A Bemidji man died in an accidental shooting in the opening hours of the deer hunting season Saturday. Beltrami County Sheriff's officials say the hunter was shot by another hunter about nine miles northeast of Bemidji.

Kmart store manager Tim Hayen told the Bemidji Pioneer he is unsure when the store will officially close its doors. As many as 60 employees, most of whom are part-time, will be affected by the closure.

Two Bemidji men were arraigned Friday in Beltrami County District Court after an alleged cross-burning May 25 at a home in Northern Township. A defense attorney said the alleged incident an offensive "juvenile prank," but the prosecutor called it a "crime of hatred and intolerance."

A group in Bemidji has lanched a fundraising drive to raise more than $1 million to restore the city’s historic Carnegie Library. The group proposes an addition to the 102-year-old library, which features fireplaces and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Two Bemidji men, ages 19 and 20, were arrested Wednesday in connection with an 8-foot burning cross reported in a yard north of the city last month. The incident is being investigated as a "bias crime." The woman who reported it is white and her two adult children have a father who is black.

The Bemidji Woolen Mills just shipped the first batch to South Carolina and will begin production on a thousand more this week. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum wore a blue sweater vest throughout much of his Iowa caucus campaign. After officially being declared the winner of Iowa last week, Santorum and his campaign staff are now calling the sweater vests a good luck charm. The Pioneer reports the former Pennsylvania Senator wanted to find an American manufacturer to produce special edition sweater vests and a member of his staff recommended the Bemidji Wollen Mills.

The Minnesota company is expanding with a new facility in Bemidji. The Pioneer reports many of the new jobs will involve customer service work in a call center. The company's president said the firm chose Bemidji because of the number of people in the area looking for work, the communications infrastructure and the variety of training and educational opportunities.

A line of severe thunderstorms brought winds of more than 70 mph through northern Minnesota Monday night. The storms downed trees and power lines in areas including Bemidji and Grand Rapids, knocking out phone and electrical service and stranding campers at Itasca State Park.