Klobuchar Visits Bemidji to Honor Firefighters, Award Radio Station for Service

An April blizzard didn't stop U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar from arriving at Bemidji Fire Hall 1 on Thursday, April 2, where she thanked first responders for nine months of grueling storm recovery and presented KB101 radio with a record-setting seventh National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Award.

The visit came nearly nine months after a straight-line windstorm with winds reaching 120 mph tore through Beltrami County on June 21, 2025, felling an estimated 9 million trees, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses for up to a week, and causing more than $8.2 million in damage. Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood gave Klobuchar a frank accounting of where things stand. "There are a few [structures] that have been deemed uninhabitable. There are some other structures that are being taken down, but there are still houses with trees on them, and there are houses that are leaking," Sherwood said.

Klobuchar and Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince suited up in protective gear to tour a Conservation Corps worksite at the Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Detention Center, chosen by city officials because of its on-site storm damage. The center has 11 piles of debris staged for controlled burning. Surrounded by falling snow, Klobuchar told Corps members conducting the burns: "This snow really creates less risk."

The visit also put a spotlight on Bemidji's unfinished fight for federal disaster aid. Minnesota fell $800,000 short of the threshold required to unlock FEMA individual assistance following the June storm. Members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, whose western reservation lands took heavy damage, did qualify for federal individual assistance.

The afternoon's most celebratory moment came when Klobuchar presented the Crystal Award to Hubbard Broadcasting operations manager Kev Jackson and KB101 program director Dave Brooks. The award, established in 1987 and given annually to just 10 radio stations nationwide, recognizes year-round commitment to community service. With seven, KB101 is the only station in the country to have earned more than six. The Bemidji country station, which broadcasts at 101.1 FM, was cited specifically for delivering continuous coverage and community connection during last summer's storm disaster.

With forests still scarred and debris piles awaiting spring burns, Klobuchar's presence at Fire Hall 1 underscored that Beltrami County's recovery, however celebrated, remains unfinished work.