A new year brought new beginnings for former Isanti Public Health Director Tony Buttacavoli, as he started his new position Jan. 4 as Executive Director of Family Pathways, succeeding interim Executive Director Rich Smith.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting us all for over a year now, but the end is now in sight. COVID-19 vaccines have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), and on Jan. 6, Isanti County Public Health nurses began administering COVID-19 vaccines.

Although it is the middle of winter and garden season seems a long way off, the Cambridge Community Garden is already thinking spring.

As a follow-up to the Isanti City Council’s October discussions regarding different options for traffic control on Heritage Avenue in the area of Kwik Trip, the council heard an update regarding discussions about the possibility of purchasing land from Minnco to create a four-way intersectio…

Only a little over a week into 2021, and business is officially booming within the City of Cambridge as official announcements have been made regarding two Kwik Trips being built, plus a restaurant and a tool store occupying currently vacant retail buildings.

Eighty-nine years ago, on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1932, Cambridge citizens were trying to piece together what had happened to their town.

The transferring Isanti County’s transit services, which is currently being performed by Heartland Express, to an outside organization, is one step closer to taking place after the boards of commissioners for Isanti and Chisago counties adopted a resolution to transfer its assets to Arrowhea…

An error in the final 2021 levy that was approved by the Isanti City Council during the Dec. 1 council meeting prompted the council to call for a last-minute emergency meeting on Monday, Dec. 28 in order to correct the mistake. All final levies must be turned in to the county by the end of D…

Based on the continuing decline of positive COVID cases in the area, the Cambridge City Council has decided to once again open City Hall to the public, effective immediately. City Hall had been closed to general public walk-ins since November when the positive test rates drastically increased.

Last week the area was blanketed with a layer of frost that turned the world into a winter wonderland. The question of the day is was it hoar frost or rime ice? The difference between the two lies in the weather pattern that encourages the formation. According to CBS 3 meteorologist Dave And…

Minnesota’s 2021 Legislative Session officially began January 5 with Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch) and 66 other State Senators swearing-into office during a ceremony at the State Capitol.

Representative Brian Johnson, R-Cambridge, was sworn in Tuesday for his second term as the State Representative for House District 32A. Johnson, a former law enforcement officer, lives in Cambridge with his wife and son.  

At first glance, it would seem hard to do a retrospective of the past year without one certain item completely dominating the conversation. After all, for three-quarters of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic dominated headlines of national, regional, and local news agencies arguably like no oth…

North Branch has three FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics teams this year. Teams started meeting in September to design, build and code a robot for the game “Ultimate Goal.” The robot must be able to deliver wobble goals to specific areas on the playing field and place or shoot rings into targets…

What would happen if some sort of disaster took place that rendered Cambridge City Hall, along with Cambridge Fire Hall and Police Station (which are all housed in the same building), inaccessible? How would the city communicate emergency management if say a train derailed right behind City …

Each general election year, voters elect Soil and Water Supervisors, although they don’t exactly know what that position is or what purpose the Soil and Water Conservation District. As it turns out, the SWCD plays a key role in the management of such things as managing the Rum River, and the…

Although it is for the most part complete, a portion of the City of Isanti’s storm water maintenance project will remain on hold until Isanti County schedules a ditch maintenance project.

The North Branch City Council had an emotional tug-o-war to deal with during their Dec. 8 meeting, having to choose between their love of animals with enforcing the terms of a conditional use permit (CUP) issued over twenty years ago. In the end, the council’s duty to enforce their laws, plu…

North Branch Area Public Schools, along with many other entities, are experiencing an extreme version of hindsight being 20/20 when it comes to the implementation of COVID policies and practices. And while for the most part the district has been extremely pleased with how everyone - students…

The Cambridge-Isanti High School Activities Department recently announced the selection of Becca Maikkula and Chase Carstensen as the schools’ recipients of the Academics, Arts, and Athletics Award, which is given out annually to one senior girl and one senior boy who actively participate an…

 David Daryl Pangerl, 42, of Braham has been charged with second degree homicide in regards to the death of Scott Ness. Pangerl also faces a number of other felony charges, including robbery, burglary and assault stemming from a more recent incident. 

After a tumultuous year filled with new obstacles for families, food insecurity continues to be an insurmountable hurdle for many. 

Janet Reiter, Chisago County Attorney, will lead the Minnesota County Attorneys Association (MCAA) over the next 12 months. Reiter was elected president during the Association’s annual meeting on December 4th.

The Isanti-Chisago County Star is inviting readers to submit photos or videos of their favorite area Christmas displays in order to help spread much-needed holiday cheer.