-
Sep 18, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Emily Baude |Joe Mazan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market, which has shown clear signs of slowing.
-
May 13, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Josh Skluzacek |Joe Mazan
So Minnesota: Maple Lake man has one of the largest collections of WWII memorabiliaA Maple Lake man has one of the largest collections of World War II memorabilia in the country. Over the decades, Al Muller has collected 10,000 books and 6,000 autographs, including signatures of presidents and U.S. generals. “The Greatest Generation is an understatement,” Muller said.
-
May 6, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Cory Knudsen |Joe Mazan
So Minnesota: Mendota Work Camp No. 1A camp along the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers helped some get through the Great Depression. Today, it’s known as Big Rivers Regional Park in Mendota Heights, but the land used to be Mendota Work Camp Number One. President Franklin Roosevelt started the Works Progress Administration. WPA camps were set up across the county, with 25 in Minnesota, including Mendota Work Camp No. 1.
-
May 6, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Morgan Reddekopp |Joe Mazan
Cannon Falls Boy Scout honored for helping restore Civil War monumentA Cannon Falls Boy Scout will receive a high honor this month. 16-year-old Liam Dewanz’s Eagle Scout project helped restore the city’s Civil War monument. For the last year, Dewanz helped clean up the area, repair the monument stairs and recreate a Minnesota Civil War flag. “I wanted to do something that was meaningful,” Dewanz said.
-
Apr 30, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Cory Knudsen |Joe Mazan
The Minnesota Twins are on an eight-game winning streak and they’re crediting their success to a piece of meat. The Twins Rally Sausage has become the talk of the team and Twins Territory. Kyle Farmer got it in the mail but didn’t really want to eat it, so hitting coach David Popkins brought it to the dugout and told players to touch it before their next at-bat. The first two batters hit back-to-back homers and the Twins Rally Sausage was born.
-
Apr 30, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Josh Skluzacek |Joe Mazan
So Minnesota: Buffalo statues in BuffaloSome Minnesotans may remember that, years ago, St. Paul had “Peanuts on Parade” — statues around town of different characters from the popular comic strip. The city of Buffalo has different type of statues that attracts visitors: buffalo statues. The history of the buffalo statues date back decades. “It’s our mascot,” Sue Olmscheid, with the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, said.
-
Apr 29, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Josh Skluzacek |Joe Mazan
The remains of a Stillwater veteran who died more than 80 years ago during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor will return home in the coming weeks. Members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) say they have identified remains taken from the USS Oklahoma as those belonging to 19-year-old William F. Gusie. Gusie served on the ship as a Navy Fire Controlman, 3rd Class. According to the DPAA, Gusie’s remains were accounted for on Sept. 23, 2021, after DNA was used to identify him.
-
Apr 25, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Cory Knudsen |Joe Mazan
A Blaine mother will be on the national stage Thursday night as the Minnesota Vikings make their first pick in the NFL Draft. Becky Ewing will announce the first pick in honor of her late son, Army Sgt. Zack Ewing, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sergeant Ewing passed away from cancer in 2016 at the age of 24. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and the NFL selected Ewing and her family to announce the pick. “I’m just a nervous wreck,” Becky Ewing said.
-
Apr 24, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Josh Skluzacek |Joe Mazan
More than 70 years after fighting in the Korean War, a Minnesota man will finally be awarded a Purple Heart medal. Earl Meyer of St. Peter, now 96, was injured fighting in the war but never received the medal until now. “I figured my injury wasn’t as bad as some of the others I seen, for one thing, so I just wanted to get out of there,” Meyer said. Meyer’s three daughters pushed the U.S. government to give their father the award. Meyer has been told he’ll receive the medal at a ceremony next month.
-
Apr 23, 2024 | 
kstp.com | Cory Knudsen |Joe Mazan
So Minnesota: Minnesota State Law LibraryOne library in Minnesota has a unique claim to fame. The Minnesota State Law Library is the oldest library in Minnesota. It was founded in 1849, nearly a decade before Minnesota became a state. “The Organic Act of 1848, which created the territory, had a provision in it for a library,” State Law Librarian Liz Reppe said. The library was first in a log tavern that also served as the home of the new territorial government.
