Minnesota
Minnesota’s fourth marijuana dispensary opens near Red Wing
PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY, Minn. — Minnesota’s fourth marijuana dispensary is now open just about an hour from the Twin Cities.
Island Pezi, which means “grass” in the Dakota language, is on Prairie Island Indian Community land in Welch, owned and operated by the tribal nation.
“Being able to diversify our economy and bring in other revenue sources for our community that relies on these type of businesses to have our government function is very important,” said Blake Johnson, the president of Prairie Island CBH Inc.
Johnson says the money made from the dispensary will go toward healthcare and education for the tribe.
The shop employs about three dozen people.
“We have a couple [tribe] members that have never had a job before,” Johnson said. “This opportunity gives them that, and they’re excited to be employed.”
The business has a quirk, though. The Prairie Island people don’t yet grow or cultivate marijuana on their own.
They’ve entered a unique business arrangement to stock their shelves. They buy flower from the White Earth Nation.
“Long time ago, tribes used to have intertribal agreements to trade goods,” Johnson said. “It helps support each other and be able to move in a way that is good for everybody.”
Minnesota’s Native American tribes have been first into this budding industry, and until the floodgates of competition eventually open, Johnson says they’re excited about being able to immediately supply Minnesotans.
Island Pezi will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday.
Timeline of severe storms on Wednesday
Strong winds, rain and lightning knocked down trees and power lines across the metro, leaving about 50,000 people without power in Minnesota.
Our 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS team captured trees down in multiple places across the Twin Cities including on West James Avenue and Wheeler Street in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood.
Forecast First Alert: Timing out rounds of severe storms
The tree was blocking the road after breaking off at the base and just missed hitting a red pickup truck when it fell.
In the Como neighborhood in Minneapolis, a tree fell on top of a house near Talmage and 22nd Avenues. It also fell on some power lines but did not start a fire.
Fire crews responded to secure the power lines and get the homeowner out of her house, since the tree fell on her bedroom and the front door, she told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
The woman went on to say that she was shutting the windows and making sure the doors were shut when it happened.
Trees and branches also knocked down power lines across the metro. Most of the outages were in the eastern Twin Cities, according to Xcel Energy.
Xcel Energy said it had crews in place before the storms because it expected damaging winds. A spokesperson also said that about 275 crews are in the field now to safely restore power as quickly as possible, with additional teams slated to join later.
As of Wednesday at 7:45 a.m., over 50,000 people are without power in Minnesota and 25,000 of those are in Ramsey County.
(FOX 9) – Families and service providers across Minnesota are facing uncertainty after the state’s Medicaid revalidation process left thousands without funding.
Longtime provider cut off after decades of service
What we know:
Options Inc. in Sherburne County supports nearly 200 people with developmental disabilities, helping some find work and others live more independently.
The organization has existed since 1979, and relies heavily on Medicaid funding, which was recently cut off due to the state’s effort to revalidate providers and prevent fraud.
Colene and Dan Verdick, whose 29-year-old daughter Hannah attends Options, said the loss of services is taking a toll.
“It’s very stressful,” said Colene Verdick, a parent of an Options Inc. participant.
“We don’t know what life without it would be like. I mean, we had a small taste of it during COVID, and it was not good,” said Colene Verdick.
“Nope, she was miserable,” said Dan Verdick.
Options Inc. is one of about 3,400 providers statewide that lost Medicaid funding in the process.
Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar said, “to just shut off the spigot and terminate everybody, that means you put all the good providers in the bad apple bag, and that’s wrong.”
Medicaid service providers looking for answers
Throughout Minnesota roughly 3,400 Medicaid service providers are trying to prove the legitimacy of their services after the state disenrolled roughly 60% of its providers. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.
The revalidation process and provider appeals
Timeline:
Options Inc. began the revalidation process in May 2025, received a response in April 2026, and submitted all required documents by May 20.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) said this did not give them enough time to finish the revalidation review, including a site visit.
“We should have had this revalidation done in June of 2025. I hate to have to put families and providers through all of this stress and heartache,” said Brenda Geldert, executive director of Options Inc
The state revalidated about 37% of providers, referred 1% for inspector general’s investigations, and allowed most others to appeal their disenrollment.
Rep. Zeleznikar is urging Gov. Walz to treat the situation as an emergency and create an incident command center.
DHS response and ongoing issues
The other side:
DHS has responded to FOX 9 about other providers profiled recently, saying most have minor paperwork issues to resolve.
One provider in Rep. Zeleznikar’s district has been revalidated. However, Bella Mente says the state’s system still won’t allow them to submit bills for their services.
Options Inc. and other organizations are waiting for answers, while families like the Verdicks worry about the impact on their loved ones’ daily lives.
(KNSI) — Minnesota has a mix of good news and concerning metrics in the latest Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Economic wellbeing shows strength, but like many other states, fourth grade reading proficiency is down.
The report shows Minnesota ranks fifth nationally in overall child wellbeing, placing it in the top tier of states and making it the highest-ranking state in the Midwest. Despite this high standing, Minnesota is identified as one of the states where children’s overall wellbeing worsened between 2019 and 2024, experiencing the fifth-steepest decline in the country during that period.
Minnesota’s performance is exceptional for economic wellbeing, ranking second nationally, up two spots from 2025.
Children in poverty: 10% (121,000 children)
Parents lacking secure employment: 20% (251,000 children)
High housing cost burden: 20% (257,000 children)
Teens not in school and not working: 4% (14,000 teens)
The state ranks fifth for health, down one spot from last year.
Low birth-weight babies: 7.5%
Children without health insurance: 4%
Child and teen death rate: 24 per 100,000
Overweight or obese children and teens: 25%
Child and teen deaths rose 8% between 2019 and 2024. Low birth-weight babies ticked up slightly. Youth obesity improved slightly after spiking during the pandemic. Health insurance coverage held steady at 94%. On the mental health front, nearly one in five high schoolers experienced major depression in 2023.
The state ranks fourth in family and community, with kids growing up in strong, supportive environments, up from seventh last year.
Children in single-parent families: 28%
Household heads lacking a high school diploma: 6%
Children living in high-poverty areas: 3%
Teen birth rate: 7 per 1,000
The state falters in education, ranking 21st, down from 17th last year.
Young children (ages 3 and 4) not in school: 55%
Fourth graders not proficient in reading: 69%
Eighth graders not proficient in math: 66%
High school students not graduating on time: 16%
Overall, proficiency levels declined dramatically, essentially undoing a decade of progress. Nationally, fourth graders not proficient in reading rose from 66% to 70%, while eighth graders not proficient in math jumped from 67% to 73%. These indicators are closely tied to future workforce readiness and economic success.
Despite significant pandemic disruptions, the national rate of high school students graduating on time was the only education measure that did not lose ground, improving slightly from 86% to 87%.
The Kids Count Data Book ranks Minnesota among the top states for child wellbeing, but education remains an area where the state continues to lose ground.
The full report is available here.
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