Entries by Region Nine

Pandemic creating workforce training opportunities

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If there’s one good thing to come out of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s this: Greater Minnesota has more opportunities to train people to fill ongoing job vacancies. That was what researchers at the Mankato-based Center for Rural Policy and Development told lawmakers Monday during a House workforce and business development committee hearing. “The data […]

A call for racial understanding in Greater Minnesota

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Minnesota’s summer of protests, violence, and personal and political reckoning brought issues of race and racism front and center in 2020. For many Greater Minnesota communities, however, making their towns more welcoming to everyone was a priority long before then.  Motivated by a variety of concerns, many leaders have partnered with University of Minnesota Extension […]

Choose your local farmers’ market

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Still looking for a New Year’s resolution? If you haven’t decided on a New Year’s resolution yet, you hope to lead a healthier life, and you want to support the local economy, this year choose to shop at the local farmers’ market. For the past 40 years, the Mankato Farmers’ Market has become a primary […]

A Candid Conversation with Mayor Najwa Massad

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“Coming to the United States as an immigrant and establishing a small business shows how we are the heartbeat of this country. I believe in uplifting small businesses because of that personal connection that people get in the hospitality industry—we are the heart of our community.” —Mayor Najwa Massad   One of the most inspiring political […]

Get to Know St. James China Restaurant Owner, David Ouyang

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By: Brianna Sanders, Region Nine Intern     A popular restaurant in St. James, MN is the China Restaurant or better known as China Dave’s by the locals. At the restaurant you will often be met by David Ouyang, the owner of China Restaurant since 1994. David came to the United States from Taiwan when […]