Star Tribune
Rent control ruling too late to help one St. Paul tenant
During the rent stabilization case, a quasi-judicial proceeding, city officials were asked to dive deep into these policies and other state statutes since the city’s ordinance says no extraordinary rent increase will be granted to landlords violating Minnesota’s habitability law.
Housing Justice Center attorneys delivered many of the same arguments they made last year in an eight-count civil lawsuit filed by Mohamed and other tenants against Marquette and its affiliates.
They alleged that the property management company is aiming to displace the building’s large Muslim Somali population through a mass renovation, which is simultaneously exposing tenants to hazards and being used to justify rent hikes.
Marquette sent city staff reports documenting recent tests for asbestos at the Haven, which found no evidence of the material. Angie Wiese, director of St. Paul’s Department of Safety and Inspections, said the city will sometimes require such tests before issuing construction permits, though asbestos and lead generally fall under the purview of the state and county.
An asbestos and lead expert contracted by the Housing Justice Center wrote a follow-up letter to the city saying Marquette’s testing was based on limited samples. He also referenced older environmental assessment reports that said prior testing confirmed the presence of asbestos in the building’s popcorn ceiling and lead coatings in the bathtubs.
“These third-party documents reinforce my opinion that Marquette has violated and continues to violate lead and asbestos safety laws,” the expert wrote.
A participant in an inline skating race held Saturday on Saturday died following the race, race officials announced on a Facebook page Sunday.
Mike Lufholm, 36, of Minneapolis, was remembered in Northshore Inline Marathon organizers’ Facebook post as an active member of the rollerblading community. He died following an apparent medical incident at the race course.
“Mike was a true ambassador for inline skating with a passion for the sport,” one commenter said. Another recalled seeing him in Duluth before the race with his wife and newborn daughter Friday.
Lufholm grew up in northern Minnesota and began skating in middle school, according to his team member profile on Rollerblade.com.
Race officials thanked participants who came to Lufholm’s aid, first responders and medical professionals who helped provide care.
“Our hearts go out to his wife, daughter, family, and all those who were close to him. He made such an impact on the rollerblading community,” the Facebook post said.
A 27-acre wildfire believed to be caused by human activity near Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was 25% contained Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Wood Lake fire was discovered around 10 a.m. Tuesday on an island on Wood Lake, a news release from the U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest said. It caused the closure of an entry point on the lake, as well as several nearby lakes and portages.
“Firefighters made good progress yesterday with higher humidity levels, continuing to reinforce the fire’s containment line,” the news release said Sunday, noting that firefighters are making contingency plans around Moose Lake.
Firefighters from Connecticut are assisting in fighting the fire.
The fire is under investigation, and Superior National Forest law enforcement are seeking any information about how the fire started.
A sheriff’s deputy wounded a man during a standoff in western Minnesota early Sunday.
The Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office was called for a welfare check at a house near Clarkfield, south of Montevideo, Saturday afternoon, the agency said in a news release. When officers arrived, the man they meant to check on fled into a farm field with a rifle, the release said.
Sheriff’s deputies rushed neighbors out of the house next to the field, and said the man pointed his rifle at them before running into the just-vacated house.
Deputies surrounded the house and tried to talk to the person, but called a SWAT team when they could not persuade him to come outside. Members of the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar SWAT team arrived and also tried to talk the person out of the house.
The man fired at the SWAT team, according to the sheriff’s office. A member of that SWAT team shot back, hitting the man in the leg. The standoff continued.
Two other SWAT teams relieved the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar team after about eight hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, the man left the house and shot a long gun at the SWAT teams. Another SWAT team member shot back and hit the man.
The man was taken to HCMC by helicopter and was in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
