Gabriel D. Lagarde

Whether it's your local city council, all the way up to the Governor's office, government plays a part in every aspect of your life. It's important that the people you elect reflect your needs, your values and your vision, and that's why I'm out covering the people and issues that matter, because they matter to you. But it takes time and resources to dig deeper than face value, to capture the whole picture and do the due diligence, so consider subscribing to the Brainerd Dispatch. Your news. Your reporter. Your paper. To help support local journalism, click here to sign up to receive a Dispatch digital subscription to our e-edition or to receive the printed paper at your door, or to get both.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, says he's ready and capable of making a run for governor, but the question is: Should he?
Dr. Peter Henry and Dr. Rob Westin, the chief medical officers for Essentia Health and Cuyuna Regional Medical Center,respectively, both urge vaccinations as soon as possible and to get tested if people have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Initiatives to invest millions of dollars in soil health programs, sustainable farming practices, incentives for farmers to adopt environmental-friendly methods, and to sequester carbon in the soil have had a mixed reception in the state Legislature, where certain provisions were adopted while others didn't sniff the finish line.
All 231 passengers and 10 crew members on United Airlines Flight 328 returned to Denver safely — including Brainerd, Minn., newlyweds Maren Goff and Joel Martin who were on a belated honeymoon trip.
Northern pike dominated the leaderboard during the virtual event.
The annual event, virtual this year because of the pandemic, drew more than 4,700 anglers to ice fishing holes across Minnesota. As of Sunday, Jan. 31, results to determine the prize winners were still pending.
Where many industries are struggling to keep viable, outfitters are making hay during an unusually prosperous January.
While the United States economy reels from the pandemic, mountain biking has proven resilient and even thrived during a time of great upheaval.
Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Matt Kilian said he's fighting for 9% of Minnesota's workforce, or roughly 350,000 people largely concentrated in the recreational-tourism section, who are being left stranded during a time of extraordinary economic fallout.
Friends have been watching Jansen do it, largely unimpeded, for decades — grooming, smoothing out a 35-mile network of trails, up to six hours a day, twice a week, during the highs of summer and during the depths of winter.