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28-Aug-2026

Arson Charges

The owner of a bar in Remer and his girlfriend are facing arson charges in connection with the fire that burned down the establishment. Investigators determined the fire that destroyed The Pub bar in Remer on Apr. 27, 2025 was a fire that was deliberately set and that it started in two different locations in the building as a result of an open flame being introduced to combustible material. According to the criminal complaint in the case, the owner, 52-year-old Kory Wagner, was having trouble paying his employees on time and was looking to sell the bar. Wagner told authorities he bought the bar for $300,000 and it was insured for $700,000. The complaint says Wagner and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Heather Pero, admitted to being at the bar between 4:00 and 4:30 the morning of the fire, and cell phone evidence indicated they were in Remer at 5;15 a.m. The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. Wagner was charged in Cass County Court today with three felonies: aid and abet first-degree arson – flammable material, aid and abet second-degree arson, and attempted insurance fraud. Pero was charged with two felonies: aid and abet first-degree arson – flammable material, and aid and abet second-degree arson. Wagner and Pero made their first court appearances today, where bail or bond for both individuals was set at $300,000 with no conditions and $50,000 with conditions. Wagner’s next court date is Aug. 31, while Pero’s is set for Sep. 8.

28-Aug-2026

Fatal Crash

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a fatal crash in Benton County involving an unbelted driver. The crash happened at around 4:15 p.m. Thursday in St. George Township. The State Patrol says 27-year-old Tyler Hurtig of Brainerd was driving a pickup and pulling a trailer on Highway 25 when the crash happened. Troopers say another pickup driven by an 18-year-old man from Foley made contact with the trailer at the intersection of Highway 25 and County Road 10 before rolling. The Foley man, whose name has not been released yet, was not wearing his seatbelt and was killed in the crash. Hurtig and his passenger, 49-year-old Daniel Phelps of Wadena, were not hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

27-Aug-2026

Anterless Deer Permits

A deadline is approaching for deer hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in deer permit areas with a lottery system. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding those firearms and muzzleloader hunters that they must buy their licenses by September 10th. The license holders will automatically be entered into the lottery for the deer permit area they declare. Applicants who are successful will receive a postcard in the mail from the DNR to use in conjunction with their regular license in the antlerless permit lottery area. No application is needed in deer permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit, or five-deer limit designations. A new provision this year allows hunters to apply for both the antlerless permit lottery and special hunts. In the past, hunters were only allowed to apply to one or the other.

 

 

 

 

 

27-Aug-2026

Fatal Car/Train Crash

One person was killed early on Aug. 25 when a vehicle and a freight train collided near Highway 210 and West Gull River Road, according to Pillager Area Fire & Rescue. Crews were paged to the scene at 6:27 a.m. A firefighter arrived within a minute and found the vehicle resting on the south side of the tracks and the westbound train stopped, the department said in a statement. The vehicle had been traveling from south to north, attempting to cross the tracks toward Highway 210, when it was struck by the train. The lone occupant was reached by a firefighter who crawled under the stopped train to get to the other side, but the driver did not survive, officials said. Pillager Area Fire & Rescue thanked the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, North Memorial Ambulance, BNSF Railway, Collins Brothers Towing, the Minnesota State Patrol and Brenny Funeral Home for their work at the scene..

27-Aug-2026

New Princess Kay

Jena Hanson was crowned the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Wednesday.20 year old Hanson, from Owatonna, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for the Minnesota dairy industry and families for the next year.   Princesses are chosen based on personality and knowledge of the dairy community. Hanson was chosen out of 10 county dairy princesses who made it to the State Fair competition. Isabella Schiffler and Jaiden Smith, both of Stearns County, were selected as runners-up. For her first official duty as Princess Kay, Hanson will sit in a cooler on the fairgrounds Thursday and Friday while her likeness is sculpted in butter.  Other finalists will also have their likeness turned into a butter sculpture throughout the fair. Hanson is currently studying at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.