🌱 New Bill Allocates Money For Infrastructure + Lemonade Day

Hello all. It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Not as warm with some sun. High: 69 Low: 44.
• Thursday: Abundant sunshine. High: 69 Low: 47.

From our sponsor:

Today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99% of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter possible.

Here are the top three stories today in Rochester-Mason City:

1. Minnesota lawmakers have passed a bill that will allocate money to improve a busy and dangerous Rochester Intersection. The intersection on Highway 14 and county road 44 has been previously discussed as an intersection that officials would like to turn into an interchange to better handle traffic flow and improve safety. With the new bill, the state legislature has approved $2.6 billion dollars that would be allocated to infrastructure in the state. The new infrastructure bill will also help allocate money to local trails, regional parks, pollution control, and more. (106.9 KROC)
2. Rochester will be having a Lemonade Day on Jun. 10! The program is put on by the Chamber of Commerce and allows kids to set up lemonade stands around the city and learn how to be entrepreneurs. By signing up kids will get cool resources about starting up their own business (the lemonade stand) along with cool swag. If you are unavailable on Jun. 10 you can register and pick up the swag and learning materials on a different day when your family is available to set up a lemonade stand. (KROC-AM)
3. Rochester is seeking members for its new Sustainability and Resiliency Commission, which will replace the Energy Commission and expand its scope. The commission will address greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sustainability in the environment, economy, and social equity. The application deadline is Jun. 7, interviews will be conducted from Jun. 13 to Jun. 16, and the first meeting is scheduled for Jul. 12. (Post Bulletin)

Business owners and marketers in Rochester-Mason City: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

Today and tomorrow in Rochester-Mason City:

Wednesday, May 24

• Living Into Dying: An Artistic Exploration of Well-Being During Life's Passage at Rochester Art Center (6:30 PM)

Thursday, May 25

• Live Music: Fools Getaway at Kinney Creek Brewery (7:00 PM)
• The Little Mermaid at The Rochester Civic Theatre Company (7:00 PM)

In partnership with T-Mobile:

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From my notebook:

• The Downtown Transit Station in Mason City will be moving on Thursday and Friday. The parking lot east of Brick Furniture will be the temporary transit station to accommodate Band Fest until Tuesday, May 30. (City of Mason City - Government via Facebook)
• The Rochester Fire Department responded to a kitchen fire at a Northwest Rochester home. The fire caused an estimated $50,000 dollars in damages. (Rochester, MN Fire Dept. via Facebook)
• 'Think Bank Down by the Riverside' one of Rochester's Civic Music programs has released the 2023 lineup. The concerts will take place in Mayo Park on Sunday nights throughout the summer and all of the shows will be free to the public. (City of Rochester, MN Government via Facebook)

Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you soon for another update.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.