Star Tribune
Hottest day yet of 2023 will take stage in Twin Cities
Summer’s sizzle is about to take hold of the Twin Cities, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s on the doorstep.
The first hint comes Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), when the afternoon high is forecast to reach 89 degrees under mostly sunny skies and a light breeze.
By early afternoon, at the newly resurrected Taste of Minnesota festival on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, the temperature was 85 and the sunshine made it feel even warmer. So much so that thousands of attendees were using the shade of skyscrapers as protection from the heat, said spokesman Blois Olson.
“I think these are the kinds of days we remember in January,” Olson said of the free event, for which 60,000 passes were distributed. “People are excited to be here. It’s busy, and we expect thousands of people over the course of the day.”
As a precaution, Olson said monitors were out walking the 10-square-block Taste area to keep an eye out for anyone struggling with the higher temperatures. A bevy of beverage vendors helped keep the lines shorter for something cool to drink, he said.
On Monday, the heat is expected to dial up a notch with an anticipated afternoon high of 95, the NWS said.
“Dew points will be moist but not oppressive” on Monday, according to an NWS forecast statement posted Sunday morning, “so heat indices shouldn’t be too much hotter than the air temp.”
There’s also no indication of smoky conditions adding to the discomfort as has been experienced in recent weeks in the Twin Cities that were caused by wildfires hundreds of miles away in Canada.
While 95 would fall far short of the Twin Cities’ hottest July 3, when the temperature touched 100 in 1990, we should be in store for our hottest day yet this year. The weather service said we’ve warmed up to 92 degrees four times in 2023: June 4, 21, 22 and 23.
A chance of thunderstorms Monday night and again on Tuesday — the July Fourth holiday — is expected to pull the mercury down a fair bit to a high topping out at 88.
From there, conditions are expected to cool down even more. High temperatures Wednesday and Thursday should peak at no more than 77 degrees, the weather service said.
Star Tribune
St. Paul planning commission to discuss a potential citywide ban of new fast food drive-thrus
Twin Cities franchisees and business advocacy groups have already voiced their concerns about the potential drive-thru restrictions to the planning commission.
Over 80% of Taco Bell transactions in St. Paul are done via drive-thru windows, according to Zach Zelickson, vice president of Marvin Development, which develops Taco Bell restaurants for Border Foods. A ban on new drive-thrus could limit what can be done with existing restaurants and make customers travel to locations outside the city, he said. In 2022, Border Foods opened a futuristic Taco Bell Defy location with four drive-thru lanes in Brooklyn Park.
“We believe that drive-thrus play a vital role in serving the needs of our communities across Minnesota,” Angie Whitcomb, CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, which represents the state’s hospitality businesses, said in a statement. Drive-thrus provide convenience for busy customers and contribute to the safety of fast food workers, particularly duing late-night hours, she said.
Drive-thrus have been synonymous with America’s fast-food culture since the concept became mainstream in the 1970s. During the pandemic, drive-thrus became even more important, allowing consumers to grab food while COVID-19 restrictions shut down many restaurant dining rooms.
Besides traditional fast food operations, other fast casual restaurants such as Chipotle have begun to add drive-thru lanes.
According to a study released last month by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, drive-thrus are critical for many businesses. Average monthly visits to studied stores with drive-thrus were down a little more than 4% in December 2022 (post-pandemic) compared to December 2019 (pre-pandemic). However, traffic at stores without drive-thrus declined about 48%.
“[The most pressing issues] are everything from gentrification to community policing to climate change,” he told the Star Tribune. “MCAD’s role is: How do we begin addressing the most critical issues of our time? Frankly that’s got to be part of the work we do in educating the next generation of cultural leaders.”
MCAD’s Board Search Committee will begin a national search for the next president, working with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, along with the MCAD community.
“We thank President Sethi for his dedication for the past five years, as he led the college through the challenges of COVID, acquired a new building for much-needed student housing, reimagined the campus of the future, and advocated for greater access to an art-and-design education,” said Board Co-Chairs Chris Barry and M.E. Kirwan in a joint statement.
Sethi is the 19th president in MCAD’s 139-year history, previously serving for four years as inaugural director of George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, and previously holding leadership positions at Santa Fe Art Institute, Memphis College of Art and California College of the Arts.
The medical center is owned by a local nonprofit, but operated by Duluth-based Essentia under an affiliation agreement that dates back to 2009.
With the ruling announced Wednesday, Essentia Health says it will continue to operate the hospital, clinic, assisted-living and long-term care facilities in Fosston, plus clinics in Bagley and Oklee.
“Now that the arbitration process is over, Essentia is focused on the opportunity to engage our patients, colleagues and the community in building a shared vision for the future of health care in Fosston,” said Dr. Stefanie Gefroh, interim president of Essentia Health’s West Market, in a statement.
Arbitrators were asked to rule on whether Essentia eliminated a “core” service by discontinuing deliveries, since the city of Fosston would then have the right to terminate the affiliation agreement. But the panel in a 2-1 vote concluded that labor and delivery is just one aspect of obstetrics (OB).
“OB is a ‘core’ service under the agreement, encompassing labor and delivery as part of comprehensive care for pregnant women,” the ruling states. “Simply put, while the delivery of the baby is an essential component, it is not the sole care provided to a pregnant woman.”
Fosston officials, including the town’s mayor, were involved in the arbitration because the city has a legal connection to the nonprofit owner of the medical center, which historically was a municipal hospital.
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