St. Cloud Times
Could more cuts be on the horizon for St. Cloud State?
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A new leader takes the reins at St. Cloud State University. Gregory Tomso, Ph.D., arrived on campus Monday, Jan. 5, beginning his tenure as president at a consequential moment for the institution, as the prospect of additional cuts...
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St. Cloud Farmers Market returns for winter markets
ST. CLOUD — Farmers market season has returned in St. Cloud through a new setup during the winter months. The St. Cloud Area Farmers Market will be hosting biweekly Saturday farmers markets at B-Side Indie Music Cafe in downtown St. Cloud this winter,...
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ICE OPERATION SPARKS TENSION
A group of at least 65 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents gathered shortly before noon Jan. 12 near the intersection of Third Street North and 33rd Avenue North in St. Cloud. Agents reportedly tried to detain one individual near Star Market,...
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‘A positive impact on our community’
Heading into 2026, a central Minnesota women’s clothing boutique is continuing to grow. Dibbydabbles Designs and Finds, a clothing boutique created by Maple Lake resident Peggy Weber, has launched an expanded operation at Copper Pony in Sauk Rapids in...
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Furor continues over ICE shootings
Tensions remained high Jan. 9 after shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis and in Portland, Oregon, drew protesters to the streets and deepened fractures between federal and state officials. In Portland, a U.S. Border Patrol officer...
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St. Cloud Times’ 2025 top 12 most read stories
2025 had many new policies, businesses, crime and events take place in the St. Cloud area. The St. Cloud Times news staff was there to cover it. The Times’ top 12 most read stories of the past year brought a mix of fun, seriousness and...
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2 restaurants leaving St. Joseph’s The House
After a successful first year in business, St. Joseph’s The House Food and Tap is gearing up for several changes into the new year. Two of the new food hall’s restaurants, Eminent Coffee Roasters and Birdie’s Pizza and Garden Bar, will be leaving The...
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Roots Salon opens doors in Waite Park
A new salon hosting local stylists, dirty sodas and a cozy atmosphere has come to Waite Park. Hair Stylist Emma Enstad opened Roots Salon in early December, bringing to life her dream of owning her own salon after several years working in the...
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PROGRESS
St. Cloud welcomed several major development projects to the area in 2025. h The area’s biggest projects of the year spanned areas from health care to manufacturing and commercial space, excluding restaurants and housing, bringing in tens of millions...
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Mamdani promises new era for NYC
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s promises to address affordability. On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor took...
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Mint marking 250 with special coins
The U.S. Mint is issuing special circulating coins to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Quarters, dimes and nickels minted during 2026 will bear special designs or markings reflecting milestones...
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Former White House chief usher is ultimate insider
WASHINGTON – He watched President Bill Clinton go over homework with his daughter Chelsea at the White House kitchen table. He’s witnessed President Jimmy Carter pluck a longstemmed rose from the Rose Garden for his wife Rosalynn on his way back from...
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10 area New Year’s Eve events
As the new year approaches, St. Cloud-area residents have many ways to celebrate on New Year’s Eve. St. Cloud’s bars, bowling alleys, concert venues and other local spots are hosting a mix of events to ring in the New Year. Country Lights...
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Soda shop brings signature drinks to local mall in 2026
A new local spot for sodas and other sweet drinks is coming to St. Cloud in 2026. Schmidty’s Soda Shop, based in Alexandria, is opening its second location in St. Cloud in January, the soda shop announced in early December. Owner Jessica Schmidt...
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PARTY LIKE IT’S 1929
Hidden around St. Cloud are several historic vestiges of the area’s Prohibition era, where Stearns County families turned to moonshine to make a living and the area’s residents socialized over alcohol in secret. h Today, central Minnesota is home to...
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‘DEEP CONNECTION’
The places Indigenous peoples call home have intertwined with their ways of life for millennia. Their stories, foodways and cultures relate directly to their homelands. Lands, waters, plants and animals, the creatures that inhabit the waters below and...
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Festival to return with comedy, fireworks
ST. CLOUD — One of St. Cloud’s prominent winter events is returning to downtown St. Cloud next month. The Bold and Bright Festival will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, with a mix of returning favorite activities and new events. “There’s a lot to...
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Penny presses aren’t going away
Robert Hoff was amazed the first time he saw a coin press machine in action in the 1970s. Hoff was in his twenties when a person passed him while carrying the machine and watched as they pressed pennies for a quarter a piece. That moment created a...
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LGBTQ+ community center finds home downtown
ST. CLOUD — Seal Dwyer Counseling is expanding to bring an LGBTQ+ community center back to downtown St. Cloud. The move comes after St. Cloud’s previous LGBTQ+ community center, Rainbow Wellness Collective, closed in June 2024. Seal Dwyer, who owns...
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Shop Nordic goods at Ingebretsen’s
AScandinavian shop that specializes in goods and food is not too far of a drive for St. Cloud shoppers. Ingebretsen’s in Minneapolis fulfills a holiday tradition for many. Julie Ingebretsen runs the family business and keeps the store’s name the same...
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‘Bigger and better’
Waite Park concert venue The Ledge Amphitheater brought in major sales and visitors in 2025, and it also has big plans for the upcoming 2026 concert season. h The 2025 season at The Ledge Amphitheater saw 62,000 visitors and generated an estimated $6...
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Brown shooting suspect found dead
PROVIDENCE, RI – Though the suspect connected to the deadly Brown University attack and the fatal shooting of an MIT professor was found dead in New Hampshire, the questions and fallout have only begun. Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez...
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Five unique businesses to visit in Cold Spring
COLD SPRING — Cold Spring, located about a 25-minute drive from St. Cloud, offers a small-town feel with several local businesses. The town is home to a mix of shops that have been go-to spots for decades and newer businesses that have opened in...
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New St. Cloud eatery
A new restaurant is coming to south St. Cloud this month, focused on diner comfort food. Dhaba 94 American Diner will soft open at the former Burger King space at 4325 Clearwater Road on Dec. 22, combining American diner favorites with Indian...
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Salon focused on hair removal opens downtown
A new salon to help patients with hair removal has opened in downtown St. Cloud this fall. St. Cloud residents Alice Valentine and Sofia Martin opened Valentines Salon in September, bringing a new hair removal option to central Minnesota. So far, the...
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Celebrating 80 years of sweet treats in 2026
COLD SPRING — Visitors at Cold Spring Bakery are greeted by the sweet scent of baked goods and shelves stacked with cookies, donuts, cakes and other sweet treats. The downtown Cold Spring staple has brought treats to central Minnesotans for decades,...
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Pop-up holiday market opens in St. Joseph
Anew shop hosting locally-made goods has temporarily opened in downtown St. Joseph. h Avon Hills Folk School has launched a pop-up store in St. Joseph for the holiday shopping season, and it will be open through Dec. 21. h The market features a wide...
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House panel Democrats release Epstein photos
WASHINGTON – House Democrats received another trove of 95,000 pictures from accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s estate and released 19 images Dec. 12 that show Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and other high-profile figures. It was not...
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Life, loss and laughter collide in ‘Dinner for One’
MINNEAPOLIS – In 2022, Christina Baldwin decided to tour the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. On a TV in one of the rooms, an 18-minute physical comedy sketch was playing on loop. The 1963 German TV skit depicts a butler named James going...
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WinterWalk Festival draws large crowds
Minnesotans filled the streets in downtown St. Joseph Dec. 5, braving the cold to visit local businesses, restaurants and Christmas events. The 2025 JoeTown WinterWalk Festival offered visitors a chance to celebrate the holiday season while enjoying...
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Celebrate the holidays with tours, tea at Foley Mansion
This holiday season, the Foley Mansion offers a unique destination for creating memories. The home is fully decorated for Christmas through Jan. 31, giving visitors a chance to see the mansion’s blend of historic charm and festive spirit. The...
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13 St. Cloud-area spots for Christmas shopping
The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and sales are expected to pass $1 trillion for the first time this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Central Minnesota shoppers can explore several businesses local to the St. Cloud area...
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‘Resilient and strong’
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Residents of St. Cloud, a city once in the spotlight for refugee policy debate, gathered Wednesday to counter President Donald Trump’s remarks about their Somali neighbors and underscore the relationships built over the past two...
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Paynesville Liquor expands to bigger Highway 23 location
Paynesville Liquor moved to a new, larger location on Highway 23. A.J. Kaufman Just before Thanksgiving, a Municipal Liquor Store opened its new facility in Paynesville. The city-owned building, situated along State Highway 23 just west of downtown,...
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‘It always turns into Christmas land’
CFO Jodie Friebe and General Manager Cindy Kunkel prepare Grande Depot for the Christmas season in St. Cloud.
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HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES
ST. CLOUD — Time is limited for St. Cloud residents to ship their holiday gifts, with U.S. and international deadlines around the corner. St. Cloud residents have multiple post offices, FedEx and UPS locations to choose from over the next few weeks,...
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Looking for holiday decor or unique gifts
SAUK RAPIDS — Minnesotans getting into the holiday spirit may be able to fill their Christmas needs at one of Sauk Rapids’ local shops. The home decor shop Copper Pony offers an expansive selection of holiday decor, unique gift items and seasonal...
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Omar speaks out on end of temporary status for MN Somalis
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and other Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders denounced President Donald Trump and Republicans’ recent attacks on Minnesota’s Somali-American community at the State Capitol on Monday. “We do not blame the lawlessness of an...
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Where are the Christmas tree farms in central Minnesota?
Whether it's a real tree or an artificial one, central Minnesotans decorating for the holiday season have many tree farms and shops in the area to choose from. h Because of the climate, there are a lot of tree farms around the area − from St. Cloud to...
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Trump vows further migrant crackdown
President Donald Trump said Nov. 27 that U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, of the West Virginia National Guard, died after being shot the previous day in an ambush near the White House, a shooting that drew claims from his administration of Biden-era...
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Doctor shares fears, hopes
On a recent early fall morning, hope was in short supply. My first patient was a regular. Mr. D was a man in his 50s with diabetes. He had been living on Denver’s streets for most of the past five years, two of them with a walker in tow. Without...
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Raising them right
Tucked away in the rolling hills of farmland outside Monticello, Fresh Acres Farm has 28 acres of fields, pumpkin patches, its annual fall festival and classes to process maple syrup. h The farm is also home to animals, including goats, a donkey and 30...
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‘My Town’ series premieres episode featuring St. Joseph
St. Cloud-area community members packed the Pioneer Place On Fifth on Nov. 20 for a first look at an episode from the series “My Town,” featuring several familiar St. Joseph faces and local spots. The show and its featured St. Joseph residents were...
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Minnesota furniture chain acquires Hennen Furniture
Two Minnesota furniture stores have joined together under a new umbrella that was announced last week. The Coon Rapids-based furniture chain HOM Furniture has acquired St. Cloud’s Hennen Furniture, the company announced Nov. 17, taking over its...
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Zonta Christmas House, Winter Marketplace returns
The annual Zonta Christmas House is returning later this month, featuring festive decor from local businesses. The holiday event, scheduled for Nov. 21-22, will showcase unique holiday displays from designers and decorators at 1408 Antler Creek Court...
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HAPPY THYME GROWS
St. Cloud’s Asian grocery store Happy Thyme continues to grow, adding a new service for special occasions this month. Happy Thyme launched its dim sum service on Nov. 2, becoming one of the only eateries in the St. Cloud area that offers traditional...
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Longtime quilting shop reopens under new owners
WAITE PARK – A Waite Park quilting shop has reopened under new owners, reviving a beloved crafting resource. Gruber’s Quilt Shop reopened Nov. 3 under new owners Jill Blair and Joy Stuhl, with much of the same quilting supplies the shop has carried...
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‘Walk out like a new person’
SAUK RAPIDS – A new salon opened its doors in Sauk Rapids. Haven Breeze Spa Salon opened on Nov. 1, bringing a new option for head spa services to the area. Owner Jaimee Kath decided to open the business after discovering her love of head spa...
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Foley craftsman’s ‘fantastical’ sheds a Highway 23 landmark
Drivers passing through Foley have likely noticed the whimsical small houses lining Highway 23, featuring tilting roofs, unique stained glass details and refurbished lighting. The homes are the work of Foley resident Dan Hanes and his business...
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SNAP disruptions could hurt grocers
Like the millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, retailers are bracing for the effects of reduced or delayed funding to a program that typically injects billions of dollars into the U.S. economy each month. The...
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Social media, movies inspire artist’s latest paintings
ST. JOSEPH – Shortly after waking up each morning, St. Joseph artist MacKenna Hanson reaches for her phone, her finger quickly glides through TikTok’s “For You” page. As the minutes slip by, she realizes how the app’s algorithm impacts her mood,...
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Acevedo to fill vacancy on District 742 school board
St. Cloud Area School District 742 elected a new Board of Education member Tuesday, Nov. 4. Voters chose Gina Acevedo to fill the vacancy, according to the St. Cloud Area School District 742 website. She garnered 2,583 votes. Unsuccessful candidates...
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Grinch star gives back
When Dean Holt started college at St. Cloud State University, he thought he would leave as a pilot. Instead, he transferred schools, became a theater major, and began a career spanning 31 years at the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis....
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Rep. Lisa Demuth aims to unseat Gov. Tim Walz
SAINT PAUL – A political career that ignited at a kitchen table in Cold Spring could make its way to the Minnesota Governor’s Residence. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, launched her gubernatorial campaign Sunday, Nov. 2. Her first elected...
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‘A little bit of everything’
Shoppers searching for unique finds have no shortage of options in the St. Cloud area. h The area’s antique and collectible stores offer items like repurposed furniture, antique glassware, collectibles and other one-of-a-kind items. Many are also...
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Former SCSU alum to appear on Comics Unleashed
ST. CLOUD – As a child, Sean Leary loved receiving attention. The problem? In his household, his older sister demanded most of it. The solution? Comedy. The Brookings, S.D. native would watch old episodes of Saturday Night Live and memorize the...
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Trump eyes filibuster to break deadlock
WASHINGTON – As the shutdown drags on, President Donald Trump is urging Senate Republicans to go around Democrats to break an impasse with growing ramifications. Millions of Americans were poised to lose federal food assistance, but two federal judges...
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Enjoy Halloween events in St. Cloud area this week
With Halloween coming up on Friday, several St. Cloud-area organizations are getting involved in the festivities. Trunk-or-treating, costume parties and pumpkin painting are some of the many holiday activities scheduled for this week. The Crossroads...
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New oil change shop opens in St. Cloud
A new option for oil changes and other car services has come to St. Cloud. Take 5 Oil Change opened its first location in the St. Cloud area in mid-October, marking the chain’s first central Minnesota location. Acting Store Manager Steven Furst said...
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Shutdown puts food aid in jeopardy
EAGAN — Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it won’t distribute food assistance next month, Minnesota allocated limited funds to help maintain food accessibility statewide. The USDA attributed the potential halt in food assistance...
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St. Cloud charter school seeks high school expansion
ST. CLOUD – St. Cloud charter school STRIDE Academy is continuing to grow, with plans to add high school to its site. The St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals approved STRIDE Academy’s request to add ninth through 12th grade to its new building at the...
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Barber school opens in Crossroads Center Mall
St. Cloud’s newest barber school is opening in the Crossroads Center Mall. St. Cloud resident Maurice Burson created Barber Hussle. The new school is the only state board-approved barber school in the St. Cloud area. It offers 9-month, full-time day...
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What are Minnesota’s most widely spoken languages?
ST. CLOUD — Many people in the St. Cloud-area speak multiple languages and come from a variety of heritages. Area restaurants, schools and shops attest to the many cultures represented in the Granite City. Minnesota is the only U.S. state with Hmong...
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Persistent inflation up again last month
Inflation rose again in September, revealing the persistence of rising prices as the job market showed signs of cooling and consumers begin to think about the holiday season. Consumer prices increased 3% from a year earlier, slightly up from 2.9% in...
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St. Cloud dispensary adds recreational marijuana sales
A new option for recreational cannabis will be available soon in St. Cloud. Rise Dispensary, operated by Leafline Labs, can now sell recreational marijuana after the St. Cloud City Council approved an amendment to its planned unit development to allow...
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UPLIFTING ST. CLOUD
Two redevelopment projects to improve connections to downtown St. Cloud are inching closer to becoming a reality. The Fifth Avenue Campus Downtown Connection Project and Riverwalk Connection Project received unanimous approval from the St. Cloud City...
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CRAFT STORE EXPANDS SERVICES
St. Cloud’s newest craft store 29 Stitches has now added alterations to its list of resources for central Minnesota crafters. h St. Cloud resident Paige Berndt joined the store this summer, bringing her alterations business Margaret Paige Designs to 29...
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GAME ON
After a long wait, the entertainment center Granite City Jump is opening in its new location at the Midtown Square Mall Thursday. The space at the west side of Midtown Square features a new layout, several new arcade games and large, colorful...
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Cold Spring antique shop offers some unique finds
Visitors to downtown Cold Spring can find a unique shop tucked away in a rustic building, offering special antiques, collectibles and handmade finds. h Little Sister’s Antiques, a Cold Spring staple for the past 12 years, offers a wide range of...
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Fitzthum looks to capitalize on jobs, tourism
SARTELL, Minn. — Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum took the stage Monday, Oct. 14, as he gave his annual state of the city address. He boasted Sartell’s recent economic wins, giving a glimpse into what developments central Minnesota can expect. Fitzthum...
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Will more Trump foes be facing prosecution?
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton on Oct. 16 became the third high-profile Trump critic to be criminally charged after the president repeatedly attacked him publicly. All three maintain their innocence...
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Red Robin leaves Crossroads
ST. CLOUD — Red Robin will be closing its doors in St. Cloud this Sunday, the restaurant announced. The closure comes after the restaurant and the Crossroads Center Mall, which owns the building, could not come to a new lease agreement, an employee...
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Skechers opens shoe store at Crossroads Center Mall
Skechers has now opened its first St. Cloud-area location at the Crossroads Center Mall. The shoe store opened its doors Oct. 10 and has seen a steady stream of customers so far, Assistant Manager Brandon Parker said. “We have tons of people always...
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Somali news rising
Two Somali-speaking news organizations are working to keep central Minnesota’s East African community informed. A population that has grown in recent years. Station manager Ahmed Abdi of KZYS and XIDIG TV founder Mohamed Jama are spearheading that...
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A ‘day of profound joy’ in Israel
Israel celebrated the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks as the first phase in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan was met with joy around the world on Oct. 13. Twenty Israeli hostages in Gaza were...
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