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In Bethel, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the woods became haunted — transformed by an idea that made use of leftovers from a spooky fire department event and grew into a trail that attracted not only bikers, but hikers as well. Former council member Boe Wiitala saw the potential after looking over the trail area where the Bethel Fire Department, which has since merged with St. Francis, once hosted a haunted trail event. ...

The St Francis City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance on small cell technology at their April 20 meeting. The item, per Public Works Director Paul Carpenter, was a housekeeping move designed to keep up with 5G broadband technology. St Francis currently does not have an item related to this in their code. The ordinance gives St Francis the ability to control aesthetics, safety and the cost recovery of small technology in the city. ...

Blaine public works employees will see changes to pay, benefits and work rules under a new three-year labor agreement ratified on April 20 by the Blaine City Council, which also approved a site change for the Goddard School. The council voted 5-0 to ratify the Local 49 public works labor agreement for 2026 through 2028 and separately approved a conditional use permit reducing parking lot setbacks at 12612 Central Ave. NE. ...

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. ...