Med City Beat is no longer publishing new articles, though archives from 2014-2022 remain accessible to the public.
Med City Beat is a Rochester-based news project rooted in fairness, transparency and civic responsibility.
Est. 2014
Congressman Hagedorn represents an area with internationally recognized experts in infectious disease and epidemiology. Instead of sharing the wealth of information from these doctors and experts, he chose to promote dangerous disinformation.
Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to face difficult times and stressful days. Our resolve will be tested, but in these moments, I encourage us to think of the frontline workers making sacrifices for our communities in southern Minnesota.
My plan would allow the initial operation of the Kmart lot on a five year basis, after which escalating renewal fees would be triggered. This money would be returned directly to the neighborhoods impacted by the park-and-ride development. It would allow the community to share in the financial benefit of the large park-and-ride in return for allowing a use that would otherwise be prohibited.
In order to meet our Rochester climate obligations we must clean up our electric sources and transition away from fossil fuels for heating and transportation. I fell the public is due an update on the good work being done by our Public Utility.
Minnesota is the third most expensive state for childcare in the entire country and this is a reality that parents, children, and childcare providers across southern Minnesota know all too well. They deserve a representative who will go to Washington in search of solutions. Unfortunately, we don’t have that right now.
Putting a Band-Aid on the problem doesn’t solve the problem; it just prolongs the healing process. We need to start looking at the real barriers of homelessness and take action.
The council members didn’t just vote to increase their pay and the pay of the mayor. They voted to change the nature of those elected positions. They voted to change the balance of those challenging and demanding roles in a way that makes them more accessible to a greater variety of people.
Bus Rapid Transit is cheaper, more flexible in some ways and probably faster to build. But as one of the most important investments in the DMC era, does it deliver on the promise of transformative change? Probably not. It's an improved bus system with more bells and whistles. Trams or streetcars, on the other hand, could be the type of game-changing investment that DMC promoters have promised.
If you had asked me 10 years ago whether bus rapid transit (BRT) or streetcars were right for Rochester; I would have insisted on a streetcar. After 10 years of learning and data, I am convinced that BRT is both the correct and only feasible solution.
The Arts Trust of Minnesota (ATOM) was born from a hope to be the bridge between now and then, in addition to serving a real need in Rochester among local arts organizations seeking space to thrive in.
With our community, we have envisioned a Rochester with more sustainability, more transportation options, housing options for all and a lean, efficient and proactive government. It is time to join our partners throughout the community and put that plan into action.
City officials should gladly welcome MetroNet into Rochester to guarantee residents have access to fast speeds from more than one Internet service provider.
We need independent journalists and news media free of government pressure now more than ever, to report honestly and accurately on what's happening in Washington and around the world.
Heather brings energy, insights, and the practical solutions needed in local government.
If experience is any guide, the style of leadership that Heather Holmes will bring to the City of Rochester could be hostile, reactionary, and may enable bad behavior by those in power.
As Olmsted County looks to its future, it will need to take steps to assure the justice system has the facilities that are needed to provide secure, fair and timely resolution of all cases that come before the courts.
There are so many patients out and about, so many family members staying locally, so many people who work for Mayo that are out in the community, that no matter who you are, you are involved in healthcare.
The fight for a $15 minimum is a national campaign but CURE is bringing that fight to Rochester, following in the footsteps of Minneapolis, St. Paul and countless cities across the country.
Over the last several years Rochester has taken serious steps to mitigate our climate footprint.
One only has to turn on the news or spend time on social media to see that incivility is everywhere.
