resident’s mailbox on Maben Ave. N. and back onto the road, into the other ditch and rolled the vehicle over, catching fire. Read more

Since 1970, the Mille Lacs Area Developmental Achievement Center (DAC) has worked to provide vocational opportunities in the local community for those with disabilities. However, as is the case for many organizations, the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic has made that mission more diff… Read more

The election primary was held on Aug. 11 and narrowed the candidate choices for the State of Minnesota. Mille Lacs County had a little over 1,400 voters turnout last Tuesday which is normal for a primary according to Mille Lacs County Auditor-Treasurer Eric Bartusch. Read more

A thunderstorm rolled over Mille Lacs on Friday evening, Aug. 14. Earlier in the evening, weather spotters reported tornadoes in other areas of central Minnesota with possible tornado damage near Spicer. Mille Lacs was left with tree damage, some minor building and roof damage and reports of… Read more

Damaging winds and torrential rain knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses across East Central Energy’s (ECE’s) service territory on Aug. 14. Toppled trees and downed power lines left around 6,700 members without power, stretching from the St. Cloud, Minn., area northeast towa… Read more

A tribute to Dennis Trombley took place at Memory Lane Park in Isle on Monday, Aug. 3. Family and friends gathered around the sugar maple tree for a time of reflection on his life and silent prayer. Read more

An ash tree was planted in honor of the late Mille Lacs County Judge Steven A. Anderson on Tuesday, Aug. 4 in the front lawn of the Mille Lacs County Historic Courthouse in Milaca. Read more

Concerns have arisen over a July 21 order by Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm to release the private health data of non-tribal members living on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation to tribal health authorities. Read more

“Americana at the Grounds” was a free, one-day food and music event conducted Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Mille Lacs County Fair Grounds in Princeton. Read more

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) continues to receive reports of citizens getting unsolicited seed packages in the mail. To date, over 700 Minnesotans have made reports to the department. Read more

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) through a spokesperson shared an update on the Hwy. 47 road project from Ogilvie to Isle. Read more

Storm brewing? Read more

U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber (R - District 8) paid Isle a visit last week on Thursday and lent his ear to local input by business owners concerning the Mille Lacs Lake fishery and the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses. Read more

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. Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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. Read more

A bait shop that served the Mille Lacs area for nearly 80 years went the way of a wrecking crew on Wednesday, May 20. Read more

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. Read more

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… Read more