Here’s part two of our look back at the news, issues and people that made an impact in 2025.

July
New Hastings School Superintendent Dr. Kristine Werkamp Herman officially started her new position July 1 but spent plenty of time before that getting to know the community.
The ISD 200 School Board unanimously adopted the new 2025-2027 strategic plan, the overarching guideline for the district over the next three years and replacement for Policy 100 which was sunset in March. The process of creating the strategic plan started in November of last year, drawing from the School Perceptions Survey and various Community Collaboration Committee meetings. The final language was overhauled at the June work session, condensing the core values, overhauling the vision statement and language within the core pillars and strategic anchors. The board had been previously concerned about the adoption of the strategic plan without input from the incoming Superintendent Dr. Kristine Wehrkamp Herman who started July 1. Wehrkamp Herman was in attendance for both the June work session and the board meeting, providing input at the work session and her approval for the new policy at the board meeting.
The Hastings City Council met on Monday, July 7 and unanimously approved interim local registration for lower-potency hemp edible (LPHE) retailers. The registration would allow LPHE retailers to apply for city approval and begin operation before receiving state licenses in October. For Assistant City Administrator Kelly Murtaugh, who presented the resolution before the city council, the point was to make sure “everyone can get the same message from the city,” regarding who is eligible for LPHE retail. Currently, the city of Hastings has registered seven retailers for LPHE retail.
Come January 2026, the puck will drop on something far bigger than just a game. Hockey Day Minnesota is heading to Hastings for its 20th anniversary, and the celebration is shaping up to be the biggest one yet. Until the NHL approves the dates, the event is tentatively scheduled for January 17 through 24. Once approved, this means the event will double its typical run time, spanning eight full days instead of the usual four. And for United Heroes League President Shane Hudella, who spoke at the July 10 Hastings Area Rotary Club meeting, it’s personal, it’s local, and it’s monumental. “This is literally the biggest thing that will have come to Hastings,” Hudella said.
A quiet afternoon on the water turned chaotic Saturday when a boat exploded at the fuel dock at Miss-Croix Yacht Harbor, sending all eleven people on board into the Mississippi River and injuring several. The blast occurred around midday, just as the summer crowd had begun to settle in at the popular harbor located where the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers meet. Witnesses described a sudden, thunderous boom, followed by screams and flames that engulfed the boat within minutes. “Preliminary investigation, vessel was at the Miss Croix Yacht Harbor fuel dock. Some sort of explosion occurred. Multiple individuals were ejected into the river, and some were able to get off onto the dock,” said Prescott Police Chief Eric Michaels. “All patients were transported via ambulance or personal vehicles to an area hospital. We are unsure of the condition of the patients. This is an ongoing investigation, and any further inquiries should be directed to the Wisconsin DNR who is heading this investigation.”
August
Representatives of ISD 200 continue to chafe against the potential rate increase for civic arena ice time in ongoing discussions with city officials. In particular, school board members protested the school district being singled out for rate increases, a move Clerk Melissa Millner called “vindictive.” The Joint Powers Agreement meeting last Monday between district officials, city council members and city staff was dominated by discussions of the potential ice rate increases at the Hastings Civic Arena. The city unveiled the rate increase in July which would raise “prime” ice rates for all users to $270 per hour, with an additional $55 per hour for the school district. Prime ice rates are from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The purchase agreement for the 71-acre, 450-unit Walden Development located at the intersection of Highway 316 and Michael Avenue, has again been extended, this time through the end of 2026. The project has largely been stalled since the property was annexed in March 2023. The Hastings Planning Commission received a preliminary plat application for the site in March 2024, but those plans were revised in April in order to “deem the application complete,” said Community Development Director John Hinzman. Since then, little has happened, with Hinzman in March 2025 telling the Planning Commission: “There’s not a lot to report unfortunately” about progress on the development.
September
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. While there is “no indication of any direct threat to any school in our area,” said Hastings Police Chief Dave Wilske, Hastings police will provide a higher presence around local schools especially as the school day begins and ends. This effort by Hastings police is meant to provide “peace of mind,” to residents, students and district staff.
The Hastings City Council unanimously approved the preliminary city budget of $44,499,029 and levy of $21,729,930 at the Tuesday, Sept. 3 city council meeting. The levy represents an 8.4% increase which trans- lates to an additional cost of $162 per year for median value homes in Hastings at $331,600.
A 28-year-old Kenyon man was formally charged Sept. 9 and ordered detained in the Dakota County Jail after an accident Sept. 6 in Randolph that claimed the lives of two people from Apple Valley. Seth John Nechville, 28, was charged with two counts of felony criminal vehicular homicide (negligence under the influence of alcohol) and gross misdemeanor 2nd degree driving while impaired (under the influence of alcohol) with aggravating factors.
Hastings Police Chief Dave Wilske announced his retirement for March 2026. Wilske took over the role in May 2022 from former chief Bryan Schafer, becoming the 56th Hastings Police Chief since the title was created in 1858. Wilske came to the Hastings Police Department in 2017 as Deputy Chief. Before that, Wilske served for 20 years at the University of Minnesota Police Department in various roles from patrol officer to lieutenant.
October
Last Tuesday at midnight the federal government shut down. In Minnesota, hundreds of thousands of employees are expected to be furloughed with other roles like TSA and air traffic controllers expected to keep working without pay. Programs like Social Security and the U.S. Postal Service will not be interrupted, but other programs like SNAP and WIC could be if the shutdown persists long enough. What that means for local and county governments changes radically, however. The city of Hastings isn’t directly impacted. The city doesn’t receive federal funds for regular operations and therefore regular city operations will not be impacted.
Last week a case was filed against Dakota County, three Eagan police officers, and eight Dakota County correctional officers seeking $120 million in money damages for an alleged wrongful death of a Cottage Grove man after his arrest and detainment in Dakota County Jail last November. On Oct. 9, the next-of-kin of Kingsley Fifi Bimpong filed a case alleging that Bimpong’s death was the result of “callous indifference” in the face of stroke symptoms while in the custody of Eagan Police and the Dakota County Jail.
A majority of ISD 200 School Board members have signed a letter to the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota State High School League, and the Attorney General’s office calling for Minnesota to comply with Title IX based on a new study from the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. “The undersigned elected members of school boards across the State of Minnesota, on behalf of ourselves and our constituents, not on behalf of our respective independent school districts, write to express our strong support for immediate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,” starts the letter. The letter references a report from the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights that alleges that Minnesota is violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to play in the sport that aligns with their gender identity.
ISD 200 school board members voted 6-1 to approve the new civic arena contract for the 2025-2026 school year in the regular meeting on Oct. 22. The agreement includes the increased “premium usage fee” rate for the school district. “No one wants to beat this dead horse?” asked school board Chair Carrie Tate before the vote. And board members didn’t, voting to approve the new contract without discussion. The vote comes after months of discussion and argument that have spanned school board, city council, and joint powers agreement meetings for more than the last year.
November
Pizza on 50th and France DBA Carbone’s Pizza filed a lawsuit against the city of Hastings regarding the sale of 1290 North Frontage Road “which resulted in their loss of lease and income,” according to the city’s November PFAS update. The Hastings City Council went into a closed session last Monday during their regular city council meeting with City Attorney Greta Bjerkness to discuss the city’s “defense strategy and possibility of resolution,” said Mayor Mary Fasbender at the meeting. Earlier this year in June, both Carbone’s Pizzeria and Stacy’s Stars Dance Studio were moved from 1290 North Frontage Road by the city of Hastings in order to construct the central water treatment plant on that site. The site was chosen in part due to its proximity to the nitrates treatment facility next door, for a relatively central location between wells and in order to not place the large facility within Lion’s Park.
Across the country, Americans came out to vote in elections big and small last week. While off-year elections tend to draw fewer voters to the polls, races for mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as well as control of the Minnesota Senate hung in the balance. In Hastings, residents voted in only one race: who will be the next school board member. In town, 2,436 total voters came out for the election. They sent Elaine Mikel-Mulder back to the school board with 1,481 votes, or 60.8% of the vote overall. Mikel-Mulder beat Simone Rendon by a nearly 30% margin, with Rendon receiving 780 votes or 32.02%.
It was standing room only at the Highway 61 public meeting as Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) officials explained the details of the upcoming Highway 61 reconstruction set to take place from 2027-2029. It was an opportunity for residents to ask questions and air concerns while the $30-40 million project is still malleable and that is exactly what happened. Bryant Ficek, South Area Manager with MnDOT, fielded questions from roundabouts to turn lane access to the previous MnDOT project on Highway 316 with the promise of several future meetings to continue communication with businesses and the public as the runup to the project continues. The reconstruction project will span Highway 61 from Fourth-36th streets with the creation of roundabouts at Highway 316 and 36th Street, and a new traffic light at 18th Street.
The 28th annual Gobble Gait saw residents running and walking through snow and ice for the annual Hastings Family Service fund- raiser on Thanksgiving Day. Hours before the 8:30 shotgun start, a small army of 100 volunteers worked to set up the race, blocking off streets, setting up the archway, speakers and DJ stand. “It’s such a well-run event,” said DawnMarie Vihrachoff, Director of Philanthropy at Hastings Family Service. This year’s race had 3,063 participants between the 8k and 2k races. Each one of those registrations can feed a family for a week, according to Jay Kochendorfer, one of the founders of the event.
December
The inaugural 3M Cottage Grove site community meeting lacked community. To an empty room save for one Hastings Journal reporter, 3M Cottage Grove site manager Derek Kneir spoke to the history of the site and a number of current projects from the Advanced Water Treatment System to the decommissioning of the site’s incinerator. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency mandated the meeting be held before the end of the year, and Kneir, along with a number of 3M staff showcased products made on site and explained recent steps made to address the dumping of PFAS and other ecological concerns from that site. The meeting took place Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Cottage Grove City Hall.
Pastor James “Jim” Bzoskie, the founder of Cornerstone Bible Church, died last week. Bzoskie was a pillar of the community, meeting regularly with Hastings police and fire departments and Dakota County Sheriff’s Office to provide chaplain services for the past 40 years. Bzoskie was a regular face at events across the community, from leading water stops at Gobble Gait to the annual Give Thanks Concert at Cornerstone to coordinating volunteer events through the church, such as Bible studies at the Dakota County Jail. Bzoskie died while at Cornerstone Bible Church after helping a driver get her car out of a snowbank after it spun out, a scene that is indicative of the way Bzoskie lived. “It’s not surprising,” said Dakota County Sherrif Joe Leko. “He died helping someone.”