Nine staff members at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater were treated at a hospital and released Thursday after being exposed to a synthetic drug, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The staffers reported feeling lightheaded and nauseous with increased heart rates, the department said in a news release. Eight staff members were taken to Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater by paramedics, and one was administered Narcan.

The incident began at about 7:45 a.m., when a staffer responded to a report of an inmate smoking an unknown substance in his cell and soon began to feel ill. A short time later, three other staffers who had responded to the inmate began feeling sick, and two of them went to the hospital.

In a separate incident in the same housing unit, another inmate man threw a container with an unknown substance that landed near three staffers, who then began feeling ill and were taken to the hospital.

Investigators have not yet identified the substance, the department said.

The inmate caught smoking in his cell told investigators that it was a stronger than expected dose of synthetic marijuana. Officials said that another form of synthetic cannabinoids already had a presence in the facility because it can be purchased online and reach the facility’s population through mail.

“These synthetic substances are particularly dangerous because the chemical properties that comprise them are unknown and uncontrolled,” said Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell in a statement. “We are prioritizing our investigative efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for conspiring to introduce these substances into the secure correctional environment. For the safety of our staff, we are reviewing and updating our emergency response protocols to suspected drug use incidents.”

ROCHESTER — After bouncing from school auditoriums to community centers, husband-and-wife pastors Andy and Christy Cass are ready to set down roots for the burgeoning church they founded five years ago.

Echo Church, a nondenominational church that has garnered a following with its approachable, music-driven services, announced this week it has purchased the former Cinemagic movie theater on Superior Drive in northwest Rochester.

The church paid $5 million for the 44,000-square-foot building, Andy Cass said. The immediate plan is to host worship services in one of the building’s 12 theaters before gradually expanding “at the pace of people’s generosity.”

“We are going to grow into this building like I grew into my childhood sneakers,” Andy said. “You just buy it a couple of sizes large, but in a couple of years you will fit into it really good.”

Echo launched in September 2019, just months before the start of the COVID pandemic. When stay-at-home orders prevented the church from holding in-person services, the Casses, who said they felt called to start the church, pivoted toward digital media. Using Andy’s background in video production, the church was able to continue building connections online during an otherwise isolating period.

The church had long considered buying the former Castle building downtown, where it held “portable” services once restrictions were lifted. But when those plans fell through, they turned to the Castle’s eventual owner, David Arnett, setting off a series of discussions that led them to the theater, also owned by Arnett.

“When we started this conversation, I really didn’t know how it was going to work, but we were able to do it,” Andy said. “I would just call it a miracle.”

Since they announced the purchase of the theater to their congregation, dozens of volunteers have stepped up to start converting the former theater into a place of worship. That work includes “putting some lipstick” on the property with new paint, flooring and furniture. It also means doing a deep clean of the entire building.

Vischer said today’s college students have a greater financial need than students did 10, 25 or 50 years ago.

“So that put some pressure on [us] regarding the question, ‘Will we be able to keep St. Thomas accessible and affordable?’” Vischer said. “A gift like this is a resounding ‘yes’ to that question.”

Vischer said St. Thomas was deferring to the family’s wishes in not disclosing the amount.

The family’s foundation also provided the main donation for the university’s Schoenecker Center, which opened last spring. The 130,000-square-foot center is dedicated to studying STEAM (science, technology, arts, engineering and mathematics). Other notable campus buildings bearing the family’s name include the Schoenecker Arena and the law library in downtown Minneapolis.

In honor of the latest gift, the Tommie North residence hall will be renamed Guy and Barbara Schoenecker Residence Hall North. A celebration on campus was held Thursday.

“St. Thomas had a big impact on his life,” Larry Schoenecker said of his father, who graduated in 1949. “He loved the school.”