Senator Rich Draheim

10/22/2026

Highway 22 Mankato to Saint Peter project nearly complete; detour to be lifted by 1 p.m. Oct. 23

The Highway 22 Mankato to Saint Peter project is nearly complete, and the detour is expected to be lifted by 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The 2025-26 project reconstructed Highway 22 from south of Blue Earth County Road 57 in Mankato to just south of the Minnesota River Bridge in Saint Peter. The project also included:

- Construction of a roundabout at Highway 22 and Hill Street near Kasota (Le Sueur County Road 21) to improve safety
- Construction of more than 80 new turn and passing lanes
- Bridge repair and replacement
- Channelized acceleration lane for northbound traffic entering from Blue Earth County Road 57, improving safety and traffic flow
- Improved lighting at intersections and snow fence
- Improvements to the Rabbit Road bridge over Highway 22

Walking and biking trail
Preparation also began for a future multi-use walking and biking trail connecting Mankato and Saint Peter. Work included grading and construction of a pedestrian underpass near Kasota.

MnDOT received funding to design the trail and purchase property. However, paving between Mankato and Saint Peter and construction of a trail bridge over the Canadian Pacific rail corridor north of Mankato remain unfunded and would be the responsibility of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

10/21/2026

The Minnesota State Forest Nursery is now accepting seedling orders for spring 2027 plantings.

Seedlings are grown to support Minnesota’s private woodlands. Orders require a minimum of 300 seedlings, which you can mix in increments of 100. All seedlings must be planted within Minnesota.

Tree ordering starts October 13th at 9am. Please create a LoginMN account before ordering begins so you're ready. To review ordering requirements, visit our seedling ordering information page

10/19/2026

This Saturday 10/24 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the DEA will provide the public with a free and convenient opportunity to dispose of unwanted, unused, and expired household medicines.

To find a location near you, visit:

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications fro...

10/13/2026

$2.2 million for upgrades to Amboy’s water plant. Congrats to the community! Proud to have supported this.

10/08/2026

Minnesota employers can get reimbursed for up to $30,000 in costs to make a workplace accessible to a job applicant or employee with a disability. There's a free online session on 10/28 on how the program works. Register at the link.

Information Sessions

10/02/2026

The things we use have to be built by someone!

Thank you to all of Minnesota’s manufacturers for the work you do everyday. Our state is stronger for it.

09/29/2026

09/28/2026

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Reminder: Democrats helped Gov. Walz block access to the complete Optum report on Medicaid fraud in Minnesota.

09/22/2026

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Livestock Investment Grant and the AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant. Applications for both programs must be submitted by Tuesday, November 17 at 4 pm.

AGRI Livestock Investment Grant
The AGRI Livestock Investment Grant helps Minnesota livestock farmers and ranchers improve, update, and modernize their infrastructure and equipment. The maximum award is $25,000, and the minimum award is $400. This grant will reimburse 50% of the first $20,000 in eligible expenses, then 25% of eligible expenses up to the maximum grant of $25,000. MDA expects to award approximately $1.5 million in this grant cycle using a competitive review process, leading to approximately 60 to 80 grants awarded.

More information, including the link to apply, is here: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/business-dev-loans-grants/agri-livestock-investment-grant

AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant
The AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant, also referred to as the Protect Grant, helps Minnesota farmers and ranchers buy and install supplies or equipment to prevent the transmission of avian influenza on their farms. Applicants may request between $500 and $10,000 per farming operation. Applicants must commit at least 20% of the total project cost as match. Sources of match may be in the form of in-kind labor (up to 20% of eligible materials cost, with a maximum of $2,000), cash, loans, other grants, or liquid capital assets dedicated to the project. MDA expects to award approximately $250,000 using a competitive review process, leading to approximately 60 to 80 grants awarded.

More information, including the link to apply, is here: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/business-dev-loans-grants/agri-protecting-livestock-avian-influenza-protect-grant

09/15/2026

MnDOT has opened the 2026 Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) solicitation, with $50 million in funding available for local road improvement projects.

Funding for this round of LRIP grants was made possible through the recently passed 2026 bonding bill, which provided $50 million for the program. At least $3 million of that funding is dedicated to township grants.

Applications are due November 25, 2026.

If you have cities, counties or townships that may have eligible projects. Please feel free to share this information with local officials in your districts who may have an eligible road project.

Funding Available –
Grant requests may range from $50,000 to $1.5 million per project.
No local match is required.
Grants are reimbursable, meaning the grantee finances project costs up front and submits requests for reimbursement as costs are incurred.

What Projects Are Eligible?
LRIP funding supports construction, reconstruction and reconditioning of city, county and township-owned roads.
Projects must have a minimum useful life of 10 years.

Projects must fall within one of the following LRIP accounts:
Trunk Highway Account – Local improvements associated with trunk highway projects
Routes of Regional Significance
Rural Road Safety

Important Eligibility Notes -
Eligible costs generally include reasonable capital construction costs associated with roadway construction, reconstruction and reconditioning.
LRIP funds cannot be used for improvements on MnDOT trunk highways or local improvements located within trunk highway right-of-way.
Non-capital and "soft" costs, such as right-of-way acquisition, engineering/consultant costs, inspection and public entity staff time, are not eligible.
Public utility costs, privately owned infrastructure and costs above standard construction specifications are generally not eligible.
Projects that previously received a competitive LRIP grant or a legislatively selected appropriation are not eligible for this solicitation.
Projects should be construction-ready in 2027, 2028 or 2029.
Townships and non-state aid cities require county sponsorship and should coordinate with their county engineer early in the application process.

Contact –
Questions on individual applications may be submitted to Rashmi Brewer at [email protected] prior to 5:00 pm CST on November 18, 2026. Ms. Brewer will work with individual applicants to resolve specific application-related questions.

Helpful Links on Application, guides, and information –
Program Overview Slides - https://edocs-public.dot.state.mn.us/edocs_public/DMResultSet/download?docId=39189933
Application - https://mndotforms.formstack.com/forms/lrip_2026solicitation
2026 Solicitation Information - https://edocs-public.dot.state.mn.us/edocs_public/DMResultSet/download?docId=39189929
General Program Page - https://www.dot.state.mn.us/stateaid/lrip.html
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding 2026 Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) Solicitation - https://edocs-public.dot.state.mn.us/edocs_public/DMResultSet/download?docId=39189934