Good morning, Mankato.

Ashley Shaefer of New Ulm won KEYC’s Star-Spangled Sing Off contest after over 20 local submissions from southern Minnesota & northern Iowa.

She now advances to the regional round for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid Nashville trip to record her performance on Gray Media stations.

Unemployment fell to 4.4% in May as Minnesota added 5,400 nonfarm jobs statewide and 5,900 private sector jobs, the state's report said.

In Mankato, local nonfarm jobs nearly reached 59,000 with a modest 0.3% rise from April + steady annual growth.

Local dentists, faculty and dental hygiene students have been traveling to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye since 2013 to provide free dental care and oral health lessons to residents and schoolchildren; this spring’s trip treated 119 with fillings and 58 with extractions, with supplies donated by companies.

Twenty-five teachers (mostly from Minnesota) participated in a Geometry in Construction training session in Mankato this week to learn woodworking skills they will later use with students in the fall (trainer Gayle Piepho explained the playhouse exercise).

MnDOT said Riverfront Drive between Main and Plum streets will close overnight from 6 p.m. July 1 until mid-afternoon July 2 for concrete work on the Veterans Memorial Bridge project, a $21.3-million effort replacing key features of the 1986 bridge that links downtown with North Mankato - drivers will follow detour routes along Plum, Second and Main.

Riverfront Drive (between East Main and Plum streets) will close from 6 p.m. July 1 through mid-afternoon July 2 as crews pour concrete for the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge deck, so drivers should use a detour via Plum, 2nd and Main streets.

City leaders plan to expand the affordable land trust program from 7 to nearly 40 homes over the next two years if a $2M state fund allocation is approved, with $300K pledged for 10 new houses in 2028 and 2029.

Income-eligible buyers can purchase used and new homes at roughly half the market price (through local, county, and state support).

DCI: Drum Corps International

5:30-10 p.m. — Blakeslee Stadium — All Sales Final — Experience thrilling performances from elite drum corps at this exciting community event.

Billy Currington Concert

7 p.m. — Vetter Stone Amphitheatre — Tickets available — Enjoy live country music under the stars with Billy Currington.

Lee Brice Concert

7:30 p.m. — Vetter Stone Amphitheater — Ticket prices vary — Country music superstar Lee Brice brings his hit-making voice to Mankato with new singles and fan favorites.