MARSHALL (KMHL) – Two men were arrested following an armed robbery in Marshall Saturday evening. The Marshall Police Department says two men, a 33-year-old Minneota man and a 29-year-old Marshall man were arrested in Yellow Medicine County following the incident. Authorities say the robbery occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday evening in the 500 block of Village Drive. Marshall Police say the victim was not injured in the incident.

MARSHALL (KMHL) - Southwest Minnesota State University Director of Athletics Chris Hmielewski announced that he has resigned from SMSU. According to a press release from SMSU, Hmielewski's resignation is effective June 4 and he is pursuing a new professional opportunity in the private sector. Hmielewski is completing his 15th year in the position, he was named the Director of Athletics in August 2006. Hmielewski has spent the last 25 years at SMSU, prior to his time as the athletics director he also worked in enrollment and served as an assistant coach on the SMSU baseball team. "I want to extend my [...]

SMSU.edu - used with permission from the university. MARSHALL (KMHL) – Southwest Minnesota State University has changed the name of its major winter celebration, which has become known as “Hawaiian Night.” In a message to students and staff, SMSU President Dr. Kumara (Koo-mar-ah) Jayasuriya (JYE-AH-sur-EE-ah) announced the university is changing the name from Hawaiian Night to Tropical Night. "This past year SMSU faculty members and the SMSU Student Association raised the issue of the term 'Hawaiian Night' and the revelry associated with the evening as being a form of cultural appropriation," said Jayasuriya in a message to students and [...]

APPLETON (KMHL) – A Boyd man was killed when the semi-truck he was driving rolled Monday morning north of Appleton. The Minnesota State Patrol says Douglas Anderson, 72, of Boyd, was driving a 2007 Kenworth Semi-truck that left Highway 12 and rolled. Authorities say the crash was reported just after 9 a.m. Monday. The patrol says Anderson was taken to the Appleton hospital where he was pronounced dead.

ST. PAUL (LEARFIELD) - With Governor Walz likely to announce further loosening of COVID restrictions later this week, the question is: Will it be enough for Republicans?    Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (guh-ZEL-cuh) has hinted, unless Walz relinquishes COVID emergency powers, there might not be agreement on the budget -- requiring stopgap measures to avoid state government shutdown: "If the governor decides that he wants to hang onto emergency powers to keep businesses closed and force youth to wear masks playing sports, then you can expect a 'lights-on'-type budget, said Gazelka." The governor responds his emergency powers are in place [...]

MINNEAPOLIS (KMHL) – The verdict is in, and former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of three charges in the death of George Floyd. The jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death which occurred last May. Chauvin’s trial lasted nearly seven weeks, but the jury deliberated just 10 hours after having the case handed over to them on Monday. The defense had argued that Chauvin was following his training from the Minneapolis Police Department and that drug use and a heart condition factored into Floyd’s death. Chauvin was remanded [...]

ST. PAUL (LEARFIELD)  --  Minnesota’s governor has released a revised version of his budget proposal.  It still includes a tax increase that Republicans oppose. A release from Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s office says the new spending plan accounts for the updated economic forecast predicting the state’s one-point-three-billion-dollar deficit is now a one-point-six-billion-dollar surplus. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka responded by saying the Republican-controlled Senate won’t agree to tax hikes.  Gazelka says they aren’t needed.

MARSHALL (KMHL) – Southwest Minnesota State University will be hosting George Floyd panel discussion in April. According to a press release from the university, the Zoom discussion on April 7th is called “Justice and George Floyd: Understanding Black Lives Matter – it will be held that evening at 7 p.m. The discussion will include The Associate Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Erin Kline, Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Jefferson Lee IV and SMSU alumnus and Outreach and Admission Specialist for Ridgewater College Davontay Stevens. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Photo: Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center MARSHALL (KMHL) – Progress continues in Marshall and Lyon County on vaccinating residents against COVID-19. Avera Marshall Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Meister told Marshall Radio this week that Lyon County has about 25 percent of its population with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. "The most vulnerable people, people 65 and older however, the numbers on that really become impressive," said Meister. "People 65 and older with at least one dose in Lyon County is 76 percent." Meister says area counties are also doing very well at getting their people [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) - Southwest Minnesota State University has received a major commitment to create new tutoring and mentoring programs to support students at the university. SMSU announced, Tuesday, that Alumna Deeann J. Griebel has committed to provide $1.8 million for the Student Success and Advising Center scholarships at SMSU. In a press release, the university said the Student Success and Advising Center will be renamed the Deann Griebel Student Success Center to recognize Griebel's commitment to SMSU. "We are grateful for Deann's investment in our students and the trust she has placed in our faculty and staff with this gift," said [...]