What Hibbing Is Doing with an Abandoned Animal Surplus

Transcript

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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.

ANCHOR: In today's segment, the Governor announces a special election to fill the vacancy left by the murder of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. Then, how a northeastern city is coping with an abundance of abandoned animals. And, members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation send a complaint letter to Canada.

I'm Gracie J.

Some residents of Anoka and Hennepin Counties will be going to the polls for a special election on Tuesday September 16th. The Governor set that date for House District 34B to fill the vacancy left by the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. If necessary, a special primary will be held on Tuesday August 12th. A gunman disguised as a police officer killed Hortman and her husband. The suspect also shot Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Senator Hoffman is recovering in a rehabilitation facility.

Next, the city of Hibbing, in the Northeastern part of the state, never planned to run an animal shelter — but when a local nonprofit lost its license, it had to step in. Xan Holston has more on how the city is coping and what comes next.

Xan Holston: A lost license, a wave of stray animals in a city in crisis when Range Regional Animal Rescue lost its license in February, the city stepped in to keep the doors open.

Candie Seppala: When they lost their license, we just took a hard pause. You know what? We're going to try this. Grand Rapids does it.

Xan Holston: Hibbing City Clerk Candie Seppala said that while the city is filling a void, it's not in the rescue business. Seppala said the shelter had already taken in more than 150 animals this year, nearly two thirds of last year's total. By July, it had reached capacity and the city declared crisis mode.

Candie Seppala: We're very fortunate that it didn't get more out of control.

Xan Holston: Instead of running the facility like a rescue where animals are rehabilitated, rehomed and adopted out, the city shifted to an intake model. Only animals picked up by police or animal control are accepted, and for months, adoptions weren't even an option.

Candie Seppala: Because really, that's what it is. When you have an intake, you just want to get the animals to rescues.

Xan Holston: Fortunately, Hibbing hasn't had to do it completely alone. Animal rescues and fosters across the Iron Range have stepped up to help with transport and re-homing.

Candie Seppala: That community, they all talk, they really do, and they help each other out, and that's really important.

Xan Holston: Earlier this month, the city began listing adoptable animals on Facebook. Since then, dozens have been placed. As of mid-July, 20 cats and 11 dogs remained.

Candie Seppala: The outpouring of our residents is amazing, because again, at the end of the day, nobody wants to see an animal hurt.

Xan Holston: But Hibbing doesn't want to stay in the shelter business. Officials are reviewing proposals from outside groups who they hope could take over by early August. They're looking for a non-profit or a business that could eventually take full control of the shelter, not just daily operations, but the building itself.

Candie Seppala: We're hoping to divest of all of it to a business that can, you know, make it whole on their own. We need someone who has the monetary backing, because it does take money to run a shelter.

Xan Holston: The city currently spends about $100,000 a year on shelter operations, and while it owns the building, the land itself is leased from the Range Regional Airport. That kind of layered setup makes things tricky. The city ends up acting both as landlord and overseer, and that's the role it doesn't want.

Candie Seppala: Long term, you need financial statements. You need to make sure that you're being a good landlord too.

Xan Holston: For now, they want a one-year deal, but the goal is to sell the building outright to whoever takes over.

Candie Seppala: We don't want to be in the middle of someone doing their job

Xan Holston: For Seppala, the goal is simple. Keep the animals safe until someone else can take the lead.

Candie Seppala: We'll keep doing as we need to right now until we find the right fit.

Xan Holston: For North Star Stories, I'm Xan Holston.

ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.

Some of Minnesota's members of Congress are blaming Canada for ruining their constituents' summer. Representatives Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber sent a letter to Canada's Ambassador saying the country needs to do a better job of controlling forest fires. The Representatives say the smoke is limiting their constituents' ability to spend time outdoors with their families. The Canadian Embassy released a statement saying the country takes the prevention of wildfires very seriously. The letter to Canada makes no reference to the hundreds of wildfires that happen each year in Minnesota and the impact they have on our neighbors to the North.

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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.