The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office will now perform autopsies for the Bayfield County, Wis. Medical Examiner's Office.
The Anoka County Board at its meeting Tuesday approved a contract that will allow Bayfield to pay Midwest based on the autopsy. The Bayfield County coroner expects to pay for five to eight autopsies a year, with the total cost ranging from $10,000 to $16,000 annually, according to the resolution.
Midwest, located in Ramsey, serves 37 counties in Minnesota and, with the addition of Bayfield, nine in Wisconsin. The office also conducts autopsies for Regions Hospital, HCMC and HealthPartners.
TIM HARLOW
The Edina school district overlooks the church building
Edina school district officials are considering buying a church building near Valley View High School.
The school board held two closed-door meetings this month regarding the possible purchase of the Calvary Lutheran Church property at 6817 Antrim Road. A school spokesman said the district is not yet ready to discuss why it is interested in the church property.
The property is listed for $2 million. The nearly 16,000-square-foot building spans more than three acres and houses classrooms and offices as well as the main sanctuary.
Calvary's pastor Wade Wacholtz said the process is still in the very early stages and the property has received interest from several potential buyers. The church is still active and Wacholtz said the church is working out its future.
JOSIE ALBERTSON-GROVE
The Stillwater road race has a fresh start
Stillwater will host a new course for this summer's Lift Bridge Road Race, an event that has historically attracted hundreds of runners from around the world.
Since 2014, Bayport, Minn., has hosted the race out of Lakeside Park. This year, after approval from the Stillwater City Council, the courses will wind through residential Stillwater, passing the river town's Victorian homes and the Historic Washington County Courthouse, according to a press release from the Run Stillwater race director.
The June 24 race features distances of 10 miles, 10K and 5K, with the finish line at Lift Bridge Brewing Company.
EMMA NELSON
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Grant to Promote Native American Education in Parks
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) has provided an $80,000 grant to the Three Rivers Park District to develop Native American educational programming at the district's Lowry Nature Center in Victoria.
The nature center is located in the 3,700-acre Carver Park Reserve and is a popular field trip site, with more than 500 school groups visiting annually, according to an SMSC news release. The center also offers interpretive exhibits and the opportunity to watch birds and wildlife seven days a week, the release said.
The grant is part of the tribe's Understand Native Minnesota campaign, which began in 2019 as an effort “to improve the narrative about Native Americans in Minnesota's K-12 education system,” the release said.
The money will fund the creation of an interpretive trail that will highlight Dakota perspectives on natural resources in the park, including plant names and their uses.
The trail will enhance current Native American curriculum for school groups and park visitors, the release states, and will become a destination for park educators to enhance their Native American educational offerings and celebrate Minnesota's native people. An advisory group made up of Dakota elders, cultural advisors and others will consult on the project.
The Lowry Nature Center, which opened in 1969, was the state's first public nature center and hosted 43,000 visitors in 2022.
ERIN ANDLER
