In May, Emersyn Brunsvold held up a sign she made for her dad Ryan Brunsvold, at a deployment ceremony for 70 Minnesota National Guard troops headed to the Middle East. Crowds of people filled the Red Baron Arena for the ceremony, and later lined the streets as the soldiers left Marshall in two charter buses.

MARSHALL — The year 2025 was a time of both farewells and victories for area residents. Families from across the region gathered in Marshall in May, as 70 National Guard soldiers were deployed to the Middle East. Later in the year, area communities also celebrated major milestones for high school sports teams, including record-setting state wins for the Minneota Vikings football team and the Marshall Tigers volleyball team.

All told, there were plenty of ups and downs in the past year. Here are the Independent’s top 10 stories of 2025:

1. National Guard troops deploy from Marshall

A crowd of people gathered in the stands at the Red Baron Arena in Marshall on May 28, for a formal deployment ceremony for 70 members of the National Guard. The soldiers of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 151 Field Artillery Regiment would be heading to the Middle East for nine months, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

National Guard spokespeople said the soldiers being deployed came from 65 different communities spread across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Families and community members wishing the soldiers well filled the bleachers in the Red Baron Arena, during a ceremony that included remarks from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and a video message from U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach. The next day, people lined East College Drive and Main Street as two buses carrying the soldiers passed by, escorted by area law enforcement, fire trucks, and the Patriot Guard Riders. People in the crowd waved and cheered as they held up signs and American flags.

First Sgt. Ryan Brunsvold, a Marshall resident and one of the soldiers deployed, said in May that the outpouring of support made a difference for the National Guard members.

“This community has always been one that came out to support us, so it means a lot. It’s huge,” Brunsvold said.

2. Minneota claims record 4-peat

The Minneota Vikings football team set records in 2025, claiming their 11th state title in November’s Prep Bowl. After falling behind early in the championship game, the Vikings rallied for a 49-14 win over Breckenridge.

The victory was a milestone in a few different ways. It marked the Vikings’ fourth consecutive state title, making them the first 11-player program to do so. It was also the Vikings’ third consecutive undefeated season, extending their winning streak to 46 consecutive games. The still-active win streak marks just the seventh time in state history that a team has won more than 40 consecutive games.

“We’d get asked a lot about the win streak, and my answer has always been, ‘I don’t even know what the number is,'” Minneota running back Kellen Bradley told the Independent. “Each game was, we don’t care, we’re just going to win. But it’s special to not only be a part of this four-peat, but also a win streak like that. It’s just monumental.”

After this year’s championship, Minneota is tied with Caledonia and Eden Prairie Watkins for the most state titles. Each program currently has 11 championship titles.

The Vikings were escorted back to Minneota, where cheering community members were waiting to greet them. Players said being able to make the four-peat possible was one of their greatest goals.

“I don’t think any of us in our fifth grade uniforms knew we would accomplish a goal like this, but it was truly special. I wouldn’t want to share this with anybody else,” said Minneota senior Easton Johnson.

3. Construction begins at Aquatic Center

Construction for a new city aquatic center in Marshall got underway in 2025, despite challenges including a first round of unexpectedly high construction bids, and a summer with some intense rainy weather. By the time work wrapped up in the fall, concrete for four different pools had been poured, footings had been installed for water slides, and the exteriors for a bathhouse and mechanical building were completed.

The goal will be to complete the center in time for a mid-summer 2026 opening, said Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud.

Ground was broken for the new aquatic center, called The Splash, in 2024. However, when construction bids came in, the apparent low bid was about $22.37 million – more than $5 million over an engineer’s estimate. The city of Marshall started out 2025 by redesigning the project and going out for bids again. The second time around, bids were more favorable, coming in at a total of around $14.87 million.

In 2025, construction crews installed underground piping, and built features including four different pools, at a site at the corner of West College Drive and Saratoga Street. Stensrud said interior work will continue at the construction site over the winter.

4. Marshall volleyball team takes home 10th title

The Marshall Tigers made Minnesota volleyball history in 2025, by winning their 10th state championship. In November, the top-seeded and top-ranked Tigers defeated No. 2 Benilde-St. Margaret.

Marshall already held the most volleyball titles of any school in the state, but with their 10th state victory, the program is now the first in Minnesota to win double-digit championships. The 2025 title was also Marshall’s fourth in five years.

“The fact that we get to do this for our school, and have these state championships, it’s so great. I’m just so proud to be raised in a volleyball program like Marshall’s,” senior setter Brooke Gillingham told the Independent.

Seniors Reese Drake, Avery Fahl and Brooke Gillingham, and junior defensive specialist Keslyn Pinckney were all named to the 2025 Class 3A All-Tournament Team following the win.

5. SMSU sees record enrollment

Southwest Minnesota State University reached a milestone in the 2025-26 academic year. At October’s university address, SMSU interim president David Jones said the university had seen its largest total-headcount enrollment in history. A total of 8,507 students were enrolled at SMSU for the fall semester.

“It is the largest enrollment this university has ever experienced … It’s a massive amount of growth,” Jones said. “It really is a point of pride for us, and one we should not be bashful about.”

Jones said the total enrollment included 2,533 undergraduate students, 532 graduate students, and 5,442 high school students taking college-level courses through College Now concurrent enrollment and PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) programs.

The total headcount was an increase of more than 9% from fall 2024. Jones said it meant that SMSU was now the third-largest university in the Minnesota State system.

“We’re serving a lot of students. We’re growing online and everything … We want to make sure we’re looking at a lot of different sectors,” Jones added about the historic growth. “So, we’re continuing to make sure that we’re able to do that, and the future looks bright for what we can do.”

6. Summer storms cause damage in Marshall area

Severe weather caused significant damage in the Marshall area over the summer of 2025. On July 18, streets, basements and businesses flooded in Marshall when a storm dumped close to 8 inches of rain on parts of the city, in the space of a couple of hours.

“The National Weather Service has indicated that event, there was less than a 1% probability for 5-8 or even more inches of rain over such a short period of time,” Mayor Bob Byrnes said. “The other unique thing was that it was concentrated over Marshall.”

Flooding from the downpour affected facilities at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall Middle School and the Avera Marshall Medical Center campus. Seven residents at Avera Morningside Heights Care Center were temporarily transferred to Avera facilities in Granite Falls, while cleanup work was done at Morningside Heights.

A second round of heavy rain and high winds hit the area in August as well. This time, the damage was more widespread. In addition to flash flooding and downed trees in Marshall, damage was reported to solar panels outside Lakeview School in Cottonwood, and there were areas of road flooding in Lyon County. The city of Tracy reported areas of flooding, and at one point Tracy ended up bypassing its sanitary sewer after the heavy rains.

7. Milroy School to close doors

In 2025, the Milroy Public School District made the decision to consolidate with Tracy Area Public Schools. The Milroy school will officially close its doors at the end of the 2025-26 school year, with consolidation taking place in July 2026.

“It’s difficult to close the school, it’s very emotional. But, I keep telling those that listen, that this is what’s best for our kids. This is the best move,” said Milroy Superintendent John Willey.

Milroy, which currently serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, had an enrollment of around 30 students this school year. Milroy seventh to 12th graders have been attending other area districts, like Wabasso, Marshal and Tracy, for a number of years.

The decision to consolidate ultimately came from the result of low enrollment numbers and building maintenance. “Enrollment, just like all small schools, had dropped,” Willey said. “Last year . . . I was projecting enrollments, and Milroy’s projected student outcome was not good with our census.”

Willey said the Milroy school building would be posted for sale, with preparations also being made for possible demolition if it did not sell.

8. Major construction on Highway 19

The first half of a major highway construction project impacted traffic and businesses in Marshall for roughly half of 2025. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and local contractors kicked off a two-year project to rebuild part of Minnesota Highway 19 as it runs through Marshall.

The first phase of the approximately $25.7 million project started on the west side of Marshall, and stretched down Highway 19 (West College Drive) to the intersection of College and Main Street. The work included replacing utility lines under the road, rebuilding the roadway with a new concrete surface, and adding some new traffic features.

Drivers were detoured around the construction zone for about six months. Access to businesses and homes along that part of West College Drive was also impacted during construction.

One of the biggest changes as the result of the road work was the creation of Marshall’s first roundabout. The single-lane roundabout replaced a three-way intersection near the Marshall National Guard Armory.

While the first half of construction wrapped up in November, MnDOT plans to continue with the second half in 2026. The road work will continue down College Drive, from the Main Street/College Drive intersection to the intersection of Bruce Street and East College Drive.

9. Marshall school referendum fails

In November, Marshall voters rejected a $2 million, 10-year operating referendum for Marshall Public Schools. Vote tallies came in with 54% of voters saying no to the referendum, and 46% saying yes.

MPS officials said the district was seeking a referendum to help support education costs and daily operations. MPS has not had an operating levy since 2018, and the district had tapped into reserve funding to cover a $1.1 million budget deficit last year, and a $1.8 million deficit this year.

Without a new referendum, MPS officials said, the district will look to make a minimum of $1.9 million in cuts starting next school year. The proposed budget reductions included cuts to administration, classroom aide staffing, teaching positions, and the eliminations of a few student activity programs and one bus route.

“We’ll be communicating transparently with families and staff as we navigate these challenges,” MPS Director of Finance Sarah Kirchner said. “We will continue to explore other opportunities to boost funding for our schools and reduce spending in ways that minimize negative impacts to our students.”

10. Tru Shrimp closes doors in Balaton

For the past 10 years, the company had tried to build a commercial shrimp production facility in Minnesota, and then in South Dakota. But in November, the president and CEO of Iterro Life Sciences confirmed the company would be closing its facility in the city of Balaton.

Iterro, formerly called tru Shrimp, started out as a subsidiary of Marshall-based company Ralco. In 2015, tru Shrimp opened a research center in Balaton focused on developing methods of commercial indoor shrimp farming. The center expanded to include a 12,000 square-foot facility containing a “reef” of indoor tanks for raising shrimp.

Plans were announced to build a production facility in Luverne, but the location later changed to Madison, S.D. The South Dakota’s Governor’s Office of Economic Development granted the Madison Lake Area Improvement Corporation $5.5 million for the project, South Dakota Public Broadcasting News reported.

However, construction of the planned facility was delayed from 2019 to 2024. As of summer 2025, it had yet to be built. SDPB News reported this summer that the commissioner of the GOED was investigating the status of Iterro’s facility plans in Madison.