a folklorico dancer with La Alegre Bailadores Paul’s Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories Paul began officially hosting a Cinco de Mayo parade celebrating the city’s Latin American heritage and marking a Mexican military victory back in 1862 While the fifth of May does not carry much significance in Mexico Paul Cinco de Mayo festivities could rival a medium-sized independence day parade Paul began celebrating Cinco de Mayo three days early But the real festivities started at 10 a.m Indigenous and contemporary Mexican music and dance MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all A performer from Comparza San Lucas Evangelista waves a Mexican flag during St Paul's Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalA dancer with the Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli crosses the street during St Paul’s Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan Journal'Rey' with the Latin America Motorcycle Association poses on his bike at the Cinco de Mayo parade on St Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalA dancer with Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue crosses Cesar Chavez Way in St Paul during the Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalA taqueria worker watches dancers at the Cinco de Mayo parade in Saint Paul on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalA dancer with Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli blows a conch shell during St Paul’s Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalTwo dancers with La Alegre Bailadores look out during St Paul’s Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalTwo wrestlers duke it out at Cinco Chaos” during St Paul’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday.Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalA dancer with Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue wears ayoyotes Alberto Villafan | Sahan JournalFestivities wrapped up in St For more Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Minneapolis, click here Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Best Tacos in Minneapolis and St. Paul The Best Mexican Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul The Best Restaurants at the Mall of America An Asian-influenced cafe and a car wash turned steakhouse are highlights a collection of exciting new restaurants and pop-ups that have opened or reopened in the last six months or so Paul’s resilient restaurant community continues to find creative ways to introduce diners to fantastic and unexpected food and drink Got a tip for Eater Twin Cities? Drop us a line at twincities@eater.com — Additional reporting by Justine Jones, Brenna Houck, and Ashok Selvam clean look and has seating for about 65 visitors The Hottest New Brunches in the Twin Cities Right Now This bakery on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue debuted in December 2024 carrying on the legacy of the former Baldinger Bakery founded by owner Steve Baldinger’s family in 1888 Head baker Omri Zin-Tamir of Bakery on 22nd Street commands production of the menu that includes San Francisco sourdough loaves and two styles of bagels — Jerusalem and New York Load up a tray with Chinese pastries at this new Frogtown bakery The cases here offer a smorgasbord of buns and bakes filled with everything from savory ham and cheese and pork floss to sweet options like taro and red bean paste the restaurant dishes up warming bowls of congee perfect for cutting through the cold Minnesota winter temps Crispy fried chicken sandwich and wing slinger Burt Chicken Cafe has officially taken over the East Side Bar space as of November. The restaurant is working towards acquiring a liquor license, but in the meantime, folks can feast on Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, smoked wings, and jambalaya fried rice for dine-in and carryout with online ordering 7-Elevens outside of America are distinct from their U.S. siblings. In Japan, you’ll find fun desserts and beverages that put anything kept warm on a roller to shame. Moona Moono, a hybrid store and cafe, brings some of these qualities to the Midwest with yuzu poppy seed and brown-butter matcha selections from Bogart’s Doughnut Co and specialty drinks like a strawberry-matcha latte The owners of Mr. Paul’s Supper Club, which opened in 2021, have transformed its back sandwich shop The space now has a carnival theme with bites like bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers and a cotton candy-garnished concoction called Giggle Water (vodka 21 Destination Restaurants in the Twin Cities Suburbs You’ll find top-notch steakhouse fare at Stone & Oak, which earns additional points as the space is a former car wash. St. Paul chef Adam Johnson (Kincaid’s, Public Kitchen) leads the kitchen. Poke nachos and Sichuan Brussels sprouts are highlights for those who don’t partake in red meat. Reservations are available on Toast M&A Seminar on Preparing Your Company for Sale Presented by Maslon LLP and Northborne Partners 149-unit apartment building at 33 Wentworth Ave a site currently occupied by the Wentworth Center office building Efforts to reform Minnesota zoning laws fail again as local opposition blocks a bill limiting parking mandates[...] Performance contracting helps governments and schools cut energy costs Twin Cities housing starts were up across the board in April on the strength of another solid month for single[...] Greco Properties plans a 20-unit memory care facility on a tough-to-develop Edina lot Rice Creek Commons begins redevelopment with Micro Control HQ marking a major step after years of delays at t[...] proposes 43-unit mixed-use building in Excelsior with a renovation of the historic Dock Cinema Sign up for your daily digest of Minnesota News Efforts to reform Minnesota zoning laws fail again as local opposition blocks a bill limiting parkin[...] will break ground this summer on The Dorian a 190-unit apartment complex in Lake Elmo af[...] The University of Minnesota plans to sell 60 acres at UMore Park for $8.1M to North Wind Test for a [...] The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged despite political pressure from Pre[...] The Trump administration is swiftly remaking housing policy as the U.S Department of Housing and Ur[...] construction job openings dropped by 38,000 in March signaling slowing labor demand amid tarif[...] Trump's trade demands stretch beyond tariffs Performance contracting helps governments and schools cut energy costs is now an official city after a local vote Milwaukee Mitchell Airport will start a $95.2M international terminal project this summer after dela[...] Listen here analysis and commentary on Minnesota business We are the only independent daily newspaper dedicated to business reporting Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions The first-ring suburb has seen a slew of housing projects in recent years Attracting retail and other amenities has been more complicated the project looked like any modern apartment building in West St Four stories with 65 affordable units on a 1.85-acre lot supplanting a Tudor-style home with red trim and encircled by tall trees complicating developer Reuter Walton’s plans for a housing complex at 212 Thompson Ave Neighbors like Chris and Jon Gustafson contended a street mostly lined with single-family homes was no place for a multi-level rental property Mayor Dave Napier said homeowners in the building’s shadow would “never see a sunset.” The heated debate over the project exemplifies a challenge facing West St Paul officials: how to expand the city’s affordable housing inventory amid a statewide shortage while minimizing the impact on nearby neighborhoods News of proposed rental housing often produces pockets of backlash in the first-ring suburb with some residents calling for investment in amenities — movie theaters community centers and other businesses — over apartments That tension defined debate over the proposed four-story complex One council member argued residents wouldn’t have enough places to park Another said the residential project strayed from the city’s goal to seed certain areas with equal amounts of housing and commercial space when the City Council capped off a nearly four-hour meeting by voting to deny the developer a permit for the project “We don’t deny often,” Council Member John Justen said at the meeting Community Development Director Ben Boike said most new multi-family housing has filled up at a record pace demonstrating a continued need for apartments some elected officials admit the city has struggled to attract commercial development alongside rental housing in mixed-use areas — an ambition outlined in West St Paul residents aren’t imagining the significant share of affordable and market-rate apartments that has dotted the suburb in recent years City Manager Nate Burkett said officials have expanded housing options for renters in their corner of Dakota County, which faces an overall shortage of nearly 7,000 homes for extremely low-income renters Metropolitan Council data shows complexes with five or more units made up roughly half of West St with the city permitting over 600 units in 2021 alone About 250 of them were considered affordable for residents earning 60% of the area median income whose population is a little over half of West St Paul’s yet boasts a median household income that’s almost double its eastern neighbor complexes with five or more units made up about 18% of the city’s housing stock in 2023 which hasn’t added any affordable units since 2003 Paul’s relatively significant share of apartments to its location “I think that we have to recognize that as a first-ring suburb and being close to transit and being close to a lot of job opportunities that probably was naturally going to happen,” he said Many recent construction projects have demolished existing properties — a vacant church, a shuttered Kmart — to make way for new housing Another ongoing project will fuse retail and housing: Greco is partnering with the city to supplant a since-demolished YMCA at 150 Thompson Ave with over 400 market-rate apartments and nearly 30 townhomes Yet some elected officials contend redevelopment that brings new commercial space and amenities lags — despite the city’s long-term land-use plan calling for that construction in mixed-use areas. Mayor Napier said, “We’re not getting the retail that we really wanted with our housing.” The reasons for that imbalance vary. Justen said housing is a safer investment for developers amid an unrelenting demand for rental units. Napier echoed the council member: “The more units” for a developer, he said, “the more money.” When Paul Tucci, an executive at the development firm Oppidan, was planning a four-story apartment building on part of the old Thompson Oaks golf course, he said there wasn’t a discussion about adding a retail component. The complex’s location is about a mile’s drive from some stores lining Robert Street, West St. Paul’s main thoroughfare. “It would have been really difficult to try and convince any retailer to come off of Robert Street and go to a side street,” Tucci said. Justen, who owns a guitar store, has pushed back on the idea that customers won’t frequent businesses outside the main corridor, arguing that independent businesses can thrive even if big-box stores have struggled. The city, he added, needs to pair apartment projects with commercial growth. “If you want to have jobs in the vicinity for the people that live in your housing,” Justen said, “you have to have places for them to work in your community.” He said the city can encourage that by buying properties in “prime locations” and then selling them to, or partnering with, developers amenable to investing in commercial space. That’s how the YMCA redevelopment project came to be. After Hy-Vee abandoned plans to build a grocery store at the site, the city bought the land and teamed up with Greco, the developer, on a mixed-use project. Burkett, the city manager, described growth in West St. Paul as a balancing act between boosting affordable housing stock, keeping nearby homeowners content and adhering to the city’s vision for long-term growth. But when it comes to the affordable housing crisis, he said, “West St. Paul can’t solve it by itself.” Eva Herscowitz covers Dakota and Scott counties for the Star Tribune. Books Ariel Lawhon and Imani Perry also are coming to Hopkins for the popular Hennepin County Library series Hyperlocal cable TV stations that broadcast everything from high school sports to city government meetings confront a perilous existence The state’s 61st Teacher of the Year is the first from the Eden Prairie school district to win the award Paul has been lifted Thursday night after police took a man into custody Paul police say they responded to a report of a man with a gun in the area of Emerson Avenue and Langer Circle on Thursday evening officers learned the man was in a nearby house that may have children inside The people inside were safely evacuated before the suspect eventually left the residence unarmed Police did not specify the ages of the other people inside the residence It’s unclear if he will be charged in the incident The shelter-in-place was ongoing for several hours Thursday night Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 UPDATE 11/21/24: The reservoir which was temporarily shut off in West St Paul is back up and running now that test results show that water is safe for consumption Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Thursday morning that tests were done by the Minnesota Department of Health to make sure there weren’t any contamination concerns after a hatch was forced open late Tuesday night Those tests results came back negative for concerns who add the reservoir was back in service on Wednesday afternoon issued the following statement on the incident: “These types of incidents are treated very seriously as they have the potential to involve purposeful contamination and affect water safety We’ve treated this matter with the utmost urgency and care to ensure the continued safety of our community Our team worked through the night alongside the Minnesota Department of Health to evaluate the reservoir and collect water samples We appreciate the support of the local law enforcement and the Minnesota Department of Health to address this situation quickly.” INITIAL REPORT 11/20/24: Police say officers have arrested multiple people — both juvenile and young adults — after responding to a break-in at the St Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) holding tank in West St officers were called to the tank on Imperial Drive around 10 p.m they found multiple people leaving the scene Due to the amount of people considered to be suspects other departments were called in to help with the search which included the use of a drone and a helicopter When officers found a lid to the water reservoir was vandalized Paul Regional Water Services isolated and temporarily shut off the reservoir as a precaution until they could test the water Police say they don’t have a reason to believe the suspects meant to tamper with the water supply Paul may experience a decrease in their water pressure until the reservoir is back up and running the Minnesota Department of Health says tests came back negative for drinking water quality concerns The reservoir will be back in service Wednesday afternoon “These types of incidents are treated very seriously as they have the potential to involve purposeful contamination and affect water safety,” said Racquel Vaske Paul police have confirmed that Jae’ana was found safely Paul police are seeking the public’s help in finding a 12-year-old girl who ran away earlier this month Jae’ana Sapphire Payne ran away on Jan Authorities say her last known location was Motel 6 in Roseville Jae’ana was last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with black writing She is 5 feet tall and weighs around 85 pounds Authorities add that she has brown eyes and long brown If you’ve seen Jae’ana or know her whereabouts Authorities say a late-night crash in Lakeville on Saturday has left four people hurt with one man in the hospital with serious injuries the one-vehicle crash happened just after 11 p.m A Mitsubishi Outlander was exiting northbound I-35 to 185th Street when the vehicle left the road and rolled identified as 60-year-old Jose Armando Sanchez Aguillon of West St Sanchez Aguillon was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) for life-threatening injuries The incident report states Sanchez Aguillon weren’t wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash were taken to HCMC for injuries classified by the State Patrol as non-life-threatening Road conditions were listed as being dry at the time of the crash Dakota County held a ribbon-cutting Monday 3 for the new Crisis and Recovery Center in West St The facility is located next to Dakota County’s Northern Service Center.Courtesy Dakota CountyPlayListenNew mental health crisis and recovery center opens in West St easing psychiatric bed shortageGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories the top reason for discharge delays from Minnesota hospitals is a lack of availability of psychiatric beds The study found some patients were spending as long as two weeks in a hospital waiting for psychiatric bed placement There is a new facility hoping to ease some of those pains The facility will have 16 psychiatric beds It’s run by Dakota County and the non-profit Guild Deputy Director of Dakota County Social Services Emily Schug and Guild’s CEO Trish Thacker joined Minnesota Now to talk about the new facility Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast Transcription services provided by 3Play Media Paul is determining whether LoanMax on Robert Street is an “alternative financial establishment,” which the city limited more than a decade ago R&B Liquors and a recent addition: LoanMax Title Loans a company with locations around the country that loans money with car titles as collateral There’s one potential problem: LoanMax might not be allowed to be there the city is trying to figure out what exactly the business does and whether it needs to move out “There are some components that might be permitted under kind of general banking and mortgage servicing,” West St Paul Development Director Benjamin Boike said fit that definition of alternative financial.” LoanMax did not return a request for comment CB Ventures LLC is listed as the owner of the property in Dakota County records The LLC is registered to former Minnesota Vikings player and lieutenant governor candidate Matt Birk He did not return a request for comment through Matt Birk and Company LoanMax opened late last year at 1098 Robert St. Not long after the location opened, the city started receiving complaints from people who said the business shouldn’t be there, first reported by the West St. Paul Reader. LoanMax is located in what West St. Paul calls its Gateway North mixed-use district. The city outlines a list of 52 permitted business types in this area plus businesses allowed with special permitting Alternative financial establishments aren’t among them Boike said it’s typically up to businesses or landlords to make sure a business comports with zoning rules Unless the business requires a conditional use permit the process doesn’t require city pre-approval City Planner Melissa Houtsma said in an email that she talked with a representative of the business or landlord last year and what they described at the time sounded like plans for an office use Houtsma said she sent a compliance letter outlining the zoning issue to an address listed on the county property records that came back as “return to sender - vacant,” so she sent a letter to the property itself lets patrons borrow up to $10,000 against the title on their vehicle The city is talking to LoanMax attorneys to decide if what the business does disqualifies some or all of its operations from being located in the area Paul voted in 2012 to limit where alternative financial establishments can be located Such businesses aren’t allowed on the part of Robert Street where LoanMax opened provided they get a permit from the city and are at least 800 feet from other alternative financial establishments “We’re just trying to strike a balance,” Council Member Jim Englin said when the city restricted the businesses “We don’t want to see Robert Street become the check-cashing capital of the metro area.” and many cities have moved to limit their presence The Urban Institute found they are more often located in low-income and minority neighborhoods “When the loan comes due, borrowers who cannot afford to repay can renew it for a fee. As with payday loans, payments exceed most title loan borrowers’ ability to repay — so the large majority of loans in this market are renewals, rather than new extensions of credit," the research found. Pew found between 6% and 11% of title loan users had a car repossessed annually. When it comes to LoanMax, Boike said the city will decide what to do once it determines whether the business’s services do or don’t fit the zoning. If they don’t fit there, Boike said: “Basically, we work with them on a timeline to vacate if that’s the case and find a location in the city that works for them.” Greta Kaul is the Star Tribune’s built environment reporter. 2025 at 8:22 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Minnesota BCA and West St Paul police are assisting Sioux Falls police in the search for Shalene Ball (Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.)WEST ST MN — Authorities say a woman believed to be "held against her will" may have been seen recently in West St The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the West St Paul Police Department are assisting the Sioux Falls Police Department in South Dakota in the search for Shalene Ball Investigators have received information that she may have been recently in the West St Anyone with information on Ball’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. A man was killed in a crash while fleeing police in West St According to the city’s police department on Sunday due to a 35-year-old man threatening other residents and damaging property in the home She also said the man had drunk large amounts of alcohol and used drugs A dispatcher also reported hearing a man yelling and what sounded like things being thrown Police Chief Brian Sturgeon says a responding officer saw the vehicle leaving the home at a high rate of speed adding the officer was a block or more from the home when he spotted the vehicle That same vehicle was then seen by officers driving eastbound at a high rate of speed at the intersection of Moreland Avenue and Charlton Street Police tried to pull him over and arrest him for domestic assault Chief Sturgeon says the man continued to drive away at a high speed The man then reportedly lost control of his vehicle a few blocks later – at Moreland and Robert Street – and crashed into a power pole and two unoccupied cars in a driveway near the intersection of Moreland Avenue and Kruse Street Paul Police Department says it has requested the Mendota Heights Police Department to investigate the crash Minnesota State Patrol is also conducting a crash reconstruction The Best New Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul Right Now, May 2025 New this update: This time around, we’re losing Pajarito and swapping out El Sazon’s original gas station taqueria in favor of its newest spot in Stillwater where diners can experience a taco omakase — Additional reporting by Justine Jones and Ali Elabbady Taqueria Los Paisanos serves stellar tacos and quesadillas from its bright orange-and-yellow East 7th Street storefront The Best Mexican Restaurants in Minneapolis and St Where to Get Takeout Tacos in the Twin Cities Where to Find Birria and Quesabirria Tacos Around the Twin Cities The Best Restaurants in Northeast Minneapolis Where to Eat on Minneapolis’s Eat Street Corridor Founded by Luis Reyes Rojas, Pineda Tacos has been doing a brisque taco business on Lake Street for roughly a decade and has since grown to an outpost in St. Paul. Go for the hard-shell tacos here if that’s your jam or choose from corn or flour tortillas. The bistec a la Mexicana served acorazado-style with jalapeños and onions is also a worthy choice. Both locations offer options for takeout and delivery through third-party apps Doordash or place an order by calling the restaurant The Twin Cities’ Best Affordable Restaurants Swing through Lake Street’s Mercado Central for tacos at Tacos Del Sol, where owner Emilio Escobar dishes up juicy, tender al pastor tacos that are best paired with horchata or an ice-cold bottle of Jarritos. Orders are accepted online and by phone The 15 Best Lunch Restaurants in Minneapolis Tucked inside Winner Gas Station on Cedar Avenue, Taqueria Las Cañadas serves a full menu of tacos, tortas, and more. Pair carne asada tacos with a bowl of birria de chivo, an exceptional hangover cure. Owner Juan Tirado buys the whole goat for the birria and butchers it himself Saturnina Valdez and Estevan Olivares’ Tacos El Kevin is regarded by critics and customers alike as one of the best taco spots in Minneapolis. Try a plate of the carne asada, served with whole-grilled green onions, and pair it with elote and sliced mango. Takeout orders can be called in or placed through Uber Eats Andale Taqueria made an appearance on Food Network’s Diners when Guy Fieri featured chefs and owners Fernando Mellado-Barboza and Jorge Rangel Castro’s al pastor tacos their marinade made with dense blocks of achiote paste The carne asada tacos are another favorite The Best New Restaurants in Minneapolis and St This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page — Additional reporting by Justine Jones The Best Happy Hour Deals in Minneapolis and St Owners Hortencia Reyes and Miguel Lopez opened Homi (a combination of their names) in 2010. Today the duo and their son are still serving family recipes in a sunny space on University Avenue. The whole menu — from the chile relleno to the empanadas to the refried beans — is made from scratch. Stop by on a chilly day for Hidalgo-style consomé de borrego con barbacoa, menudo, or pozole. Online ordering is available Follow Nicollet Avenue all the way south to Richfield for a stop at Andale Taqueria & Mercado, one of the Cities’ most-loved taquerias. Andale made an appearance on Food Network’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives in 2020 when Guy Fieri endorsed chefs and owners Fernando Mellado-Barboza and Jorge Rangel Castro’s al pastor tacos which uses a marinade made with dense blocks of achiote paste These 16 Twin Cities Grocery Stores Have Really Great Cafes Inside Them The Ultimate Twin Cities Restaurant Patio Guide Sip Nonalcoholic Cocktails at These Twin Cities Restaurants What started in 1999 in Mercado Central has expanded to three locations: one location on Lake Street and another in Richfield that definitely can’t be skipped for lunch during a Home Depot or Target run to Cedar Point Commons across the road Taqueria La Hacienda has Tex-Mex favorites as well as Mexican dishes such as the Torta Azteca with carnitas and grilled queso fresco on a bolillo roll This Mexican sandwich spot got its start in 1999 in Mercado Central before branching out to its Midtown Global Market and Minnesota State Fair booth. From Cubanas and Hawaianas to Milanesas, each sandwich is topped with provolone, tomato, lettuce, avocado, jalapeño, and chipotle mayo and comes with a side of refried beans and potato chips. Place orders online for carryout Taco Taxi is one of East Lake Street’s busiest restaurants People file in at all hours of the day for fresh carnitas and spit-roasted al pastor tipping their hats to the yellow cab (the literal taco taxi) parked outside Brothers Carlos and Hector Lopez serve their birria Jalisco-style; there are few better soul-warming soups to cap a long day though the well-stuffed burritos may take the cake for hangover prevention after a late night out A Late-Night Dining Survival Guide for the Twin Cities A bustling marketplace of more than 30 businesses Mercado Central is a pillar of East Lake Street A number of excellent restaurants are located here: Find gorditas and crispy corn empanadas at Cocina San Marcos; a juicy al pastor torta from Maria’s restaurant; fiery pozole from La Perla Tortilleria; or tamales from La Loma Wander around the market for even more excellent eats The 21 Essential Restaurants in Guatemala City Explore the Wealth of Mexican Restaurants Along Minneapolis’ East Lake Street El Norteño specializes in cuisine from northern Mexico Chefs and owners Estela and Clementina Serna have been serving dishes from their hometown of Chihuahua in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood since 1996 Try the enchiladas with homemade mole sauce or the Norteño tacos (made with beef There’s something for everyone — meat-eaters Greco Properties and Swervo Development plan to redevelop the now-vacant former YMCA property at 150 Thompson Ave with more than 400 units of market-rate apartments The 16-bed space is a partnership between Dakota County and Guild a big window behind her and a cluster of cozy furniture nearby people facing mental health crises will be able to get help in this pastel-toned space — absent the feeling of confinement that can accompany hospitalization “A place like this doesn’t really exist,” said Bremer a senior project manager for Dakota County Bremer was showing off the Crisis and Recovery Center, a spacious building just off Robert Street in West St. Paul. A Feb. 3 ribbon cutting will mark the project’s completion — and cap a yearslong effort to expand mental health services in Dakota County characterized by pockets of pushback and similarly strident support “This is a type of care that is really needed in the community,” said Emily Schug the county’s deputy director of social services “But we’re not resourced statewide for these services in a way that really meets the need.” A shortage of psychiatric beds has long plagued Minnesota. Several factors, including relatively low payments from insurance companies to hospitals for mental health treatment, can leave Minnesotans languishing as they await psychiatric care. The West St. Paul center aims to change that. The $14.1 million building, which relied on county, state and federal funds plus donations, is a partnership between Dakota County and Guild, a St. Paul-based nonprofit. The group has for decades provided short-term and permanent housing to people with serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar and borderline personality disorder. The new building, a 15,000-square-foot space with dark wood details and wide hallways, will replace three aging, Guild-run supportive houses in South St. Paul. It’s located just a few hundred yards from Dakota County’s Northern Service Center and divided into two parts. On the right side, a county-run area with room for two staff members, called “Place to Go,” will connect visitors to immediate resources. “Because in the moment, do any of us really know what we need when we’re in crisis?” Guild CEO Trish Thacker said. Guild will manage the rest of the building: 16 bedrooms with private bathrooms for people requiring days- and months-long stays. Just off a hallway of residences is a high-ceiling great room, with a flat-screen TV and fireplace facing a roomy leather couch. There’s an art room that doubles as a small gym and an elevator that opens onto a sunny second floor. “The spaces are really welcoming,” Thacker said. Bremer, the project manager, said staffers visited a similar center in Rochester for inspiration. One intentional aspect of the design: Only a small waiting space separates the county’s space from Guild’s residential wing. Say someone visiting the county side needs a safe place to stay for a few nights. “They can just walk across the vestibule, and the intake room is right there,” said Ericka Hammer, Dakota County’s adult services program coordinator. As for payment, people who receive care will have their insurance carrier billed, Thacker said. Guild’s Chief Clinical Officer John Adams added the nonprofit can accept uninsured patients and subsequently connect them to coverage. Staffing levels will remain robust, too. Adams said eight people will work at Guild’s 16-bed space during the day, including nurses, counselors and peer support specialists. Staffing will shrink to four people in the evening and two overnight. Sara Hillstrom felt immediately accepted when she arrived at one of Guild’s South St. Paul houses about a decade ago. Frequent moves disrupted her childhood, and she spent her teenage years in and out of a residential treatment center and group home. After graduating high school, she thrived for years working at Target. But an abusive relationship soon wrecked her mental health, sending her down a difficult path that climaxed one night in hospitalization. Hillstrom recalled staffers at a Minneapolis hospital strip-searching her and peppering her with a “zillion” questions before telling her they didn’t have any open psychiatric beds. But Guild had room. Hillstrom remembered arriving at one of the houses in South St. Paul around midnight, where a staff member swiftly showed her to a bed. “She was so kind,” Hillstrom said. “She just reassured me that I was safe. That I can just go to bed and we’ll do the intake in the morning.” She stayed there for two weeks, then leaned on a Guild social worker for years. Today, she lives independently in West St. Paul with her black cat Onyx and collection of books. Guild, she said, gave “me that reassurance that I can do things on my own.” Years later, she testified to the power of Guild’s approach at a 2022 meeting about the planned West St. Paul crisis center, hoping to win over those averse to living near a treatment facility — and to erode misconceptions about mental illness. She said she’s thrilled the project came to fruition. “I am so excited for more people to be helped,” she said. The first residents will arrive Feb. 10, when people currently living at the South St. Paul houses are scheduled to settle into the new building. More residents will surely follow. Adams said there’s already a wait list. Minneapolis Doğukan Günaydin was arrested March 27 by plainclothes officers from the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis James Duane Ortley made his first appearance on four counts of second-degree murder and remains jailed on $2 million bail Three men were charged in a separate slaying that took place four blocks away several hours later The most severely injured person in the back-to-back incidents died two days later Paul man accused of fatally stabbing a 68-year-old man was found guilty in Dakota County Court Wednesday was found guilty of intentional second-degree murder following a four-day trial with a jury reaching a verdict in less than an hour As previously reported Paul Police responded to a group home on February 17 where a disturbance between Adams and 68-year-old David Eugene Rahn was taking place A staff member said Rahn could be heard screaming for help they found that someone was blocking the door telling the staff member that everything was okay they found Rahn in his room unresponsive and suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and back “This was probably one of the most violent scenes our officers have ever encountered,” West St Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon said when speaking on the incident back in 2020 Adams told police that Rahn had “busted into his room” and began attacking him with Adams running to get a knife from the kitchen to defend himself in a trash can at a place of worship near the group home Records obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS found that Adams had a history of mental illness and violence that dates back to 2000 when Adams was accused of assaulting a woman at a restaurant According to filings from the Department of Human Services he was deemed “mentally ill and dangerous” and admitted to the Minnesota Security Hospital with psychotic symptoms such as paranoid ideation and hallucinations Adams’ sentencing date has been scheduled for December 20 at 9 a.m The case highlights what studies say is widespread on-the-job harassment of transgender people at a time when federal gender discrimination enforcement is waning. When Jackson Villarreal worked at the West St. Paul Walmart, his nametag said “Jack.” But his supervisors repeatedly called the transgender teen by his birth name. Villarreal asked them to stop, but the harassment instead escalated to unwanted questions about his gender, regulatory documents say. Ultimately, a supervisor offered another Walmart worker $100 to pull down Villarreal’s pants to determine whether he was a boy or a girl, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found. The department’s investigation concluded Walmart had subjected Villarreal to “severe and pervasive harassment” based on his gender identity — a rare finding. Villarreal sued Walmart for sex discrimination last fall, and the case is pending in Dakota County District Court. Walmart has denied Villarreal’s allegations, and told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an email that it does “not tolerate discrimination of any kind.” Villarreal, through his attorney, declined to comment. His case offers a window into what a recent UCLA study called “persistent and widespread” discrimination against transgender employees in the workplace. It also comes at a time when federal pursuit of workplace gender identity discrimination claims could be curtailed. One of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders last month — under the rubric of “restoring biological truth to the federal government” — was to remove federal policies and regulations promoting “gender ideology.” Trump also fired two commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and axed the independent agency’s general counsel. The EEOC’s acting chair, a Trump appointee, has said the agency “betrayed its mission” by issuing guidance on gender identity harassment in the workplace. “We are concerned the EEOC will stop bringing gender discrimination cases,” said Anne Bolgert, a Minneapolis employment lawyer at Schaefer Halleen who is representing Villarreal in his suit against Walmart. Any federal retrenchment should not affect gender discrimination cases brought under Minnesota law, Twin Cities lawyers say. “Minnesota’s gender discrimination law is very strong,” Bolgert said. Jackson Villarreal was 16 in September 2020 when he started working as an associate at a Walmart near his West St. Paul home. He had not yet legally changed his name or gender, so on his job application, Villarreal used his birth sex and birth name. About a month into his job, several Walmart “team leads” — the store supervisors — began calling Villarreal by his birth name, which advocates of transgender people call a “deadname,” according to the Human Rights Department’s investigation. When he asked them to stop, they questioned why the name he went by — Jack — was different than the name in Walmart’s computer systems. Villarreal told them it was because he was transgender, leaving him feeling he had been “pushed into being outed,” the state report said. Villarreal tried to brush off the comments, but they worsened. Co-workers asked him personal questions about his gender and kept using his birth name “in ways that were ruder and more intentional,” the report said. One team leader commented to another co-worker about the size of Villarreal’s chest, suggesting that someone should “snap [his] bra.” That same team leader offered another worker $100 to pull down Villarreal’s pants. A co-worker told Villarreal about the team leader’s pants bounty. On Jan. 12, 2021, Villarreal’s mother reported it to West St. Paul police, noting that Walmart had done nothing to resolve the harassment. Police investigated, calling the store’s “general manager coach.” He told police it was the first he’d heard of any such harassment, a police report said. Another manager told police Walmart took the matter “very seriously.” Police did not refer the Villarreal complaint for prosecution. Later in January, Villarreal’s mother contacted Walmart’s global ethics hotline to report ongoing discrimination against her son. Walmart did not contact either Villarreal or his mother, the state report said. Walmart’s investigation into the pants threat did not begin “in earnest” until March 6, according to the Human Rights Department. In April, Walmart fired the team leader who made the comment, citing gross misconduct. But the West St. Paul store’s team leaders never took other actions to stop harassment against Villarreal, or report it up Walmart’s management chain, the state report said. The Human Rights Department in December 2023 found “probable cause” that Walmart discriminated against Villarreal, subjecting him to a “hostile work environment because of his gender identity.” The state also found probable cause that Walmart had constructively discharged Villarreal. In employment law, constructive discharge occurs when an employee resigns due to intolerable working conditions, including discrimination. Villarreal never went back to work after learning of the threat to pull down his pants. Walmart unsuccessfully appealed the probable cause findings to the Human Rights Department. The department, as it commonly does, attempted to settle the case. That effort failed — which is uncommon. “If [the state Human Rights Department] finds probable cause, almost all of those cases get settled,” said Marshall Tanick, a Minneapolis employment attorney. “And they don’t find probable cause too often.” The department issued conclusions in 745 employment discrimination investigations of all kinds between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 1, 2024. Only 9% resulted in probable cause findings against an employer. Since mid-2023, the Human Rights Department has fielded 17 charges of workplace gender identity discrimination. Before the Villarreal case, only one of those complaints closed with a finding. Investigators concluded there was no probable cause, a favorable decision for the employer. About 0.5% of adults in Minnesota — and the United States generally — identify as transgender, according to a 2022 study by the Williams Institute, an arm of UCLA’s law school. Transgender people face pervasive discrimination in the workplace, the Williams Institute concluded in a November report. Eighty-two percent of transgender employees said they experienced workplace harassment at some point during their careers, the study found. That compared with 45% for cisgender lesbian, gay and bisexual employees. Boston Consulting Group, a management consultancy, found in a 2023 study that 62% of U.S. transgender employees reported 10 or more “aggressive behaviors” over a year’s time due to their identity. That included inappropriate questions and exclusionary behavior by co-workers. Minnesota has had laws prohibiting discrimination for sexual orientation and gender identity for decades. It is one of 23 states that bar discrimination on both grounds, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Nine other states accept gender identity discrimination complaints because they have adopted the “Bostock rationale” into state law, according to the rights group. Bostock refers to a landmark 2020 Supreme Court decision that prohibits gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “For a long time, there was debate over whether [the Civil Rights Act] would protect transgender and gay people,” said Joshua Newville, a Minneapolis employment attorney with Halunen Law. “Bostock brought a lot of clarity. It is the law of the land.” But given the Trump administration’s anti-transgender stance, Newville said he’s “greatly concerned that the EEOC is not going to enforce the law.” “For LGBT persons in states lacking protection against employment discrimination, it’s a scary time,” he said. Mike Hughlett covers energy and other topics for the Minnesota Star Tribune, where he has worked since 2010. Before that he was a reporter at newspapers in Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans and Duluth. Health Care The payment is part of a proposed settlement to litigation dating back more than a decade about alleged economic harms suffered by health care providers Renowned investor Warren Buffett surprised a crowd of thousands Saturday with his plans to retire at the end of the year The company is behind Twin Cities-based businesses like DQ and HomeServices of America A judge is expected to approve an arrangement for Division I colleges to give 22% of athletic department revenue to student-athletes A portion of eastbound I-494 is back open Monday after being closed for hours due to a fatal crash that happened following a police chase Authorities say the crash happened on eastbound I-494 at 5th Avenue around 4:30 a.m after an eastbound Chevy Malibu rear ended a semi tractor trailer Paul Police Department tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the crash happened while officers were chasing a vehicle that didn’t stop for their department a few minutes earlier an officer initiated a traffic stop on the Malibu within the city a few minutes prior to the crash leading police on a chase that ended up on Highways 62 and 494 The driver of the Malibu died after crashing into the semi who says the department is still working to figure out what prompted the traffic stop The driver of the Malibu was identified early Tuesday evening by the Minnesota State Patrol as 39-year-old Elisa Rae Norton of Hastings the driver of the semi was identified as a 39-year-old Holmen man Paul police department were injured during the chase More information about the chase is expected to be announced within the coming days The State Patrol is investigating the crash SOUTH ST PAUL – A serious crash has closed 494 EB at 7th St. Traffic is being diverted off the interstate and getting back on at 5th St. There is no estimated time of when 494 EB will reopen. #MNtraffic pic.twitter.com/10V4jy5w9w SOUTH ST PAUL – 494 EB at 7th Ave is still closed due to a serious crash. Delays are back to Highway 52. Use 35E as an alternate route. There is no estimated time of when 494 EB will reopen. #MNtraffic pic.twitter.com/GMwaKYlwck SOUTH ST PAUL- 494 EB at 7th Ave is now open following a serious crash that had the interstate closed since 4:30 am. I am still seeing some lingering delays in the area. #MNtraffic pic.twitter.com/3FvyhzFAwd The Minnesota Department of Transportation said all eastbound lanes of the highway were temporarily closed at 7th Street as the investigation and cleanup continue Traffic was sent off the interstate and was allowed to merge back on the highway at 5th Street