PHOTO GALLERIES

Photos of the month: Sunrise after the storm

Madelyn Haasken — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — June was a month of ups and downs for Bemidjians.

For much of the month, community members took part in many of the favorite activities that come along with June, such as the annual Ride for the Troops, the Knights of Columbus Walleye Tournament and plenty of summer sporting events.

But what initially seemed like a typical early summer in the Northwoods quickly turned into a month for the books when a severe storm tore through town on June 21, leaving destruction in its path and changing the town’s landscape for decades to come.

As it always does, Bemidji persevered through difficult times and the community banded together to help their neighbors deal with widespread power outages, road blockages and lots of downed trees.

Through the good times and the bad, Pioneer photographers Madelyn Haasken, TJ Rhodes, Leo Pomerenke and Sarah Suchoski captured these memorable moments.

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Photos of the month: Reeling in May memories

Annalise Braught — Sat, 31 May 2025 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — As Bemidjians settled into the spring season, many of the area's traditional activities and events got underway.

From heading out to the lake before the sunrise for the fishing opener to hitting home runs on a sunny afternoon, spending time outdoors was a central theme of May.

The Early Childhood Family Education program held its annual "Wheels" event, MMIW 218 hosted its second Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Conference, and graduates once again walked the stage to receive their diplomas.

As birds chirped and flowers bloomed, Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken, TJ Rhodes and Leo Pomerenke captured these memorable moments.

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Bemidji anglers reel in another Minnesota fishing opener

Annalise Braught — Sun, 11 May 2025 01:04:37 GMT

BEMIDJI — Fishing piers and boat ramps were buzzing with excitement at the crack of dawn on Saturday as Bemidji-area anglers got out on the water to participate in the Minnesota fishing opener.

Ahead of the opener —referring to the start of fishing for walleye, northern pike, bass and trout in lakes on inland waters of Minnesota — the Department of Natural Resources expected around 500,000 anglers to fish on May 10.

"Shallower lakes such as Blackduck and Pike Bay are popular choices for area anglers around fishing opener because they are warmer and often have more active fish than deeper lakes," the DNR outlook reported. "Deeper lakes such as Big Turtle, Turtle River, Plantagenet, Bemidji, Big Wolf, Big Lake and Lake Andrusia may start slow but are excellent choices with their healthy walleye populations. Gull Lake and Grace Lake also present good opportunities for opener walleyes."

The tradition of the walleye opener often overshadows quality springtime fishing for a number of other fish species found in the area. The early catch and release bass season is May 10-23.

Many lakes in the area offer great fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, which are often pre-spawn during this timeframe, the DNR said.

Some of the more popular largemouth bass lakes in the area include Balm, Big Bass and South Twin. Various lakes in the Turtle River chain of lakes present good opportunities for largemouth bass as well. Many area lakes also have high-quality populations of panfish such as bluegill and black crappie.

The DNR encourages anglers to be aware of reduced bag limits for sunfish (five fish daily) on a number area lakes and their connected waters: Andrusia, Beltrami, Big, Big Bass, Big Rice, Buck, Campbell, Cass, Deer, Fox, Gull, Julia, Kitchi, Little Rice, Little Turtle, Medicine, Minerva, Movil, Pike Bay, Pimushe, Three Island, Turtle, Turtle River, Windigo and Wolf lakes.

For more local fishing information, visit dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/bemidji.

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Photos of the month: Signaling spring

Annalise Braught — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Signs of spring are more than just melting snow and budding trees, as plenty of annual events marked the end of a long winter in the Bemidji area.

Parks and Rec hosted its Bunny Bash ahead of the Easter holiday, more than 4,000 attendees flocked to the Sanford Center for the GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo, and children took part in fun activities during the Bemidji Early Childhood Collaborative’s Tiny Tots Health and Wellness Fair.

Bemidjians also took advantage of the warmer weather by participating in outdoor events. Spring sports teams kicked off their outdoor seasons as the fields thawed, and more than 1,000 activists gathered near downtown Bemidji for a Hands Off! demonstration.

Speaking of downtown, the area saw plenty of changes this month as the iconic Morell's Chippewa Trading Post statue was removed and a sinkhole led to the discovery of an old building's foundation underneath the parking lot at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Fourth Street NW.

Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these memorable moments along the way.

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Spring is foiled again as April snowstorm hits the Bemidji area

Annalise Braught — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:22:07 GMT

BEMIDJI — It's been a rollercoaster of a winter in the Northland, but this week, the seasons played a cruel April Fool's joke on the region as the weather went from mild and sunny to a full-blown snowstorm in a matter of days, leaving the Bemidji area with nearly a foot of wet, heavy snow.

Thanks to somewhat mild temperatures, much of the initial precipitation that started on Tuesday evening and continued throughout the morning on Wednesday simply melted as soon as it hit the ground.

However, as temperatures dropped and the snow became heavier during the day, some areas received as much as 8-12 inches of accumulating snow come Thursday morning, while some areas further outside of Bemidji only saw around 4-6 inches.

While these may not be the "April showers" folks anxiously await each spring, Minnesotans know better than to expect anything less from the fickle winters of the North. And, considering much of the region is classified as being in an extreme drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the ground is sure to be grateful for whatever moisture it can receive — frozen or not.

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Photos of the month: A remarkable March

Annalise Braught — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — As the Northland gave a sneak peek of the first hopeful signs of spring, Bemidjians took advantage of all the area had to offer.

Downtown Bemidji served as a place of gathering as people participated in the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade and gathered near Paul and Babe to honor the life of Arizona 14-year-old Emily Pike.

On the education front, young scientists from around the region gathered at Bemidji State for the Northern Minnesota Regional Science Fair and Lead for Inclusion hosted its first-ever youth summit.

While the ice melted and trees began to bud, Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these memorable moments.

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Photos of the month: Frigid February

Annalise Braught — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Despite several days of subzero temps, Bemidjians embraced the winter season in February with a lineup of fun and impactful community events.

Dozens of brave participants jumped into Lake Bemidji to raise funds for local Special Olympics as part of the Bemidji Jaycees' 21st Brrrmidji Plunge, and MMIW 218 hosted its annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives event featuring a walk and program at BSU.

The winter sports season chugged along as playoffs and sections began for several teams, and the Red Lake Nordic Ski team hosted its first-ever home meet.

Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these moments along the way.

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Paige: Covering Leonard Peltier's return home a mix of bitter cold, community warmth

Anna Paige — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 17:40:24 GMT

BELCOURT, N.D. — We knew Leonard Peltier was being released from a federal prison in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, but little was known about the actual route that would be taken in his journey to the homelands of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, where Peltier is an enrolled member.

My co-worker Melissa Van Der Stad has been following Peltier's release, keeping in close contact with his sisters Betty Ann Peltier Solano and Sheila Peltier, who reside in Fargo.

Van Der Stad researched flight paths from central Florida, where Leonard Peltier was incarcerated at USP Coleman, a high-security federal lockup in Wildwood. There, Peltier spent the bulk of his 49-year sentence following the murders of two FBI agents on June 26, 1975, at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Since that deadly day, Peltier has become an international symbol of Native American resistance, and his case has been intensely scrutinized, with many believing his sentence was unjust for his role in the standoff. The FBI maintains the conviction was just.

In 1977, Peltier was found guilty of first-degree murder in a trial that took place in Fargo, and he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for his role in the shootout.

Numerous appeals for parole or a commutation of his sentence have been made since, and shortly before leaving office, President Joe Biden commuted Peltier's sentence, allowing him to spend the rest of his life in home confinement.

When we saw the route of a private plane heading into Devils Lake Regional Airport from Leesburg, Florida, we figured we found our man. We guessed he would land and then be transported to an unidentified location in Belcourt, North Dakota, where a home purchased by the NDN Collective — a group based out of Rapid City, South Dakota, that worked to free Peltier — was waiting for him.

We called ahead to the airport, figuring they may be able to tip us off. Because Peltier was flying on a private plane, they did not disclose any known information. But we decided it was worth the risk — if we missed him, we still had a chance to head to Belcourt, where family, friends and supporters of Peltier had lined up along the highway to welcome him as the caravan crossed into Turtle Mountain.

The wind was rocking the car, driving temperatures into double digits below zero as we circled the airport. We saw several people standing outside and recognized them as American Indian Movement members who came in from both Dakotas and Minnesota. They were passing out signs that showcased Peltier's face, with the phrases "50 Years of Resistance" and "Miigwech Leonard."

"Miigwech" is Ojibwe for "thank you."

A woman with a bullhorn announced Peltier was arriving. The roar of the plane as it taxied in was intense, and when people started disembarking, a hush fell over the crowd.

Peltier was one of the last people to exit the plane. He raised his fist into the air, as people erupted into cheers and chants of "lu lu lu lu lu, lu lu, lu." People were shouting, "Welcome home, uncle!" as he stepped onto North Dakota soil for the first time in nearly 50 years.

It took several minutes for Peltier to exit the plane and board into a white SUV. We wanted to get ahead of the caravan, to meet him arriving at the reservation border, so we departed quickly, thawing out our bodies.

At some point in the shoot, I was not even aware if I was taking pictures, my fingertips were so cold. People in the crowd who had waited even longer outside were shuffling and shaking their hands, trying to keep the blood flowing.

As we crested the hill into Belcourt, we saw the lineup of vehicles headed deep into Turtle Mountain. People were sitting in their cars, many with the windows down and the heat blasting as they waited out Peltier's arrival.

Many people were standing outside. The smell of burning sage filled the air, and a group of drummers kept the crowd hopeful with drumming and singing.

Young and old alike bundled in blankets and held up signs welcoming Peltier home. People stood in truck beds and hung out windows of vehicles, craning their necks to see if his caravan was coming down the highway.

As he drove by the hundreds of well-wishers, Peltier saw his sister Shelia Peltier standing with her daughter, Shannon Cartwright, who has never met her uncle. Afterward, Sheila told us her brother shouted out the window, calling her by her childhood nickname as he passed.

The caravan carrying Peltier continued on, leaving in its wake an intensity of emotions. The homecoming celebrations were not just the return of an Indigenous relative to Native soil, they represented 50 years of struggle against a system designed to silence Indigenous people. They represented five decades of appeals, an emotional roller coaster for families whose relative was imprisoned so far away that it was nearly impossible to see him.

The Sky Dancer Casino & Resort in Belcourt was filled to the brim, without a room available that evening, when family, friends and supporters gathered to share a meal and words about Peltier. Though he did not make an appearance that night, his family was able to see him later as he settled into his new home.

"He woke up in his own home and he said it was like a dream," said Sarah Sunshine Manning, director of communications for NDN Collective.

Peltier's niece, Shannon Cartwright, was finally able to meet her uncle after all these years hearing about him.

"I’m so glad I got to meet him this way and not in prison," she told me. "This is a lot better meeting him during his freedom. It was definitely a privilege."

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Photos of the month: Winter wonders

Annalise Braught — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 13:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Bemidjians enjoyed all that winter has to offer this month as plenty of traditional activities were hosted throughout the area.

Children and adults alike took advantage of the cold and snow by getting outside to ice skate on the many local rinks. Winter sports were in the spotlight as Bemidji High �� held its annual Rick Lee Invitational, and activities like Vocalmotive performances and Lead for Inclusion bowling events kept people entertained indoors during the frigid winter days.

Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these moments along the way.

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Photos of the month: December delights

Annalise Braught — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Bemidji was simply bursting with holiday cheer in December.

Locals took part in their favorite festive traditions like the Night We Light Parade, the First City of Lights Tour of Homes contest, the Heroes and Helpers holiday gift shopping program and the Sankta Lucia Festival.

The sports scene showcased some thrilling moments as the Bemidji State football team concluded a historic season by reaching the NCAA DII quarterfinals, and the Bemidji High �� girls wrestling team took first place at its annual Blue Ox Invitational.

As Bemidjians celebrated the holiday season in style, Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these fun moments.

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