Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) – Look for another addition to a popular Rochester park.
When you think of Rochester, what comes to your mind first? Yeah, not lakes. But we actually have 11 lakes or reservoirs in town including Lake Maroo. Yep, it is a real thing.
The city has been adding features to Cascade Lake Regional Park in recent years, including trails and a swimming beach.
It will be constructed on the south side of the lake, west of the beach.
The plan is to have it ready for public use this year.
Under an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the state will provide and install the pier. The city Parks Dept. will provide an accessible pathway and other shoreline improvements needed to connect the pier to the shore
Updated: August 24, 2021 08:55 AM Created: August 24, 2021 05:55 AM
(ABC 6 NEWS) – There is a lot of buzz happening around Rochester, millions of bees that have produced honey since April and now the honey is ready to be harvested.
Tom Ownes took over Johnston Honey just 6 years ago from Don Johnston. This is their 24th season of harvesting season and it is huge.
“It’s an ongoing yearly process,” said the Owner of Johnston Honey https://johnstonhoney.com/, Tom Owens.
Owens gets started in April by placing his bees in their honey boxes to create honeycombs and throughout the summer they produce honey.
“By the middle of August in that short time, they have produced about 120 pounds of honey per hive,” said Owens.
Owens has eight farms in a 20-mile radius of Rochester. There is about 80 hives total. Over four days, they will harvest about 9,000 pounds of honey.
Owens and his team of workers start out by heating the honey boxes to make it easier to remove the honey from the honeycombs. They then decap the honeycomb to remove the wax and allow the honey to come out.
Once the wax is decapped, 48 frames of honeycomb get placed into a machine that spins the honey out into a barrel.
“It will take about 3 of these spins to produce about 600 pounds of honey,” said Owens.
Once they finish harvest season, all of the barrels of honey go to their warehouse to be created into products.
It’s not just jars of honey, it’s also candles and chapstick, but behind all of this these bees are helping keep Minnesota’s pollination going.
“I’ve noticed a lot of improvement in how much food in that they have the prairie grassland which we try to focus on where our hives there is getting to be more of that so we are definitely helping that in Minnesota,” said Owens.
There have been concerns over the past few years of the bee population declining and there has been legislation in Minnesota to try and help the problem. Owens said while his bees are fine, it is more about the wild bee population.
“All of our food is dependent on the bee population so if that ever gets to the point to where that is down to where it isn’t we could be in some real big trouble,” said Owens. He added, “The food production would drastically decrease if the pollinators disappear.”
Experts have said certain pesticides and not enough plants can be a part of the problem.
Founded in 2000, Colleges of Distinction has advocated for schools whose undergraduate experiences are grounded in a philosophy of engagement, teaching, community, and outcomes. This philosophy has evolved over the last few years to inspire the team at Colleges of Distinction to create individual recognitions that focus on institutions’ specialized services for students.
University of Minnesota Rochester has received recognition in Career Development, Equity & Inclusion.
Career Development: Few questions are going to be on students’ minds more often than some version of “What am I going to do after graduation?” Conveniently, schools awarded the Career Development badge have shown that they are well equipped to help their students graduate with confidence. The badge recognizes schools with comprehensive four-year plans, advising, and more. University of Minnesota Rochester offers such resources as Student Success Coaches, internships, research opportunities and more, providing unparalleled support throughout every stage of career exploration, development, and application.
“The Career Development recognition goes beyond a job board and résumé writing,” said Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officer at Colleges of Distinction. “University of Minnesota Rochester has shown inventiveness in connecting with students throughout their academic careers and beyond. Students and graduates are fully supported by University of Minnesota Rochester’s outstanding services.”
Equity & Inclusion: University of Minnesota Rochester has distinguished itself as a community dedicated to equal opportunity for all students, faculty, and staff. As an Equity & Inclusion College of Distinction, University of Minnesota Rochester understands that inclusion is just as important as diversity, ensuring that all students are given equal opportunity to thrive academically, personally, and professionally.
“University of Minnesota Rochester has created a welcoming environment for underserved students,” said Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officers at Colleges of Distinction. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to highlight the noteworthy support offered for students who might not otherwise study and thrive on a college campus.”
About Colleges of Distinction Since 2000, Colleges of Distinction has been committed to honoring schools throughout the U.S. for true excellence in higher education. The member schools within the Colleges of Distinction consortium distinguish themselves through their dedicated focus on the undergraduate experience. Its website provides dynamic college profiles, customized tools, and resources for students, parents, and high school counselors. For more information, and to learn how to become a College of Distinction, visit CollegesofDistinction.com.
Once again, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic is receiving national accolades as the best in the U.S.
U.S. News & World Report’s annual ‘Best Hospital’ rankings have been released and the Rochester health care facility is number one.
The list according to U.S. News & World Report, “has been to help guide patients, in consultation with their doctors, to the right hospital when they need care.” They also note that the coronavirus pandemic underscored the importance of high-quality health care, “and reinforced U.S. News’ long-standing commitment to help patients across the nation find the best hospital for their needs.”
The Best Hospitals list highlights 20 hospitals that excel across most or all types of care evaluated by U.S. News. Hospitals received points if they were nationally ranked in the 15 specialties – the more specialties and the higher their rank, the more points they got – and if they were rated high performing in any of 17 procedures and conditions. The top point-scorers made their honor roll.
According to the list, Mayo Clinic is nationally ranked in 14 adult and eight pediatric specialties, and rated high performing in one adult specialty and 16 procedures and conditions which helped it to the number one spot.
Other prominent hospitals on the list include the renowned Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts General in the top five. The New York area had three make the list, with Chicago, LA and Boston each getting two.
U.S. News does this ranking each year as a tool that can help these patients find sources of especially skilled inpatient care.
Here is the list of U.S. News’ top twenty hospitals:
1. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
2. Cleveland Clinic.
3. UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles.
4. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
6. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.
7. New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, New York.
8. NYU Langone Hospitals, New York.
9. UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco.
10. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago.
11. University of Michigan Hospitals-Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor.
12. Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital, Stanford, California.
13. Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, Philadelphia.
14. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.
15. Mayo Clinic-Phoenix.
16. Houston Methodist Hospital.
17. (tie) Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis.
17. (tie) Mount Sinai Hospital, New York.
19. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
20. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) — It all started with an idea.
“I think Rochester has a lot of diversity in food and businesses, but we don’t always see them all together in the same place,” Night Market organizer Tiffany Alexandria said. “And I just thought it’s something really fun to showcase.”
A showcase Saturday night — that will transform the Mayo Civic Center Riverfront Plaza, into Rochester’s first ever “Night Market.” In a three night series, it aims to bring Asian culture to the heart of Rochester; featuring food, drinks, art and handmade products that encompass Asian society and traditions.
“I have a lot of community support, which I am so grateful for,” Alexandria said. “I couldn’t have done it without the community.”
Growing up in Taiwan, Alexandria attended night markets frequently. Now living in Rochester, she wanted to bring a piece of home — and a piece of Asian culture — to the Med City.
“Night markets in Taiwan are not like a super organized event like this,” she said. “It’s just where people gather at night. There will be street vendors showing up in the streets and people just know to go and seek it out at night. Night markets are an every day, where ever you go. They have different areas, there might be two or three or even ten in a city. So, you just pick your favorite place to go and eat their food.”
While Alexandria was the master mind behind the event, there was another crucial piece of the puzzle: funding. That’s where Rochester Downtown Alliance came in. Each year RDA grants up to $3,000 to bring new, creative events to downtown Rochester. And this year, the Night Market pitch got chosen as one of RDA’s yearly “Start Up Grant Funding” recipients.
“We just want to get the money out there to people who can execute and do something new,” RDA Executive Director Holly Masek said. “And the Night Market struck us as engaging a new community downtown, highlighting a new area downtown and we are just really excited to see it come to life.”
The free, outdoor event has dozens of local vendors, eager to share Asian and BIPOC arts, games, handmade products and food. One of which, is Infuzn Foods. Co-founder, Chandu Valluri says he and his team wanted to be apart of it to share and educate.
“It’s the ability to share culture. To be a part of the spirit of inclusivity, equity and diversity,” Valluri said. “The opportunity to share, to learn, to educate about things and foods that are passion to us.”
You can also find Infuzn Foods at the Rochester Farmer’s market.
The Night Market will kick off Saturday night, July 16, from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be two other markets on Aug. 21 and Sept. 18.
Bring your kiddo’s to Sargent’s Garden Center North for a scavenger hunt July 21st! Sargent’s is committed to helping kids get out and enjoy the great outdoors through gardening. ‘Wee Wednesdays’ are designed for preschool and kindergarten-aged children
All classes include hands-on activities, a story, and a tasty treat. Class times are 9:30 am and 10:30 am on the third Wednesday of the month. A $9 class fee covers supplies and snacks. Please plan to stay with your children during the class. Kids will get to explore and seek out nature’s treasures.
ROCHESTER, Minn. – You’ll be able to get the smells of fried food and the sounds of animals this month as the Olmsted County Free Fair is in less than three weeks. This will be the first year back on the fairgrounds since 2019, so you can expect to see some things to look a little different.
Fair board member, Brandon Helgeson, said there have been several hours of work put in by volunteers to get the fair ready to go come July 26th. With the week-long event not happening last year, all the changes they made to the grounds weren’t able to be seen by the public.
While they might be little changes, Helgeson is hopeful guests will appreciate them. “All the parking kind of remains on the outskirts of the grounds now,” he explained. “So, we’re excited about it. This one building has been remodeled in the past couple of years and it’s going to be our new beer garden. A few changes from 2019, but I think they’re all positive ones.”
Helgeson said the fair board has around 30 or 40 paid employees they hire to make everything that week is possible. He explained it’s been a little tricky to find enough help. They’re currently looking for staff to cover a variety of areas. “We hire some office staff that will help field phone calls, help with all the paperwork that goes on in the office,” said Helgeson. “So we’re scrambling trying to find some of those. a big thing that we need to hire is we need to hire parking staff.”
The Olmsted County Free Fair begins on July 26th and runs through August 1st.
KAAL-TV Updated: July 01, 2021 11:48 AM Created: July 01, 2021 11:07 AM
(ABC 6 News) – Independence Day is a day of celebration and time together with family and community. With an extended weekend for the 2021 July 4th holiday, take advantage of the time and catch fireworks throughout the area. The forecast shows a hot, sunny and dry weekend, so take advantage of the weather and see some fireworks!
Sunday – 10 p.m. at Soldiers Field Park 4th Fest includes live music and celebrations and is at an open-to-the-public City park, so lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers are welcome. Find more information on the Experience Rochester MN website.
Friday, June 11, 2021 was National Corn on the Cob Day. What better way to celebrate than to begin finding a name for the most beloved ear of corn in Minnesota, and maybe the world:
Rochester’s Iconic Corn on the Cob Water Tower (or Ear of Corn Water Tower, or Corn Cob Water Tower…or whatever you prefer as a description).
The water tower has a rich history in Rochester, dating back to the 1930’s:
“The ear of corn water tower was “constructed in 1931 as a nod to one of the two main vegetables processed at the Rochester cannery”, according to the Olmsted County website. The water tower “was originally built to provide water to the Reid, Murdoch and Co. cannery” according to Atlas Obscura. That cannery was eventually purchased by Libby Foods in 1948 and then Seneca Foods in 1982 until 2018 when Seneca closed. (Keep Reading About Corn on the Cob Water Tower)”
The water tower is now owned by Olmsted County and going thru renovations. There’s no plan to use it as a water tower, but the workings have been updated so that’s not out of the question in the future.
So…a name. Now that its “our” water tower, what should we name it? I asked on Facebook and these are the names so far…is there one you really like?
Mayo Clinic ranked among ‘Best Children’s Hospitals’ in U.S.
(ABC 6 News) – Mayo Clinic Children’s Center is ranked as a top-performing children’s hospital on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021–2022 “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings.
“Mayo Clinic Children’s Center receives some of the highest rankings in the upper Midwest and continues to rank among the top children’s hospitals in the country. These recognitions are a testament to our staff’s delivery of high-quality care and services,” says Randall Flick, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic Children’s Center. “From prenatal patients to those transitioning into adulthood, Mayo Clinic Children’s Center strives to improve the quality of life to children of all ages, abilities and health challenges.”
Mayo Clinic Children’s Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Mayo Clinic’s rankings by pediatric specialty are:
Cancer (No. 35)
Cardiology and Heart Surgery (No. 43)
Diabetes and Endocrinology (tie No. 38)
Neonatology (tie No. 38)
Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 39)
Orthopedics (No. 12)
Pediatric Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Surgery (tie No. 45)
Urology (No. 21)
“Similar to many other healthcare-related activities, the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings had a slightly different approach this year because of the pandemic,” says Dr. Flick. “U.S. News & World Report incorporated new reputation scores, and the remaining data assessments were reused from 2019–2020 survey results.”
