KTOE Noon News 7-30-25

Top Stories for Noon 7-30-25:

• Three school districts in Blue Earth and Faribault Counties receive $45,000 to support early literacy

• Mankato Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 75 Years with a Sparkling Diamond Season

• Mankato Clinic Occupational Medicine is relocating to Wickersham Health Campus

• Power restored to about 90% of affected Xcel Energy customers after back-to-back storms

• Bryan Demarais, 36, was sentenced Tuesday to more than 30 years in prison for the December 2023 shooting of his wife, Kayla, at their rural Dassel home. Their two children were inside at the time. Demarais also received concurrent sentences for child endangerment and was credited for nearly 20 months already served. He entered a Norgaard plea earlier this month, admitting guilt but claiming memory loss. He told the court he acted out of emotional distress, citing infidelity, financial strain, and sleep deprivation.
• Winds are carrying heavy wildfire smoke into Minnesota, with unhealthy air quality conditions expected to linger through Saturday afternoon. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Tuesday expanded its air quality alert to include all of Minnesota, with most of the state in the red-level, “unhealthy” category.
• Governor Tim Walz announced today that the state ranks third in the nation for health care, according to a new WalletHub report. The ranking is based on 44 factors, including cost, access, and outcomes, and it’s the third year in a row that Minnesota has placed in the top three. Governor Walz says the state has worked to lower prescription drug prices, stabilize insurance costs, and reduce medical debt, while continuing to support world-class health care institutions. And in a separate report, U.S. News & World Report named 12 Minnesota hospitals among the best in the country.
• TikTok is testing a new “Footnotes” feature, allowing users in a pilot program to add context to videos. If enough contributors with differing views find a note helpful, it becomes visible to others. The social media platform also announced new safety tools, including parental controls for teen accounts and comment filters for creators.