Metro briefs: Midwest Medical Examiner to serve Bayfield County, Wis.

The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office will now conduct autopsies for the Bayfield County, Wis., coroner's office.

The Anoka County Board at its Tuesday meeting approved a contract that will allow Bayfield to pay Midwest on a per-autopsy basis. The Bayfield County Coroner expects to pay for five to eight autopsies a year, with total costs ranging from $10,000 to $16,000 annually, according to the resolution.

Midwest, located in Ramsey, provides services for 37 counties in Minnesota and, with the addition of Bayfield, nine in Wisconsin. The office also performs autopsies for Regions Hospital, HCMC and HealthPartners.

TIM HARLOW

Edina school district officials are considering buying a church building near Valley View Middle School.

The school board has held two closed-door sessions this month about the possible purchase of Calvary Lutheran Church's property at 6817 Antrim Road. A school spokeswoman said the district was not yet ready to discuss why they are interested in the church property.

The property is listed for $2 million. The nearly 16,000-square foot building sits on more than three acres, and has classrooms and offices as well as the main sanctuary.

Calvary's Rev. Wade Wacholtz said the process is still in its very early stages and the property has received interest from several potential buyers. The church is still active, and Wacholtz said the congregation is working out its future.

JOSIE ALBERTSON-GROVE

Stillwater road race gets fresh start

Stillwater will host a new slate of courses for this summer's Lift Bridge Road Race, an event that historically has drawn hundreds of runners from across the globe.

Since 2014, Bayport, Minn., had hosted the race out of Lakeside Park. This year, following approval from the Stillwater City Council, courses will weave through residential Stillwater, passing the river town's Victorian houses and Washington County Historic Courthouse, according to a news release from race manager Run Stillwater.

The June 24 race includes 10-mile, 10K and 5K distances, with a finish line at Lift Bridge Brewing Company.

EMMA NELSON

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux grant to promote Native American education in parks

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) has provided an $80,000 grant to the Three Rivers Park District to develop Native American educational programming at the district's Lowry Nature Center in Victoria.

The nature center is in the 3,700-acre Carver Park Reserve and is a popular place for field trips, with over 500 school groups visiting annually, according to an SMSC news release. The center also offers interpretive displays and the chance to watch birds and wildlife seven days a week, the release said.

The grant is part of the tribe's Understand Native Minnesota campaign, which began in 2019 as an effort to "improve the narrative about Native Americans in Minnesota's K-12 education system," the release said.

The money will fund the creation of an interpretative trail that spotlights Dakota perspectives on natural resources in the park reserve, including the names of plants and their uses.

The trail will enhance current curriculum about Native Americans for school groups and park visitors, the release said, and become a destination for park educators to improve their Native American educational offerings and celebrate Minnesota's Native people. An advisory group comprising Dakota elders, cultural advisers and others will consult on the project.

The Lowry Nature Center, which opened in 1969, was the state's first public nature center and hosted 43,000 visitors in 2022.

ERIN ADLER