Morning Newswatch with Jay Caldwell

Avon is a small town in Central Minnesota in Stearns county nestled between numerous lakes, hills and industry. The small town of 1,396 people is the focus on this edition of WJON's Small Town series.

Ice anglers in Minnesota are finding it difficult to find minnows this winter. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says there is a lack of minnows available recently due to the popularity of ice fishing this season. Schmitt explains sucker and shiner minnows can be hard to find.

St. Cloud Police are reporting a theft of a bike. Alicia Mages from Tri-County Crime Stoppers says it has black handle bars, 1 purple and 1 white pedal, has a unique purple sprocket, and purple tiger stripes.

The St. Cloud area has an estimated 450 to 500 homeless people. That according to Benton County Commissioner Steve Heinen. Steve joined me on WJON along with Victoria Blonigen from Benton County Outreach and CentraCare Outreach Nurse Heather Post.

Embrace the whimsy and romance of winter by reserving one of Minnesota's cozy, domed igloos for your Valentine's Day date night. In Hastings, Lock & Dam Eatery has igloos available for lunch and dinner. In Owatonna, Mineral Springs Brewery offers 90-minute reservations.

Each Wednesday the Pearl Lake Lodge in Marty offers a unique attraction. It's Bologna Days from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Jessica Wessling joined me on WJON. Jessica and her husband, Chet bought the Pearl Lake Lodge from Tom "Rudy" and Holly Reuther in 2021.

Waite Park Police are reporting a vehicle was broken into on the 200 block of 3rd Street South. Alicia Mages from Tri-County Crime Stoppers says the windows were broken and passports, documents and cash taken.

The Trump Administration is implementing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. To help explain what this will mean in the short term for Central Minnesota residents I was joined on WJON by St. Cloud State economist King Banaian.

The past few weeks we've taken a look at past St. Cloud car dealerships with most of them originating from downtown. In this version local historian Jim Grabinski joined me on WJON.

Buckman is a small town in southern Morrison County in Buckman township with a population of 307. It was established in 1869 and was named after one it's early settlers, Clarence B. Buckman.