Local and Regional News, Friday 2/27/2026

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Rainy Lake Medical Center is encouraging area residents to stay up to date on colon cancer screenings.
Board-certified general surgeon Dr. Rachel Knudson says screenings can actually prevent cancer by catching and removing polyps early.

Doctors recommend beginning colonoscopy screenings at age 45, or earlier for patients with symptoms or a family history of colon cancer.
Rainy Lake Medical Center now offers a new pill-based preparation option that replaces the traditional liquid prep.

Knudson says colonoscopies are quick and painless, and appointments can be scheduled directly with the medical center without a referral.

Crews at Voyageurs National Park are touching up trails following the recent snowfall after patches of bare ground began showing through, impacting both safety and ride quality.
All major snowmobile trails are currently open and groomed, including the Purple Trail from International Falls to Kettle Falls and the Green Trail connecting Rainy Lake, Kabetogama, Ash River and Crane Lake. The Chain of Lakes trail is groomed through Locator before turning back.
Riders should use caution on ice roads, as many areas are down to bare ice and extremely slick. Fresh snow may help traction, but stopping can still be challenging. Rainy Lake Ice Road is open to Cranberry, while the Dryweed Loop remains closed. On Kabetogama, the ice road is open but now departs from the Gappa Landing boat launch.
Ski and snowshoe trails across the park are open and packed, and the Kabetogama sledding hill is groomed and ready.
Always check current conditions before heading out — and remember, ice is never 100 percent safe. The latest updates are available on the park’s website under Alerts and Conditions.

Essentia Health is urging the U.S. Department of Education to reconsider proposed changes to graduate student loan policies, warning the move could worsen health care workforce shortages especially in rural areas.
In a public comment submitted this week, Essentia says the proposal would reclassify several health care graduate programs — including nurse practitioners and physician assistants — so they would no longer qualify as professional degrees. That change would limit how much students can borrow through federal loan programs, making advanced health care education harder to afford.
Essentia Assistant Chief Medical Officer Christie Erickson says restricting financial aid would shrink the pipeline of future providers at a time when shortages are already critical.
College of St. Scholastica also voiced concerns, noting that barriers to graduate education directly threaten health care access across the Northland.
The public comment period closes Tuesday, March 3, and Essentia is encouraging health care workers and organizations to speak up before then.

Border Bank in International Falls is launching a monthlong food drive as part of National Food Share Month.
Throughout March, the bank will collect nonperishable food items and cash donations, with all contributions going directly to Koochiching County Food Access.
Community members can also help by purchasing a prepacked food bag at Super One Foods. Border Bank will match all purchased food bags, contributing up to 15-hundred dollars to support local families in need.
Branch Manager Kris Lassila says every donation — big or small — makes a meaningful difference as the community comes together to help end hunger.
Donations can be made at Border Bank or Super One throughout the month of March.

The National Park Service is planning a project at Voyageurs National Park to replace an aging underwater power line serving the Kettle Falls area.

Kate Fenske of Voyageurs Conservancy says the project will help maintain services at the historic destination.

A public comment period is currently open through the National Park Service website.