A big dam problem in Scandia

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The four-day strike by about 150 union doctors in the Allina Health system was likely the first by private-sector doctors in U.S. history, and now it’s won them a tentative agreement on a first labor contract. Although the union relented on a demand for paid sick days, they won on issues of greater personal autonomy, release from noncompete clauses following layoffs and other key concerns.

Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office was successful in its suit against Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit whose stated purpose was getting food to families in need. The company will be forced to dissolve and return $18.5 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ellison indicated that individual criminal prosecution is also on the way for at least one person from the organization.

Just months after approving a tuition hike for the sixth consecutive year, the University of Minnesota announced it would be cutting $225 million from its budget over the next two years, due to “lower enrollment numbers, unpredictable state and federal funding, and rising costs.”

Related: Thousands of Minnesota college students face reduced financial aid due to legislative inaction

The operation to close the Pig’s Eye encampment earlier this summer cost the city of St. Paul $440,000, with much of that going to contracted cleanup work. City Council President Rebecca Noecker said the closure was driven by “people living in unsafe conditions at the encampment.” The majority of people displaced from Pig’s Eye relocated to the Randolph encampment, which is more dangerous, sits on contaminated soil, and will be harder to clear.

When the Lund’s & Byerly’s in downtown St. Paul closed in 2025, it created a vacuum for food shopping in the area that had to be filled by delivery services and smaller shops. Now Aldi is opening a new location in the former Lund’s & Byerly’s space, bringing full-service groceries back to downtown.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released a new guide for sexual assault investigations in the state on Wednesday, hoping to provide consistency, compassion and thoroughness for all victims of sexual violence. 

“Ultimately, this is about doing everything we can do to make sure survivors are heard, respected, and supported while giving investigators the resources they need to follow evidence and pursue justice,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.

And finally in your Minnesota news roundup: The Gammelgården Museum of Scandia is concerned that a nearby beaver dam could raise water levels and threaten historic buildings that have stood for more than 150 years. No word yet on whether scientists will be able to implant the consciousness of a precocious college student into a robotic beaver to help with this issue.

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Originally reported by MinnPost by Steve McPherson. Read the full story at the source.