Star Tribune
Minnesota group opposed to abortion loses battle to collect $842K from man’s estate
A leading group in Minnesota that opposes abortion has lost its battle in court for a donation of nearly $842,000 from the estate of a benefactor who bequeathed the money one day before he died.
John Charais, of Forest Lake, made a gift of almost $850,000 in February 2022 to Minnesota Citizen Concerned for Life (MCCL) and its affiliated education fund, a gesture that emptied a family trust fund. The next day, Charais died by suicide at age 81.
His son, Nick Charais, of Bemidji, stopped payment on the donation checks and said MCCL knew his father wasn’t of sound mind when it accepted the money. The group sued the son last fall in Beltrami County District Court for the money.
Last week, Judge John Melbye sided with the son and dismissed MCCL’s suit.
“The delivery of the checks does not constitute delivery of the money, and therefore there was no gift,” Melbye’s dismissal order read.
The judge also rejected the claim by MCCL that the family trust was in breach of contract by blocking the checks from being cashed, writing, “There was … no enforcement contract. Since no enforceable contract existed, [the trust] did not breach a contract in this matter.”
The MCCL and its attorney have yet to respond to a request for reaction to the dismissal and whether any further legal action is being contemplated.
Joe Windler, the family’s attorney, said Wednesday that “the court held that delivery of a check alone cannot constitute a contract and, further, that MCCL did not provide [something in return] for the check. As a result, the court held there was not any merit to MCCL’s breach of contract claim.”
The Charais family, in a statement released Wednesday, said, “While we wish MCCL would have never pursued legal action, we are thankful for the court’s decision. We are ready to put this episode behind us and continue the process of healing.”
Soon after the trust was sued, Nick Charais told the Star Tribune in December MCCL officials were “trying to strong-arm me because they didn’t think I’d fight them back. My dad wasn’t right.”
According to court documents, John Charais contacted MCCL in January 2022 after seeing news coverage of the group’s March for Life at the State Capitol. He said that it reminded him of his late wife’s deep commitment to causes opposed to abortion and that he wished to make a donation in her honor.
However, Nick Charais said his mother had no connection to MCCL and was not active in such causes. What’s more, he added, his father had informed MCCL “he was going to commit suicide,” the son said. “They knew.”
The deal quickly came together. On Feb. 10, 2022, John Charais met with MCCL officials, including Executive Director Scott Fischbach, and signed two letters affirming his donation of nearly $842,000. The next day, he died by suicide.
Fischbach is the husband of U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, a two-term Republican whose district covers nearly all of the western half of Minnesota and who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.
The gift was nearly as much as the organization receives in donations in a typical year. During the five years from 2016 to 2020, MCCL and its education fund took in $900,000 to $1.2 million in donations annually, according to federal tax filings.
Star Tribune
Duluth students’ Climate Club inches toward a solar victory, seven years after founding
“We’ve been promoting solar, the board’s been promoting solar, been lobbying for solar,” Magas said. “We just have to do so in an affordable, responsible way.”
The Lincoln Park project would be a collaboration between the school district, the city and Minnesota Power; the school and the city would each get a portion of the power generated. The application begins in January.
“That would be an opportunity that the solar club is really excited about, and I am, too,” Magas said. Though it would still need to be approved, Magas said there are some factors that may help their chances. “The site is perfect, it’s got a lot of good perks with it being associated with learning and the schools. It’s very visually prominent with it coming up out of the city; it’s perfectly poised for catching sunlight.”
Magas noted more potential roadblocks for the smaller proposed array at Stowe Elementary, including costs and structural concerns over the weight of the solar panels on the roof. The district is having an engineer review the school’s building plans.
The district was preapproved for $500,000 from a new state Solar for Schools grant for the Stowe array, or 50% of the estimated cost of the installation.
The Climate Club said an extra 40% of the total cost could be paid for in the form of tax credits awarded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, leaving a bill of around $100,000. The deadline for the school to complete its final Solar for Schools application is Dec. 20.
Looking for ways to stay warm and active this winter? U.S. Bank has announced the return of a popular program that allows runners and inline skaters access to stadium facilities on some cold winter nights.
The Winter Warm-Up begins Tuesday, Dec. 3. It will be offered on most Tuesday and Thursday evenings in December and January from 5-9 p.m., according to a news release from U.S. Bank Stadium.
Inline skating takes place on the stadium’s main concourse and indoor running on the stadium’s upper concourse. The program is all ages, with a required waiver.
Skaters must provide their own skates, helmet and other safety gear, with no equipment rental available. Runners must wear proper footwear.
Winter Warm-Up tickets are $15 and must be purchased on ticketmaster.com. Participants should enter via the skyway entrance at 740 S 4th Street.
The boom of yet another car crash was as jarring as it was familiar, reverberating in Albert Padilla’s townhouse one afternoon this year as he watched T.V.
“Instantly,” he recalled, “I knew something had happened.”
He rushed outside, running without shoes toward the heavily trafficked intersection of Biscayne Avenue and County Road 42 in southwestern Rosemount, where a car appeared to have spun out, he said. Inside, a woman lay pinned between airbags and the driver-side door.
Padilla and his wife live in a townhome development on a corner of this busy intersection. Residents and local officials agree something needs to be done to boost safety in the area. The node, not far from a gym, numerous single-family homes and a soon-to-be-constructed middle school, is a hotspot for collisions: 56 incidents have occurred since January 2019 where Biscayne Avenue crosses County Road 42, also known in that area as 150th St. W., according to Rosemount Police Department data.
That’s about 11 crashes a year over a roughly five-year span. And although none have been fatal, data shows 30% of all incidents resulted in injuries.
“As we continue to grow, it’s going to get more and more busy,” said Padilla, who works in Shakopee and navigates the corner on his morning and evening commutes. “More and more accidents are going to happen.”
A traffic light is slated for the area in coordination with a new middle school coming to the southeastern corner of the intersection. Officials will also realign part of Biscayne Avenue to reduce its skewed orientation, which impedes visibility. But that light installation and realignment won’t be complete until 2027, frustrating residents who say the node needs a makeover — now.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings