Greater Minnesota

St. John's, St. Ben's shift gears to keep students on campus
COVID-19 forced colleges and universities to make major changes this year in the ways students learn and interact — and many students are taking most or even all of their courses online. But in central Minnesota, St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict decided to keep students on campus and in the classroom as much as possible.
Waseca welcomes back police officer recovering from shooting
Waseca police officer Arik Matson returned to the Waseca Public Safety Center Monday after being shot in the head Jan. 6 while responding with other officers to a suspicious person report.
County government is boring by design. National politics are making it less so
As this year’s hotly contested presidential election draws near, the drama is bleeding down into Minnesota’s ground-level politics. That’s especially true in Beltrami County, where local races seem to be messier and more partisan than ever.
The first significant snowfall of the season hits this weekend
Shovel? Check. Boots? Yep. Coat? Got it. Good — you’re gonna need them. A potent storm targets Minnesota over the weekend, bringing the first significant snowfall of the season. It also reinforces a colder pattern that stays in place all of next week.
'I brush my teeth myself': Families line up in droves for free Mankato dental clinic
The university’s public dental program hosts free dental clinics each semester, as a way for student hygienists to receive firsthand experience in working with young patients, and a way to give the community free access to dental care. Thursday marked the first of a two-day event. 
Pam Kellogg, division manager at Mower County Community Health Services, said staffing problems at Austin’s Sacred Heart Care Center started near the end of August, with the problem getting worse and worse over the course of several weeks until the facility simply needed help having enough care workers.
Thirteen counties in the southwestern corner of the state are expected to have critical weather conditions Wednesday, including relative humidity as low as 20 percent and strong winds. The warning lasts from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Berries, pears and pawpaws: SW Minn. food forest takes root
The food forest’s organizers are hoping their work will help local families learn more about what’s in their backyards — and protect the environment by planting native species that are also tasty for supper.
Voting by mail? For some Minn. voters, it’s nothing new
Voting by mail has been a hot topic of debate during this year's election campaign. But in some places in Minnesota, voters have been casting their ballots exclusively by mail for years, with few reported problems.
Health officials tie northern Minn. COVID-19 surge to everyday gatherings
While the growth of new COVID-19 cases has leveled off in the Twin Cities metro area, it continues to surge in greater Minnesota, especially across the northern third of the state, which over the last week has averaged the most cases per capita.