As one Northland wildfire is contained, two more pop up, rural healthcare providers find strength in numbers, and a Minnesota Gerber baby.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--APPLETON ICE DENTENTION --
A LONG-SHUTTERED PRIVATE PRISON IN WESTERN MINNESOTA COULD SOON REOPEN AS A MAJOR ICE DETENTION CENTER.
THE PRAIRIE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN APPLETON CLOSED DOWN IN 2010… BUT A NEW FEDERAL DOCUMENT SAYS THE OWNER, ‘CORECIVIC’, COULD REOPEN WITHIN THREE MONTHS ... AS THE “PRAIRIE DETENTION FACILITY.”
IN ITS PROPOSAL TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE … WHICH RUNS ICE … CORECIVIC SAYS THE FACILITY WOULD HOUSE UP TO 16-HUNDERED MEN AND WOMEN IN ICE CUSTODY … STARTING WITH 150 PEOPLE IN ITS FIRST WEEK … THEN 250 MORE DETAINEES EACH WEEK AFTER THAT UNTIL IT REACHES CAPACITY.
CORECIVIC OPERATES MULTIPLE ICE DETENTION CENTERS ACROSS THE U-S.
BEFORE THE PRAIRIE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY CLOSED... IT WAS APPLETON’S BIGGEST EMPLOYER … WITH ABOUT 400 EMPLOYEES.
--FIRE UPDATES--
THE BIRCH BAY FIRE IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA NEAR ELY IS NOW 100-PERCENT CONTAINED … AND INVESTIGATORS SAY IT WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY A SPARK FROM A CHAINSAW WHILE PREPARING FOR A CONTROLLED BURN.
THE FIRE STARTED JUNE FIRST NEAR THE NORTH ARM OF BURNTSIDE LAKE … AND BURNED ABOUT 33 ACRES IN THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST.
RAIN HELPED CREWS MAKE PROGRESS BUILDING THE CONTAINMENT LINE … BUT OFFICIALS SAY THE AREA IS STILL DRY … AND FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL MOPPING UP HOT SPOTS.
MEANWHILE … TWO NEW WILDFIRES WERE DETECTED SATURDAY FARTHER NORTH IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.
THE U-S FOREST SERVICE SAYS ONE IS NEAR THE EAST END OF LAC LA CROIX … AND IS ABOUT AN ACRE IN SIZE.
THE OTHER IS EAST OF LOOK LAKE … AND IS ABOUT FIVE ACRES.
CREWS ARE STILL ASSESSING HOW TO FIGHT THOSE FIRES … AND
HAVE SHUT DOWN SOME CAMPSITES IN THE AREA.
[AND A NOTE FOR CAMPERS: ALL CAMPFIRES... EVEN FOR COOKING... IN THE B-W-C-A ARE BANNED THROUGH JUNE 30TH … BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUED WILDFIRE RISK.]
--ROCHESTER SCHOOLS TAKE EID OFF--
ROCHESTER STUDENTS WILL GET THE DAY OFF SCHOOL FOR ONE OF ISLAM’S BIGGEST HOLIDAYS.
THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED CLOSING SCHOOL FOR EID AL-ADHA IN 2028 … A MAJOR MUSLIM HOLIDAY MARKING THE END OF THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA … IT IS A TIME OF PRAYER, FAMILY GATHERINGS AND GIVING.
EID IS A LUNAR HOLIDAY … MEANING IT FALLS ON DIFFERENT DAYS EVERY YEAR … SOMETIMES INTERFERING WITH STUDENT ATTENDENCE.
SUPERINTENDENT DR. KENT PEKEL SAYS THE DISTRICT HAS A TREND OF HIGH ABSENTEEISM AMONG MUSLIM STUDENTS ON THE HOLIDAY…
[PEKEL: WE KNOW FROM MULTIPLE YEARS OF EVIDENCE WILL BE LIKELY OTHERWISE ENGAGED.]
DISTRICT LEADERS SAY THE CALENDAR CHANGE BETTER REFLECTS THE STUDENTS THEY SERVE.
ROCHESTER IS HOME TO ONE OF MINNESOTA’S LARGER SOMALI COMMUNITIES.
--SHERIFF’S DEPUTY THREATS--
A MCLEOD COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY IS ACCUSED OF PULLING A KNIFE INSIDE A BAR … AND THREATENING TO KILL EVERYONE INSIDE.
COURT DOCUMENTS SAY DAVID WILLIAM OLSON WAS OFF DUTY AT A GROVE CITY BAR … ABOUT 90 MINUTES WEST OF THE TWIN CITIES … WHEN HE GOT INTO A FIGHT AND THE BAR OWNER ASKED HIM TO LEAVE.
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO REPORTEDLY SHOWS HIM PUTTING A POCKETKNIFE TO A MAN’S NECK … AND WITNESSES TOLD INVESTIGATORS OLSON THREATENED TO “SLIT EVERYONE’S NECK IN THE BAR.”
THE MCLEOD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS PUT OLSON ON LEAVE … HE FACES FELONY CHARGES OF ASSAULT AND THREATS OF VIOLENCE … AND IS DUE IN COURT JULY 21ST.
--FENTANYL O-D SPIKES--
JUST SOUTH OF THE TWIN CITIES … DAKOTA COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE WARNING OF A SHARP SPIKE IN OVERDOSES … AND SAY FENTANYL MAY BE TO BLAME.
THE DAKOTA COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE SAYS THERE WERE 23 SUSPECTED OVERDOSES … AND TWO SUSPECTED FATAL OVERDOSES … AT THE START OF MONTH.
OFFICIALS SAY THE OVERDOSES MAY BE TIED TO FENTANYL IN THE LOCAL DRUG SUPPLY … AND WARN ANY STREET DRUG COULD CONTAIN IT.
THE COUNTY IS URGING PEOPLE TO CARRY NARCAN … WHICH CAN REVERSE AN OVERDOSE … AND SAYS FREE FENTANYL TEST STRIPS ARE AVAILABLE ANONYMOUSLY AT COUNTY LOCATIONS.
--RURAL MEDICAL NETWORK--
AS THE STATE’S LARGEST HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS MERGE AND GET BIGGER …
RURAL HOSPITALS IN MINNESOTA ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GROW … WITHOUT GIVING UP LOCAL CONTROL.
NORTH SHORE HEALTH IN GRAND MARAIS IS PART OF A GROUP OF INDEPENDENT RURAL PROVIDERS THAT SHARE RESOURCES, COORDINATE CARE, AND WORK TO CONTROL COSTS. THE GROUP IS CALLED “HEADWATERS NETWORK …”
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AMPERS MEMBER STATION W-T-I-P … NORTH SHORE C-E-O KIMBER WRAALSTAD EXPLAINS WHY HEADWATERS’ GOAL IS TO GIVE SMALL HOSPITALS SOME OF THE REACH OF A BIGGER SYSTEM … WHILE KEEPING DECISIONS LOCAL.
[KIMBER WRAALSTAD: THEY ALLOW INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS TO COLLABORATE AND GAIN SOME OF THOSE ADVANTAGES THAT THE LARGER SYSTEM HAS, WHILE WE STILL MAINTAIN THAT LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL DECISION MAKING.]
HEADWATERS WAS CREATED IN 2024 … AND NOW INCLUDES 22 MEMBERS.
--GERBER BABY--
AND FINALLY …
MINNESOTA HAS A NEW CLAIM TO BABY-FACE FAME.
TWIN CITIES BABY CAMERON CHUNG HAS BEEN NAMED THE 2026 GERBER BABY … AFTER WINNING THE COMPANY’S NATIONAL PHOTO SEARCH.
GERBER SAYS IT CHOSE CAMERON FOR HIS “CONTAGIOUS SMILE” … AND HIS FAMILY’S STORY.
THE WINNING PHOTO CAPTURED ONE OF HIS FIRST BIG SMILES … AFTER A COLD MINNESOTA WALK.
HIS PARENTS WILL RECEIVE 50-THOUSAND DOLLARS … A GERBER WARDROBE … AND THE CHANCE TO SEE CAMERON IN GERBER CAMPAIGNS OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.