Mississippi

Singing River hospital is not on the brink of financial collapse. So why is it seeking a buyer?

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2022

Singing River hospital is not on the brink of financial collapse. So why is it seeking a buyer?

Editor’s notice: This story was reported and revealed in a collaboration between Mississippi In the present day and the Solar Herald. Isabelle Taft reported for Mississippi In the present day and Gautama Mehta reported for the Solar Herald.

JACKSON COUNTY – In contrast to different Mississippi hospitals, Singing River Well being System isn’t dealing with an instantaneous monetary disaster – and that’s precisely why its leaders say they should discover a purchaser.

The roughly 700-bed system, based mostly in Jackson County on the Coast, got here by the COVID-19 pandemic in respectable form, with income up in 2021. However the long-term forces buffeting Singing River and small hospitals across the nation imply the longer term remains to be darkish.

Prices are rising, particularly for nursing employees. The hospital system must make enhancements to services and gear after years of underspending. Singing River has virtually no leverage to extend funds from the state’s dominant industrial insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Protect of Mississippi. And partially as a result of Mississippi has refused to increase Medicaid, a big variety of the system’s sufferers haven’t any insurance coverage, which means Singing River doesn’t receives a commission for his or her care.

Hospital leaders say they want a much bigger chain to take over to allow them to profit from economies of scale and higher negotiating energy with suppliers and insurers. In the event that they wait till a disaster level, they’ll have much less leverage and presumably fewer patrons.

“We’re coming at it now at a spot of power,” CEO Tiffany Murdock advised a group group within the city of Hurley in August. “And in 5 years, I can’t promise you an identical factor.”

It’s the most recent demonstration of a pattern with probably troubling penalties for sufferers: On this planet of American hospitals, solely the massive survive.

From 2005 to 2017, the share of hospitals across the nation which can be half of a bigger system rose from 53% to 66%.

In Mississippi, a 2017 merger made Baptist Memorial Well being Care the most important hospital system within the state. The College of Mississippi Medical Heart has expanded its footprint to Grenada, Holmes County, and the Gulf Coast and is bidding to lease hospitals within the Mississippi Delta. Rush Well being Programs, which owns seven hospitals in east Mississippi and west Alabama, this 12 months merged with Ochsner, the Louisiana-based system Singing River leaders see as their doubtless purchaser. In 2019, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Girl, additionally based mostly in Louisiana, acquired St. Dominic Memorial Hospital in Jackson.

State and domestically owned hospitals like Singing River are a fading mannequin. The American Hospital Affiliation stories that, of the nation’s 6,100 hospitals, about 950 are owned by native governments, down from 1,130 in 2008.

The potential draw back of spending years attempting to combat large financial forces – and ending up in a a lot weaker negotiating place with a possible purchaser – is evident sufficient in Mississippi. Hospitals like Greenwood Leflore are struggling to remain afloat lengthy sufficient to discover a savior or be compelled to shut their doorways.

A rising physique of analysis reveals hospital consolidation often will increase prices for customers by decreasing competitors. And regardless of hospital leaders’ claims concerning the useful resource advantages of becoming a member of a bigger chain, analysis additionally suggests it doesn’t enhance outcomes for sufferers.

“We all know that consolidation goes to extend costs and probably lower entry to care,” stated Christopher Whaley, a well being economist at RAND Company. “But when the choice is that the hospital or doctor group goes out of enterprise and exits the market totally, then perhaps that’s a tradeoff we’ve to make.”

Tiffany Murdock, CEO of Singing River Well being System, speaks throughout a public listening to over the potential sale of Singing River Well being System throughout a Jackson County Board of Supervisors assembly in Pascagoula on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Credit score: Hannah Ruhoff / Biloxi Solar Herald

Whereas small hospitals like Singing River search for patrons, larger gamers like Ochsner – one of many greatest hospital programs within the Gulf South – have been on the lookout for new acquisitions.

In 2020, Ochsner and Singing River introduced a strategic partnership, and Singing River acquired Backyard Park Medical Heart in Harrison County, rebranding it as Singing River Gulfport. Throughout Hurricane Ida, the partnership allowed Ochsner sufferers in hard-hit southeast Louisiana to maneuver to the Gulfport hospital.

Corwin Harper, Ochsner CEO for Northshore and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, stated increasing into Mississippi is smart partially as a result of so many Mississippians already use Louisiana well being care services, and the states face related points with workforce recruitment.

“With Ochsner being the most important well being system in Louisiana, it’s virtually a pure migration for folks to entry the sources that Ochsner has,” he stated.

Murdock, a registered nurse whose profession in hospital administration has included stops in California and Oregon, was named the administrator of Singing River Gulfport. When former CEO Lee Bond stepped down earlier this 12 months, Murdock was named interim CEO of the well being system after which CEO. She is the primary lady to carry the place.

In June, the hospital trustees voted to pursue a sale to a “like-minded hospital group,” although Ochsner is mostly the one title that comes up in Jackson County.

A report by the agency Raymond James discovered that whereas the hospital’s income had rebounded in 2021, rising bills had reduce margins. The hospital sees a excessive price of uninsured sufferers, and federal funds to look after them are dropping. And as a small system, it has little alternative to entry loans or to extend money move by negotiating with insurers, since most of its sufferers are on Medicaid or Medicare and the industrial market is dominated by Blue Cross.

“It’s a nationwide situation,” Ryan Kelly, govt director of the Mississippi Rural Well being Affiliation, stated of hospitals’ monetary struggles. “However it’s particularly essential right here as a result of we’re a extra poor state. Our hospitals are within the purple, like on the verge of closure in a important state, and it’s not as a result of our hospitals are doing something mistaken or there’s something mistaken with Mississippi. It’s simply because we’re a poor state and we’ve much less cash to go round.”

The pandemic additionally highlighted the advantages of scale.

“We have been spending, you realize, a nickel on a surgical masks 5 years in the past when through the top of COVID, we’re spending $5 a masks and shopping for hundreds of masks,” Murdock stated on the group assembly in Hurley.

Ochsner, against this, constructed its personal plant to make private protecting gear in Lafayette.

However scale can include a lack of native autonomy.

Ochsner additionally has a lease settlement with Hancock Medical Heart on the Coast. In Could, Ochsner closed the labor and supply unit on the hospital, citing the low variety of deliveries that made it onerous to function the unit safely. That left the county and not using a single labor and supply unit and pissed off some Hancock County residents and leaders.

Over the summer time, a Singing River retiree named Irby Tillman appeared poised to derail hospital executives’ plans.

Below Mississippi regulation, anybody can pressure a referendum on a public hospital sale by acquiring a petition with at the least 1,500 signatures. Tillman, who labored as a carpenter on the hospital, was at one of many board of supervisors conferences the place the sale was mentioned. He heard an legal professional say that the supervisors would make the choice – except somebody compelled a referendum.

“I occurred to be standing there and I stated, ‘Nicely, I’ll take that problem,’” he stated. “I don’t suppose 5 males ought to have that huge choice.”

However even when Tillman had by no means launched his petition drive, pursuing the sale would have required Singing River executives to embark on a type of political marketing campaign to steer not solely supervisors but additionally their constituents to assist the sale.

The hospital is the second-largest employer in Jackson County with greater than 3,500 staff. Individuals all around the county keep in mind births and deaths, emergencies and routine check-ups, first jobs and decades-long careers at Singing River.

A lot of them additionally keep in mind a profound betrayal: For years, the hospital secretly stopped paying into retirees’ pension fund earlier than it collapsed in 2014. A settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit resulted in decrease funds than retirees had been promised.

Murdock launched into a county-wide talking tour late this summer time. She spoke at college district convocations and rotary membership conferences, the chamber of commerce and church buildings, attempting to persuade folks to assist the sale.

At a particular assembly for pensioners, Murdock assured them the sale wouldn’t have an effect on the pension settlement.

In the meantime, Tillman traveled the county, too. In late August, he and his cousin Paul Sensible, additionally 73 and a Singing River retiree, spent a number of hours outdoors Ixtapa, a Mexican restaurant in Vancleave. They each grew up in Pascagoula, two of their grandmother’s 75 grandchildren. Sensible was leaning towards supporting the sale, whereas Tillman was leaning towards it.

Paul Sensible and Irby Tillman, Singing River retirees, accumulate signatures in assist of a referendum on promoting the hospital outdoors a restaurant in Vancleave, Mississippi. Credit score: Gautama Mehta / Biloxi Solar Herald

Tillman prided himself on by no means saying a phrase about how he thought anybody ought to vote, solely emphasizing the significance of getting a say within the course of. The lads carried a hand-crafted poster that stated “Let your voice be heard” and was adorned with small American flags. Everybody they talked to needed to see a referendum.

All 5 supervisors and even Murdock signed the petition.

“If I didn’t signal, I didn’t need (that) to get in the best way of the aim, which is to maneuver this ahead,” she stated. “And so I didn’t need that to be the headline. I needed the headline to be like, ‘That is the best factor to do, whether or not there’s a petition or not.’”

However she was cautious of what a referendum may imply.

Mississippi In the present day may find just one such referendum in state historical past. Oktibbeha County voters roundly rejected a proposal to promote OCH Regional Medical Heart in 2017. If that occurred in Jackson County, Singing River leaders stated the county must increase taxes and nonetheless be unable to cowl rising prices.

Ultimately, Tillman didn’t collect sufficient signatures to require a referendum. It rained closely within the weeks earlier than the deadline to show within the petition, and Tillman relied on quaint strategies to acquire signatures.

“Water and ink don’t go collectively too good,” he stated.

And after months of dialogue, exhibiting as much as board of supervisors conferences and public hearings, he was leaning towards supporting the sale anyway, he stated.

Irby Tillman addresses Randy Bosarge throughout a Board of Supervisors assembly on the doable sale of the Singing River Well being System in Pascagoula on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Tillman began a petition to carry the sale to a public vote. Credit score: Hannah Ruhoff / Biloxi Solar Herald

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors doesn’t but have a particular timeline for when the request for proposals will probably be finalized and patrons can start submitting bids.

The potential purchaser continuously talked about by title in Jackson County is Ochsner. However different hospital chains may make a transfer, too.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Girl Well being System (FMOLHS), which operates St. Dominic Memorial Hospital in Jackson and hospitals in Louisiana, stated in an announcement that it’s “conscious” that an RFP has been issued.

“FMOLHS commonly evaluates alternatives to increase entry to care by partnering with high quality well being programs to carry collectively excellent clinicians, essentially the most superior know-how and main analysis to make sure that our sufferers obtain the best high quality and most secure care doable,” stated Kevin Cook dinner, chief working officer.

The sale will go away Mississippi with one much less domestically owned hospital, and it might be a sign of the longer term dealing with each small hospital within the state.

Richard Roberson, common counsel and vice chairman of coverage on the Mississippi Hospital Affiliation, stated Singing River’s scenario highlights the structural forces working towards Mississippi hospitals.

“I believe that’s what’s scary about it – you do see a hospital that could be a robust hospital, a robust well being system, and nearly as good as they do issues, they’re nonetheless struggling,” Roberson stated.

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Mississippi

Mississippi deer season 2024-25: Here’s what hunters need to know

Published

1 hour ago

September 3, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi deer season 2024-25: Here’s what hunters need to know

Up-to-date information on deer season 2024-25 in Mississippi including CWD, season dates, bag limits, antler restrictions and more.

Deer season is almost here and will kick off this month with the early, buck-only archery season followed by the traditional archery season in October then the early primitive weapon season and gun season in November. For thousands in Mississippi, it’s the most exciting time of the year.

But, as has been the case in many years, there have been some changes. Here’s what hunters need to know about chronic wasting disease, bag limits, harvest reporting and season dates for the 2024-25 deer season.

Deer hunting season dates

North Central, Delta and Hills deer management units

Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
Archery: Oct. 1-Nov. 22, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest.
Youth: Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private lands and authorized state and federal lands.
Youth: Nov. 23-Jan. 31, Either sex on private lands. On open public lands, youth must follow below legal deer criteria.
Antlerless primitive weapon: Nov. 11-22, Antlerless deer only on private lands.
Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan.22, Either sex on private land and Holly Spring National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.

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Southeast Deer Management Unit

Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
Archery: Oct. 15-Nov. 22, Either sex on private or open public land.
Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private land and authorized state and federal land.
Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 23-Feb. 15, Either sex on private land. On open public land, youth must follow legal deer criteria.
Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private or open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.
Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan. 22, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
Archery, primitive weapon: Feb. 1-15, Legal bucks only on private and open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.

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Deer bag limits

Delta DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
Hills DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
North Central DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, four per annual season. The limit for antlerless deer is 10 on private lands.
Southeast DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, three per annual season.
U.S. Forest Service National Forests: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, five per annual season except in the Southeast DMU where the antlerless limit is one per day, three per annual season.

Antler requirements

Delta DMU: 12-inch inside spread or 15-inch main beam
Hills DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
North Central DMU: No antler restrictions apply to this zone. Hunters may harvest bucks with any hardened antler.
Southeast DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
Youth hunters: For youth hunters 15 years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all of the buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.
Buck of choice: In the Delta, Hills and Southeast DMUs, hunters may harvest one buck that does not meet antler requirements on private land and Holly Springs National Forest.
Public lands: Antler requirements vary among public lands. Hunters should check regulations for the specific public land they plan to hunt before hunting.

Blaze orange

Hunters have traditionally been required to wear 500 square inches of unbroken blaze orange while deer hunting as a safety measure, but this year they have an alternative. A bill passed in the 2024 Legislative session allows hunters to choose between blaze orange or pink.

CWD testing

Testing deer for CWD, a disease that is considered always fatal for deer, is not mandatory other than during the early archery season, but the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks urges hunters to provide tissue samples of harvested deer for testing.

According to the department, knowing where the disease exists and how prevalent it is helps in managing and slowing the spread of the disease.

Although there has been no known case of it spreading to humans, the CDC warns against consuming infected deer. So hunters should know if their deer is infected as well.

Since the disease was first detected in Mississippi in 2018, there have been 318 cases found in the state as of September 2024.

For convenience, MDWFP has provided freezers at locations across the state where hunters can leave deer heads with six inches of neck attached for testing. The agency has also partnered with a number of taxidermy businesses that will have deer tested at the customer’s request.

CWD management zones

Counties in CWD management zones have changed with some added and a zone added this year. Within these zones, special regulations are in place to slow the spread of the disease such as a supplemental feeding ban and carcass transportation restrictions.

North CWD Management Zone

The North CWD Management Zone includes all portions of the following counties:

Alcorn County
Benton County
Desoto County
Lafayette County
Marshall County
Panola County
Prentiss County
Tate County
Tippah County
Tishomingo County
Union County

Portions of Coahoma, Quitman, and Tunica counties are also included and are defined as:

Areas south of MS 4
Areas east of Old Highway 61 to the intersection of US 49
Areas east of US 49 to the intersection of US 278
Areas north of US 278
Areas west of MS 3

Issaquena CWD Management Zone

Claiborne County
Sharkey County, east of the Mississippi River and south of MS 14
Warren County

Harrison CWD Management Zone

Portions of Hancock and Harrison counties are included and defined as:

All portions of Harrison County west of US 49
All portions of Hancock County east of MS 53, MS 603 and MS 43
All portions of Hancock County east of Nicholson Avenue

What is banned in a CWD management zone?

Salt licks
Mineral licks
Supplemental feeding
Transportation of deer carcasses outside the zone

What parts of a deer can be taken out of a CWD zone?

Cut/wrapped meat
Deboned meat
Hides with no head attached
Bone-in leg quarters
Finished taxidermy
Antlers with no tissue attached
Cleaned skulls or skull plates with no brain tissue
Hunters may transport deer heads to permitted taxidermists participating in the CWD collection program. A CWD sample number must be obtained from a participating taxidermist prior to transporting a deer head outside of the CWD management zone.

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2

Published

8 hours ago

September 3, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2

The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.

Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.

Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.

Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.

Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.

11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)

16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)

21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel

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Mississippi

MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

Published

15 hours ago

September 2, 2024

Press Room

MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.

However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.

For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.

The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.

The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.

Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.

Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.

“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.

Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.

“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”

It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.

“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”

The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.

A full report will be released in 2026.

Erin Hassanzadeh

Erin is back home in the Twin Cities after stops in South Korea and Omaha. The Jefferson High School grad (Go Jags!) is excited to get back to storytelling in the community that raised her.

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