Minnesota briefs: Cold Spring looks to hire diversity consultant six months after racist attack

Cold Spring City Council on Tuesday plans to consider approving a contract with Minneapolis-based DeYoung Consulting Services for diversity and equity consulting following a racial reckoning last summer in the central Minnesota community of 4,200 residents.

The consulting service is being recommended by an ad hoc committee formed after Cold Spring resident Andrea Robinson told council members in July about the harassment her family has endured from classmates and neighbors because her husband and some of her children are Black. The harassment included a Richmond man crashing a stolen car into their house in late July; he faces multiple charges in the incident.

Dozens of people attended the council meeting with Robinson. They asked the council to denounce racism and take meaningful action. The council selected DeYoung Consulting Services as the finalist for the service on Jan. 11.

Jenny Berg

ST. JOSEPH

City wants input on future Jacob Wetterling Community Center

St. Joseph city leaders want input on amenities for the community center that's been in the works for years. The city hosted an open house Wednesday and is collecting feedback through an online survey through Feb. 2. Possibilities include gymnasiums, a pool, exercise and studio spaces, and multipurpose community space.

Leaders plan to call the space the Jacob Wetterling Community Center in memory of the 11-year-old who was abducted near his St. Joseph home in 1989. In 2016, Danny Heinrich confessed to kidnapping and killing Jacob.

Residents — including Jacob's mother, Patty Wetterling — have advocated for establishing a community center in the central Minnesota city of about 7,000 residents for decades; the most recent push gained steam in 2015. Two years ago, the state set aside $4 million for the design and construction of the center, estimated to cost $16 million at the time. Last year, the City Council approved hiring St. Cloud-based HMA Architects to design the space.

Jenny Berg

DULUTH

City councilor steps down two years early

Duluth City Councilor Derek Medved will vacate his at-large seat in February, with his last meeting Feb. 14, council President Arik Forsman said Friday.

Medved, elected in 2019, is serving his first term. He owns several gas stations and told Fox21 News he was stepping down to focus on his "growing business."

Occasionally the lone dissenting vote, Medved most recently was opposed to a citywide mask mandate.

"I'm excited for his opportunity to grow as an entrepreneur," Forsman said. "But I am disappointed. He's been a great voice to have on the council."

The City Council sets the process and timeline for appointing a replacement, and that person will serve through the remainder of Medved's term, ending in 2024, said city spokeswoman Kate Van Daele.

Jana Hollingsworth