Good morning, St. Cloud.

Families can celebrate Halloween this weekend in St. Cloud with a trunk or treat at Holy Cross Church 4-6 p.m., a potion-making workshop downtown noon to 8 p.m., and a book swap at Waite Park 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., + more haunted events nearby.

The Public Safety Foundation is set to honor emergency workers tomorrow at the Shields + Stars Celebration in Waite Park, awarding a Kimball firefighter, a Benton County 911 training leader, a CentraCare paramedic manager, and lifetime achievement honorees.

The Monster Dash returns to Sartell Community Center for its sixth year on Halloween morning with a costumed 5K run at 9:00 a.m. and a 1K fun run at 9:45 a.m. Indoor trick or treating is offered from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., with a sensory friendly option from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Construction on Fire Station 6 and a new water tower is underway on the southwest side of St. Cloud, as new apartment complexes begin along County Road 74 (near the 33rd Street South roundabout) to meet growing housing demand.

The Diocese of St. Cloud announced that several parishes will merge as part of its All Things New initiative to address declining attendance and priest shortages, and it will hold a Mass of Unity Nov.

14-15 at diocesan churches - local leaders will decide how to repurpose less-frequented buildings.

A constitutional amendment on the November ballot would change spending rules for the school trust fund, potentially boosting district budgets for extra staffing at local schools.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Brad Bergstrom says the measure would raise funding (from $279,000 to about $420,000) while keeping overall budgets steady.

St. Cloud State University received part of a $2.5 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to develop a two-part workforce training program with Park Industries — training sessions will be offered in person or online with hands-on practice to better prepare employees.

6th Avenue North near Hester Park closed abruptly Wednesday afternoon for emergency utility repairs and will remain shut between 7th and 9th Street until Friday.

Motorists are urged to follow the posted detour.

CentraCare and Stellis Health have announced plans for Stellis to join CentraCare, aiming to boost coordination between primary, specialty and hospital care.

If the agreement finalizes, integration will begin gradually, with Stellis operating as usual until Jan. 1.

Minnesota recorded 42 measles cases in 2026 with unvaccinated individuals, and health officials urge residents to check their MMR vaccination status.

They noted that 86% of kindergartners are immunized (one of the lowest rates) amid ongoing outbreaks in rural counties.