Good morning and welcome to another hard-earned Friday. There's too much news not to do a newsletter today.
Earlier this week I asked whatever happened to that hospital merger? Now we know. From MPR News: Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services said Thursday they are dropping plans to merge, a proposal that would have created a health care system giant in the Upper Midwest. Sanford president and CEO Bill Gassen said because there were “significant benefits” to combining with Fairview, the company wanted to “exhaust all potential pathways to completing our proposed merger.” “However, without support for this transaction from certain Minnesota stakeholders, we have determined it is in the best interest of Sanford Health to discontinue the merger process.” In a statement Thursday, Fairview CEO James Hereford also indicated that Fairview did not have the support of needed “stakeholders.” The statement didn’t say which stakeholders. “While we wish the outcome were different, we know that the best thing for our patients, our people and the communities we serve is to continue our focus on delivering world class care, now and into the future,” Hereford said in the statement.
The University of Minnesota issued this statement late Thursday: “Today we became aware of the news that Sanford would not be proceeding with its proposed merger with Fairview. As we move forward from here, we remain focused on our public mission to provide high quality, innovative and leading-edge care to patients across Minnesota, and how we can best support access to world-class health care for the entire state.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison released this statement: “Fairview and Sanford have made the decision they have determined is right for them. In my office’s ongoing investigation, we have done significant work to evaluate the proposed merger’s compliance with state and federal laws and whether it is in the public interest, including reviewing more than 300,000 pages of documents. We know the proposed merger has been of vital interest to Minnesotans as well: our investigation received more than 6,000 comments from Minnesotans about it, including at four well-attended public meetings across the state. While this merger will not be going forward, the health and future of Fairview, the University of Minnesota healthcare facilities, and all Minnesota health systems are of vital interest to all Minnesotans. Much work remains to be done.”
The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission voted 5-2 Thursday to adopt tougher penalties for those convicted of carjacking. As MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports, the DFL-led Legislature this year approved a change to state law that more clearly defines carjacking as a crime, with penalties set to vary if an alleged offender hurts someone, carries a weapon or implies that they have a weapon in commission of an act. Penalties were set to mirror those already outlined in state law for cases of robbery, with an aggravated robbery offense carrying the longest potential sentence. But after receiving thousands of public comments, the sentencing guidelines commission voted to boost the penalties for those convicted of first-degree carjacking to make them line up with sentences of third-degree murder and first-degree aggravated assault convictions. The vote means someone with a criminal history convicted of first-degree carjacking could face a presumptive prison sentence of up to 13 years. “The public clearly wants more than putting a new label on an existing offense and existing penalty,” said Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Michelle Larkin. “We have to give this crime teeth so it’s more than just a label.”
Nearly eight years after the state asked local law enforcement agencies to send over all untested sexual assault kits, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Thursday those tests have been completed. MPR’s Nina Moini reports: In 2015, a national controversy over the number of untested rape kits prompted Minnesota legislators to pass a law that required all police departments and sheriffs’ offices to count the number of untested kits and explain why they were there. The probe found untested sexual assault kits from offenses dating back to the 1990s. Agencies cited reasons like insufficient evidence, conflicting statements, and dismissed charges. The BCA said it received 2,366 sexual assault kits from local law enforcement agencies that were cleared for testing from the 2015 inventory. The Duluth Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff's Office and St. Cloud Police Department had among the biggest backlogs at the time.
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has filed a lawsuit against 3M and 23 other companies over contamination of its water and fish with PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals.” MPR’s Dan Kraker reports: The complaint was filed last week in federal district court in South Carolina, where hundreds of PFAS cases have been consolidated. The Band alleges manufacturers and distributors of the chemicals, which were used to make firefighting foam that was used for decades near the Fond du Lac reservation, have threatened “the health, welfare and rights of the Band.” The lawsuit follows hundreds of similar cases already filed against 3M and other companies by states and cities and other entities over contamination of public water systems by PFAS and related compounds, which don’t break down in the environment. Some have been linked to serious health issues, including cancers and other diseases.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter on Thursday vetoed a city council effort to put a measure on next year’s ballot to raise property taxes to pay for early childhood care and education. The Pioneer Press reports: Carter expressed concern that the dedicated property tax levy would increase by $2 million annually in 10 years, creating a budget equal to that of the city’s library system — but likely with less oversight — to fund private childcare providers. “While the underlying goal behind this effort — to provide quality early childhood care for every child and family in our city — is laudable, our excitement for this bold proposal must not preclude a temperate examination of its details,” according to his veto letter to the council. The city council voted 5-2 last week to approve the ballot language, which calls for a dedicated property tax levy that increases from $2 million to $20 million in the course of a decade. It would take five council votes to override a mayoral veto, and it remains unclear if any council members will switch their position in light of the veto.
Have a good weekend. See you here on Tuesday. | 