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CogniLocal

Brainerd / Baxter

Your Community, More Completely.
Thursday, October 15, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
Edition archive
Saturday, October 17: Saturday flu and COVID shots at Essentia's Brainerd clinicSunday, October 18: 8x8 online bidding opensMonday, October 19: first school levy information sessionTuesday, November 3: school operating levy vote
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Today in Brainerd / Baxter

Greenwood Street remains closed through Friday, October 16, between Woodland Hills Lane and Highway 371B for watermain work.
Brainerd Public Schools is building an action plan after an outside review of bullying practices at Forestview Middle School.
Operating levy information sessions are set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 19, Tuesday, October 20, and Thursday, October 22.
Brainerd football beat Alexandria 21-14 on Wednesday, October 14, to win the Northstar North District.
The Crossing Arts 8x8 exhibition is on display in downtown Brainerd; online bidding opens Sunday, October 18, at 10 a.m.
Stage North presents Ken Ludwig's Baskerville October 22 to 25 at the Franklin Arts Center.
MnDOT says Highway 371 overpass construction and detours in Baxter will not begin until 2029.

NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Central Daylight Time.

Schools & Youth

RESOLVEDBrainerd

Indigenous Peoples Celebration drew crowds to Gichi-ziibi on October 12

Brainerd Public Schools' Indigenous Peoples Celebration drew community members to the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts on Monday, October 12, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. The program included the Mille Lacs Band Color Guard, the Brainerd High School large drum group, a presentation on powwow etiquette, a birch bark demonstration and local artists selling their work.

The event was a collaboration among the district's Indigenous education program, Lakes Area Justice Table, The Sowing Room and Five Wings Arts Council, the Dispatch reported.

NEWBrainerd

Brainerd schools build action plan after Forestview bullying review

Brainerd Public Schools is building an action plan from an independent review of bullying policies and practices at Forestview Middle School, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. Superintendent Chip Rankin presented a summary of the findings to the School Board on Tuesday, October 13.

The district hired attorney James K. Martin in August, after two Forestview students died by suicide over the summer. The review found the district's bullying policy meets Minnesota law and Forestview's practices are reasonable, and it identified areas to improve, the Dispatch reported.

Planned steps include Forestview-specific staff training, one system for tracking bullying reports, investigation training for administrators and a review of counselor and administrator staffing. Anyone who is struggling can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

NEWBrainerd

School district schedules three operating levy information sessions

Brainerd Public Schools holds community information sessions on its proposed operating levy at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 19, at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts; 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 20, at Nisswa Elementary School; and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 22, at Harrison Elementary School, the district says.

District leaders will explain the proposal and take questions, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. The October 19 session will be livestreamed and recorded on the district's YouTube page. The levy question is on the Tuesday, November 3, ballot.

NEWBrainerd

Brainerd football beats Alexandria 21-14 to win district title

Brainerd beat Alexandria 21-14 on Wednesday, October 14, at Adamson Field to win the Northstar North District for the first time since 2022, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. The Warriors, ranked eighth in Class 5A, trailed 14-7 at halftime and are now 6-1.

The win gives Brainerd the No. 1 seed in the Section 8-5A playoffs. The Warriors close the regular season against defending Class 5A champion Spring Lake Park at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 21, at Adamson Field.

Arts, Culture & Events

ONGOINGBrainerd

Crossing Arts 8x8 exhibition is on display; online bidding opens October 18

The Crossing Arts Alliance's annual 8x8 community art exhibition and fundraiser is on display through Saturday, November 7, at the gallery in downtown Brainerd. Nearly 200 artists take part, the organization says.

Online bidding runs from 10 a.m. Sunday, October 18, through 5 p.m. Sunday, October 25, and a free public reception is scheduled for Friday, October 23, 5 to 7 p.m. Proceeds support the organization's arts programming in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

ONGOING

Teen and tween studio nights are back for the school year

The Crossing Arts Alliance lists donation-based studio nights for students in grades 5 through 12. Registration and payment are not required.

The posted dates run from September 17, 2026, through May 20, 2027, with arrival from 3:30 to 4 p.m. and art instruction from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sessions run almost every night there is school in the Brainerd School District; there is no studio night when there is no school, and some sessions are canceled because of space limits.

ONGOINGBrainerd

Brainerd Winter Wonderland lights display will end after the 2026 season

The Brainerd Noon Sertoma Club says this year will be the last for its drive-through Winter Wonderland holiday lights display at the Northland Arboretum, Mix 108 reported September 11. The club said it decided to retire the event after evaluating several long-term challenges.

The display has been held at the arboretum since 2006. Mix 108 reported it traditionally opens on Thanksgiving and runs Thursdays through Saturdays until Christmas, then nightly from Christmas Eve through New Year's Eve. 2026 dates were not given.

NEWBrainerd

Stage North presents a Sherlock Holmes comedy October 22 to 25

Stage North Theatre Company presents Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: a Sherlock Holmes Mystery at the Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd, with shows at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23, and 2 p.m. Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25, the Brainerd Dispatch reported.

Ten actors play more than 40 characters in the comedy. Tickets are $10 online at stagenorththeater.com, at Lakes Area Pottery in the Franklin Arts Center, at B-bay and at the door.

AI in Your Community

BACKGROUND

Utility commission's earlier AI recommendation focused on public data

Brainerd Public Utilities commissioners voted unanimously on June 25, 2024, to recommend AI-use language to the City Council. The proposed guidance limited employee inputs to public, low-risk data, directed staff to seek advice when a data classification was uncertain and required AI-created records to follow the city's retention schedule.

The minutes record a recommendation only; they do not show whether the City Council later adopted it.

Community: Brainerd. Status: Background on local AI policy; a recommendation, not a newly announced deployment. Record date: June 25, 2024.

BACKGROUNDBrainerd

State Patrol's AI crash-prediction tool started in the Brainerd district

The Minnesota State Patrol uses an AI-based Crash Foresight tool to decide where and when troopers patrol, and the tool was first put to use in the Brainerd district, the Brainerd Dispatch reported October 2. Capt. Adam Fulton, commander of the Brainerd State Patrol district, said it combines past crash data with trooper patrols and traffic patterns to predict where patrols can make a difference.

Crow Wing County is in State Patrol District 3, where the tool started before expanding statewide, Fulton told the Dispatch. Each district now has at least one license to use it.

City, Roads & Planning

ONGOINGBrainerd

Greenwood Street closed through October 16 for watermain work

Greenwood Street remains fully closed through Friday, October 16, between Woodland Hills Lane and Highway 371B (South 6th Street), the City of Brainerd says. The city says the road may reopen earlier depending on how the work progresses.

Kuepers Construction and subcontractor Pratt's Affordable Excavating are installing new watermain by directional drilling to serve a construction site at the Greenwood Street and Highway 371B intersection. Alternate routes may include Buffalo Hills Lane. Questions go to Brainerd Public Works at 218-828-2307.

NEWBaxter

Highway 371 overpass construction and detours in Baxter set for 2029

Construction of the $58 million Highway 371 overpass in Baxter, and the detours that come with it, will not begin until 2029, MnDOT project manager Eric Schiller told the Baxter City Council on October 6, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. The overpass will carry Highway 371 over the BNSF tracks and Highway 210.

Preparation work, including an Excelsior Road roundabout, is planned for 2028. The planned Highway 371 detour uses College Road, Cypress Drive and Clearwater Road. Council members raised concerns about added traffic near Forestview Middle School and Brainerd High School. Updates are at dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/baxter.

Business & Commercial Development

ONGOINGBaxter

Chamber event October 29 brings CLC and St. Cloud State presidents to Baxter

The Brainerd Lakes Chamber is hosting Campus After Hours from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, October 29, at Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter, with Central Lakes College interim President Kim Lynch and St. Cloud State University President Greg Tomso, the Brainerd Dispatch reported.

Both presidents are to give brief remarks on their priorities and on preparing students for local jobs, followed by time to mingle. Business leaders, alumni and community members are invited, and advance registration is encouraged.

Community & Services

ONGOINGBaxter

Lakes Area Food Shelf in Baxter is open Tuesday through Thursday

The Lakes Area Food Shelf's Baxter location, 7837 Excelsior Road, is open Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays 1 to 6 p.m. and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It uses 20-minute shopping appointments, and shoppers are encouraged to visit twice a month.

Any household under 300% of the federal poverty level is eligible, and no documentation is required. The Baxter site may close when Brainerd schools close for bad weather. Phone: 218-454-3456.

NEWBrainerd

Saturday flu and COVID shots offered at Essentia's Brainerd clinic

Essentia Health is offering flu and COVID vaccines from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 17, and Saturday, October 24, at the Essentia Health St. Joseph's-Brainerd Clinic, the Brainerd Dispatch reported.

Anyone 6 months and older can get a flu shot. Walk-ins are welcome; appointments can be made through MyChart or EssentiaHealth.org/Vaccines, and more information is at 218-828-2880.

Still Developing

The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.

OPEN

Highway 210 reconstruction

Construction remains active through Brainerd, with the next major set of downtown, bridge and west-segment work scheduled for 2027.

Still unresolved: Ongoing traffic changes, business-access impacts and completion of the 2026 work segments.

Next checkpoint: MnDOT traffic, access and construction-completion notices.

Current work: 2026 railyard segment (August 10 through fall).

Sources: MnDOT; Drive 210
OPEN

Brainerd 2027 city levy

The City Council set a preliminary maximum levy increase of 9.9%, with possible reductions before final adoption in December.

Still unresolved: The final increase and related budget changes.

Next checkpoint: Budget revisions and the December final levy decision.

Preliminary maximum set September 21.

Source: Brainerd Dispatch reporting via Muck Rack
OPEN

Baxter 2027 budget and levy

Baxter says it typically holds a public informational meeting on the proposed budget and levy in early December, before final adoption.

Still unresolved: The levy, operating adjustments and enterprise-fund decisions.

Next checkpoint: Published budget figures, the December meeting and final adoption.

Source: Baxter budget process
OPEN

Remaining Brainerd school labor agreements

The School Board ratified teacher, food-service and interpreter agreements.

Still unresolved: Agreements for educational assistants and nurses, which Brainerd Dispatch reported were still unsettled at the time.

Next checkpoint: Ratification or published terms of the remaining agreements.

Latest movement: September 21.

Source: Brainerd Dispatch, Brainerd teachers, school food workers reach contract agreement
AWAITING RECORDS

Utility commission

The commission's schedule lists the September 29 meeting and the next meeting on October 27. The September 29 action record is the next checkpoint for decisions affecting customers.

Still unresolved: The meeting actions and any votes.

Next checkpoint: Published minutes or another official record.

Source: BPU commission records
OPEN

September 9 CC’s Bar case

The Brainerd Dispatch reported September 22 that a Brainerd man was charged with assault and threats after an alleged September 9 incident at CC’s Bar. The charges are allegations.

Still unresolved: Later court proceedings and the outcome.

Next checkpoint: A dated court record or further local court report.

Charges reported September 22.

Source: Dispatch reporting cited September 27
OPENUNCONFIRMED

Brainerd Zipline Tour closure

Not confirmed against the source as of October 15, 2026: all details, because the source page no longer mentions the Brainerd Zipline Tour and no other source could be found; this continuing story is shown as it was last published. Check the source before relying on it.

The regional attraction is expected to close permanently this winter.

Still unresolved: The final operating date and future plans for the site or equipment.

Next checkpoint: An operator closing-date or site announcement.

The joint tourism bureau reported that the 2026 season will be the attraction’s last.

Source: Visit Brainerd & Baxter fall guide

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Ojibwe / Anishinaabemowin resources: The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary is a language resource. CogniLocal welcomes community contribution and review at editor@cognilocal.com. This edition is not represented as an Ojibwe translation.

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