Star Tribune
On election’s eve, housing is the big issue in fast-growing Rochester
ROCHESTER, MINN. — Olmsted County commissioners this summer took the extraordinary step of acting as their own developer for 10 smaller-than-usual houses, aiming to prove buyers would snag them in a city where housing demand is red hot.
They gave their contractor a tight timeline to finish the first two 1,100-square-foot homes; from final construction permit to an open house event yesterday took 84 days. They were also built on smaller lots to hold down costs.
“We specified that two of them had to be finished this fall and the remainder of them have to be finished next spring,” said Gregory Wright, who is up for re-election next week after eight years as an Olmsted County commissioner. “The payoff is that we can show the community, builders, developers and the zoning commissions that this can work.”
Gregory Wright, who is running for re-election to the Olmsted County Commission, in front of two small-footprint houses the county built to demonstrate market demand for an alternative type of single-family home. (Evan Ramstad)
More housing is needed across Minnesota, but the issue dominates the scene in Rochester and surrounding Olmsted County.
“We had some forums with local business leaders,” said April Sutor, a longtime human services executive who is challenging Wright for a seat on the board of commissioners. “And when we asked them what could local government do to help you, they didn’t say, ‘Lower my taxes.’ They said, ‘We need housing.’”
The reason is no surprise: Rochester is the second fastest-growing city in Minnesota since the 2020 census. It was outpaced on a percentage basis only by Mankato, which is less than half the size. I visited last week to get a sense of the political scene. I also visited the fastest-shrinking place in Minnesota and will write about it in my next column.
Across the country, a trend has been visible for several election cycles: Democrats prevail in growing places and Republicans in shrinking ones. Nationally, 53% of all counties lost population in the 2010s. In the 2020 election, Republican former President Donald Trump won 90% of them.
Voter sentiment in 81 of Minnesota’s 87 counties shifted to the right in the 2022 election as more of the state’s counties and towns tumbled from slow growth into decline. That shift had little effect on state policies, though, since DFLers in that election picked up a trifecta through the re-election of Gov. Tim Walz, a one-seat margin in the Senate and a six-seat majority in the House.
In Minnesota, the real “October surprise” will always be the weather.
We started the week in shorts, crunching through the last of the autumn leaves, basking in temperatures that soared into the 70s. We knew it wouldn’t last. The forecast told us it wouldn’t last. The storm clouds gathering on the horizon told us it wouldn’t last.
It didn’t last. Wednesday’s chilly rains hint at snow in the forecast for Halloween. Forget the Blizzard of ‘91 and start layering your costumes for the Potential Accumulation of ‘24.
At the National Weather Service’s Twin Cities office, meteorologists have tracked this year’s wild weather gyrations, from weirdly snowless winter to soggy spring to stormy summer to a long, warm autumn drought. Whatever the weather, Minnesota seemed to get too much of it or not enough. Now, surprisingly, central Minnesota is looking at the possibility of this year’s first and last October snowfall.
“We’ll have snow mixed in with rain early Thursday morning,” said meteorologist Jacob Beitlich. “But as you go through the morning, there’s going to be a narrow band of heavy snow that’s going to develop.”
Northeast and central Minnesota into northwest Wisconsin are most likely to see that heavy snow land on their jack-o’-lantern, Beitlich said. Unlike last Halloween’s snowstorm, the ground should be warm enough to keep the snow from turning the Thursday commute into a complete mess.
“Most folks will have a wet driveway in the morning, but there will be some of us that will see snow that will be heavy at times in the morning,” he said.
By the time any trick-or-treaters hit the streets in the evening, the snow will probably be gone, but it will be a raw, damp and blustery night. Temperatures will drop into the 30s, the winds will pick up and plenty of Minnesotans will take a page from the 1991 playbook and layer those costumes. Pirate costume too drafty? Cut some eyeholes in a blanket – boom, you’re a pirate ghost. Already planning to trick-or-treat as a ghost? Throw a parka over your sheet – now you’re the ghost of an arctic explorer.
The total number of people who were hospitalized as a result of the contaminated pizza and the extent of the injuries were not immediately clear. The health department did not immediately respond to a question seeking that information. But the department said it had “received dozens of reports” from people feeling affected and alluded to multiple people having been sent to the hospital.
“Possible THC-related symptoms include dizziness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, hallucinations, short term memory impacts, time distortion, and sleepiness,” the department said. “Keep in mind each person’s reaction may be different, and the concentration of THC in the pizza can vary by piece.”
The comments on Famous Yeti’s social media posts were overwhelmingly positive. Many people expressed appreciation for the business’ openness about its mistake and expression of regret. A few customers also — possibly in jest — saw the news as even more reason to patronize the restaurant.
“When i come and I wink twice,” one commenter wrote, “I want that pizza alright lol.”
DuBois also told the court about a talk she had with Kingsbury in mid-March 2023, a few weeks before Kingsbury went missing. Kingsbury had planned to leave Fravel by then, but she told DuBois that Fravel had said “she would not be leaving with his kids,” according to DuBois.
In a meeting at a hotel near Mayo around the same time, DuBois said she noticed a reddish mark around Kingsbury’s neck. DuBois asked Kingsbury if there was anything Kingsbury needed and later provided her with some concealer so others wouldn’t notice.
“(Kingsbury) said she was figuring out a plan so that it didn’t happen again,” DuBois said.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Zach Bauer pointed out that DuBois, Scott and Kolka all became familiar with each other after Kingsbury’s disappearance, implying their conversations about the case may have led them to become biased against Fravel.
Bauer challenged Kolka on how she stored items she took from Kingsbury’s house in April 2023, when Kingsbury was still considered missing. Kolka turned over to law enforcement bedsheets that came from Kingsbury’s house after Kingsbury’s body was found in June 2023, but Bauer pointed out those items, as well as other evidence law enforcement examined at Kolka’s house, wasn’t properly secured.
“Anybody could have come through the house at that time,” he said during questions.
