Star Tribune
Minnesotan dies of rabies after a bat bite
An elderly Minnesotan died earlier this year after a bat exposure at home in the western part of the state resulted in a case of rabies.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced the death Friday, following confirmatory testing on Sept. 20 of the rare infectious disease by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The case is the ninth on record in Minnesota since 1917, and the fourth since 2000. Seven of the infections were fatal.
State health officials said the death does not indicate a heightened risk to the public, but urged people as always to avoid contact with bats, which are responsible for 70% of U.S. rabies cases. State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Stacy Holzbauer also reminded people to seek rabies vaccinations for household pets and livestock.
Rabies is treatable with an immune globulin injection plus four doses of rabies vaccine to boost the immune system, but only if treatment is started before symptoms emerge. Otherwise, the disease is almost always fatal.
The state said the victim is older than 65 and was exposed to a bat in July. The investigation into the infection is ongoing, but family members reported that a bat had been in the house and that the victim had killed a bat. The individual did not receive rabies treatment before symptoms emerged.
Public health workers were following up to determine whether close relatives or health care workers who treated the victim had been exposed to the virus.
The state encouraged people to contact health care providers or the health department after any physical contact with bats, because their bites can sometimes leave only small or unnoticeable marks. Bats can be tested for rabies if captured to determine whether people need to initiate treatment.
Star Tribune
North Dakota regulators consider underground carbon dioxide storage permits for Midwest pipeline
Carbon capture projects such as Summit’s are eligible for lucrative federal tax credits intended to encourage cleaner-burning ethanol and potentially result in corn-based ethanol being refined into jet fuel.
Some opponents argue the amount of greenhouse gases sequestered through the process would make little difference and could lead farmers to grow more corn despite environmental concerns about the crop.
In Minnesota, utility regulators were expected to decide Thursday whether to grant a route permit for a small part of the overall project, a 28-mile (45-kilometer) segment that would connect an ethanol plant in Fergus Falls to Summit’s broader network.
An administrative law judge who conducted hearings recommended in November that the Public Utilities Commission grant the permit, saying the panel lacks the legal authority to reject it. The judge concluded that the environmental impacts from the Minnesota segment would be minimal, that the environmental review met the legal requirements, and noted that Summit has secured agreements from landowners along most of the recommended route. Commission staff, the state Department of Commerce and Summit largely concurred with those findings.
Environmental groups that oppose the project dispute the judge’s finding that the project would have a net benefit for the environment.
In addition to North Dakota, Summit has a permit from Iowa for its route, but regulators for that state required the company to obtain approvals for routes in the Dakotas and underground storage in North Dakota before it can begin construction. The Iowa Utilities Commission’s approval sparked lawsuits related to the project.
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“You’ve got to be able to say, ‘Here’s how much we want to spend, and here’s what we want the impact to be,’” Carter said.
During the council meeting, Johnson, the Ward 7 council member, alluded to those statements, saying people have used such language to try to discredit women in leadership, especially young women. This is the first budget from St. Paul’s new all-women council.
Staff writer James Walsh contributed to this report.
