News - Hastings Journal

Olyvia Erickson had one of the better chances of the second half to score when she took a penalty kick. Unfortunately, the kick just missed over the crossbar.

Raiders Girls Soccer stands tall in tie with Farmington

The Hastings Raiders girls soccer team walked off the field Friday afternoon with a 0-0 draw against Farmington, a game that showed plenty of toughness and defensive discipline, even if the … more

By Bruce Karnick | 9/3/25

Several of the volunteers joined the crew from the A&A All the Way foundation for a group picture after the event finished.

Aaron Jones and A&A All the Way bring back-to-school spirit to military families in Hastings

The Fourth of July parade is led by a variety of City of Hastings folks with the first out of the gate being a police car surrounded by Mayor Mary Fasbender and city council members followed by other … more

By Bruce Karnick | 9/3/25

High School Principal Scott Doran posed next to ‘Victor’ one of the cadavers stored in the school’s new antomage table that students can use to simulate dissections and perform various experiments on.

Hastings schools to have increased police presence in wake of Annunciation shooting

Hastings schools, both public and private, will see increased police presence for the first weeks of school in the wake of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis last … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 9/3/25

The largest drop in both ISD 200 enrollment and Hastings population occurred from 2020-2021.

Why Schools Decline Part I: Demographics and Economy

“How do you become a destination district for all families when all family needs are different?” This was the question posed by ISD 200 School Board Chair Carrie Tate when asked about … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/27/25

“This bill would hold social media companies accountable for the role they play in this crisis and believe me they play a huge role,” said Bridgette Norring, Founder of the Devin J. Norring Foundation about the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act.

‘Together we can make a difference:’ Fifth Annual Overdose and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Day

For a fifth year, members of the Hastings community ranging from nonprofits to city, county, state and federal officials came together to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, for the fifth … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/27/25

The Hastings Art Center unveiled its 11th season lineup featuring concerts spanning a variety of genres and formats.

Hastings Art Center unveils 11th season lineup

As Hastings Arts Center owner Sarah Lockwood goes about building the Hastings Art Center’s lineup, a focus has always been on variety. From genres to instruments to formats, what audiences will … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/27/25

The Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and its business members know how to make a guy (and his business) feel welcomed. CEO Randall Winger was overwhelmed by the number of people that showed up for the official ribbon cutting ceremony for Broadway Pizza on August 21, 2025.

Broadway Pizza celebrates ribbon cutting

Hastings welcomed a new face to its dining scene earlier this summer, and last week, Broadway Pizza officially marked its arrival with a ribbon cutting event that drew an unexpectedly large crowd. … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/27/25

Rep. Tom Dippel Enters Race for Minnesota’s 41st Senate District

COTTAGE GROVE – On Monday, Aug. 25, Tom Dippel, husband, father, and local business owner announced his intention to run for Minnesota Senate District 41. The District 41 seat is currently held … more

8/27/25

Dakota County to lower standards for building repair quality in 5-year CIP Draft

Dakota County staff recommended lowering the standards for county building upkeep in the five-year capital improvement program (CIP) 2026-2030 during the Aug. 19 budget workshop. The change comes in … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/27/25

Healthcare Professionals Class launches at HHS

When launching the Healthcare Professionals class at the high school, district officials, school board members, and even the teachers involved were unsure how interested students would be in the new … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/27/25

Cory Onken has been promoted to manager of the Hastings Civic Arena, effective Aug. 1.

Cory Onken, who has served as the facility supervisor for the past nine years, succeeds longtime manager Jeff Elliott, who retired in July. He is known for his strong relationships with arena user … more

Photo courtesy of the City of Hastings | 8/27/25

Candidates finalized for November school board election

The window has closed for candidates of the November ISD 200 School Board election which means that three candidates will appear on the ballot in November: Marty Weber, Simone Rendon, and Elaine … more

By Graham P. Johnson | 8/21/25

Saturday saw a flurry of activity from clean-up crews all around town. With 10-20 trees that affected just Hastings roadways, the cleanup effort for private properties is significantly more and will likely keep clean-up crews busy for some time. Photo by Bruce Karnick Crestview Park A tree covers the path near Crestview Park, one of many local paths that the Parks Department had to re-open over the weekend. Photo by Bruce Karnick Lions Lake Lions Park became Lions Lake for a few hours providing a rare, in-town, natural swimming opportunity for residents. The water was estimated to be over three feet deep at the lowest points of the ponding basin. The basin did a great job of not overwhelming the drain system even further with the rapid deluge of rain that occurred. Photo courtesy of Max Slocum of Hastings Community TV

Wind and rain hit Hastings hard Friday evening

Hastings is no stranger to weird, random storms. Does Halloween of 1991 ring any bells? This was no blizzard, but the storm still caught many by surprise. The weather forecast had nothing listed for … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/20/25

Pastor Branner Neumeister was ordained at The Journey Church in Hastings.

It's a New Day for The Journey Church

A new day was celebrated at The Journey Church in Hastings. A new pastor was ordained on the team who will someday soon become the new lead pastor of our church. Ordaining qualified pastors is part … more

8/20/25

Members of the Crisis and Recovery Center launch team were recognized Tuesday, Aug. 12 at the Dakota County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Dakota County services receive four national awards

Dakota County works hard to provide quality programs to residents, and those services get noticed. The county received four achievement awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) on June … more

8/20/25

Minnesota’s Clean Indoor Air Act turns 50

The law, enacted in 1975, has protected Minnesotans from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke Fifty years ago, Minnesota became the first state to adopt landmark legislation restricting smoking in … more

8/20/25

Family of impaired crash victim calls on drivers to stay sober

ST. PAUL – Jordan Huver was killed 12 years ago in a crash while riding in a vehicle with an impaired driver. She was just 18 years old. To help prevent future tragedies and spare other … more

8/20/25

Football Fundraiser held at Hastings Golf Club

Each August, the Football Boosters hold a golf tournament at Hastings Golf Club to raise funds for the upcoming Raider Football season. This year there were 124 golfers on 31 teams signed up for the … more

Photo by Bruce Karnick | 8/20/25

Girls’ soccer had Todd Field booked for varsity practice Friday afternoon. Head Coach Paul Armstrong, entering his fourth year, was extremely excited to be back on the pitch working with this group of girls.

Fall sports begin ramping up practices for an end of August season start

All seven fall sports have a week of practice under their belts in preparation for the 2025 high school sports year. Volleyball, Boys and Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Girls Swim and Dive, Cross … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/20/25

Three of the four members of Ashland are Hastings Parochial School (now St. Elizabeth Ann Seton) and Hastings High graduates. Their friendship and love of music began in parochial school, and they have been playing together ever since. Their setlist covered a wide variety of music over several decades. L to R: Brian Schommer, Mike Borash, Andy McClure and Rob Wuam. Photo by Bruce Karnick

First Rotary Festival on the River in the books

The Hastings Area Rotary Club held their Festival on the River event at Levee Park on Saturday August 16th. The festival ran from noon until about 9:00 PM with a variety of musical acts, a mad … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/20/25