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St. Paul mayor and city council meeting to reach budget compromise

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The middle ground: a 7.2% increase.

In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Mayor Jamie Tincher said Carter, too, would like the levy to be lower. But proposing a 5% increase would mean an additional cut of $6 million from 2025 city services — a reduction that could increase fire response times, slow the processing of license applications and reduce parks and rec and library services.

“He doesn’t have a path to do that without reducing services that will be felt by the people who are currently getting them,” Tincher said.

If the two sides cannot agree on a tax levy for 2025, state law would require the city to institute this year’s levy. That, Tincher said, would lead to drastic cuts in city personnel and services, as costs go up every year because of things like health care, insurance and previously negotiated salary increases.

The gap between revenue and costs then, she said, would be $16 million.

Tincher was asked if this year’s negotiations felt “different.”



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St. Paul’s Black-owned bookstore Black Garnet Books sells to new owner

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Four years ago, Dionne Sims tweeted a dream into the world.

Sims had a vision for a Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota that would uplift books by people of color who are often marginalized in the literary world. At the time, there were no other bookstores like it in the state. Black Garnet Books opened in St. Paul’s Hamline-Midway neighborhood in 2022 with the help of crowdfunding and a $100,000 Neighborhood STAR grant from the city.

With that dream realized, Sims said she has turned toward other dreams: focusing on her writing and pursuing grad school. This summer, Sims shared in a post on Black Garnet Book’s Instagram that she was looking for a new owner for the bookstore. This fall, she sold the bookstore.

“I feel really good about it,” she said. “Something that I really feel strongly about is that you don’t have to do something forever for it to have been good during the time that you did it, or for it to have been worth doing.”

In addition to her social media callout, Sims reached out to Terresa Moses, a University of Minnesota professor and the owner of Blackbird Revolt, a social justice design studio. The two met through a mutual friend in 2020 and connected on a dog walk. Not long after, Sims volunteered to help pass out Blackbird Revolt merch at protests. When Black Garnet opened its doors, they began stocking Moses’ designs.

Nova the dog rests on a pillow while shoppers are busy perusing books and items inside Black Garnet Books on Small Business Saturday in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. ] SHARI L. GROSS • shari.gross@startribune.com (Shari L. Gross)

“She was the first person I thought of when I was like, ‘okay, I’m definitely going to do this. I’m definitely going to sell the store,’” Sims said.

It worked out. There is a strong connection between the work at Blackbird and Black Garnet, Moses said in an email.

“Much like the work I already engage in, there is a strong intersection of creativity, storytelling, and abolition,” Moses said.



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Accidental is ruling of death of man who suffered head wound in Plymouth home

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The death of a man who suffered a head injury inside his Plymouth home last month has been ruled as accidental, according to officials.

David Raymond Hegre, 63, died from severe blood loss on Nov. 22 at his townhome in the 13700 block of 54th Avenue N., the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday.

Hegre suffered a deep cut to his scalp in “a presumed fall,” a statement from the Medical Examiner’s Office read. The statement included that the manner of death was an accident.

Three days after Hegre died, Police Chief Erik Fadden told the Minnesota Star Tribune that his department did not suspect this was a case of homicide but added, “obviously, it’s a little suspicious.”

Police said in search warrant affidavits filed in Hennepin County District Court that officers went into the home and saw a “blood trail going up the stairs was consistent with a body being dragged up the stairs, and it appeared some of the blood had been attempted to be cleaned up.”

The Star Tribune has asked the chief for comment about the ruling by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Hegre graduated from Hopkins Lindbergh High School in 1979 and earned a degree in economics from the University of Minnesota before building a career in sales and consulting.

“Rarely idle, Dave enjoyed time with family, winemaking, remodeling, landscaping and tinkering with odd jobs,” his online obituary read.



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Mankato Brewery, maker of popular popcorn ale, closing after 12 years

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One of the largest independent breweries in Minnesota, known for its inventive beer creations, is set to close soon.

Mankato Brewery, which has sold craft beers in its taproom for 12 years, will have last call in late January, owner Tim Tupy said on Facebook Monday night.

“Our journey as a brewery is coming to an end,” said Tupy, who started the business out of his garage.

“This isn’t just a goodbye to brewing; it’s a farewell to the countless moments we’ve shared with all of you — our fans, our friends, our team, and our community,” Tupy said. “Together, we celebrated milestones, raised glasses to life’s joys, and built something truly special here in the region.”

Mankato Brewery’s Tim Tupy served Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale.

Mankato Brewery’s Tim Tupy served Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale in 2016. (The Minnesota Star Tribune) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

In 2016, the brewery had a hit in its Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale, a sweet Belgian farmhouse-style saison. Each pint started with about two cups of Angie’s Boomchickapop, based in North Mankato. Liquor stores couldn’t keep it in stock.

In August, Tupy announced that the brewery was for sale, saying he was nearing retirement, and his current investors were not able to take over the business.

The asking price for the brewery was listed as $3.95 million. When putting the brewery up for sale, Tupy said the business sold 3,761 barrels of beer, or 116,591 gallons, in 2023. He said the brewery was the 19th largest independent brewery in the state.



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