It was described as a stadium blitz. The series of high-profile meetings called by Gov. Mark Dayton last week to see if there’s a solution to the Vikings stadium question certainly put the long-standing issue on the front burner. The reason for the urgency is that the Vikings’ lease with the Me...

The Crow Wing County Board’s Tuesday vote to abolish the Human Rights Commission was bemoaned by some and applauded by others. It’s unlikely that it came as a complete surprise to anyone. Beset with problems, the commission wasn’t functioning very well. Leadership was an issue. Vacancies on th...

Scrutiny comes naturally when the public is afforded an up-close look at any institution, but the Minnesota Supreme Court held up very well in the local spotlight during this week’s business trip to Brainerd. The nine justices heard oral arguments in a legal case and then answered questions from B...

East Gull Lake’s trails through our beautiful Brainerd lakes area continue to add to the quality of life here. Just ask the walkers and bike riders who have enjoyed “leaf-peeping” this month on the recently completed trail system in the city of East Gull Lake....

The partnership between New Pathways and the Interfaith Hospitality Network is perhaps, the Brainerd area’s best example of the faith-based community stepping in where government has no program or resources for a serious problem. Together the two organizations help homeless families with children ...

With about a month to go before voters decide the fate of school levy referendums in the Brainerd and the Pine River-Backus school districts the Brainerd Dispatch is going to restrict the length of letters urging residents to vote yes or vote no. From this point until after the levy elections, lette...

Chances for a last-minute reprieve for nine vacant buildings at the Brainerd Regional Treatment Center campus appear to be non-existent. Demolition of the buildings is expected to begin sometime after Oct. 10. Ever since the focus of treating people with serious mental health issues shifted from lar...

John Sullivan cast a big shadow. His strong and steady presence was a major factor in the transformation of Baxter from a sleepy little afterthought to Brainerd to one of the state’s fastest-growing commercial and residential centers. Sullivan died Monday at age 86, after a long career in which he...

It’s a new day on Minnesota lakes. News that invasive species have begun to make inroads into area lakes means the familiar old ways of doing things have to end. Now. A Sept. 11 story by Outdoors Editor Brian S. Peterson in the Brainerd Dispatch’s Outdoor Traditions section told a disheartening ...

Call it heroism or call it being in the right place at the right time. However one describes Joe Adams’ actions in the rescue of a girl from the Mississippi River, they certainly were deserving of the praise he’s received. Adams, a Brainerd Street Department employee went into the swift-moving r...