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Voting now open for MnDOT’s “Name a Snowplow” contest
Voting is now open for MnDOT’s “Name a Snowplow” contest. Fifty finalists were selected by MnDOT staffers, and surprisingly, none had any Prince references. Some finalists from last year are included on this year’s list, including the Ojibwe word for “north wind,” Giiwedin. The rest of the punny snowplow names can be found online and…
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Prescribed burn at Demolition Landfill this week
The Beltrami County Solid Waste Department says a prescribed burn at the demo landfill began today. The burn of the brush pile is expected to last for several days. Due to the northwesterly winds in the forecast, the smoke plume is expected to blow south. The Bemidji Fire Department is aware of the activities at…
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Bemidji City Council moves dining amendments to another public hearing and reading
The Bemidji City Council moved the proposed dining amendments to another hearing and reading after a public hearing last night. These amendments would permit alcoholic beverages to be served in temporarily expanded patios downtown, similar to what was seen during the summer of 2020. When emergency powers ended last summer, alcohol was no longer allowed…
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Bemidji, neighboring schools, announce emergency closures
The Bemidji School District facilities will be closed for the remainder of this week as staff prepares for a possible shift to distance learning. According to a message sent to district families, the district is struggling to staff buildings due to high rates of illness among staff, for both COVID and flu. District staff who…
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Bemidji Blotter for Tuesday, Jan. 18
The following is a summary of incidents the Bemidji Police Department and the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office responded to on Tuesday, Jan. 18. BEMIDJI POLICE DEPARTMENT Assault, 10:47 p.m. Officers responded to a domestic assault with a knife on Irvine Ave. NW. One arrested. Accident, 12:36 p.m. Officer took a hit-and-run report on the 1300…
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COVID-19 updates for Tuesday, Jan. 18
As of late last week, Beltrami County was monitoring 413 active cases of COVID-19, with four local residents hospitalized for COVID. The weekly update from Beltrami Public Health says that over a 14-day period, 558 new COVID cases were reported. Today’s report from the Minnesota Department of Health includes information from Friday, due to the…
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Public hearing on outdoor dining amendments tonight
The Bemidji City Council has a fairly light agenda today, with the only items under New Business relating to a proposed set of dining amendments. The changes relate to allowing downtown restaurants to expand their outdoor dining spaces in the warmer months, as was initiated in the summer of 2020 in the emergency phase of…
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Delta Dental, NTC partner to offer scholarships to under-represented students
The Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and the Northwest Technical College Foundation have partnered to launch a new scholarship to support under-represented students. The $50,000 grant will cover living expenses as well as tuition for qualified students. Ashley Johnson, NTC’s Foundation Executive Director, said the grants are for dental assisting students. “The goal is to…
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Tree, brush removal underway on Highways 71, 92
Work is underway on the upcoming reconstruction of Highway 71 north of Bemidji. Tree and brush removal is expected on this highway and also Highway 92 in the Zerkel area. This work is expected to last through the end of March and may impact drivers in the area. Bemidji’s road project this summer will include…
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Bemidji, Cass Lake-Bena schools are off for a COVID closure day
Bemidji and Cass Lake Bena schools, among others across the state, are taking an extra day off for the holiday break today. Bemidji Superintendent Tim Lutz said Thursday that the district’s “ability to maintain the capacity to operate our schools is being greatly strained.” Lutz noted that staff absences, a lack of available substitutes, and…