A ghoul looks on at the haunted woods in Bethel. Original Article

A mailbox in front of a shed at the Bethel Haunted Forest. Original Article

Objects like this can be found at the Bethel Haunted Forest. Original Article

The East Bethel City Council voted 3-2 on April 13 to appoint Lindsay Crescenzo to the Planning Commission over current Economic Development Authority President Julie Lux, despite the Planning Commission’s own 3-2 recommendation for Lux. Council Members Tim Miller, Jim Smith and Suzanne Erkel voted for Crescenzo. Mayor Ardie Anderson and Council Member Brian Mundle voted for Lux. City Administrator Matt Look said the city solicited applications to fill the seat after Tanner Balfany stepped down from a term set to run through Jan. 31, 2027. The appointment fills the remainder of that term. ...

The East Bethel City Council on April 13 unanimously declared a dog potentially dangerous after hearing testimony about a February incident in which the dog was reported to have fatally injured a neighbor’s cat. City Administrator Matt Look said the hearing request stemmed from a Feb. 23 dog attack report from the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office. According to that report, a pit bull-mastiff named Tucker approached and lethally injured a domestic cat belonging to resident Brenda Burke. ...

Blizzards are due to the north suburbs. But these will come from a drive-thru window, as the East Bethel City Council on April 13 unanimously approved plans for a Dairy Queen in the city, including an amended planned unit development, site plan review, and preliminary and final plat. The application was submitted by P. Magnus Inc. and EB Commercial LLC, City Planner Eric Johnson said. The restaurant will be built south of the city’s KwikTrip near the intersection of 187th Lane and Sand Hill Parkway NE. ...

Columbia Heights Fire Captain Anthony “Tony” Cuzzuppe died unexpectedly on April 17, according to an April 18 announcement from the Columbia Heights Fire Department. Cuzzuppe began his fire service career as a reserve firefighter on June 17, 2002, according to a department Facebook post. He was appointed a paid on-call firefighter on July 1, 2003, hired full time on Sept. 13, 2005, and promoted to fire captain on Oct. 27, 2016. ...

The Columbia Heights City Council on April 13 unanimously approved a variance reducing the parking requirement at 999 50th Ave. NE, clearing the way for a possible cafe or restaurant at the site. City Planner Ursula Brandt said the property’s last tenant, a dental office, vacated the building in 2016, and it has remained empty since then. Staff have received multiple inquiries about redeveloping the site, she said, but none have moved forward. ...

The Columbia Heights Professional Firefighters wrote in a post to Facebook on the night of April 16 that they, the Fridley Fire Department, SBM Fire Department, St Anthony Fire Department and Minneapolis Fire Department responded to a multiple-vehicle fire at a salvage yard at CoPart at 3737 East River Road. The details of the response were confirmed as accurate by Fridley Fire Marshal Shelby Wolf. Damage was limited to nine vehicles. Due to the absence of nearby fire hydrants, fire apparatuses used 2,000 gallons of water to put the fire out. All departments worked well together, the firefighters wrote. ...

A Cedar Rapids Raptors punt return ended with Bomber Kershbaum racing toward the sideline to make a tackle that sent the returner twisting in midair to the ground. The physicality was on display in cold temperatures, wind and pouring rain in Spring Lake Park, enough to topple sideline tents. Professional women’s tackle football is back at Spring Lake Park High School, where the Minnesota Minx opened the 2026 season against the Cedar Rapids Raptors on April 11. ...