Mark Fischenich

1 week ago | mankatofreepress.com | Mark Fischenich

MANKATO — With a goal of hitting carbon neutrality by 2050 and preparing the city to be more resilient to the impacts of a rapidly changing climate, the Mankato City Council passed a comprehensive Climate Action Plan at a special meeting Monday night. “What we have, I think, is a fantastic layout and formula for success,” Council President Mike Laven said of the 58 pages of background data, previous municipal efforts and proposals for the future.

1 week ago | mankatofreepress.com | Mark Fischenich

MANKATO — Mankato and other Minnesota cities avoided cuts in state aid but saw previously promised revenue from future cannabis shops grabbed by lawmakers for the state's general fund. Those mixed results from the final two-year budget compromise signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday were supplemented by a surprise win for Mankato — one that could boost Minnesota's contribution to a mammoth renovation of the regional sewage treatment plant by $5 million.

1 week ago | mankatofreepress.com | Mark Fischenich

Q: I have been wondering if the bodies of the skiers that died in Alaska will ever be recovered or does the snow never melt or does this area never get safe enough for this? A: It’s true that the three heli-skiers, all with ties to Mankato, who died in an avalanche in early March have still not been recovered three months later.

1 week ago | mankatofreepress.com | Mark Fischenich

MANKATO — Protesters in Mankato Saturday morning demonstrated their growing numbers, the breadth of their disdain for President Donald Trump and their determination to continue resisting even on a day of political violence in Minnesota. But the local "No Kings" protest, which organizers said totaled more than 3,500 participants, was unrelentingly peaceful and largely polite.

1 week ago | mankatofreepress.com | Mark Fischenich

MANKATO — State Rep. Luke Frederick of Mankato had been thinking about Melissa Hortman continuously Saturday, but his voice still broke when he started to voice those thoughts early in the evening. "She was such a fierce advocate for everything she believed in, and she lived her values," Frederick said after a pause. "But that fierceness wasn't mean. It was just a belief in what she was fighting for. And that heart and compassion was always there as well.