WILLMAR (KMHL) – Highways and roads in southwest Minnesota have largely re-opened following a winter storm that pushed through the region yesterday. However, the Minnesota Department of Transportation says conditions are still impacted by snow and ice-covered roads and highways and areas of reduced visibility, due to blowing and drifting snow. While the majority of highways have re-opened, there are still some areas of scattered road closures, including: U.S. Highway 14 from Florence to Tracy State Highway 30 from Pipestone to Woodstock and from Westbrook to St. James State Highway 67 from U.S. Highway 75 to Granite Falls State Highway 7 [...]

WILLMAR (KMHL) - The Minnesota Department of Transportation has closed a stretch of U.S. Highway 14 in southwest Minnesota, and is advising no travel in parts of the region. According to MnDOT, strong winds and heavy snow have created poor visibility and drifts which are quickly backfilled as soon as they are plowed along many southwest Minnesota highways. MnDOT says it has closed Highway 14 from Florence to Tracy due to poor visibility, blowing and drifting snow, and vehicles blocking a stretch of the roadway. The agency says when a road is closed it is illegal to travel in that area [...]

WILLMAR (KMHL) - The Minnesota Department of Transportation expects most highways in southwest Minnesota to remain closed for much of the day (Saturday). MnDOT says an evening of strong winds and blowing and drifting snow combined with stranded vehicles made most state highways in the region impassable Saturday morning. According to MnDOT, vehicles that were stranded require towing so they can reopen many of the roads - and travelers who ventured out on closed roads this morning and became stranded made the situation worse. "MnDOT's goal today is to get one lane open," said District 8 Maintenance Superintendent Lonnie Hoffman. "And [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) - The Minnesota Department of Transportation is advising no travel across much of southwest and south central Minnesota Thursday evening. MnDOT says no travel is advised overnight in 12 southwest Minnesota counties due to limited visibility and extreme weather conditions -- which could be life-threatening if a motorist becomes stranded. MnDOT is advising no travel in Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray. Pipestone, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine counties. According to 511mn.org, MnDOT has also closed several stretches of highway, including Interstate 90 from the South Dakota border to Blue Earth, state highway 23 south [...]

ST. PAUL (LEARFIELD) - Health officials are concerned about an increase in hospitalizations for RSV. Health officials say over 100 children were hospitalized with the respiratory virus in September, a higher number than usual for this early in the season. RSV hospitalizations have increased in the last two weeks to a level typically seen during peak winter months. Health officials are worried that the trend could extend to flu season, which hasn't popped up yet in the state.

  MANKATO (LEARFIELD) - U-S Senator Tina Smith used a visit to the Mankato area to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and the Farm Bill.   Smith toured the four-point-five megawatt Kasota Prairie Community Solar Garden Thursday which has four-thousand solar panels: "The Inflation Reduction Act has tax credits exactly for this kind of project," said Sen. Smith. "And the beauty of those tax credit is that it makes less expensive to build solar gardens like Kasota Prairie and it will help to lower costs for consumers." Senator Smith says the bill is the single largest investment in climate and clean [...]

WORTHINGTON (LEARFIELD) – New public hunting land will be dedicated Friday afternoon (10/14)  in Nobles Country as part of the Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener. Nearly 300 hundred acres will be added to the Ransom Ridge Wildlife Management Area near Rushmore.   The land features rolling hills and prairie restorations that buffer the Little Rock River. The Governor's Pheasant Opener returns this weekend after being cancelled the past two seasons due to COVID-19.  This is the second time the Worthington area has hosted the event.