MANKATO — The new Kwik Trip on Mankato's east side is opening early Thursday morning.

MANKATO — A guest artist who is represented in the permanent collections of The Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Arts drove to Minnesota State University Monday to set up an exhibit of his paintings.

Wisconsin-based retail chain Shopko Stores has filed for bankruptcy protection as it makes plans to close more stores.

MANKATO — Community events centered on biking, cooking (and eating), and music-making are among those that will receive some taxpayer support in 2019.

 Two retired priests in the Diocese of New Ulm have been cleared of decades-old sexual abuse claims and returned to limited ministry.

Mankato high school students are getting an early hands-on taste of what it takes to be a teacher.

A Mankato man allegedly took nearly $9,000 from an elderly Winthrop man to fix a roof but still has not fixed it.

MANKATO — Minnesota’s muted flu season so far is a nice reprieve from the brutal strains of the last couple of years, but health officials stress cases could still pick up with much of the winter remaining.

MANKATO — The leader of a teen-mentoring group, the president of South Central College, the head of the Mankato Area Foundation and the ECHO Food Shelf manager have been named as the 2019 Women of Distinction by the YWCA.

MANKATO — An Australian professional fastpitch softball team is relocating to North Mankato for the summer.

MANKATO — The Greater Mankato Area United Way again reached its annual fundraising goal, amounting to at least $2.05 million in funding for dozens of area nonprofits.

GARDEN CITY — A sex offender who recorded video of himself having sex with a juvenile was sentenced to nearly a year in jail already served.

WASECA — When Rochelle Reynolds moved into Waseca’s Bethlehem Inn last week, she used one word to describe how she felt.

MANKATO — Steady growth in population, jobs, amenities, city services and quality of life.

MANKATO — A Mankato man who sexually assaulted a vulnerable adult was sentenced to six months of jail.

MANKATO — A toddler appears to be safe after she fell out of a car near the downtown Hy-Vee at Cherry Street near Riverfront Drive shortly before noon Monday.

NORTH MANKATO — More courts at Caswell Park. A combination field house and dome setup. And reconfigured parking in the area.

HANSKA — A 27-year-old Butterfield woman and a semi driver from Iowa suffered non-life-threatening injuries when a van and a semi crashed Monday morning a half-mile north of Hanska.

CLEVELAND — A boy is in custody after making threats against Cleveland Public School.

NORTH MANKATO — The new owners of Arizona Olive Oil Co. have changed the name of the business to Blue Skye Mercantile to align with the organic farm business they've long run.

NORTH MANKATO — The city of North Mankato is ready to celebrate its new warming house next week.

Arrow Ace

By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State Patrol

ST. JAMES — Whether it was escaping poverty in countries like Norway in the 1880s, or fleeing civil war from El Salvador in the 1980s — for every immigrant who made the harrowing journey to the United States, there is a story.

Justin Jackson started in business with a small rental property and managing other properties before getting into the development side, including townhomes at Hiniker Pond and in Eagle Lake.

There’s a time and place for a little bedlam in our lives — music is a great place to start.

Area readers adamantly do not want to rename Sibley Park despite protesters' concerns, according to a Free Press online question.

MANKATO — A decade after Mankato imposed a half-percent food and beverage tax to cover operating deficits at the civic center, the red ink has proven to be stubbornly persistent even as the tax subsidy has grown to nearly $800,000 a year.

The Tri-City Police Department will cease operations at the end of 2019.

MANKATO — At 3 p.m. Saturday outside the Mankato civic center's Grand Hall, a couple of things were clear: People have not lost their thirst for craft beer, and there was a reason that scores of people spent an extra $10 for the chance to beat the rush.

Q: An automatic car wash machine and the building for them must be expensive. I would bet that the water is the smallest expense of the wash. But how many gallons of water does a typical car wash use? What does a gallon of water cost? Is a gallon of water used at a car wash the same price that I pay at home?

MANKATO — City engineering staff, concerned about pedestrians, are dropping plans to add roundabouts in downtown Mankato when Cherry Street is reconstructed starting in the spring.

I haven't done an exact study of it, but I'm pretty sure eight out of 10 people could never start a conversation with someone if they couldn't refer to the weather.

WINTHROP — A suspected prolific burglar from Florida is now charged in connection with three burglaries in Winthrop this summer.

A drunk driver was found asleep behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle in Blue Earth.

MANKATO — Two children and one adult were hospitalized after a five-vehicle chain-reaction crash on Highway 14 in Mankato Friday, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

WASECA — Sue McIntosh chose Dec. 21 well in advance for her retirement date from working at the Waseca federal women's prison.

MANKATO — Nearly 1,000 people packed into the Kato Ballroom Friday night, celebrating the first outstate resident to win the governor's office in 32 years, the first southern Minnesotan elected in 40 years, and — most of all — the first Mankatoan to win the highest post in the state in 104 years.

NORTH MANKATO — The North Mankato City Council will take a deeper look at plans surrounding a potential indoor sports complex Monday during the first of a regular series of work sessions throughout the rest of the year.

MANKATO — A nine-man detail of local veterans traveled to Belle Plaine Friday on a kind of cushy assignment — the delivery of 32 custom-made pillowcases to The Lutheran Home residents who served in the military.

MANKATO — KEYC has named an interim station general manager.

This week’s stories — not just top read — involved those in prominent roles stepping down or being sworn in, new business owners, feel good stories and in between all of those stories, some crime.

BROWNTON — A 64-year-old New Ulm man was injured when the semi he was driving crashed into a ditch south of Brownton Friday afternoon.

An armed driver allegedly sped over 140 mph while speeding away from a Janesville police officer in December.

WINTHROP — A 36-year-old Winthrop man suffered life-threatening injuries when an SUV and a semi collided Friday morning about a mile north of Winthrop.

NORTH MANKATO — Expanding renewable energy has very broad support from the public, but advancing it faces a pushback from groups that would be economically hurt and by a legislative agenda that will be crammed with other important issues, from education to transportation funding and gun legislation.

The Eagle Lake Area Lions Club has 28 charter members who have begun fundraising and soon will be donating and volunteering in their community and beyond. 

NORTH MANKATO — Local lawmakers will discuss possible legislation in the upcoming session related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. They will also discuss transportation, labor and agriculture issues related to energy.

MANKATO — The Raw Fusion fashion show will have a timely beneficiary for its ninth rendition.