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University of Minnesota, Fairview extend hospital buyback talks
Fairview has operated the University of Minnesota Medical Center since 1997.
MINNEAPOLIS — A deal for the University of Minnesota to buy back its academic health facilities from Fairview Health Services will take a little longer to complete than originally planned.
Earlier this year, the university’s Board of Regents approved a non-binding letter of intent with Fairview to repurchase the University of Minnesota Medical Center and transfer control back to the U of M.
However, in a joint statement sent to KARE 11, university officials and Fairview said they will not meet their self-imposed Sept. 30 deadline to finalize a deal.
“Since we reached agreement on our letter of intent last February, we have committed significant time and attention to working through the complexities involved in determining how a future partnership can best serve the health care needs of our state,” said U of M officials and Fairview Health Services in their joint statement. “This process has included partnering with leading financial and health care industry experts for comprehensive third-party analyses. That ongoing work is designed to provide us a clearer understanding of current operations and facilities, and what’s needed to ensure we can continue to provide world-class care that’s accessible and affordable to all Minnesotans, as well as a great working environment for our dedicated staff.”
Fairview has operated the university’s hospital since 1997, following financial struggles for the facility.
Officials say the delay in the deal is expected to be brief.
“While significant work has been done over the past eight months, we both agree additional time is needed. As we have made clear from the outset, getting these agreements right is our top priority. With that in mind, we hope within a month to wrap up the current stage of discussions,” the statement said.
In addition to the hospital sale, the two sides are negotiating the future of the “M Health Fairview” brand, after Fairview said it would not renew its current deal when it expires at the end of 2026.
Officials say patients should not notice any impact on care as talks continue.
“As has been true throughout these discussions, nothing changes for our patients, our care teams, or our employees at any of our facilities as we continue these discussions,” the statement said. “We remain focused on providing the high-quality, innovative care Minnesotans expect and deserve, and on strengthening our joint clinical enterprise.”
Six rideshare drivers accuse the leader of the MULDA — the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association — of fraud.
MINNEAPOLIS — Throughout the fight for higher wages waged by rideshare drivers that almost resulted in Uber and Lyft leaving the Twin Cities, Eid Ali, the president of the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association or MULDA was always front and center.
Now, six drivers including four MULDA board members are suing the association.
Part of the lawsuit accuses Ali of consumer fraud, claiming he accepted money from them and other drivers for membership and that the MULDA website continues to solicit donations, while Ali changed the articles of incorporation to say MULDA has no members.
“When they requested documents to oversee what was going on, they were informed that they’ve been removed from the board,” said Tim Maher, attorney for the plaintiffs.
Maher asked a judge for an injunction, to stop MULDA from removing those board members, as the lawsuit plays out in court.
Ali and attorney Stephen Cooper who represents MULDA are firing back stating the money collected was not for memberships.
“They have absolutely no evidence of any misdeeds at all,” said attorney Stephen Cooper. “And that was not for membership. That was merely to become a contributor for legal help for the battle in the legislature.”
And they are asking for the judge to dismiss the case, saying videos like this show the plaintiffs undermining Ali and entire MULDA group by recruiting members to join the SEIU union instead.
“We’ve already defeated Uber and Lyft. Now it’s time to defeat the individuals who are trying to misuse our organization,” a plaintiff can be heard saying on a video court exhibit.
The judge will make a ruling soon.
The man was suspected of murdering an artist in St. Paul hours earlier.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified the two officers who fatally shot a man in Belle Plaine on Friday.
The Saint Paul Police Department had sought the man, identified as 29-year-old Seantrell Murdock, in connection with the murder of 66-year-old Carrie Shobe Kwok on Wednesday night.
According to the BCA, the officers located Murdock as he left the residence he had been staying at in Belle Plaine.
Investigators allegedly approached Murdock near the intersection of South Chestnut and East Prairie streets, according to the BCA.
“At one point during the confrontation that followed, the officers fired their weapons, striking Murdock,” said the BCA.
The officers were identified as Aaron Bohlen, who has worked in law enforcement for 10 years, and Lance Christianson, who has worked in the field for 20 years, according to the BCA.
Murdock was transported to HCMC, where he died of his injuries.
BCA personnel recovered a gun from the area where Murdock was shot, according to the release from the agency.
Portions of the incident were captured on body camera video, said the agency.
Both officers have been put on standard administrative leave.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The truck attempted to evade the SUV and lost control, veering into westbound traffic, where it struck the SUV the Minnesotans were in.
UTAH, USA — Four Minnesotans and a man from Utah were killed in a multi-vehicle crash southeast of Salt Lake City on Thursday.
The fatal collision occurred after an SUV attempted to pull onto the designated acceleration lane, but overshot it, and drove into a different lane, which was already occupied by a semi-truck, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
The truck attempted to evade the SUV and lost control, veering into westbound traffic, where it struck the SUV the four Minnesotans were in.
Another man who was riding his ATV on the westbound shoulder was also struck and killed by the semitruck.
The Minnesotans have been identified as 56-year-old Sang Her from Brooklyn Center, 38-year-old Lee Thao from Brooklyn Center, 26-year-old Bee Moua from St. Paul, and 25-year-old Mai Lor from St. Paul.
The man who was driving the ATV was identified as 35-year-old Gustavo Mendoza of Helper, Utah.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
