ST. PETER (LEARFIELD) - There will be high school football and volleyball in Minnesota after all. The Minnesota State High School executive director Erich (eric) Martens says the board of directors voted yesterday to change course after several factors changed since the vote to postpone the seasons happened in August. "When you create a body of knowledge and folks start to take a look at it routinely they start to see potentially a shift in how they're feeling about things, and what the information is leading them to decide," said Martens. "So I think that happened over a course of time." [...]

UNDATED (LEARFIELD) - Minnesota agriculture expert Kent Thiesse(tee-see) says conditions as of now are set for a good corn harvest.  Thiesse says one problem producers may have is a good one in the big picture: "If the crop ends up bigger than expected, quite a bit bigger, they may run into issues with not having enough space to store all of their crop," said Thiesse. "Same with some of the elevators and ethanol plants and that type of thing. We could see corn piled on the ground, and stored if we have really big yields, which we haven't seen for a [...]

ST. PAUL (KMHL) – The Minnesota State High School League Board has voted to move high school football and volleyball back to the fall. On a vote of 15-3 members of the MSHSL voted to approve the return of high school football for a 6 week regular season and 2 week for regional or sectional tournament competition. The football season will begin with practices on September 28th, the first competition would be October 9th. The board also voted 14-4 to approve volleyball to return to play. Practices for volleyball can also begin on Sept. 28th.

ST. PAUL (LEARFIELD) - Beginning next week the Minnesota Department of Health will launch a four-week effort to provide increased access to "no barrier" testing. The coronavirus tests will be free and available to anyone who wants one, whether they're showing symptoms or not. "This is in response to increased levels of community spread that we are seeing statewide," said MDH Assistant Deputy Commissioner Dan Huff. "We are deeply concerned about the spike of cases in communities all over Minnesota." The first week of targeted testing will occur in Grand Rapids, Pine City, and Waseca. Health officials will use testing data [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) – The Marshall School District will remain in a hybrid learning model for now, despite a reported increase in the COVID-19 case rate in Lyon County. Yesterday, the Minnesota Department of Health announced Lyon County was among six counties in the state where COVID-19 infection rates are high enough for full distance learning with 53 cases of COVID-19 per 10,000 people. The distance learning level is 50 cases per 10,000. The numbers MDH reported yesterday were for the period of Aug. 23rd through September 5th, it is the most recent data the health department has made public. The Marshall [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) – New weekly school guidance data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows Lyon County is among six Minnesota counties that COVID-19 case rates are enough to move to full distance learning. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Lyon County now has 53 cases of COVID-19 per 10,000 people. The distance learning level is 50 cases per 10,000. Health officials also say Yellow Medicine, Blue Earth, Stevens, Waseca, and Winona Counties are the others at that level. The statistics come from the latest reporting period the Minnesota Department of Health has publicly released Aug. 23 - Sept. 5. [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) – Avera is announcing that Avera Marshall CEO and Regional President Mary Maertens is stepping down after a 35-year health care career in the Marshall area. Maertens’ last day as CEO and Regional President will be September 30, she will assume other duties with Avera through October 2021. "It is with mixed emotions that I share the decision to step down as CEO and Regional President for Avera Marshall," said Maertens in a press release Thursday. "I have dedicated 35 years of my life to this wonderful organization and ensuring that this region has sustainable, vibrant health care into [...]

ST. PAUL (KMHL) – A top Democrat in the Minnesota House is calling on House Republicans to agree on a bonding bill. Rep. Liz Olson (D-Duluth) the DFL Majority Whip, in the House says now is the time to get a bonding bill done. "There is water treatment that needs to be done in communities, there are crumbling bridges and roads, we can't wait any longer," said Olson. "Why not do it now when it is also a big vehicle for an economic recovery too." For months, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt has said he won’t move a bonding bill until [...]

UNDATED (LEARFIELD) - A new nonpartisan report shows Minnesota farmers didn't bode well when it came to disbursement of federal dollars to help recover from the recent trade turmoil. U.S. Senator Tina Smith says the report shows deep regional inequities.  She says eight of the top nine states with the highest payments per acre were in the South. "Cotton, which was actually not even that damaged by these trade policies, received 33 times more than there estimated trade damage," said Smith. "This was really unfair and I think really hurt Minnesota farmers and producers." Less than 10% of payments went to [...]

BROOKLYN CENTER (LEARFIELD/KMHL)  --  The Minnesota State High School League has called a special meeting next week to reconsider fall sports. The MSHSL Board of Directors will meet virtually Monday at 9 a-m.  The meeting was set on the same day the Big Ten Conference announced it will allow a fall football season in late October. Executive director Erich Martens says they will continue their work of providing the safest possible way for students to participate in all league activities and athletics for the 2020-2021 school year. Momentum about the return of football and volleyball started to build last week when [...]