Emma Krab interviewed LiUNA Local 1097 business manager Shawn Braford about the state of labor in 2026.

Plus: Marble getes funds to install water filters for manganese and iron; ag department accepts comments on socioeconomic impacts of large dairies, and it’s a prolific pinecone season.

Plus: District judges in Crow Wing County request deputy presence at hearings, highway construction project moves forward in Bemidji

Plus: Wildfire-affected areas in and around the Boundary Waters continue to reopen; lake associations are seeing impacts from new boating laws; and Grand Itasca Clinic is changing its name.

Plus: 4-H competitors show animals at Minnesota State Fair

Plus: Sanford Health and North Memorial Health sign 10-year agreement with state AG for a merger; and the Beargrease sled dog race returns to “out-and-back” format for 2027 event.

Endazhi-Nitaawiging, a charter school on the Red Lake Nation, partnered with the Trust for Public Land for a new natural playground as part of a revamped schoolyard.

And: Bemidji data center moratorium clears first step; and Flock cameras coming down in St. Louis County.