Brainerd Dispatch

ROCHESTER — U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Rochester Community and Technical College on Wednesday, Oct. 14, as part of the “Returning Education to the States” tour. Rochester was one of three locations included in the Minnesota segment of the tour, which is meant to “empower families and hear from students, teachers, and leaders on best practices in their own communities,” according to the Department of Education.

ROCHESTER — “Forever chemicals” linked with health problems have been found in all Minnesota waterways tested for them, according to an environmental research group. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, commonly called PFAS, were found at all 39 monitoring locations on the Mississippi River in Minnesota as well as all testing spots along Lake Superior.

Here is your Brainerd Dispatch Minute podcast for Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. A look through the Brainerd Dispatch archives with Terry McCollough combing the microfilm for tidbits of history through the decades going back to 1925.

ST. PAUL — Minnesota State’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Oct. 14, approved a proposal to transfer up to $25 million each year for the next four years to schools in financial crisis. The money would largely come from peer institutions — primarily two-year community and technical colleges. For fiscal year 2028, $10 million would go to St. Cloud State University and $4.8 million to Bemidji State University.

The Gophers football team finished up a regular Tuesday practice a few weeks ago. Head coach P.J. Fleck then fulfilled his daily media obligations and disappeared. Fleck didn’t wander far, surfacing across the Athletes Village courtyard in the men’s basketball practice facility. He quietly sat down and watched his friend, neighbor, confidant and, most importantly, a fellow head coach in Niko Medved conduct roughly 20 minutes of a preseason practice.

BRAINERD — The Brainerd High School Key Club will host a community blood drive with the American Red Cross from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Washington Education Services Building. For more information or to make an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or sign up online at RedCrossBlood.org with sponsor code Brainerd High School. All donors will receive a $10 gift card for Amazon.

Baxter police ARRESTS — Arrested a 42-year-old man for a domestic abuse no contact order violation, 12:49 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, 13200 block of Berrywood Drive. Arrested a 40-year-old man for driving after cancellation-inimical to public safety after a traffic stop at 1:49 a.m. Monday. CRASH — A personal injury crash reported at 12:33 p.m. Monday, Cypress Drive and College Road. Passenger of one vehicle was later located and arrested for domestic abuse no contact order violation.

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. BRAINERD — Still fall color out there as leaves continue to fall and the temperatures turn cooler. We see that you have javascript disabled. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801.

BRAINERD — Students, staff, families and community members of Brainerd Public Schools are invited to give feedback on proposed cost-saving, efficiency and student retention measures in the district. The district is using ThoughtExchange to collect input from all facets of the community on several proposals for Brainerd 2.0. Ideas include: Moving preschool and fifth grade students to elementary schools. Moving alternative learning programs and selling the Brainerd Learning Center.

BRAINERD — Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said he wants to focus on health and wellness for staff during the next four years of his term. “That includes spiritual, mental, physical, and financial support to them, giving them the tools that they need to be successful in their homes, with their spouses, with the county, so we're excited about offering some or giving them some better tools to accomplish those things,” Klang said.