MANKATO — Mankatoans may have packed away their swimsuits for the year, but City Manager Susan Arntz is going to be spending at least part of the cold winter months learning about misting sprayers, arch jets, water tents and other splash pad options.

MANKATO — One of the men convicted of a highly publicized assault that left a former Minnesota State University football player with a severe brain injury is now in prison.

Minnesota has grappled with access to inpatient psychiatric care for decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded the state’s psychiatric bed shortage.

MANKATO — A Mankato woman is now charged after she allegedly slapped a man she knows and pushed him down a flight of stairs last month.

ST. JAMES — A drunken driver tossed a case of beer out his window before he fled from a sheriff’s deputy in the St. James area, charges say.

The Free Press

The Free Press

NORTH MANKATO — While running one of the 30 marathons he has finished throughout his 61 years, Joe Broze knew the first 20 miles were only a precursor to the last 6.2.

MANKATO — Jane Dow remembers a day several years ago when she and her daughter were seated at a hallway table in their church, trying to decide on a humanitarian campaign to actively support. Paul Renshaw, who’d been involved with the British fair trade movement before moving to Mankato, joi…

MANKATO — A Belgrade Avenue roundabout, a pedestrian bridge at Hawley Street, and reworked intersections at North River Lane and Webster Avenue were among the Highway 169 corridor projects proposed during a virtual meeting Thursday.

LE SUEUR — Students and chaperones from Kato Public Charter School were rescued from the Minnesota River after their canoes capsized.

ELYSIAN — An annual fundraiser at Elysian Auto Service and other independent repair shops contributed to what could be a breakthrough in breast cancer treatment.

MANKATO — As with other employers, local government leaders are a bit nervous about how applicants will step up to fill city and county job vacancies.

LE CENTER — A Level 3 sex offender is returning to rural Le Center.

MANKATO — The Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office is offering help sealing criminal records for minor offenses.

MANKATO — South-central Minnesota's COVID-19 pandemic death toll reached 300 Thursday, with five more fatalities confirmed in the region.

The Lake Crystal community now has its first child care center.

The Free Press

The Free Press

The Free Press and MPR News

MANKATO — Two young men allegedly fled from Mankato police Tuesday night while police sought information about a drive-by shooting the night before. The two have been charged in connection with the pursuit and a found gun, but not in connection to the shooting.

KASOTA — It may still be more than three months away, but for local organizers of Hockey Day Minnesota, it's starting to feel like crunch time.

MANKATO — In class during her freshman year at Minnesota State University, Adia Granberg remembers learning about the diversity gap in behavioral health care.

MANKATO — The number of students at Minnesota State University did not increase this fall, but enrollment was nearly steady — something of a victory in a state college system that saw its overall numbers drop by nearly 10,000.

After a board of trustees vote late last month, Gustavus Adolphus College has officially renamed its arboretum by removing a reference to Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.

MANKATO — A Mankato man who fled from Mapleton police was sentenced to a year in jail.

EAGLE LAKE — A young woman punched a child and tried to hit him with a knife in an Eagle Lake residence, charges say.

A long struggle to develop a long-term vision for Highway 169 through Mankato is nearing its end.

The Free Press

MANKATO — East High School is celebrating homecoming this week.

NORTH MANKATO — As a longtime parts salesman, Matt Ballman was well known to Lynn and Darla Austin, who for 42 years owned and operated Austin’s Auto Repair.

MANKATO — Loyola Catholic School is celebrating homecoming with special events Wednesday and Friday.

MANKATO — A 48-unit apartment building targeted at tenants from a wide range of incomes, along with a row of townhouses, should be under construction in March on a long-vacant lot just north of Cub Foods West.

MANKATO — A section of the Minnesota River Trail will close around 8 a.m. Tuesday to allow city crews access for a well-sealing project.

They walked in single file. Silently. Slowly.

NEW ULM — A man sentenced to time served and probation in a drug-fueled burglary in New Ulm is in a Chicago jail on attempted murder charges.

MANKATO — Police used a Taser on a man who allegedly was high when he followed a police officer, led officers on a low-speed chase and then struck two squad cars.

The Free Press

HENDERSON — With an estimated population of nearly 1,000, Henderson is far from being considered a metropolis.

The Free Press

The Free Press

Four years ago, some 200 people, many of them Dakota, gathered to celebrate the removal of the controversial “Scaffold” from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

A story about developer Mike Drummer’s dramatic plans to transform the former Shopko building in Mankato drew lots of attention and comments on The Free Press Facebook page.

After achieving 90% or higher COVID-19 vaccination rates among nursing home residents, getting staff vaccinated at similar levels has proven to be more challenging for area facilities.

Q: I’ve avoided the Mankato parking ramps for years since it always seemed like a waste of time. You drive around and around on your way to the top, all the while passing open spaces that are tagged as “Reserved for XXXXX company.” At a recent MSU hockey game, I was in line for a wristband a…