Minnesota
What's a fair price for University of Minnesota Medical Center?
The proposed deal for the University of Minnesota to buy back its teaching hospital is entering a key phase, with the U and Fairview having hired consultants and exchanged data to determine a reasonable price tag for the sprawling medical center in Minneapolis.
Within the next six weeks, the U and Fairview hope to get close to a consensus on price. If they can, the two sides will move to the next phase of the transaction, which includes a re-write of their complex affiliation agreement, said Myron Frans, senior advisor on the deal to the U’s interim president.
The U and Fairview signed a letter of intent in February to transfer ownership of University of Minnesota Medical Center (UMMC), which the health system acquired in a financial bailout during the 1990s.
Fairview maintains that the sale price must cover the health system’s debt on the facilities, the document notes. The letter also expressed the university’s position that it should not pay more than fair value for the medical center, irrespective of outstanding debt.
“We have to get to some major threshold issues, to make sure we’re on the right track,” Frans said in an interview. “It’s going to be whatever it’s going to be … but our intent would be to do it in less than six weeks.”
He added: “At this point, obviously, we are on track. We don’t have any warning signs.”
Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services said in a statement: “Everything is on track with the timeline outlined in the [letter of intent].”
The letter of intent came 15 months after Fairview proposed an ill-fated merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health. U officials opposed the marriage as it would have transferred control of UMMC to an out-of-state entity.
About 70% of physicians practicing in Minnesota trained at the university, where the U hospital is a primary teaching and training venue. Fairview employs about 34,000 people and runs one of the state’s largest health systems.
On Thursday, documents presented to a subcommittee of the U’s board of regents included a timeline with the impending milestone for whether to proceed.
Fairview and the U have each hired consulting firms to help place a value on the hospital, Keith Ghezzi, managing director of Alvarez & Marshal, said during the subcommittee meeting.
“The next major decision point will be after a preliminary valuation has been performed by [each side’s consultant] and we have an opportunity to see how those valuations may align,” Ghezzi said.
As it now stands, the U and Fairview would have a first closing of the transaction by the end of this year, with the U paying Fairview 51% of the negotiated price at that time. Funds for the health system’s remaining stake would be placed in escrow. A second closing, including transfer of the remaining funds, would happen by the end of 2027.
Ghezzi’s firm is one of three consultants the university has hired to work on the proposed acquisition.
“We’re moving forward and we’re thrilled with the expertise the university administration has brought to bear on this,” Janie Mayeron, the board of regents chair, said Thursday after the subcommittee meeting.
Consultants thus have received about half of the data they need from Fairview in order to develop the valuation, Ghezzi said. That’s not a worrisomely small amount, Frans said, noting that it takes time for Fairview to extract financial data on University of Minnesota Medical Center form the health system’s broader financials.
Frans, who earlier this year retired after serving as the U’s senior vice president for finance and operations, is a Fairview board member.
The university wants to own the teaching hospital to control governance and operations, Frans said, including infrastructure investments that could make it easier for patients to receive unique specialty services at UMMC.
“We have a capacity problem — we’re more than full almost every day,” Frans said. “We want to be able to make sure that we provide the access to the people of Minnesota, to that level of care.”
University of Minnesota Medical Center includes a large hospital for adult patients on the East Bank campus as well as a pediatric hospital and inpatient mental health facility near the U’s West Bank campus. Fairview currently owns all three of these facilities.
UMMC also includes a large outpatient surgery and specialty care center on the East Bank campus that’s jointly operated by Fairview and the U in a building that’s owned by the university. The sale would give the U ownership of all four operations.
Minnesota
Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved”
One of five cannabis testing sites in Minnesota is shutting down, citing exorbitant costs as the reason.
William Drexler is moving product he has around as he waits patiently for more. He says customers who come into Grey Area, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, are looking for adult-use items, which he says are being held up by a backlog in testing.
“We haven’t had problems with drinks or edibles yet, but for the adult-use products that where we’ve seen the delays, like your pre-rolls, your flowers, we haven’t even gotten pens in yet,” Drexler said.
He says getting cannabis products in his store has been an issue since he got his license to sell them a few months ago.
“I’ve heard pretty much from every vendor that it’s testing that we are waiting on. That’s been the normal thing to hear, and week by week they may say, ‘it’s next week,’ and that can delay into the following week. So at this point I don’t think many of them are giving a date,” he said.
He anticipates getting those products will take even longer now that one of the testing sites is no longer testing.
In a statement, Legends Technical Services said, “under the current regulatory framework, we do not foresee an ability to continue to meet our client expectations in an economically viable manner. “
“We’ve already seen testing delays from the get go, so vendors aren’t really giving us time frames because they are probably hearing different time frames themselves,” Drexler said. “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved.”
For now, Drexler contacts growers to see how long before his shelves are in full bloom.
“These companies here, it’s the same story kind of from them when we contact them. ‘Hey, we need more product. We’re hoping for new [product] soon, but it’s coming out of testing soon,’” he said.
WCCO has reached out to Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management for comment on the backlog.
Minnesota
Jack Leiter’s struggles at home give Minnesota Twins a pitching edge in American League clash
Every year, I feel like I end up locking on certain pitchers and teams and bet them more than others. It almost never is intentional; usually, I find a team or player I like, we win with them consistently, and I ride the horse until it is time to get off. That’s a bit of how I feel with both the Twins and Rangers who battle in this one.
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I have said that the Chicago White Sox are the biggest surprise in all of baseball, but the Minnesota Twins might be willing to make a strong argument about it. This was a year that the Twins were supposed to be garbage and be more likely to trade people away (like they did last year) than they would be looking to make a move for the club. I can’t say it is entirely due to Byron Buxton, one of the names floated in trade rumors last year and in the offseason, but he is having a great campaign and has the Twins just five games below .500.
Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2022. (David Berding/Getty Images)
One of the other guys that you can attribute the success of this year to is today’s starter, Joe Ryan. If the Twins do decide to take Ryan to the market, he will have many suitors and should bring back a big haul. Ryan has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has been slightly worse on the road than at home, but it hasn’t been a significant issue. He was great in May, posting a 1.73 ERA, but June has seen him make three starts and allow eight earned runs, including four homers. Rangers hitters have struggled significantly against him, hitting just .143 against him.
The Texas Rangers are still in the mix for the American League West division. Before you say, “Well, yeah, it’s only the middle of June.” I bring this up because they are just two games back of the Mariners, and the Rangers really haven’t played all that well this season. I think there is a lot of potential for this team to add a bat, and he could make a major difference. If they added Buxton, for example, the Rangers might be the favorite to win the division given how everyone else is playing.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter delivers a pitch to the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 31, 2026. (Jim Cowsert/Imagn Images)
I’m not trying to discuss hypothetical trades, though. The pitching staff might be enough to carry them to a Wild Card or division title anyway. Today’s starter, Jack Leiter, isn’t the best on the roster, but he’s been good. Leiter is 3-6 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. At home, he has been okay, going 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA. He has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his 14 outings. Twins hitters are batting .417 against Leiter in just 12 at-bats, with Buxton going 2-for-2 with a double, a homer and three RBIs.
I think it probably makes sense to play Buxton to get 2+ bases here today. I get that he probably did all of this damage to Leiter in one game, but it is still worth seeing if he can get it done. He is having a good season, and Leiter isn’t a guy who is going to make you nervous very often about throwing zeroes.
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Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins jogs off the field after the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 2025. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
I also think we probably should play the game overall. I think the Twins are the correct side in this game. There are a lot of times that I’d back the Rangers, as I think they have the better overall team, but in this one, the pitching mismatch is too strong. Give me the Ryan-led Twins, through five, on the moneyline.
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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
City parks are all across Minnesota. But a town in Murray County has one that’s gone off its rails.
Currie, Minnesota, is truly small-town America. The population hovers at just over 200. But on the northern outskirts, you’ll happen upon a place with plenty of bells and whistles: End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
“It’s like a little village from way back when. You have your church. You’ve got a school,” said visitor Larry Diedrich.
You’ve also got railroad relics, up and down the tracks.
“1901 was when the first line was put in here,” said Jake Halverson, site manager for End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
Halverson said Currie was once a thriving railroad town. In fact, it was the end of the line for steam engines heading west. If you wanted to go east, Currie was your gateway to the rest of the world. The first stop was Bigham Lake.
“From Bigham Lake they could go to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Chicago, from Chicago to New York,” said Halverson.
But by mid-century the last train had left the station. No sooner did that happen than teenagers from the local 4H club began to clean up the abandoned turntable.
The platform was used to turn 400,000-pound steam engines around when they hit the end of the line. Thanks to the 4Hers, it still works today.
The club also bought the train depot for $1 from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company and moved it closer to the turntable.
“That is really the beginning of maybe bringing more attention to the history of the railroad here,” said Halverson.
It’s history that comes in all shapes and sizes, including a model railroad that’s a replica of a time that was.
“It was built to look like what Currie was 100 years ago,” said Halverson.
Much of what you see at the park and museum is original, including a 125-year-old water tower that was moved to the site from Walnut Grove.
The caboose nearby originally came from South Dakota. The locomotive once ran in Georgia.
The rail business may have left Currie, but the love for trains never did. It’s a chance to celebrate big history in a small town.
“Wherever there have been trains, there have been people who are fascinated by them,” said Halverson. “I think this is an opportunity for individuals to learn about not only this part of Minnesota but to know where this part of Minnesota fits in with the rest of the world.”
The End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
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