Ramsey County will pay $875,000 to settle a data practices lawsuit brought by a Little Canada couple who had their foster care license revoked and planned adoption terminated following allegations the woman abused one of their foster children.

The county received a report in May 2019 that Amy Waters injured one of the three foster children placed with Waters and her husband John Waters on a pre-adoptive basis, according to the county.

According to the lawsuit, the county charged Amy Waters with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child at the urging of Kathryn Fiega, a child protection investigator employed by Ramsey County. Fiega also regularly contacted Clay County officials urging them to remove the children from the Waters home, according to the complaint.

The Waterses allege Fiega failed to follow statutory interview procedures or county guidelines to investigate the injury.

The criminal charge eventually was dismissed. But the couple’s foster care license was revoked and the children were removed from their home, according to the complaint; the Waterses never regained placement of the three foster children, who now live in different states.

Following the abuse report, the Waterses made multiple requests under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act for information related to the report and the county’s criminal and child protection investigations, according to the lawsuit. The couple said it took the county three months to respond and that the records provided were incomplete and heavily redacted.

“There is clear and convincing evidence that Ramsey County had knowledge that the CPS record contained facts that would have been vital to Ms. Waters defending against the criminal charges and to Plaintiffs in their (Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings) appeal,” the complaint said.

“The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office dismissed the criminal charges against Ms. Waters on December 17, 2019, after reviewing the records disclosed by Ramsey County, on the grounds that the State could not prove the criminal charges against Ms. Waters beyond a reasonable doubt,” said the complaint.

As part of the settlement agreement, county officials agreed to provide the Waterses with a copy of the criminal case file on Amy Waters, as well as other documentation of the abuse investigation. The parties also will work on a letter stating the factual circumstances of Amy’s maltreatment appeal, and the Waterses will get a summary of the actions the county takes to improve CPS investigative methods and train its staff on data practices.

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners last week unanimously approved the settlement, which admits no liability.

County officials declined to comment on the settlement Monday and the Waterses’ lawyer could not be reached.

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Microplastics seem to be nearly everywhere, including, according to a recently released survey, Minnesota lakes.

The survey comes from the Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center, an affiliate of the national public interest advocacy group PIRG. Following a protocol put out by microplastic scientists, staff and volunteers examined 40 waterways throughout Minnesota and identified microplastics in every lake sampled.

Melissa Maurer-Jones, an associate professor in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s chemistry and biochemistry department, said she was not surprised by the findings.

“The reality is, we live in a plastic world,” she said. “Lots of things that we use every day or wear on our bodies contain plastics. And just by the simple fact that there’s lots of uses of plastics, it means that small microplastics shed from these things and end up in our environmental systems.”

Katelynn Rolfes, a conservation advocate with Environment Minnesota, authored the survey, which was released last week. The microplastics they found were mostly plastic fibers, so small that the naked eye can hardly see them. They didn’t find any plastic microbeads, which have been banned since 2015 in personal care products.

She agreed that the results weren’t surprising, but she found them sobering. She hopes their research sets off alarm bells and spurs Minnesotans to take action.

“Nothing that we use for only a couple of minutes should be present in our world, in our environment, for hundreds of years,” Rolfes said.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency , microplastics have been found in every ecosystem on the planet, including in food, beverages, and human and animal tissue. A study published earlier this year found that microplastics are even accumulating in human brains.

Microplastics are a growing area of concern for scientists around the world. And there’s still a lot of unknowns. But Maurer-Jones said they’re starting to understand that they could potentially cause problems.

Plastic isn’t going away, but Minnesotans can look for ways to limit the plastic materials they use and make sure they are disposed of properly. Maurer-Jones said one step local governments could take would be to find ways to limit the amount of single-use plastic bags.

She encouraged Minnesotans to pay attention as more research comes out.

“Freshwater systems are not as well studied as some of the marine systems, and we’re only catching up now,” Maurer-Jones said. “The more we know about what’s happening and what influences the number of particles that we’re finding in these systems will help us be more strategic in trying to eliminate, reduce, or remediate some of this waste.”

Fortunately, she said Minnesotans likely don’t have to be concerned about swimming in lakes. As long as you’re not drinking too much lake water by accident, swimmers will only have a minor skin exposure, which should not cause any major health problems.

“Your exposure to microplastics in lakes — I don’t know if it’s going to be on the same level as what you would be exposed to if you are eating something from a Styrofoam takeout container.”

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday signed a cannabis compact with the Prairie Island Indian Community, outlining how the state and tribal nation north of Red Wing will regulate cannabis together, according to the Office of Cannabis Management.

OCM says the agreement will open the door for partnership opportunities between Prairie Island and state-licensed business owners.

“This compact provides state-licensed cannabis businesses the opportunity to partner with Prairie Island Community and boost supply of product while maintaining the Tribe’s inherent sovereignty and right to self-govern,” said OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel.

Prairie Island said it plans to begin wholesaling activities with state-licensed cannabis businesses next month.

In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed legislation legalizing the possession, use and cultivation of cannabis in the state. The law also directed the governor to negotiate intergovernmental agreements with sovereign tribal nations sharing territory with the state.

The compacts help regulate the cannabis market and promote health and safety, OCM said.

The Prairie Island Indian Community is located on an island in the Mississippi River north of Red Wing, near Red Wing and Welch, with off-reservation trust lands also located in Goodhue and Dakota counties.

This is the third cannabis compact signed between the state and a tribal nation. The others involved the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and White Earth Nation.

A tribal nation may open up to eight off-reservation cannabis retail locations. They are limited to one retail location per city and three per county.

Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council President Grant Johnson said the tribe was excited to continue meeting demand in “Minnesota’s growing recreational cannabis market with the exceptional cannabis we are producing.”

“We’re very proud of the disciplined systems and processes we have created to ensure the safe, secure operation of our cannabis business on and off reservation land,” he said.

Officials say each state-tribal compact has specifics unique to each tribal nation. But all three contain similar commitments that prioritize public health and safety through product testing, data gathering and analysis, and product consistency for customers throughout the state’s cannabis market.

Sales of cannabis products off tribal lands are subject to all state and local taxes. The cannabis tax is 15% of gross receipts from retail sales of taxable cannabis products. In addition, taxable cannabis projects are subject to both the 6.875% state general rate sales tax, and any applicable local sales taxes based on where the transaction takes place.

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As the details of large-scale instances of government fraud continue to emerge in Minnesota, Republican candidate for governor Kristin Robbins has made combating the problem central to her campaign.

A state representative from Maple Grove, Robbins is the latest Republican candidate in a growing field of challengers to Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz to highlight the theft of taxpayer dollars by nonprofits — something acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson says likely totals at least $1 billion in recent years.

In September, federal prosecutors announced multiple charges in two separate instances of alleged Medicaid fraud: one in a state housing stabilization program and the other a children’s autism program.

Thompson has said more cases are likely to emerge, meaning fraud will continue to loom over the 2026 election. He said in September the state is “drowning in fraud” and that the state’s system of “trust but verify” no longer works.

Undated courtesy photo, circa Aug. 2025, of Kristin Robbins, who announced Aug. 20, 2025 that she is candidate for Minnesota governor in the 2026 election. (Courtesy of the candidate)

Robbins, a fourth-term lawmaker who chairs the Republican-created House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, blames state agencies under Walz’s leadership for allowing “criminals to rob us blind” and wants to create a culture of “no fraud, no excuses” in Minnesota government. She said agencies worry more about distributing benefits than making sure taxpayer money is spent responsibly.

“The goal was to shovel out as much money as possible, and that was the measure of success,” said Robbins, who has led a series of hearings this year questioning state agency leaders and others on government fraud. “I think it’s really a culture problem.”

How to respond

Fraud figures to become a major issue in next year’s election as Walz seeks an unprecedented third consecutive term as governor. Massive schemes, such those tied to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, where fraudsters stole over $250 million in pandemic-era school meal aid, are just one chunk of the theft, according to federal prosecutors. Thompson has said the recent work on Medicaid fraud grew out of the Feeding Our Future investigation.

Walz has said he has taken action to address fraud. On Sept. 16, days before the housing-related charges were announced, he issued an executive order directing agencies to “intensify” fraud detection efforts. Earlier this year he created a new anti-fraud division in the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Walz also has pointed to large-scale federal prosecutions as a sign that people are being held accountable for the theft. So far, more than 50 of the 75 defendants connected to Feeding Our Future have been convicted.

After Walz issued the September executive order on fraud detection efforts, the Minnesota DFL described his approach as taking “real steps” and accused Robbins of using the House fraud committee as a “campaign stage.”

“Kristin Robbins has focused on propelling herself into the spotlight instead of her work as Fraud and Oversight Committee chair where she’s passed 0 bills and found 0 cases of fraud,” DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement at the time. “We wish her the best of luck as she continues with this unique approach to campaigning on the taxpayers’ dime.”

Inspector General proposal

If elected next year, Robbins said she would do more than Walz has done to hold agencies and fraudsters accountable. That would include establishing an Office of Inspector General with oversight and investigative powers over all agencies, requiring a full financial audit and performance review of vulnerable state programs.

A bill to create a statewide office of inspector general had bipartisan support in the 2025 legislative session. It passed in the DFL-majority Minnesota Senate 60-7 but failed in the tied House, where DFLers had limited interest.

Walz questioned whether a statewide office would be the most efficient way to combat fraud, and it was unclear if he would back the new office.

Robbins said she’d also direct agencies to require “basic oversight practices,” such as “verifying eligibility, requiring documentation instead of attestation, hiring forensic accountants, unannounced site visits, and measuring outcomes.”

State agencies haven’t said whether they’ve fired anyone in connection to large-scale fraud in programs. On Sept. 17, however, one day before the announcement of federal charges in the housing stabilization fraud case, it emerged that the Department of Human Services’ Assistant Commissioner of Homelessness and Housing Supports, Eric Grumdahl, no longer worked for the agency.

News of his departure emerged as he was scheduled to testify before the Republican-led House fraud prevention committee. Robbins accused the Walz administration of “dodging accountability.”

Robbins said that as governor she would appoint new commissioners for state agencies, as would be expected from a new governor from a different political party.

Four in the race

Robbins is one of three prominent Republicans to announce plans to run for governor in 2026.

Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate and 2022 contender for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement, declared his intent in May.

Scott Jensen is back in the race after losing to Walz in 2022. He unveiled an anti-fraud agenda earlier this month.

Walz is the only DFLer who said he plans to run next year.

No Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006.

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