More local news

Tennis splits the week

The Hastings girls tennis team travelled to Two Rivers High School on Tuesday, Sept. 19, winning that Metro East Conference matchup 4-3. Then Hastings played host to Hill-Murray on Thursday, Sept 21, …

Football drops a heartbreaker to Bloomington Jefferson

The Raiders football team fell to 1-3 on the season with a 22-15 loss at Bloomington Jefferson on Sept. 21. The Jaguars Marching Band even played the Raider fight song as they ran onto the field, …

Raiders swim tested for sections against Eastridge

The girls swim team was tested against a tough Eastridge Raptors team on Sept. 19 where they fell 106-80. They then bounced back nicely against North St. Paul, winning 87-54. “At …

School names new milk supplier after Hastings Creamery closure

The closing of the Hastings Creamery without notice last month forced the Hastings School District to switch milk providers. Because of the emergency situation, the school board at its meeting …

City bond rating saves in borrowing

Hastings financial practices have led to an increase in the city’s bond rating. The city was awarded a plaque at its city council meeting Monday, Sept. 18 from Jessica Green of Northland Public Finance marking the increase in the city’s bond rating from AA to AA+, a move that opens the city to lower interest rates for borrowing. “We’re very pleased to get our bond rating improved,” said Finance Manager Chris Eitemiller. “It’s the first time since that 2009 the city’s bond rating has increased, so we’re happy for that. It will help us out with interest rates on future debt.” Green said the city was given the news this summer when it was preparing for a bond issuance. With the higher bond rating, the city will pay $40,000 less on that particular issuance alone. “It all adds up over time. There was some nice savings there as a result of that rating increase,” said Green. She said the city scores well across the board. “What we saw that really moved the needle this time was the implementation of that long-range planning,” said Green. “They just look so favorably on that long-term planning aspect, rather than just sort of going through the budget process each year. We really do feel like that sort of moved the city across the finish line to get that rating upgrade.” She also noted that now the city is just “one notch” below the highest rating of AAA.

Weekly Teacher Feature

Our community benefits from learning from Jeff Corkish, an incredible coach and teacher who has been educating kids in Hastings for over 25 years!  A graduate of Concordia College with a …

Rail safety week returns to Hastings

Operation Lifesaver – Rail Safety Education promotes rail safety week for the week of September 18-24 this year. Rail safety week features seven themed days to bring awareness to the fact that …

All nine school board candidates come together to hold meet and greet

With four openings on the Hastings ISD #200 School Board, all nine candidates are ramping up their campaigns vying for their spot on the board. On Monday night, those nine held a meet and greet at …

New Legion Leadership

Saint Paul man sentenced to prison for aiding and abetting assault on Oakdale officer

Robert P. Braun, 30, Saint Paul, pleaded guilty on Monday, Sept. 18 in Washington County Circuit Court to one count of aiding and abetting second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and was …
On the calendar
Business
The Hastings community received a collective blow to the midsection Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 10:34 p.m. The call came in reporting an 11-alarm fire at the now-closed Hastings Creamery at 1701 …
Government
The Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority (HEDRA) recommended Hastings City Council approval of the annual levy on city property that support economic development functions. …
Crime
It was the first-ever public event in the ballroom at the The Confluence, the new hotel, restaurant and event space on the banks of the Mississippi River.   It will be hard for any future …
Community

Swingin’ on the River: Hastings holds another top-notch show choir contest

Luke Warren, Hastings Senior High Choir Director set the tone of what to expect at Swingin’ on the River, the regional contest that has been held at Hastings High School for 23 years and is the program’s largest fundraiser.

Pulling double duty

The high school activities calendar is packed full of opportunities for students to try so many wonderful things. Choir, theater, band, clubs and athletics just to name a few. But what happens when a …

Football falls to Mahtomedi

Another Thursday night football game is in the books and the Raiders were on the wrong side of the 13-7 score moving Hastings to 1-2 on the season. Mahtomedi entered the contest in the same situation …

Soccer, a tale of opposites

The Raider boys (2-5) and girls (3-4) soccer teams started their seasons as opposites in the standings. The boys started off with a two-game win streak while the girls were beat in four straight …

Hastings native helps break Guinness World Record

Growing up, the Guiness Book of World Records was truly the only place you could see many cool and weird entries. Of course, with the internet and its vast weirdness, you can find just about anything …
Obituaries
Rosemary 'Rose' Kranz
Rosemary “Rose” Kranz, age 91 of Hastings, died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on Monday morning, Sept. 18, 2023. Rosemary McShane, the daughter of Thomas and Josephine …
Darlene Ward
Darlene M. “Dolly” Ward, age 92 of Hastings, died suddenly but peacefully at Regina Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, Sept.13, 2023. Darlene Mae, the daughter of Myron and Philippine …
Dennis Wieber
On Aug. 30, 2023, after a hard-fought battle with cancer, Dennis R Wieber, 56, Welch, MN, died at home and entered eternal life. Born Oct. 28, 1966, to Donald and Sharon Wieber, Dennis lived his …
Chris Runstch
Chris passed away at home on Aug. 22 surrounded by love and with Millie, our sweet Chihuahua snuggled at his side. Chris was a long-time part of the Hastings Lifeworks community, a Hastings volunteer …
Jeanne Erickson
Jeanne C. Erickson, age 77 of Hastings, died peacefully with family by her side on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. Jeanne Carol, daughter of Louis and Evelyn (Warwas) Janesich, was born on Nov. 17, 1945, …
Local sports

Local ballfields among the best

Amateur baseball is pretty unique to Minnesota and Wisconsin which, to some, is quite strange given the relatively short summer playing season. In Minnesota alone there are more than 300 townball …
The girl’s tennis team started out with a bit of a down cycle in the win column, but they bounced back nicely with five victories in their last eight matches. “Last week, as a team, …
Explore the Mississippi River with a weekend of outdoor enjoyment. Join a park ranger on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Levee Park in Hastings for Bike with a Ranger.     Bike with a Ranger is …
First, there needs to be an editorial apology to start this story off. Marissa Welch, head tennis coach has been emailing the information to me here since the start of the season. Last year, there …
The Raider football season is upon us and there is a plethora of new varsity players looking to make a splash on the field.Their first chance came against the Owatonna Huskies at Owatonna’s …
Education

Final three school board candidate introductions

I n our August 17 edition, we introduced you to the six candidates that had applied for the school board at that time: Brandy Wentzler, Mariah Ring, Matt Bruns, Matt Seeger, Pam Onnen and Nancy …

Features

Pizza Ranch opens in Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove became home to the newest Pizza Ranch & FunZone Arcade on Monday, Sept. 18. The well-known Midwest restaurant chain provides a faith and family-focused restaurant with a full …

Opinion
Columns

Weekly Teacher Feature

Anyone lucky enough to have a child taught by Ms. Katie Regenfuss knows how she sets up her kindergarten students for a bright and successful future of learning! Going into her 20 th year of …

We need your veteran's picture!

The Journal is publishing the community’s first-ever Salute to Service special publication. Salute to Service will be included with the Nov. 9 edition of the Hastings Journal, in honor of …

Hastings retains ranking as 29th best high school school in state

With proficiency rate significantly above the state average, Hastings High School was ranked the 29 th best school district in Minnesota by US News and World Report online magazine.   The …

Spelling Bea Time June 4, 2023 Good Things In June! Writing Number 158

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you”. Anne Lamott   The gardening stores  are starting sales on their products. It …

Spelling Bea Time

“What falls but never gets hurt?”   ….........The rain!   The green color of our surroundings is really kicking my hormones to get outside and DO THINGS. I …

You got to roll with it

Did I speak too soon?  It has been known to happen on more than one occasion, so it could be my fault.  It could also be some of you got too comfortable and lost your focus on THINKING …
Web Extras
No se deje engañar por una voz conocida: puede ser una 'Estafa a los abuelos'
(BPT) - Es posible que haya oído hablar de adultos mayores engañados que envían dinero a alguien que creen que es un nieto u otro familiar en problemas y se inclinó a …
Survey Finds Pizza is a Popular Choice for Breakfast
(BPT) - Casey’s, the third-largest U.S. convenience store retailer and fifth-largest pizza chain, is sharing new survey data that pizza is a popular choice for breakfast among U.S. adults. …
Trends in AI ethics before and after ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence is disrupting the world, including by creating ethical dilemmas. Magnifi, an AI investing platform, analyzed complaints collected by AIAAIC to see how AI concerns have grown over the last decade.
Give a Personalized Gift Like No Other
(Family Features) Now you can take personalized gifts to a new level in celebration of special moments like birthdays, holidays, engagements, graduations, weddings and more.
Controversial songs from the year you were born
Stacker celebrates history's most boundary-pushing—and thereby controversial—songs from 1930 through today.