Star Tribune
Former Wabasha pastor accused of swindling parishioners out of $72,000
A former pastor for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester is being investigated for allegedly defrauding parishioners in Wabasha, Minn. out of nearly $72,000.
Prince Amala Jesuraja Jebamalia Selvaraj, better known as Father Prince Raja, resigned as pastor at St. Felix in Wabasha and St. Agnes in Kellogg on Sept. 1 after the diocese found that Selvaraj had been requesting personal gifts and loans from parishioners.
“The Diocese of Winona-Rochester became aware of Fr. Prince’s behavior of requesting gifts and loans from parishioners on May 1, 2024 and he was asked to cease such activity with the warning that he may be removed as pastor if the behavior continued,” Rev. William D. Thompson, with the diocese, said in a statement. “When it was discovered that Fr. Prince had subsequently requested money from another parishioner, his resignation was requested.”
A search warrant for Selvaraj’s bank records was issued on Sept. 12 after the diocese’s legal counsel provided police with detailed accounting of Selvaraj’s activity.
In July, he “returned to India for personal reasons,” the diocese said in its statement. The diocese declined a request for further comment.
The Wabasha Police Department was first tipped off to Selvaraj in July by a woman who said she and other parishioners had given Selvaraj money for what they later believed to be fraud, according to the warrant.
The woman said Selvaraj came to her and her husband looking for $5,500 to pay back a loan for his mother’s surgery. The woman said she could help Selvaraj raise the money in a couple of days, but Selvaraj told her he couldn’t do that because he could lose his job for asking parishioners for money, the warrant says.
The woman later spoke to friends who had also been approached by Selvaraj. “… One of them said that he got her, too … the other one looked [at] both of them and stated that they had given him money as well,” the warrant says.
Star Tribune
Burning wood and trash might qualify as carbon free under 2040 climate law, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission rules
The commission drew hundreds of public comments, including input from electric utilities, state lawmakers, local elected officials, environmental nonprofits, Gov. Tim Walz’s pollution regulators, North Dakota’s governor, the forestry and paper industry and labor unions.
Wind, solar and nuclear power drew broad support as the PUC considered the issue. Wood and garbage burning were more controversial.
A dozen environmental organizations and some DFL lawmakers wanted the PUC to decide any electric plant that emits carbon at the point of generation — such as incinerating wood and garbage — would not be considered carbon free.
The state’s biggest electric utilities, as well as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the state Department of Commerce, said the law should take other factors into consideration.
They backed a “life-cycle analysis” of net emissions. Supporters of wood burning argue it can be carbon neutral, since wood would emit greenhouse gases as it decomposes or if it burned in a wildfire.
Do not pass the State Capitol dome, do not collect $200. Yes, Monopoly board games fans of St. Paul, you’re in luck.
Monopoly is set to release a special St. Paul edition of its classic board game next June.And for anyone who ever had an opinion about Minnesota’s second largest city, the game’s makers are seeking input on what businesses, restaurants and landmarks to include in the game.
Tim Barney, in charge of creating the city editions for Monopoly, says public involvement is essential to creating an authentic city-themed game.
“We really want the public to get involved,” Barney said. “If you live here, you used to live here, you like to visit. Whatever it is, if you’ve got a strong opinion about what makes St. Paul perfect, then that’s what we want to include.”
So instead of Park Place or Pennsylvania Avenue, the James J. Hill House or the St. Paul Hotel could take its place. It’s that type of local favorite that Barney and his team are looking for.
Jack Stransky, co-owner of Midway Book Store, said it’d be cool if businesses like his could be featured in the game.
“I think it’s cool,” Stransky said of the game. “If we get in it, it’s free advertising for us. We can’t deny that.”
Stransky hopes some lesser-known St. Paul staples might be included.
Star Tribune
In a first, Destination Medical Center rejects funding for proposed Rochester apartment project
Affordable housing rents are based on an area’s median household income, with lower rent caps for people making less than the median income — in Rochester, about $118,000 for a family of four. DMC officials are looking for rental units with caps for residents who make half to 80% of that amount, while Quaye and R&R Properties want to set rents slightly higher to cater to Mayo Clinic workers.
Quaye said she and her staff were frustrated by DMC’s process. She pointed out that R&R Properties’ funding request changed to $6 million last month after resizing a federal housing loan for the project, and later offered to cap the rent of 18 units at 110% of the area median income.
The board unanimously voted against funding the project, arguing it would take up too much of DMC’s project budget when larger apartment projects had received less money.
“In this case … I think it sets a precedent that could be very dangerous,” DMC Board Member R.T. Rybak said. “I want to look at a far lower level of subsidy that would be sustainable for the many other housing projects we have to be part of.”
But members also noted it was important to work with the developer. The property along 2nd Avenue is “critical” to the Discovery Walk corridor as it takes shape over the next few years.
Rochester is facing a growing housing crisis. A 2020 housing study found the city needed about 14,000 new housing units — a mix of multi-family, single-family, townhomes and condo developments — to keep up with the city’s expected population increase. Demand will be compounded as Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion downtown expansion gets underway over the next few years.
