DAWSON (KMHL) – A small town in the region is getting a major boost – thanks to a major investment in a plant that has been shut down for the last seven years. Cargill is investing $75 million to purchase the former AMPI plant just outside of Dawson. The move is expected to create 90 jobs for the community of just over 1000 people about 40 miles northwest of Marshall. The company coming in is called Puris, based in Minneapolis. When operational the plant is expected to extract protein from a component in vegetable-based beef and chicken substitutes.

ST. PAUL (LEARFIELD) - Governor Tim Walz says he supports an independent audit of the state Human Services Department after Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota House called for it. Rep. Debra Kiel (R-Crookston) says the entire department should be audited -- which she acknowledges will probably be expensive. "I think in the end we'll probably save ourselves dollars and then in the end we'll know exactly what's going on," said Kiel. The call from lawmakers comes after media reports that the state must reimburse the federal government an estimated 48 million dollars for improper payments to some chemical dependency treatment providers [...]

ST. PAUL (KMHL) – Minnesota wildlife officials are hoping steps they take during this year’s hunting season will curb the fatal chronic wasting disease in the state’s deer population. The Department of Natural Resources announced the push in the 2019 deer season regulations. They are aiming to limit the spread of the disease that's deadly to deer. To do that, the agency says it will expand hunting opportunities and bag limits in areas where the disease has been found in wild deer. Officials say harvesting more deer will result in lower deer densities – reducing the chances the disease will spread. [...]

GREEN VALLEY (KMHL) – A fire destroyed a garage and did extensive damage to a home southwest of Cottonwood early Saturday morning. Cottonwood Fire Chief Dale Louwagie says no one was hurt in the fire that was reported shortly after midnight on Saturday. Louwagie says the fire started when the occupant of the home was using a smoker and put it in the garage without turning it off. He said the fire destroyed the garage and did extensive smoke damage to the home.