2024 in Review: St. Cloud’s top 7 stories of the year

St. Cloud Times

A lot happened in and around St. Cloud in 2024. St. Cloud Times readers were there to discover the news. Here are The Time’s top seven stories of the year.

1 . St. Cloud Times preseason boy hockey athlete of the year

The five area teams is are — St. Cloud Cathedral ( 1 – 1 – 1 ) , River Lakes ( 3 – 1 ) , Sauk Rapids – Rice ( 2 – 1 – 1 ) , Sartell – St. Stephen ( 2 – 0 ) and the St. Cloud Crush ( 1 – 1 ) — are full of talented athlete who want to make a name for themselves or improve on previous successful season .

Class 1A state champion Cathedral is returning many of its top scorers from last year, but the Crusaders are replacing players at key positions. All five squads are replacing their starting goalies.

come in at No . 1 : St. Cloud Times preseason boy hockey athlete of the year poll

2. Minnesota legislators urge Walz to act on state employee post inciting violence

More than 50 Minnesota state legislators sent Gov. Tim Walz a letter on Sept. 30 requesting he take action against a state employee.

This comes after a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employee posted, “Too bad they weren’t a better shot” on their personal Facebook account following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

On July 26, several legislators asked Walz to take action against the employee, but the legislators say Walz didn’t address the situation. With this new letter, legislators are again asking Walz to take action.

No. 2:Minnesota legislators urge Walz to act on state employee post inciting violence

3. Trump will hold St. Cloud rally as GOP eyes Minn. political races

Former President Donald Trump is coming to St. Cloud this Saturday, exactly two weeks after being shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at another rally. 

The St. Cloud rally will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, which is at 1204 4th Ave. S. Trump’s running mate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, will join Trump at the rally.

No. 3:Trump will hold St. Cloud rally as GOP eyes Minn. political races

4. St. Joseph company breaks ground on $20M factory

Adam Hansen launched his own cabinetry business 20 years ago, when he was just 21 years old and had $1,500 to invest. In the intervening two decades, it steadily grew — initially from A-Cab Custom Woodworking (when it employed, well, him) to Hansen & Company Woodworks a few years ago, when he reached 60 employees running three different divisions in architectural millwork, stone countertop fabrication and metalworks/upholstery.

Now, he’s broken ground on what will perhaps be his single biggest expansion yet — a 92,000-square-foot facility that will replace most of the five existing buildings the company uses in a business park along Pearl Drive.

No. 4:St. Joseph company breaks ground on $20M factory

5. What to know ahead of Trump rally in St. Cloud

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, are headed to St. Cloud on Saturday night. As St. Cloud prepares to accommodate the former president at his campaign rally, traffic is expected to be high. It’s also anticipated Trump will speak on the economy, crime and immigration.

No. 5:What to know ahead of Trump rally in St. Cloud

6. 18 choices for St. Cloud Times high school athlete of the week from Dec. 1-7

Albany is ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A Minnesota Boys Basketball Coaches Association’s first poll after games have started. The Huskies are gearing up for another run at the state tournament, already beating No. 9 Southwest Christian last week.

The team is chock full of athletes, but senior forward Sam Hondl will be one of Albany’s catalysts.

The senior is up for player of the week for his performances in two wins from Dec. 1-7. Athletes from Albany, Becker, Foley, Holdingford, Kimball, ROCORI, Royalton, Sartell-St. Stephen, Sauk Rapids-Rice, St. Cloud Apollo, St. Cloud Cathedral, St. Cloud Tech and St. John’s Prep also impressed.

No. 6:18 choices for St. Cloud Times high school athlete of the week from Dec. 1-7

7. St. Cloud State cuts 42 degree programs & 54 full-time faculty

St. Cloud State University announced cuts Tuesday afternoon. The move comes after the university’s long-term financial woes led to a $14.4 million budget deficit in 2024. 

The university said it’s suspending 42 degree programs and 50 minors, alongside eliminating 54 full-time faculty (13%), 42 staff (8%) and four (13%) administrative positions. The College of Education and Learning Design program offerings are being cut by nearly 52% followed by the College of Liberal Arts at nearly 43%.

No. 7:St. Cloud State cuts 42 degree programs & 54 full-time faculty

The College of Science and Engineering was impact the least with a roughly 10 % cut . impact programs is include include environmental engineering , economic , criminal justice , gender study and physical education .