Heading to the doctor? Some patients in Minnesota may see new forms to fill out. Then, why you may have to start paying more to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and you’ll now have easier access to free water at sporting events, concerts, and other large venues.—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Victor Palomino Anchor: Grace Jacobson Reader scripting: Frankie FelegyFact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live. Today in Minnesota…
ANCHOR: …heading to the doctor? Some patients in Minnesota may see new forms to fill out. Then, why you may have to start paying more to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. And, you'll now have easier access to free water at sporting events, concerts, and other large venues.
I'm Gracie J.
A new law requires doctors in Minnesota to get written consent before performing certain sensitive exams if the patient isn't going to be awake. The law defines sensitive examinations as pelvic, prostate, breast, urinary, rectal, and reproductive system exams. When introducing the legislation, the authors of the bill said patients under anesthesia or who are unconscious should have the same protection as those who are awake. It's now illegal for a doctor, medical student, or resident to perform these procedures without consent from the patient, their legal representative, or if it's a medical emergency.
In today's main story, Victor Palomino talks with the news director of WTIP in Grand Marais, in Northeastern Minnesota, about changes coming to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Victor Palomino: The US Forest Service is seeking public input on a proposal to increase recreational and permit fees within the Boundary Waters Canoe and Wilderness Areas in the Northeast.
Kalli Hawkins: They are now looking at raising some fees to basically address some deferred maintenance, to improve some visitor experience, to enhance education, to do some maintenance, a whole variety of things, and kind of get more on the market analysis side of it, comparative to Voyageurs National Park or the Quetico Provincial Park, which is kind of in our neck of the woods here as well.
Victor Palomino: That’s Kalli Hopkins, news director at WTIP in Grand Marais. Currently the overnight permit fee for an individual is $16. Under the new proposal, that fee will rise to $40. More than double the current cost. The increase would also apply to youth overnight permits.
Kalli Hawkins: Right now there's a proposal on the table, and the Forest Service is accepting public comments about this proposal, and they've been hosting open houses, one in Ely. They did one virtually. They did one here, right in Grand Marie at the Gunflint Ranger District Office just down the road from us, at WTIP here.
Victor Palomino: The survey is open to the public on the Superior National Forest website. The agency says that at least 80 to 87% of the additional revenue will be reinvested in the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters to improve public access and safety.
Kalli Hawkins: The people that visit the Boundary Waters is not just isolated to Minnesota. So this is open to anybody that has recreated in the Boundary Waters, visited maybe even back in the 1980s or 90s or wherever how long ago it was. You are welcome to submit a public comment.
Victor Palomino: In other news, Cook County had had a series of interim administrators following the resignation of its previous County Administrator in 2024, who stepped down for family reasons.
Kalli Hawkins: We have hired a new County Administrator, which will be stepping into that position. And so just this last week, the county kind of wrapping up a few projects there and tidying up a few things, and we now welcome a permanent County Administrator to that position.
Victor Palomino: The new administrator will be responsible for ensuring that all county board policies are implemented and for coordinating overall operations for the county. And there are several major projects already underway.
Kalli Hawkins: So we have a lot of capital improvement projects. We have a project right now in Cook County where we're going to be undergoing some construction with our law enforcement center and adding on a sally port and some additional space for our law enforcement officials here. In addition, we've been expanding and collaborating or working alongside a private business here for waste. And so we are expanding our transfer stations. And that has been a big county collaborative project there with North Shore Waste, a private business here in Grand Marais.
Victor Palomino: To find a link to the survey, listen to the full story and more news from the northeast, visit WTIP.org. For North Star Stories, I’m Victor Palomino.
Anchor: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Lawmakers are making it easier for you to stay hydrated at concerts and sporting events. Venues that have ticketed events with a hundred people or more are now required to provide free access to water. Event organizers have the option of allowing attendees to bring in factory-sealed water bottles, an empty water bottle, or providing drinkable water. The venues are permitted to limit the type and size of bottles they will allow in their facilities. There are exemptions for galleries and museums. The goal of the new law is to reduce dehydration and heat-related emergencies.
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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.