On Saturday June 6th, 2026, at approximately 2:35 P.M., St. Louis County 911 dispatchers received several calls reporting heavy dark smoke coming from the area of Crane Lake Rd and Kennedy Rd in Beatty Township, which is approximately 15 miles North of the City of Cook, MN. 

On June 1, 2026, at approximately 2:56 pm, area agencies responded to the report of black smoke coming from north side of Birch Bay on Burntside Lake approximately 8 miles northwest of Ely, MN.  

The intersection of Midway Road and North Cloquet Road in Midway Township has been the site of seven crashes between 2021-2025. Beginning June 8, this intersection will undergo significant work to improve safety and visibility for travelers. During construction, both Midway Road and North Cloquet Road will be closed.

On May 29th, 2026 at 0955 hours, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office received information of a distress signal that had been activated inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA).  The Sheriff's Office Dispatch center received GPS coordinates that put the distress signal on the southern edge of lake Lac La Croix, which is on the international border, almost straight north of Ely, MN. 

Yesterday, in St. Louis County District Court in Hibbing, Casey Jerald Daniels, 31, pleaded guilty to Criminal Vehicular Homicide – Alcohol Concentration .08 or More within 2 Hours of Driving, St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki said.