Joe Spear

Mankato

Reporter and Editor at Mankato Free Press

American. Journalist. Editor, Mankato Free Press. 35 years covering everything in a politically purple region of USA. Past President @mnspj https://t.co/46QmEmu6hZ

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Articles

GMG honors volunteers

1 month ago | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO — Greater Mankato Growth and its subsidiaries recognized its Volunteers of the Year for Greater Mankato Growth, CityCenter Partnership, Visit Mankato, Greenseam and Young Professionals at its annual meeting Tuesday.
Area Markets

2 months ago | mankatofreepress.com | Edie Schmierbach |Joe Spear

Grain prices at Friday’s close. (Crystal Valley, Madelia)
Walz reflects on campaign, democracy

Dec 9, 2024 | meadvilletribune.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz took 26 flights and did 38 rallies in the last 10 days of the Harris-Walz campaign, and he’s glad to be back to being governor of Minnesota, planning a budget, talking to committee chairs and appreciating the state more than ever. Walz offered reflection on his recent campaign as vice president on the Harris-Walz ticket in an interview Thursday. “It was the honor of a lifetime to be on that ticket. It was 90 days. It was surreal in so many ways.
Walz reflects on campaign, democracy

Dec 8, 2024 | weatherforddemocrat.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO — Gov. Tim Walz took 26 flights and did 38 rallies in the last 10 days of the Harris-Walz campaign, and he’s glad to be back to being governor of Minnesota, planning a budget, talking to committee chairs and appreciating the state more than ever. Walz offered reflection on his recent campaign as vice president on the Harris-Walz ticket in an interview Thursday with The Free Press. “It was the honor of a lifetime to be on that ticket. It was 90 days. It was surreal in so many ways.
Walz reflects on campaign, democracy

Dec 6, 2024 | dailyitem.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO — Gov. Tim Walz took 26 flights and did 38 rallies in the last 10 days of the Harris-Walz campaign, and he’s glad to be back to being governor of Minnesota, planning a budget, talking to committee chairs and appreciating the state more than ever. Walz offered reflection on his recent campaign as vice president on the Harris-Walz ticket in an interview Thursday with The (Mankato, Minn.) Free Press, a CNHI newspaper along with The Daily Item.
Walz reflects on campaign, democracy

Dec 5, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO — Gov. Tim Walz took 26 flights and did 38 rallies in the last 10 days of the Harris-Walz campaign, and he’s glad to be back to being governor of Minnesota, planning a budget, talking to committee chairs and appreciating the state more than ever. Walz offered reflection on his recent campaign as vice president on the Harris-Walz ticket in an interview Thursday with The Free Press. “It was the honor of a lifetime to be on that ticket. It was 90 days. It was surreal in so many ways.
UPDATE: Ardent Mills' goal to preserve mural

Nov 21, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

MANKATO — While Ardent Mills will close its Mankato plant by early next year, the company said it is working closely with community leaders and the city of Mankato for a transition plan, and its goal is to preserve the signature mural at the site. The company announced Wednesday it would be winding down operations shortly with full closing by mid-January.
Our View: Racism: Don’t feed the market for Trump screeds

Aug 3, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

The Trump campaign has intentionally taken the road riddled with racist screeds and innuendo that resurrects the historical trauma passed along from slavery to Jim Crow. In an interview last week at the Black Journalists Association convention, Trump questioned the ethnic identity of Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming she once only identified as Indian, but now identifies as Black, suggesting she “became” Black for political advantage.
Our View: Election: Voting system accurate, transparent

Jul 20, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

Blue Earth County election officials invited the public to view its required testing of vote-counting equipment last week and no one showed. That may be a vote of confidence that election officials and their equipment can be trusted. Still, it was important Blue Earth County conduct the test and promoted public participation by issuing a news release that was published to some 20,000 Free Press readers.
Our View: Project 2025 plan would be disastrous

Jul 13, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Joe Spear

They would eliminate the professional civil service workforce and replace thousands of professional federal workers with political operatives with little or no training in their jobs. They would break down the separation of church and state in order to create a “Christian Nationalism.” They call for bringing this about through use of the partisan packed courts, with executive orders and without congressional approval.