The Minnesota Department of Transportation says work will be done this weekend on the Highway 14 Bridge over the Minnesota River in Mankato. MnDOT says utility work will begin at five a.m. and continue until dark both Saturday and Sunday. MnDOT says lane restrictions and workers will be present all weekend and caution and reduced speeds are strongly advised.

Five area agriculture-based businesses have received funding from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Dick's Locker in Good Thunder, Helget Butcher Shop in Darfur, the Hilltop Meat Market in Mankato, LaSalle Food Processing Association in LaSalle, and Morgan's Meat Market in Richland will also receive mini-grants for Livestock Processing. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says the one-time program is designed to help processors and procedures respond to market issues caused by COVID-19.

The Le Sueur Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in locating a missing person. Authorities say Lucas John Pfarr was last seen on Tuesday. Police say at the time he was last seen he was wearing blue jeans, leather work boots, and a gray polo shirt. He is driving a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado tan single cab pickup with Minnesota license plate 059RAE. Anyone with information is about to contact Le Sueur Police.

Area residents are being asked to stay weather aware this afternoon. Bill Borghoff is with the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities. "A cold front will reach south-central Minnesota between five and seven p.m, " said Borghoff. "The biggest threat will be wind, but there could be storms with hail with a couple of inches in diameter and a possible tornado or two." Borghoff says the storms short be short-lived "The good news is the thunderstorm activity will get out of the area within a couple of hours," said Borghoff. Borghoff says they're pretty confident in the model since the [...]

The economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on many industries. Automobile sales have been no exception. "A couple of dealerships have closed their doors," said Scott Lambert President of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association. "New car sales have been down around 30 percent statewide this year." He says while new car sales have struggled, used car sales have seen a slight increase over the past few months.

Although no specific details have been released, President Trump reportedly will make a stop in Mankato on Monday. Hamline University political science professor David Schultz says the President believes Minnesota is in play in November. "Some recent polls say Joe Biden only has a three to a four-point lead in Minnesota," said Schultz. "And if Trump doesn't win the state he forces Democrats to defend the state more than they planned on, and for every extra dollar they have to spend in Minnesota, it's one less dollar they have to spend in other battleground states so strategically it's a smart move." [...]

The 2020 Mankato Marathon will be 100 percent virtual. Visit Mankato made the announcement Thursday. Anna Thill is with Visit Mankato. "In the end, there were too many barriers that got in the way," said Thill. "In addition, new guidance gave from the state regarding keeping schools open. We did not want to present a situation in which cases could grow creating a need to shut down schools." Thill says runners will now get to choose where and when to run their event October 12th through the 26th. She says the Scheels Sport and Health Expo will still be held at [...]

The Spring Lake Park Swim Facility has been closed. North Mankato City officials say the facility was closed as a precaution due to a possible COVID-19 exposure in one or more of its staff members. City Administrator John Harrenstein says the Spring Lake Park will remain closed as the city works with Public Health officials to determine who may have been exposed at what, if any risk, remains to pool guests and staff. Harrenstein adds the city does not believe there is concern about widespread exposure to pool guests and staff.