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We are here for you with local news from Bemidji, Brainerd and all of the Lakes Country.

Dennis Weimann with the news.

Stacy Christensen with the weather and Charlie Yaeger with your sports.

Hi, everyone.

Thanks for watching tonight.

Red Lake woman has been found guilty of five counts of first degree murder and one count of arson following a two and a half week long trial.

A jury found 37 year old Jennifer Marie Stately guilty of two counts of first degree premeditated murder, two counts of murder in the course of committing child abuse.

One count of murder i the course of committing arson and one count of arson.

At trial, Stately pursued th affirmative defense of insanity.

The jury rejected that defens and convicted her of attacking and killing two of her youn children on March 15th of 2024.

The evidence at trial showed that Stately, one alone with the children at their home on Re Lake Nation, assaulted the boys, causing numerous injuries and attacked them with a knife.

Investigator determined Stately used gasoline and lighter flui to ignite three separate fires, including fire at both exit points of the home, while the older boy died of his sharp force injuries.

The younger boy was trapped inside and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Four people have died in a head on collision on Highway 169 a couple miles south of Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

The crash happened around seven last night.

The State Patrol says a car traveling northbound on 169 crossed the center line, and collided with a ca headed southbound on the road.

The report says 21 year old Samantha Ajax of Isle was driving the car that crossed the center line.

She was the only person in tha vehicle and died at the scene.

It's unknow if she was wearing a seatbelt.

Three people who were in the southbound vehicle also died.

41 year old Christopher Boswell of Onamia, 51 year old James Ortley of Minneapolis and the driver, 53 year old Michele Rock, also of Minneapolis.

Another person in that vehicle, 25 year old Jessica Mitchell of Onamia, was taken to a Saint Cloud hospita with life threatening injuries.

The State Patrol says none of them were wearing seatbelts.

A high speed pursuit in Wadena and Cass counties yesterday ended with the squad car and vehicle being pursued, both crashing on an icy road near Leader.

The Wadena County deputy was not hurt, but the fleeing motorist was airlifted from the scen to a hospital in the Twin Cities with non-life threatening injuries, according to a press release from the Wadena County Sheriff's Office.

The pursuit started on Wednesday evening when a deputy attempted to stop a vehicl for numerous traffic violations.

The driver refused to stop and the deputy initiated a pursuit at speeds over 100mph that eventually exited Waden County and entered Cass County.

Names of those involved have not yet been released.

Minnesota Governo Tim Walz has denounced the Trump administration's latest threat to withhold federal funds from Minnesota as another step in a retribution campaign.

The governor made the announcemen a day after Vice President J.D.

Vance said the administration would temporarily halt some Medicaid funding t Minnesota over fraud concerns.

How does taking and punishing children and elderly, have anything to do with fighting fraud, when that's not where this issue is taking place?

It does nothing.

And they've given us no way to try and show that all the things they asked us to do, we've already done.

They're not even looking at that.

Walz today also unveiled a package of legislation intended to fight fraud in public programs, a problem that provided an impetus for the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to release long awaited disaster aid funds to some states, but not all were on the list.

According to sources, mor than $5 billion will be awarded.

A few Democratic led states like Minnesota, California, Illinois and Colorado were left out.

Sources speculate the move comes after President Donald Trump clashed with several governors of those states.

But in a statement DHS denied that politics played a role in the process and sai the decision was about results.

Currently, Californi is still waiting on more than $1 billion on FEMA aid after last year's deadly wildfires.

Colorado and Minnesota are bot waiting on reimbursement funds for storm recoveries.

Community members in the Bemidji area have spent the past several months planning the first ever United Together in Recovery event.

A concert at the Loft Event Center that was a fully sober environment.

Our reporter, Sydney Dick, attended the concert earlier tonight to see how big of an impact sober venue options can have for people in addiction recovery.

The Loft Event Center in Bemidji was packed earlier tonight for the first ever breaking free United Together in Recovery event.

The focus was to have a live music atmosphere that was totally sober.

Our goal was to bring people together all over the community that support recovery, including people that are in recovery and those that have families that have struggled with addiction just to bring everyone together to connect and to play music.

Because in this, in our small community, we have a lot of musicians that are in recovery, and their only opportunity to play i either in a bar or in a church.

And sometimes that just doesn't work well.

It's reall just having those alternatives versus going places, which maybe could trigger something from their past and the things that they struggle with having those atmospheres that are, free of that temptation, is is one tool in the toolbox.

Just having that that option is so good.

Along with creating a sober environment with snacks and mocktails from the Blue Oyster, Unite Together in Recovery also aims to bring difficult discussions about addiction to light.

Addictio is the opposite of connection.

And so the more that we can connect and be open and honest about what addiction is and stop shying away from it, the better off are all going to be.

Music has just a great way I think, of bringing the reality of life.

And you heard it in, one of the gentleman that just saying, I mean, just some of the difficulties and struggles that he's had through addiction and, and he brought that out in music and you could see it, you could feel it, you could hear it.

It was just great.

The concert was not put on by any specific organization, but simply by community members and musicians in the recovery circle.

When you're in an environment where alcohol is aroun and where there's drugs around, it's really hard to stay away from it.

And we need more events and more places for people to go to have fun and connect.

Everybody is welcome.

And it's not just people in recovery because addiction touches us all and we want everybody to join in.

Reporting from Bemidj I'm Sydney Dick, Lakeland News.

Tonight was the first ever breaking free event, but organizers said that they hop to make it an annual tradition.

Still to come on Lakeland News at Ten.

We're going to see very strong winds developing across the area tomorrow.

We do have a wind advisory for much of the area, and we could see some blowin snow in far northwest Minnesota, where a winter weather advisory is in effect.

I've morning forecast in a few minutes.

And coming up after the brea with this week's Golden Apple.

Bemidji High School students hope to address a need the community with something called operation Hope.

And now more news with Dennis Weimann.

Brainerds Taste of the lakes.

Event is scheduled for March 19th at the Northern Pacific Center this year hosted through the Brainerd Family YMCA.

Taste of the lakes, brings Brainerd Lakes area families together for an evening of food and refreshments.

Taste of the Lakes has been a Brainer staple for over three decades, with the YMCA being involved the past two years.

All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the YMCA, youth mentoring programs and enrichment opportunities for all ages.

It's just been such a pleasure to see the tradition carried out.

We have hundreds from the community come and they have a chance to sample beverages.

We are super excited to be heavily involved in the community and any chance we get, we always just want to get back, and especiall if it's going to go to the kids and help them make sure that they're staying active and also growing up to stay and be part of the community.

People's choice voting will also take place during the event for best starter entree, also desserts and an overall dish.

Taste of the lakes will run from 5:30 p.m.

to 9 p.m.

on March 19th.

Time for weather.

Some more winter weather involving some high winds coming in.

Very strong winds.

We are going to start out tomorrow with some mild temperatures, but a cold front will move through, so expect those temperatures to fall as we head into the afternoon.

But that front is also going to trigger some very strong winds in the area.

And we do have a wind advisor for much of northern Minnesota.

And that wind could kick up enough blowing snow that a winter weather advisory has also been issued in the far northwest.

More detail on that in just a few minutes.

And now The Weather with Stacy Christiansen.

Well, we had just a pleasant day across the area today with a mix of some clouds and sunshine.

But we did have very mild temperatures and many of us early, some of us seeing highs in the 40s.

Now, as we head into tonight, still pretty quiet.

We do start ou with mild temperatures tomorrow, but a cold front will move through and those temperatures will fal as we head into the afternoon.

We're also going to see some very strong winds developin with the passage of that front.

And we do have a wind advisory and a winter weather advisory in effec for much of northern Minnesota.

More of that in a second.

Here are the current conditions.

It is 30 degrees at the airport in Bemidji tonight at our studio.

Winds are variable at two miles per hour, with a dew point of 25 and humidity at 80%.

In Brainerd, partly cloudy and 30 degrees.

The dew point is 24.

Pressure is falling winds are southwest at seven miles per hour.

Far northwest Minnesota is under a winter weather advisory from 9 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

Friday.

Blowing snow is expecte with potentially near blizzard conditions, and open country winds could gust up to 55mph.

Now, much of the rest of northern Minnesota, under a wind advisory from 9 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

Friday with winds between 15 and 35mph, but gusts of 45 to 50.

On our satellite and radar, we have a little bit o upper-level moisture out there, but no reports of any snow reaching the ground.

A little bit of cloud cover will be seeing partly to mostly cloudy skies overnight tonight.

It doesn't look like winds are going to be much tonight, but they will pick up across the area tomorrow.

And again we do have those advisory is in effect in the north.

Weather.

Just to share with you.

It was a beautiful morning from Arlene in Menahga and SamRose taking this photo from Upper Red Lake, Ralph spotting a few deer in the yard in Jenkins and Gary spotting a coyote crossing the street or the road in Deerwood.

Some swan spotted on Lake Bemidji by Shaun, Angela sending us this photo of the su above the clouds in Cass Lake, Sharon with this picture.

Also from Cass Lake of the beautiful conditions.

Walking through the woods and Sonja with tonight' sunset over Turtle River Lake.

So thank you everyone for sharing those tonight for our Eagle Ey reports Arlene in Menahga, 13, with a light breeze this morning.

Bob in Bluffton, 40 degrees for the high.

Sonja at Turtle River Lake 35 this evening.

Arlene in Longville with a high of 42.

Angela Cass Lake reporting high of 36 and Ralph in Jenkins topping out at 42 on our Almanac 4 was the high today in Brainerd, so we are above average by nine degrees.

The low is 16.

We had sunrise at one minute after seven this morning.

Bemidji with a high of 39, a full ten degrees above the average, 15 for the low and sunset all the way at 6:00.

So as you look at tomorrow's forecast, we may have a few clouds in the area in the morning, and there actually may be a little bit of light snow at in far northeast northeast Minnesota As we head into the afternoon.

But overall, it looks like we'll be seeing some sunshine as we head through the day.

We do start out though, with the mild temperatures.

Highs will be in the 30s t around 40 in northern Minnesota and in central Minnesota.

Highs will be in the upper 30s to mid 40s, but expect those temperatures to fall as that cold front crosses in the afternoon.

So here's our forecast.

Partly to mostly cloudy tonight with some patchy blowing and driftin snow in far northwest Minnesota.

27 for the low.

Mostly sunny tomorrow, but we may again see a little bit of isolated light snow in northeast Minnesota.

Blowing and drifting sno in the northwest, as we do have west winds at 15 to 35mph and highs near 37.

Cold temperatures as we head into the weekend.

Highs only near seven on Saturday with a low of -13 on Sunday.

We do start to see those temperatures warming up as we head into the workweek.

Highs should be back in the 30s Monday and Tuesday.

Back to you.

Okay, time for sports.

Charlie is here.

Staples.

Motley.

Wrestling.

This would be their second straight title if they win today.

Yes, it would be Back-To-Back state titles.

If they do win tonight and it was the last night of team wrestling.

They still got individuals going tomorrow.

Also had a bunch of section hockey championships tonight as well for next week's state tournament.

All that and a bunch of scores from around the area coming up after the break.

And now your local sports with Charlie Yeager.

It's becoming a reunion of sorts in the class.

A boys wrestling state championship.

Because for the third straight season, staples Motley will duel Chatfield for the title.

The Gophers won the title in 2024.

The Cardinals got revenge in 2025.

And now in 2026, we get the rubber match.

SMW has made this year' tourney look like child's play so far, winning 60 to 9 and 6 to 3 in their first two duals.

Chatfield coming off an upset of Minnesota in the semis.

We're going to start off at 139.

Staples down 11 to in the match but not for long.

Gabe Bjerga body slamming his way to win by technical fall two minutes 59 second now tied at 11 apiece at 145 Eli Greenwaldt gets the pin.

So we go to 160 pounds.

They got the lead.

No Colby Tappe putting on a clinic.

He gets the win by fall.

Just a minute and 23 seconds there.

And at 189 Cardinals up 2814.

Chance to seal it Luke Bjerga wrangling his man like a cattle on the ranc gets the win by major decision.

That clinches it.

Staples Motle back to back for the first time in 40 years 4114 the final over Chatfield.

The Cardinals were slow to start, but once they got things rolling, the dam broke and it was all she wrote.

It feels pretty good.

Come into the season.

This was our goal.

Obviously.

We came every day and we worked for it and we push each other and you got it done.

We have a lot of seniors on our team.

We have, we've been building up to this, you know we've been together since youth.

We weren't so much worried about winning matches, just scoring points, going out there, giving everything we got you know, leaving it on the mat and letting the winds take care of themselves.

We have a great legacy at staples, a great legacy of wrestling So it's great to fulfill that.

Come back to it.

Remember where we come from and just find success and all we do.

It's the Cardinals ninth state title.

They have a long way to go to equal the sixth straight.

They won between 80 and 85.

But back to back champs.

Very impressive nonetheless.

Congrats to the 2026 class AA State wrestling champs.

Staples.

Motley we had a couple more scores for you.

Third place Pierce takes third place in class two AA and over in the consolation final.

United North Central.

They get the win there today as well.

Grand Rapids boys hockey wo eight of their final ten regular season contests, including a four game winning streak heading into the section playoffs.

Now, after knocking off Northern Edge in the quarters Forest Lake in the semis, the Thunderhawks are back in the 72A championship for the second time in three years.

This time they're taking on Rock Ridge, who beat them 43A month ago, a state tournament berth on the line.

Rapids had not allowed a goal.

All postseason comes to an end here at 111 minutes on the goal from Caz Carlson.

It was one nothing Wolverines, and it would stay that way until the second period.

Same score.

Thunderhawks with the two man advantage.

Will Shermoen capitalizes.

Puts the biscuit in the basket and that ties the game up.

And then just 30s later.

Seth Carlson on the power play.

His 20th goal of the season, gives Rapids its first lead of the game.

They go on to win four one, and they're celebrating because they're headed back to the class to a state tournament for the 18th time in school history looking for their fourth title or excuse me, looking for that first title since 2017.

Well, w had two other boys hockey teams trying to punch their tickets to state first.

Warroad taking on Detroit Lakes in Thief River falls for the section eight title.

There was no scoring i the first pick up in the second.

It's the Warriors Ryan Sharmanic who gets things going for them.

Made it one.

Nothing than a few minute later.

World on the power play.

Broden Hontvet makes it two zero.

They go on to win three nothing.

It's their fourth trip to state in five years.

And then in the six A title game.

Northern lakes taking on top seed Sartell at the Mac and Saint Cloud.

We'll pick up in the third.

Lightning trailing 2 to 1.

Parker Fulton with the equalizer.

That's going to help send it to overtime.

That's where Landon Carter snipes one.

And it's a yard sale as the Northern Lakes Lightning go back to back in six A. They're headed to the state tournament as well.

Three two over Sartell the final there a couple girls basketball scores for you in sections.

Little fall gets the win over Sauk Rapids.

Rice 82A first round.

Holly tops Roseau.

Keep moving on an 82A Managua getting the win.

Wadena deer Creek season comes to an end against Burnsville, Warroad Falls to Frazee.

Park Rapids falls to east.

Grand Forks over 6 to 8 Royalton tops, Saint Cloud Cathedral, and Goodridge Grygla Gaztkes season comes to an end in the eight A West quarterfinals.

In the eight A East Side of Things, Northome Kelliher just keeps rolling in Menominee and gets the win over Fosston Bagley tops Blackduc Lake of the woods beats Red Lake and Cromwell-Wright tops Little Fork-Big Falls Deer River gets the win over McGregor in five A. Pine River-Backus no problem with long for a great eagle.

Berth Hewitt beats Nevis on the road.

Sabetha gets the win over Walker and Cass Lake-Bena beats flour ville boy side of things to Sauk Rapids.

Rice beats Brainerd.

Bagley gets the win over Virginia, deer Creek, Aitkin and Pierz both collecting wins tonight in staples Motley tops Ashby 7841.

Right now the Wolves up at the half against the Clippers who are really struggling right now 44 to 38.

And in the NHL, the wild are leading the Colorado Avalanche 2 to 1 in the third.

Well it would be two teams playing with vastly different mindsets this weekend when BSU men's hockey takes the ice with Saint Thomas at the Sanford Center for the final series of the regular season.

Of course, both will be trying to win but the Beavers, who cannot fish finish any higher than their current sixth place in the conference standings, are trying to avoid dropping to the seven seed heading into the playoffs.

Conversely the Tommies are trying to raise the MacNaughton Cup.

Bemidji State could play spoiler, but it's not necessarily their focus with the postseason women.

We're not worrying about being a spoiler to Saint Thomas as much as we're worried about playing good hockey for the Beavers.

I'm getting that.

And then obviously if you win and you play the spoiler and you look back and say, that was kind of fun, but we have to play mature hockey because again, you're going to have to play mature hockey next weekend.

And there's nothing worse than going into the quarterfinal.

Quarterfinals are nerve wracking two out of three.

So you want to be in a good spot in a good place, you know, mentally going into next weekend.

That's been our mindset.

We haven't been looking at the standings like we know what we have to bring to the table.

And our mindset this week is to go and get two wins.

That's our mindset every weekend, and I think going into this weekend planning on Saint Thomas, we know we're always gonna have a battle against them so we know what to expect.

Well, playoff upsets notwithstanding, it's more than likely Friday and Saturday will be the final two home games of the regular season for Bemidji State and the BSU women.

They will begin their postseason tomorrow as well, with the quarterfinals they'll take on number one seed and the number one team in the country.

Wisconsin in a best of three series out in Madison, Wisconsin.

Tough task there.

Smooth.

It's too early to project to Bemidji State men's hocke could play in that first round.

Well, right now at the top of the standings they have they have.

Augustana is three points ahead of everybody else in the next three teams, one through four, all tied.

So nobody's going to know until sure, this series ends.

This entire weekend ends.

It could be a total shuffle.

We got no idea.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Charlie.

Well the city of Bemidji has multiple homeless shelters and other organizations that need food.

Bemidji High Schools Junio Reserve Officers Training Corps, or JROTC, has started a new project t address that need in the city.

For this week's Golden Apple, our reporter Matthew Freeman has more details on the project called operation Hope.

The JROTC is a federal high school based program sponsored by the U.S.

Armed Forces designed to develop discipline, fitness, and teamwork.

If you ask the students at Bemidji Army JROTC, they join to motivate others to be better citizens.

This program is trying to teach students that they should help their community and each other the best way that they can.

Not only for other people that also grow themselves as a person.

So one of the best things that we can teach is doing our best to help other people.

Every year, students in Bemidji's JROTC are assigned a projec to come up with a way to address a need in their community.

Students took note of the many homeless shelters in the city of Bemidji and wanted to help in some way and started with what they call Operation Hope.

These students notice that their school was sometimes have a massive waste of food after school lunches, and instead of throwing that away, they saw an opportunit to do something more with that.

We always like to try to help out our community as best we can, and this is one of the better ways we can help our community and spread awareness for the homeless.

Executives from different shelters around the area stop by the high schoo daily to pick up any extra food that otherwise would have gone to waste.

Usually totaling anywhere between 20 to 50 extra meals, we are able to reduce some of our dollar in funding that we can spend on other things by using the food that we get from the high school.

In the Army JROTC program.

We not only use the food as is but we also turn the food into other things like, we'll take the hamburgers and we'll chop up the meat and put in spaghetti, or take out a hot dish so that we can reuse and get the most out of all of it.

These students are hoping this project not only helps feed empty stomachs, but also provides at least one less thing for people in need to worry about.

This is definitely going to help, you know, the homeless peopl who are, you know, very hungry and it's going to make it so they, like, have one less thing to worry about.

And so instead of thinking, oh, what's my next meal?

They can go, oh, what's the next thing I can do to get out of this situation?

But we just want to give back to our community and help our people the best way we can.

Reporting in Bemidji for this week's Golden Apple, I'm Matthew Freeman, Lakeland News.

Local residents like Pizza Ranch and the Bemidji Eagles Club also provide leftover foo to the Operation Hope project.

Participating businesses will have this sticker in the front window showing their support for the program.

So look for this sticker in those businesses.

Now let's go back to Stac for another look at our weather.

We're going to se some very strong winds tomorrow.

Much of northern Minnesot is under a wind advisory from, 9 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

and a winter weather advisory.

We could see some blowing snow in far northwest Minnesota for that same time period.

We could see wind gusts anywhere from, anywhere from 35 to 45 or even 50mph in this area for tonight, partly to mostly cloudy skies could se some patchy blowing and drifting snow in the northwest, with lows near 27.

Men's basketball head a few all NSIC picks John Pecarich, who formerly played for the Brainerd Warriors, was a first team all conference pick, then Henry Shannon III.

Also on the team.

He got second team.

Okay, we're out of time.

Have a great night, everybody.

Tonight.