Star Tribune
Minneapolis loses bid to host Sundance Film Festival
Minneapolis is out of the running as host of the Sundance Film Festival.
The city did not advance to the final round of bidding in the competition to be the new home for the largest independent film festival in the U.S., according to an email from a member of the local bid team.
Sundance Film Festival has been held in Park City, Utah, for 40 years. When organizers announced in April they were searching for a new home for the 2027 festival, the Minneapolis City Council moved to submit a bid. The city submitted its proposal on June 21.
Minnesotans from across the private and philanthropic sectors and city and state government quickly came together to make a compelling case for Minneapolis, a bid team spokesperson said in an email.
“As one of [a] handful of cities invited to submit a full proposal, we were able to make a compelling case for Minneapolis that highlighted our incredible assets. While we are disappointed, this process has shown that we are a tight-knit, agile and willing community,” the email said.
The six cities selected to move forward as finalists are Atlanta, Boulder, Cincinnati, Louisville, Park City/Salt Lake City, and Santa Fe, the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced Friday.
The selection committee said that they were impressed with the proposal Minneapolis put forward and the city’s capability with large events.
The city will continue to support the Minnesota films and filmmakers selected for future festivals, Ben Johnson, Minneapolis director of arts and cultural affairs said in a statement.
“While we are disappointed that Minneapolis is not advancing in the selection process, we know that our city is a nation-leading hub of arts and culture; that’s why we love to call it home,” Johnson said.
Kevin Ulmer, head coach of the Bemidji State University women’s volleyball team for nine seasons, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 41.
Ulmer died Tuesday afternoon surrounded by his family, according to an announcement from the school.
“We are heartbroken to lose our colleague, our coach, and our friend Kevin Ulmer,” Bemidji State Director of Athletics Britt Lauritsen said in a statement.
Friday’s match at University of Minnesota Crookston has been canceled, the school said.
Ulmer came to Bemidji State in 2016 after serving as head volleyball coach at Bethel College (Ind.) for four seasons and earlier as an assistant coach at Georgetown College (Ky.).
He graduated from Northwestern College (Iowa) in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health education, and earned his master’s degree in biomechanics and exercise physiology at the University of Kentucky.
Since taking over the program in 2016, 30 of his players have earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Academic Team honors
He also coached two All-NSIC selections, Jessica Yost and Rylie Bjerklie, in one of the toughest volleyball conferences in NCAA Div. II.
An Edina man who chaired the board of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal wire fraud charges for his role in the Feeding Our Future nutrition program fraud scheme.
As part of his plea deal, Sharmarke Issa, 42, admitted to running entities that laundered federal funding as part of the scheme, including Wacan Restaurant LLC and the nonprofit titled Minnesota’s Somali Community.
Issa was responsible for $7.6 million of the alleged $50 million in fraud scheme money that the U.S. government says it lost, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ebert read aloud in court to Issa. The defendant verbally confirmed the timeline and allegations in the plea deal.
Prior to the hearing in District Court in downtown Minneapolis, Issa’s attorney Thomas Brever said his client recognized that his conduct was wrong.
“He’s ready to take the consequences for what he did.,” Brever said. “After seeing the evidence in the other trial, he recognized there was a real likelihood of conviction.”
Issa was facing multiple other counts of wire fraud and money laundering that will be dismissed if he receives the plea deal. While maximum imprisonment for federal wire fraud can be 20 years, Issa will likely receive between two years and nine months and three years and five months of federal prison time.
The prison time would be followed by a probation period for up to three years, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel said during the hearing.
Prosecutors have called this case, which so far has 70 defendants charged in Minnesota, one of the largest pandemic-era fraud cases in the United States. The defendants are charged with stealing $250 million from federal food programs that were reimbursing nonprofits, schools and day cares for feeding low-income children.
Many factors contribute to the total size of a college bill, but there’s no question the costs of a higher education have rapidly escalated. This week, Bethel University announced it would cut its undergraduate tuition by $18,000 a year as they move toward new pricing methodologies.
Scholarships, discounts and other financial incentives reduce college bills for many students, while expenses including room and board and study materials add to them. With that in mind, according to a chart published annually by Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education, these are the 10 most expensive colleges in Minnesota based on tuition and fees. The state has not released its 2024-25 prices, so the most recent state-published chart is from 2023-24:
