KMSU Community Stories

Nov. 19, 2025 - Mankato Area Public Schools Adult Basic Education Coordinator, Karen Wolters, says people often think of the program as just for those getting a G.E.D.  Wolters explained to "Minnesota Morning" host Karen Wright,  that Adult Basic Education has much more to offer, especially for those who want to increase their skills or prepare to go on to college, or upscale their careers. Many ABE courses are offered in person and online in high demand areas.

November 5, 2025 - Barb Kaus of the Mankato Area United Way provides an update of the organization's fundraising efforts and highlights some of the programs served, and discusses some upcoming events.

October 28, 2025 -Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but were Afraid to Ask is a book written by Anton Treuer, a professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. The book was selected as a "community read" for Indigenous People's Day. A number of events have been held to discuss Treuer's writing, and he will be in Mankato as a keynote speaker on Nov. 14, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. in the MSU Centennial Student Union ballroom. American Indian Night events will follow. Graduate Student, Riley Evans, discusses details of the event in this podcast.

October 22, 2025 - Mankato Area Public Schools Superintendent Paul Peterson stops by to talk about student attendance.

October 15, 2025 - Mankato Area Public Schools has many programs to offer for all ages. Community Education Coordinator, Melanie Schmidt, and Enrichment Specialist, Kaitlin Carter discuss the many classes for youth to adults. They also talk about how you can find out what is coming up for Winter/Spring classes.

Oct. 9, 2025 - Greater Mankato is hosting an Ubuntu Festival to officially launch the "Spirit of Ubuntu," an ongoing movement to empower every generation to contribute to understanding, kindness, respect and harmony in their daily interactions. Greater Diversity Council Executive Director Mohamed Alsadig and Performing Artist Antoinette Rootsdawtah discuss the three-day event (Oct. 9 - 11) taking place at Minnesota State Mankato.

October 7, 2025 - Indigenous People's Day is Oct. 13 with numerous events to celebrate the day in Mankato. Diane Dobitz, a member of the Mahkato Indigenous People's Day committee discusses how the City of Mankato adopted a resolution in 2018 marking the second Monday in October as Indigenous People's Day which served as the next stop on the path of reconciliation between the Indigenous Dakota Nation and the people of Mankato. She also discussed the committees effort to change the name of Sibley Park out of respect for our ancestors.

Sept. 25, 2025 - President Trump announced actions his administration is taking to identify the causes of autism in children and potential treatment options. Trump also raised related concerns about the safety of medications containing acetaminophen. Dr. Brian Lee, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University, studies the effects medications have on pregnant women and their fetus, and debunks any connection.

Sept. 24, 2025 - Mankato Area Public Schools Superintendent Paul Peterson and Washington Elementary School Principal, Ann Haggerty visit with KMSU's Karen Wright about school safety and security, especially in the wake of recent school shootings, as well as discussing the recent honor bestowed upon Washington Elementary. 

Sept. 17, 2025 - Photographer extraordinaire, Josh Madson, talks about his involvement in the upcoming St. Peter Arts Stroll. He also describes how he wanted to become a rockstar, but instead, became a photographer of tens or thousands of people through his Community Collage project.