Good morning, Mankato.

Destiny Owens is the new executive director of the Greater Mankato Area Diversity Council and will launch a Heart and Heritage program and expand Promoting Respect school workshops; the council's annual Writing Our Future event is set for Nov.

18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Minnesota State University, Mankato (Owens is the first woman and first Black woman to hold the post).

Kern Bridge reopened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew hundreds of spectators (this morning) and marked the bridge's official return to service.

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open Friday, Nov.

20 at the former Hardee’s on Madison Avenue, and will host a sneak-peek on Nov. 18 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.); the first 100 guests will receive free slider cards and commemorative cups.

Blue Earth County Master Gardeners spoke with KEYC about end-of-season tasks, including how to overwinter geraniums and hibiscus, dig and store caladiums, elephant ears, and dahlias, save seeds and preserve herbs, and use leaves for mulch; contact them via Facebook or the UMN Extension office.

LJP Waste Solutions held a grand opening Tuesday for its new de-packaging facility in North Mankato that separates materials from packaging to make them reusable and divert waste from landfills.

MnDOT expects to reopen the Veterans Memorial Bridge that connects Mankato and North Mankato by late Friday, Oct.

30 or Saturday, Oct. 31, with a tentative ribbon-cutting scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30; finishing touches will continue into early November (ornamental rail and new overhead sign).

VINE's caregiver event will focus on staying emotionally balanced while caregiving and will be led by MSU psychology professor Jeff Buchanan from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov.

10 at Pioneer Bank; registration is $20 (includes lunch) and caregivers must register by Nov. 2 by calling 507-387-1666.

St. Clair-Loyola beat Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 20-12 in the Section 2AA quarterfinals Saturday and will play top-seeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the semifinals on Saturday, Oct.

31 at 2 p.m.

Mankato East lost to Mahtomedi (2-0) in the opening round of the Class AA state tournament on Oct.

27 in Farmington.

Maple River beat Medford 47-7 in the Section 2AA quarterfinals on Oct.

27 and will face Blooming Prairie/Hayfield in the semifinals (Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:00 p.m. in Mapleton).

Minnesota State lost 3-0 to No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul (at home) on Oct.

27, and the Mavericks will return to action Friday against Augustana.