The need for re-investment in road pavement and bridge preservation over the next 10 years is 130 percent of revenues, Minnesota Department of Transportation planner Patrick Weidemann told Willmar officials last week. His colleague, MnDOT planner Brian McLafferty, called Southwest Minnesota’s roads "a generally deteriorating system."

In a story in the West Central Tribune, the state said the area’s main corridors — state Highway 23, and U.S. Highways 212 and 71 — will continue to be maintained to meet MnDOT standards for mobility and pavement condition, but within a few years motorists will find pavement conditions on portions of nonprincipal arteries — state Highways 9 and 4 were among those named — will not meet MnDOT technical standards. Business leaders said this would have a negative effect on Willmar and the region.

Good roads “are key for us to attract people,’’ said Steve Salzar, general manager of the MinnWest Technology Campus in Willmar, which has brought 363 jobs and 30 businesses to Willmar in the last six years. “I don’t think we can overstate the importance of Highway 23,’’ said Willmar planning director Bruce Peterson. “It’s not just Willmar. It’s every small community and county around here.’’

While Saturday was a beautiful day for most every activity across the state, it didn’t make for a good walleye catch, writes Brian Matthews of the Bemidji Pioneer. “The weather was too damn nice,” Kelley Manson said at the Northwoods Public Water Access on Lake Bemidji. “The lake was like glass last night. There was just no chop.” Manson said walleye chop, or rough waters, is better for walleye fishing because that is when the fish feed.

Blue Water Outdoors Manager Mark Cook said anglers on Lake Irving had some luck and on Lake Bemidji the fish stayed shallow, with most anglers catching them at depths of eight to 12 feet. Taber’s Bait Owner Ron Bostic said that the hottest lake in the area was Big Rice Lake, but Lake Plantangenet seems to have the most consistent bite.

The Mankato/North Mankato area has been ranked in the top 20 percent of cities for job growth, according to NewGeography.com, a city economic development research group. The Mankato Free Press reports that the Mankato/North Mankato metropolitan statistical area is the 80th best job growth city out of 398 MSAs in the U.S. It was first of all six Minnesota MSAs in the 2012 Best Cities for Job Growth rankings. The area also was ranked top in Minnesota and 52 of 243 MSAs that are smaller with fewer than 150,000 employees. The rankings measure each area’s short-term and long-term growth along with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics area employment data.

Farmers in Stearns County experienced heavy rains and hail on May 1, a particularly bad time for a storm since many farmers had begun planting but crops hadn't grown enough to stabilize the soil, writes Kirsti Marohn of the St. Cloud Daily Times.  Brad Wenz, soil conservationist with the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District, said 30 to 60 farms probably sustained some damage, including washouts and gullies as deep as 6-8 feet. Farmers might have to replant crops in some areas and might see reduced yields, Wenz said. “The worst thing is the long-term damage,” Wenz said. “Once you have soil erosion and you remove that topsoil, it may never be the same.” He suggested farmers adopt conservation practices that include grass waterways to handle the flow, or switching to no-till methods that leave last year’s stalks and husks to hold the soil. He also suggested enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program and planting it with native grasses and other perennial plants. However, with commodity prices at record highs, many farmers are considering taking land out of CRP and putting it back into production.

The scene was much the same near Winona, writes Nathan Hanson of the Winona Daily News. The recent run of storms resulted in farmers losing a few weeks of planting time as they waited for the ground to dry. Winona County Extension educator Jake Overgaard said despite the delay, the precipitation was critical for the growing season as much of Minnesota had been under drought conditions. “Wet fields might keep some farmers out of the fields for a little bit, but the precipitation was critical,” Overgaard said.

Amidst the hullabaloo over the Viking’s Stadium and the tax bill, Duluth cheered receiving the last $6 million it needs to get its long-planned, Multimodal Transportation Center at Third Avenue West and Michigan Street on the books. Steve Kuchera of the Duluth News Tribune writes that though the Legislature’s $496 million bonding bill didn’t appear to contain money for the transit center, $6.4 million was allocated to “Greater Minnesota Transit.” With the support of Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon, and lobbying by Rep. Kerry Gauthier, DFL-Duluth, and Sen. Roger Reinert, DFL-Duluth, Minnesota Department of Transportation officials agreed to direct $4.5 million of the bonding bill money to the Duluth center, Reinert said. The center will allow passengers to transfer between city and intercity buses, catch taxis and walk to downtown or the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Canal Park and Bayfront Festival Park areas. 

A recent outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in the Fairmont area has moms, day cares and nurseries worried, writes Kylie Saari of the Fairmont Sentinel. The disease causes sores in the mouth and on the palms and soles of children, causing pain and general malaise. It is often accompanied by fever and rash. An outbreak can be difficult to contain because children are contagious three to six days before they start to show symptoms. Caused by a virus, the only treatment is analgesic medication, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen for the discomfort. Women in their first trimester of pregnancy are at greater risk for miscarriage if exposed to the virus, and affected children are at a slightly higher risk for pneumonia. The disease is not related to hoof and mouth disease, a virus that sometimes causes illness in livestock.

Syttende Mai came a little early to Hendricks this year because of scheduling conflicts with school graduations, reports Steve Browne of the Marshall Independent. May 17 (Syttende Mai in Norwegian) is Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (The Constitution Day) in Norway and commemorates the 1814 signing of the constitution that declared Norway an independent nation. It was celebrated in Hendricks over the weekend. According to event organizer Paul Olson, Hendricks has observed Syttende Mai since 1991. "Basically it's to celebrate the Norwegian heritage of the community with different foods and treats prepared by cafes and bakeries in town," Olson said.

Bemidji dentist Marsh Muirhead is going to put his Renaissance-like skills to the test in this year’s “Great American Thinker” contest, facing off against three other finalists, writes Kayla Prasek of the Bemidji Pioneer. The winner of the 20th annual amateur philosophy contest will be announced June 9 in New York Mills. The question entrants answered this year in their 750-word essay was, “The nature of humankind: Inherently good or inherently evil?” The Fergus Falls Journal reports that Muirhead will argue that people are essentially good.  Muirhead won last year’s contest when the question was “Does poetry matter?” He is the first entrant in the contest’s history to win one year and then be named a finalist the next year. Retired Bemidji State University music professor Pat Riley said if anyone deserves to be a Great American Thinker, it’s Muirhead. “He is one of the most well-rounded people I know,” Riley said. “He knows sports, science, flying, boating; he can do it all and can do it well.”