Kiwanis Holiday Lights is back this year. Tonight will be the opening night of the ceremony which kicks off with a parade and lighting ceremony beginning at six p.m. The drive-through traffic will begin at eight p.m. Tonight at Sibley Park. The event will run through December 31st. The hours will be five until nine p.m. Sunday through Thursday and five until ten p.m. On Friday and Saturday. Event organizers say cash and non-perishable food donations are accepted. Persons can also make monetary donations by texting KATOLIGHTS to 44321.

A Mankato man was arrested following a Monday morning incident. Blue Earth county court records say 30 year old Riley Sprenger was charged with four counts of domestic assault and obstructing the legal process. Authorities say Sprenger allegedly assaulted two individuals and attempted to grab the arresting officer's taser gun.

A groundbreaking for a new housing project is St. Peter will be held Monday morning. The ceremony to break ground on the Rok Lofts will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the corner of Highway 169 and West Grace Street. Developers say the project will include multi-family housing units, commercial opportunities and 36 off-street parking stalls and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Mankato Public Safety's annual holiday season fire prevention campaign is underway. The Keep the Wreath Bright, Prevent a Red Light will go through Saturday, January first. Public safety officials say a wreath will be on display at the public safety center at 710 South Front Street lit with only clear bulbs. If a preventable fire occurs, red bulbs will appear and if a preventable injury occurs, a blue light will appear. Public safety says some ways to reduce the fire risk include staying in the kitchen when cooking, using candles properly and making sure someone is around to watch them, avoiding [...]

Charges against a Mankato man accused of killing his 2-month-old child have been upgraded to murder and manslaughter. Kristopher Henderson is accused of causing fatal injuries to his daughter in September. The child died earlier this month. The 39-year-old Henderson was originally charged with first-degree assault. Court records say the charges were amended to include second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony, and first-degree manslaughter while committing malicious punishment of a child. The complaint says Henderson admitted to hitting the baby on the back forcefully for about five minutes while trying to quiet her. The infant’s injuries included bleeding in [...]

The mayor of North Mankato has announced he's running for the Nicollet County Board of Commissioners. Mark Dehen made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, Dehen said he looked forward to continuing to be a strong advocate for the citizens of North Mankato at the county level. He said it is bittersweet as he reflects on his work for the city of North Mankato for the past 11 years, but the city is in a solid position financially with a strong council, an excellent administrator and staff and with a robust strategic and long-range plan in place for the future.