AITKIN COUNTY

Seventeen COVID-related deaths were recorded in the region Jan. 7-13.

Talon, which has not yet began the permitting process, would need to start shipping concentrate by 2026.

The 10-county region recorded 1,209 cases between Dec. 31 and Jan. 6.

Talon Metals Corp. wants to capitalize on the growing demand for electric vehicles, but some residents and Indigenous bands are concerned about pollution from the underground mine.

Nearly 900 people have been arrested during protests against the Line 3 oil pipeline, which is being built in northern Minnesota. Most were cited with misdemeanors, but many have been charged with gross misdemeanors or felony charges. The number of legal cases is straining resources in the northern Minnesota counties where most of the protests took place. In addition to waiting for months for a public defender, some defendants also argue that the charges they're facing are unfairly severe.

Sandra Erickson-Brown and Wayne Brown died in the crash.

I hope the judge who is faced with these two trespassers from out of the region provides both of them with a nice long stay in a locked facility in Aitkin County.

The Minnesota DNR has expanded burning restrictions to more counties to prevent wildfires.

We reach the halfway mark on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks with a visit to a geographical anomaly, and a site of centuries-old history, in mostly flat Aitkin County. Savanna Portage State Park is home to remote lakes, an excellent campground, and miles of hilly hiking trails, one of which was in use hundreds of years ago.