News - Hastings Journal

Community Development Director John Hinzman introduced a moratorium on data center development to the Hastings City Council at its Aug. 17 meeting.

Council passes data center moratorium after public hearing

The Hastings City Council approved a one-year moratorium on data center development following a public hearing at its Monday, Aug. 17 meeting, giving city staff time to study the facilities and … more

By John McLoone | 8/26/26

Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko addresses those gathered for the fifth annual Hastings Overdose & Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Day at Hastings Public House. Leko spoke about law enforcement’s role in enforcement, prevention, education and connecting people with treatment and recovery resources.

Hastings event brings families, law enforcement and advocates together against fentanyl

The photographs and names displayed inside Hastings Public House carried stories that families wished they never had to tell. They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents, friends and … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/26/26

Merchants Bank to Hold Bundle Up Drive as Part of MBA Community Impact Month in September

This September, Merchants Bank is holding its company-wide “Bundle Up Drive” as a part of Minnesota Bankers Association (MBA) Community Impact Month to address the growing need for warm clothing … more

8/26/26

Sheriff’s Office seeks information after man found dead in Mississippi River

The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help as detectives investigate the death of a 40-year-old man whose body was found in the Mississippi River near Inver Grove Heights. … more

Staff Report | 8/20/26

Missing man found deceased following extensive search near Prescott Island

A search for a 77-year-old man who disappeared near Prescott Island ended tragically Aug. 4, when the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office located Michael William Robinson deceased downstream from where … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/20/26

Hastings City Councilmember and HEDRA representative Dave Pemble spoke at the Aug. 13 HEDRA meeting about the need to help business on Hwy. 61 in advance of reconstruction of the thoroughfare.

HEDRA plans help for Hwy. 61 businesses in planning for reconstruction

The Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority is looking to get ahead of what could be a difficult couple of years for businesses along Highway 61 when the massive reconstruction … more

By John McLoone | 8/19/26

Terry’s Hardware in Hastings has been purchased by Frattallone’s Hardware, beginning a new chapter for the longtime local business. Frattallone’s plans to retain the store’s familiar employees while gradually adding new products, services and signage.

New name, familiar faces as Frattallone’s takes over Terry’s Hardware

For longtime customers of Terry’s Hardware, the name on the building will soon change, but the new owners say they have no intention of changing what has made the Hastings store successful. … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/19/26

Hastings man charged with swindling more than $82,000 from employer

A Hastings man faces five felony charges and one gross misdemeanor charge after prosecutors alleged he took more than $82,000 from a local plumbing company through a series of transactions stretching … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/19/26

Hastings Council puts one-year hold on data centers, moves ahead with environmental litigation

The Hastings City Council was set to take action Monday night on two issues that could have long-term implications for the city, including a one-year moratorium on new data centers and authorization … more

By John McLoone | 8/19/26

The varsity hockey locker rooms at the Hastings Civic Arena are at the center of an ongoing discussion between the City of Hastings and ISD 200 over responsibility for major repairs. The city owns the arena and the locker rooms, while Hastings High School has exclusive use of the varsity spaces under a longstanding agreement. A future roof replacement is currently estimated at $215,000, with an additional $30,000 HVAC project also identified.

Decades-old locker room agreement returns to focus as major repairs loom

A relationship between the City of Hastings and Hastings Public Schools that has put generations of Raider hockey players on the ice has reached another difficult point, with the school district … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/19/26

Trent Hanson, Hastings High School activities director, addresses the ISD 200 School Board during a special meeting to discuss the new Raider Media Productions partnership with Hastings Community Television. The program will expand livestream coverage of Raider athletics while creating hands-on production opportunities for students.

Hastings builds student-driven model for high school sports broadcasting

Hastings High School and Hastings Community Television are preparing to put considerably more Raider athletics on screens this school year, but the new Raider Media Productions initiative is intended … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/19/26

Chevrolet of Hastings, formerly Tri Rivers Chevrolet, is now operating under the ownership of Wisconsin-based ONE Automotive Group. The Aug. 4 acquisition marks the company’s first expansion into Minnesota, while the dealership remains at its longtime Highway 316 location with its existing employees retained.

ONE Automotive Group acquires Tri Rivers Chevrolet in Hastings

The Chevrolet dealership along Highway 316 in Hastings has a new owner and another new name, with Wisconsin-based ONE Automotive Group acquiring Tri Rivers Chevrolet and entering the Minnesota market … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/19/26

Celebrate a century of Mississippi River recovery at the Minnesota State Fair

The Mississippi River exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair will offer an immersive underwater experience. A century ago, the Mississippi River was in crisis. In 1926, the first comprehensive water … more

8/16/26

County Assessors: a closer look

Sometimes, being part of the greater area communities, presents a story idea that seems to make sense, especially during the summer months when school and fall sports have not yet started. This … more

Editorial By Bruce Karnick | 8/16/26

Thirty years of golf, wrestling and community

There were no singlets, headgear or takedowns involved Friday, Aug. 7, but the Hastings wrestling community still found a way to get together for a little competition. The 30th Annual Hastings … more

8/16/26

Block 16 survey, property sale, facade grants on HEDRA agenda

The future of a downtown Hastings parking lot, the sale of HEDRA-owned property and two downtown façade improvement grants will be among the items before the Hastings Economic Development and … more

By John McLoone | 8/15/26

Traffic makes it’s way along Highway 61 toward the intersection of 15th Street and Vermillion Street in Hastings, just outside M&H. The busy corridor is scheduled for a major two-year reconstruction project, with preliminary work possible in 2027 and the main construction expected in 2028 and 2029.

Highway 61 becomes two-year project

For several years, Hastings residents have been looking at maps, intersection drawings, roundabouts, medians and proposed improvements for Highway 61. Now, the conversation is moving toward the part … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/15/26

Hastings Girls Soccer players kicked off this year’s series of Raider athletic car wash fundraisers Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Michael Thoreson Insurance Agency, Farmers Insurance, at 1350 S. Frontage Road. The agency provides the location and supplies for the fundraisers, while the athletes provide the labor, enthusiasm and plenty of laughs.

Soap, suds and support keep Raider fundraiser tradition rolling

On certain Saturday mornings in Hastings, it is not difficult to figure out what is happening in the parking lot next to McDonald’s along Highway 55. There are athletes with hoses, buckets and … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/15/26

Pleasant Valley Farms, PFAS projects highlight brief Hastings council meeting

The Hastings City Council moved two pieces of the proposed Pleasant Valley Farms development forward Monday, Aug. 3, approving distribution of a major environmental review for public comment and … more

By John McLoone | 8/12/26

Public Works Director Ryan Stempski spent the morning with the Hastings Area Rotary Club Thursday, Aug. 6, at its weekly meeting. Stempski updated members on the city’s response to PFAS contamination, including construction of three water treatment plants with a combined estimated cost of about $70 million, outside funding secured to date and the city’s goal of having the full treatment system operating by 2029.

Stempski updates Rotary on Hastings PFAS treatment efforts

Hastings is in the middle of what will become an approximately $70 million overhaul of its municipal water system, with one PFAS treatment plant under construction, a second preparing to break ground … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/12/26