Star Tribune
St. Cloud superintendent gets top state honor
ST. CLOUD – Superintendent Laurie Putnam, who has been at the helm of St. Cloud’s increasingly diverse school district since 2022, has been named the 2025 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year.
The honor, recently announced by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, puts Putnam in play for the national title, as well.
Laurie Putnam was named Minnesota’s Superintendent of the Year. (St. Cloud school district/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Before starting as superintendent, Putnam served as assistant superintendent for three years, as well as a counselor, assistant principal and principal in the central-Minnesota school district.
“Her visionary leadership, dedication to equity and inclusion, and commitment to student success have transformed St. Cloud Area Schools and left a lasting impact on the entire community,” said Deb Henton, executive director at the association. “Dr. Putnam’s efforts to foster a collaborative, inclusive learning environment inspire educational leaders across the state.”
In a news release, Henton cited several factors considered by a panel of representatives from educational organizations in the state, including Putnam’s work to dismantle systemic inequities within the district, find innovative funding solutions and involve the community in education.
In recent years, the district has partnered with community organizations to implement “Grow Your Own” programs to increase staff diversity — which is important because the demographics have shifted dramatically in the district in the past 15 or so years. Students of color comprise a majority of district enrollment and, compared with surrounding districts, St. Cloud has higher percentages of students in poverty, who are homeless, enrolled in special education or who do not speak English as their first language.
“In Greater Minnesota, where only 1.2% of the teacher pool are people of color, St. Cloud Area Schools has achieved 8.5% representation among teachers and 21.6% of administrators identifying as people of color,” the release states. “This focus on representation has fostered a more inclusive and welcoming school environment, where students see themselves reflected in their educators and feel a greater sense of belonging.”
Under Putnam’s leadership, the district also received $7 million in grants to turn two schools into full-service “community schools” that provide additional arts activities and after-school programs for kids, as well as health care, financial counseling and career services for families. The program rolls out in January.
Mohamed Omar is the new board chair of Hennepin Healthcare System, the organization that runs HCMC, making him Minnesota’s first Somali American hospital board leader.
The health care system board permanently appointed Omar to the position Wednesday at their regular meeting. He had served as interim chair since Babette Apland stepped down in September.
Omar has been on the volunteer board for three years, working on the finance, investment, audit and compliance committees. He is the chief administrative officer at the Washburn Center for Children and previously was chief financial officer at the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund.
In a statement, Omar said he was excited to lead a hospital board in the state with the largest Somali American population in the U.S. He said he shared the health system’s dedication to providing “equitable, high-quality care.”
“My commitment is to deepen our community engagement, build more authentic connections between patients and team members, and build a confident future together,” Omar’s statement said.
CEO Jennifer DeCubellis and Nneka Sederstrom, chief health equity officer, praised Omar’s selection to lead the board. They said more inclusive leadership with a commitment to ending health disparities are key to HCMC’s success.
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando, who is also on health system board, said she was excited to work with Omar. She said county leaders are dedicated to good stewardship of the “state’s last public safety-net hospital.”
“As the first Hennepin County Board Chair of color, I know how impactful it is for our communities to see themselves represented in public leadership,” Fernando said.
DULUTH – The Superior National Forest has lifted its forestwide campfire ban, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, effective Friday.
Recent rain and humidity have improved conditions across the national forest’s 3 million acres, forest officials said in a news release.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has also lifted fire restrictions in Cook, Koochiching, Lake and northern St. Louis counties.
Fire danger is still a concern this time of year, said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
“As leaves fall and vegetation continues to dry out, it’s important for people to be cautious with anything that can cause a spark,” she said.
The national forest imposed its broad campfire ban nearly two weeks ago, after a third wildfire, named for Bogus Lake, was discovered on forest land. No significant fire activity has been reported in recent days for any of those three fires. A fourth fire inside the forest, the 8.5-acre Pfeiffer Lake Fire, started Oct. 17. It was contained within 24 hours, the Forest Service said.
Much of northeast Minnesota is still classified in the “severe drought” stage by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris was asked this week if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist, and she replied ‘’Yes, I do.’’ She subsequently called him the same thing herself, saying voters don’t want ‘’a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.’’
But what exactly is a fascist? And does the meaning of the word shift when viewed through a historical or political prism — especially so close to the end of a fraught presidential race?
An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is often associated with the far right and characterized by a dictatorial leader who uses military forces to help suppress political and civil opposition.
History’s two most famous fascists were Nazi chief Adolf Hitler in Germany and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Known as Il Duce, or ”the duke,” Mussolini headed the National Fascist Party, which was symbolized by an eagle clutching a fasces — a bundle of rods with an axe among them.
At Mussolini’s urging, in October 1922, thousands of ”Blackshirts,” or ”squadristi,” made up an armed fascist militia that marched on Rome, vowing to seize power. Hitler’s Nazis similarly relied on a militia, known as the ”Brownshirts.” Both men eventually imposed single-party rule and encouraged violence in the streets. They used soldiers, but also fomented civilian unrest that pit loyalists against political opponents and larger swaths of everyday society.
Hitler and Mussolini censored the press and issued sophisticated propaganda. They played up racist fears and manipulated not just their active supporters but everyday citizens.
