Latest news
MONTICELLO — A Monticello man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges involving the possession of child sexual abuse material.
MONTICELLO — A reported gun-pointing incident on Interstate 94 in Monticello sparked a multi-agency pursuit Tuesday evening that ended near Clearwater with the arrest of a St. C…
BUFFALO — Candidate filing has closed for the 2026 Minnesota Senate District 29 race, setting up a Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary and a November challenge to incumbent Sen. Mic…
Candidate filing has closed for Wright County’s 2026 elections, setting up two county commissioner primaries, an open race for sheriff and several contested county offices this fall.
MONTICELLO — A Monticello man is facing charges after authorities allege he stopped a vehicle in the middle of a roadway and walked away before deputies could contact him.
MONTICELLO — Generations of loved ones traveled from across the region to join residents at Ecumen St. Benedict’s Community on Friday, June 5, for an afternoon of music, animals…
MONTICELLO — Union members are scheduled to begin voting Tuesday on a tentative agreement reached June 2 between Monticello teachers and the school district, potentially bringin…
MONTICELLO — Lumberjacks, log rolling, live birds of prey and a towering Paul Bunyan will headline Monticello’s inaugural Heritage Day on June 13. The free festival will fill We…
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MONTICELLO — After rain delayed commencement by an hour, Monticello High School's Class of 2026 celebrated graduation beneath clear skies Friday evening. With a rainbow over the stadium and a sunset cap toss to close the night, the school's 352 graduates crossed the stage before a packed crowd.
Crime & courts
MONTICELLO — Two men are facing felony assault charges following a disturbance last weekend at the Monticello VFW that allegedly led to assaults on both a VFW employee and Wright County sherif…
Arrests from the Wright County and Sherburne County sheriff's departments, along with sentencings from the Wright County Attorney's Office and DNR Conservation Officer’s Report.
Trending Now
MONTICELLO — Two separate crashes on Interstate 94 in Monticello sent two people to the hospital and caused traffic disruptions over the weekend.
MONTICELLO — Every seat in the Monticello School Board meeting room was filled Monday night, with attendees lining the walls and spilling into…
MONTICELLO — Land near Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park that was reguided for industrial development last year amid discussions of a propo…
MONTICELLO — Live music along the Mississippi River and movies under the stars will return to Monticello this summer as the city launches anot…
MONTICELLO — Visitors to Lake Maria State Park will have a chance to explore a world normally invisible to the naked eye during “Microscopy in…
MONTICELLO — After a yearlong delay tied to permitting requirements, Monticello’s long-planned Ditch 33 drainage project is moving ahead, with…
MONTICELLO — Drivers traveling between Monticello and Buffalo have a new detour route as construction continues on Highway 25.
MONTICELLO — Wright County’s summer pavement preservation program is expected to bring road work to several heavily traveled streets in Montic…
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council on May 26 approved a $41.8 million construction contract for the city’s new water treatment plant, ma…
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council on May 26 approved a professional services agreement with WSB for design and bidding services related…
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council on May 26 approved a rezoning request and conditional use permit allowing a proposed Asian buffet and…
MONTICELLO — Construction on Monticello’s new pickleball complex at Bertram Chain of Lakes Athletic Park was scheduled to begin on June 8, wit…
The knife-wielding serial killer known as Ghostface unwisely tries to stab Teyana Taylor in the opening scene of “Scary Movie” and it goes rat…
What evil lurks in the drabbest of interiors? The meme-rooted “Backrooms” is the latest movie to pull its mounting horrors out of liminal spac…
MONTICELLO — Home to one of Minnesota’s two nuclear power plants, Monticello could find itself at the center of a renewed statewide conversati…
BIG LAKE — Anyone wondering what happened to the giant dinosaur that stood watch over a Highway 10 gas station in Elk River can stop searching.
Former Wright County Commissioner Christine Husom has filed to run for the District 1 seat she vacated in 2022.
MONTICELLO — MontiArts is once again inviting the community to find beauty in the broken with the return of its Kintsugi Basics class this summer.
As I noted in my column two weeks ago, I recently obtained a bound archive book of The Wright County Times, containing 160 consecutive issues …
Summer adventures are right around the corner at the Monticello Senior Center, and we have some wonderful outings and programs planned.
Families in Monticello, Big Lake and other Great River Regional Library communities can once again take part in the annual Summer Reading Chal…
Great River Regional Library is inviting artists of all ages to help design the next library card used across its regional system.
MONTICELLO — One person was injured in a six-vehicle crash on southbound Highway 25 near Seventh Street on Saturday morning.
MONTICELLO — A semi crash in a construction zone shut down eastbound Interstate 94 through Monticello for several hours last week after the tr…
MONTICELLO — After nearly a year without a new contract — and after months of stalled negotiations and two rejected tentative agreements, a ra…
MONTICELLO — Nearly a year after their contract expired, Monticello teachers took their concerns to city streets Thursday, drawing honks, wave…
MONTICELLO — A new daytime coffee concept will soon perk up the Liquor Lounge in downtown Monticello, bringing a dual-use approach to the hist…
MONTICELLO — A burst of color has taken root at MontiArts. “Bloomapalooza” fills the downtown gallery with floral-inspired paintings, sculptur…
Featured story
MONTICELLO — After rain delayed commencement by an hour, Monticello High School's Class of 2026 celebrated graduation beneath clear skies Friday evening. With a rainbow over the stadium and a sunset cap toss to close the night, the school's 352 graduates crossed the stage before a packed crowd.
Sports news
Nine members of the Monticello boys track and field team competed in the state individual competition, with multiple earning top-10 finishes as the Magic placed eighth as a team.
The Monticello girls track and field team sent three athletes to compete at the Class AAA state individual meet last week, with the group earning two top-five finishes and a school record.
After a winless inaugural season, Monticello girls flag football finished runner-up in the District One tournament, falling to St. Cloud Tech in the championship.
Losing in the third round to Moorhead put the Magic in a tough spot. Needing a win against the top seed and then two straight against the same team, Monticello had its hands full. After three tight games, the Magic won the se…
Monticello’s golf teams competed in section tournaments last week, with the girls finishing second and the boys placing eighth. Senior Alayna Opatz earned a runner-up finish individually to qualify for state for the third str…
After losing in the first round May 19, Monticello softball was sent to the elimination bracket of the Class 8AAAA section tournament, where the team won a game before ending its season with a loss to St. Cloud.
The Monticello girls lacrosse season ended last Thursday in a 4-3 loss to Brainerd in the section quarterfinals. Brainerd put up 19 shots on goal, but Monticello goaltender Jayden Larson saved 15 shots in a superb effort. Lar…
The Monticello lacrosse teams were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of their respective section tournaments last week. The boys team fell to Moorhead, while the girls lost a close game to Brainerd.
Monticello’s trapshooting team turned in a strong season, sitting second in the conference with multiple shooters posting solid league averages as the final week of scores wrapped up.
Check out what games Monticello will be playing in over the next week.
MONTICELLO — Construction on Monticello’s new pickleball complex at Bertram Chain of Lakes Athletic Park was scheduled to begin on June 8, with completion anticipated by Sept. 1.
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council on May 26 approved a professional services agreement with WSB for design and bidding services related to Phase IV improvements at Bertram Chain of Lakes Athletic Park.
MONTICELLO — A sweeping expansion planned for Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Athletic Park is beginning to take clearer shape, as Monticello officials approved an updated master plan aimed at transforming the site into a maj…
Take a walk down memory lane and see what sports stories were making headlines 50, 25 and 10 years ago in the Monticello Times.
MONTICELLO — The ordinance may be approved, but the controversy surrounding possible data center development in and around Monticello is far from over. Residents continue organizing, lawsuits are moving forward and county officials are now weighing their own restrictions.
MONTICELLO — After months of debate, workshops and packed public meetings, the Monticello City Council has now formally adopted a new zoning framework governing potential f…
BUFFALO — After a public hearing packed with concerns over water, power and quality of life, Wright County commissioners unanimously approved a one-year moratorium Tuesday …
MONTICELLO — A lawsuit challenging the City of Monticello’s environmental review tied to potential data center development is moving forward, with a Wright County judge set…
Wright County officials are pushing back on growing confusion surrounding a proposed emergency moratorium on data centers, saying the measure would not affect the planned M…
MONTICELLO — After months of debate, packed meetings and deepening community division, the Monticello City Council on Monday approved a new ordinance governing data center …
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council has denied a citizen request to require additional environmental review of a proposed data center site, concluding that further stu…
MONTICELLO — As debate over a proposed data center ordinance continues, City Council members remain divided on key rules that will shape whether and how data centers can be…
MONTICELLO — A packed and charged City Council meeting last week was briefly halted after audience members repeatedly interrupted discussion, challenged meeting rules from …
MONTICELLO — How far can Monticello go on data centers? Leaders pressed that question in a lengthy workshop with the city attorney, probing what’s legally allowed — and what may not be.
Monticello is taking a closer look at how to regulate potential data center development, and a proposed zoning ordinance aims to address many of the concerns residents have raised. From electricity and water use to setbacks, noise and lighting, here’s a plain-language guide to what the DCPUD rules would require.
Imagine a giant box at the edge of town. Vast amounts of electricity — and billions of dollars in economic activity — flow through it like glacial waters across an undiscovered continent.
MONTICELLO — Local residents brought their concerns over proposed data center development to the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul last week, joining a coalition of communities…
MONTICELLO — As debate over proposed data centers continues to draw large crowds and pointed criticism, the city is signaling a shift in tone — and a possible change in how…
MONTICELLO — Under bright sun, blue skies and record-setting warmth, a line of residents stretched along Highway 25 Saturday morning, waving signs and drawing honks from pa…
MONTICELLO — With a packed audience at last week’s City Council meeting, the debate over potential data center development in Monticello took a sharper turn toward question…
MONTICELLO — Calls for a temporary moratorium on data center development surfaced repeatedly during the March 9 City Council meeting, with multiple residents urging city le…
MONTICELLO — A proposed 550-acre hyperscale data center campus has sparked a growing grassroots opposition movement among nearby residents. Organizers are pushing for a moratorium on new data centers while the city debates zoning rules and state lawmakers consider broader regulations.
MONTICELLO — A representative for Monticello Tech is asking the City Council to overhaul its proposed data center ordinance, saying the current draft would make development…
MONTICELLO — A state environmental nonprofit is taking the City of Monticello to court over its approval of an environmental review tied to possible data center development.
MONTICELLO — Now that a lawsuit has been filed challenging Monticello’s environmental review for potential data center development, many are asking: What exactly did the city approve?
MONTICELLO — Text messages between City Council member Kip Christianson and a commercial real estate broker working with a data center developer were released this month af…
MONTICELLO — Before sunrise on a chilly morning last month, a group of Monticello city leaders loaded into two vehicles and headed south to Iowa to see firsthand what they …
MONTICELLO — The Monticello City Council this week adopted a long-range planning study for a 550-acre area south of the city, approving an Alternative Urban Areawide Review…
MONTICELLO — An open house about a proposed data center development Wednesday night answered one central question for many Monticello residents: why so many concrete answer…
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Seasonal recipes
Boy, does my man love bacon. One of his nicknames is even The Bacon Fiend, after my uncle, whose initials are TB…
If I spot house-made sangria on a menu, there’s a good chance I’m going to order it. I just can’t resist this re…
Put your hands up if you’re a fellow banana lover.
It’s still holiday season, so you’re probably expecting me to share a cookie recipe or some kind of holiday bake…
You never really know who might be a foodie. They’re lurking among us, and some fly under the radar more than my…
Even though my brief stint as a vegan ended many years ago, I still have a strong proclivity toward plant-based,…
Roses are red, violets are blue, chocolate is sweet, and brownies are too.
By now, you can probably tell that I’m pretty passionate about food. My spare time is usually spent in the kitch…
Soup is one of my favorite food groups. Just give me a big bowl of soup and a hunk of good bread and I will be o…
With temperatures plummeting, these cold wintry weekends beg for a warm and filling leisurely breakfast or brunc…
As winter’s harsh bite deepens and those wicked wind chills send us scurrying indoors, I’ve decided to let the l…
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