If you have a school-aged child in Rosemount, odds are you’ve waited in line at a particular intersection that is undergoing an update this summer.

Located just paces from Rosemount High School and Rosemount Middle School, the intersection at Minnesota 3 and 142nd St. W. is getting a new roundabout to improve safety and reduce delays, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The intersection at Minnesota 3 and 142nd St. W., near Rosemount High School, will see an upgrade this summer as a roundabout is installed to improve safety and traffic flow. A public meeting regarding the project is planned for May 21, 2025. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation)

A public meeting is planned for Wednesday to discuss the $3 million project, which will see Minnesota 3 closed in both directions between Connemara Trail and 145th Street starting June 9 through September.

In addition to the roundabout, crews will add drainage and re-align the bike and pedestrian crosswalks to include access to the roundabout, according to the project page.

The public meeting, which starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Rosemount High School Student Center at 3335 142nd St. W., will have visuals of the roundabout and detours.

While there will not be a formal presentation, members of the project team will be in attendance to answer questions.

Related Articles

West St. Paul pastor recalls spending the summer of 1980 in Minnesota with a friend — Pope Leo XIV

Emergency alert for Lakeville sets off phone alarms in wider area than intended

MN memorial for fallen officers includes 2 killed nearly 100 years ago

What the EPA’s partial rollback of the ‘forever chemical’ drinking water rule means

Man shot by St. Paul officer during search after sex assault gets 35-year sentence

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Medical Writer

Former President Joe Biden’s office said Sunday that he has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and is reviewing treatment options with his doctors.

Biden was having increasing urinary symptoms and was seen last week by doctors who found a prostate nodule. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the cancer cells have spread to the bone, his office said in a statement.

When caught early, prostate cancer is highly survivable, but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Here are some things to know about prostate cancer that has spread.

What is the prostate gland?

The prostate is part of the reproductive system in men. It makes fluid for semen. It’s located below the bladder and it wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out through the penis.

Related Articles

Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer

Nodule found in former President Joe Biden’s prostate during routine physical exam

Biden calls Trump’s pressure on Ukraine ‘modern-day appeasement’ in 1st post-presidential interview

Trump says US kids may get ‘2 dolls instead of 30,’ but China will suffer more in a trade war

Judge orders federal agencies to release billions of dollars from two Biden-era initiatives

How serious is Biden’s cancer?

Biden’s cancer has spread to the bone, his office said. That makes it more serious than localized or early-stage prostate cancer.

Outcomes have improved in recent decades and patients can expect to live with metastatic prostate cancer for four or five years, said Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center.

“It’s very treatable, but not curable,” Smith said.

What are the treatment options?

Prostate cancer can be treated with drugs that lower levels of hormones in the body or stop them from getting into prostate cancer cells. The drugs can slow down the growth of cancer cells.

“Most men in this situation would be treated with drugs and would not be advised to have either surgery or radiation therapy,” Smith said.

What is a Gleason score?

Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what’s known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively. Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

As New York makes progress on stopping contamination from long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS, the Environmental Protection Agency is back-tracking on a recent federal regulation that set tighter limits for these chemicals in drinking water.

A drinking fountain at Mount Hope Playground in the Bronx. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday that it plans to rescind and reconsider allowable levels of four long-lasting chemicals, known as PFAS, in drinking water—overturning regulations set by the Biden administration last spring. And utility companies will get a two-year extension to comply with previously-set standards for two other types of PFAS, officials said.

In response, environmental groups are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to counteract the federal government’s decision by tightening PFAS regulations at home. They want New York’s rules to match the stricter limits set by the Biden administration last year. 

“The Trump administration’s rollback on drinking water standards puts New Yorkers’ well-being and safety at risk,” a spokesperson for the governor said in an email, without commenting on calls to strengthen state rules.

PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily, are commonly used to stain-proof and waterproof goods, including non-stick pans, clothing, menstrual products, cosmetics and firefighting foams. 

But continued exposure to PFAS can lead to health issues, from increasing the risk of certain cancers to immune system deficiencies and developmental delays in children.

In April of last year, the EPA under Biden tightened limits on the amount of PFAS chemicals that can be present in drinking water, and gave utilities until 2029 to comply. To meet the new requirements, public utility water systems would need to inform the public of the level of PFAS measured in their drinking water. If those levels exceed established limits, they need to install filtration technologies to remove the chemicals or find alternative water sources. 

The move was historic as it was the first time the agency had set enforceable limits on PFAS in drinking water. 

But the Trump administration has since extended the compliance deadline for the Biden-era rule for two of the most common PFAS chemicals (PFOA and PFOS) to 2031. And it reconsidered the limits listed in the initial regulation for four other chemicals (PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS). The agency plans to issue a proposed rule for those new limits this fall, and finalize it in the spring of 2026, according to a press release.

“The work to protect Americans from PFAS in drinking water started under the first Trump Administration and will continue under my leadership,” the head of the EPA, Lee Zeldin, said in a statement.

But the environmental community in New York says the decision is detrimental to progress being made to protect communities from these chemicals, which the Empire State has been passing laws to phase out.

“Delay puts people at risk of exposure to contaminants in drinking water and increases their risk for a variety of health problems—plain and simple,” said Shannon Roback, science director at the environmental organization Riverkeeper.

Roback says updating state-level drinking water standards to mirror the EPA’s more protective original proposal could help New York build on its progress in phasing out PFAS contamination altogether.

New York has been phasing out the use of PFAS in certain goods, and passed tight restrictions on their presence in drinking water in 2020. (Photo by Jeanmarie Evelly)

Over the last decade, New York has been steadily tightening regulations against these chemicals and has become, according to experts, a national leader in cracking down on the use of PFAS.

In 2020, New York adopted some of the nation’s lowest drinking water limits for the presence of two of the most common types of PFAS, known as PFOA and PFOS. And the New York State budget approved earlier this month included a ban on the use of PFAS in firefighting gear. 

The PFAS-Free NY Campaign backs at least five additional bills this legislative session to crack down on the use of these chemicals. That includes legislation that would ban PFAS in household goods, one that would get rid of it in menstrual products and another that would regulate its use in cosmetics.

New York already bans these chemicals in certain products: there is one law on the books that prohibits carpets, including artificial turf, from containing PFAS. And there are others that prohibit its use in clothing or apparel, in food packaging and firefighter foam.

“New York has been a leader in addressing PFAS pollution,” said Rob Hayes, senior director of clean water at Environmental Advocates NY. 

Hayes says the rollback on the EPA’s drinking water standards for PFAS won’t impact New York City, where the drinking water currently meets even the more stricter levels set under Biden. 

But at least 1.3 million New York residents will be exposed to PFAS contamination, according to a recent report by the Environmental Working Group. That’s because there are 189 New York water systems—primarily serving residents on Long Island—that don’t meet the standard, the report notes.

Still, Hayes says that relaxing any PFAS rules now could lead New York down a dangerous path, and that tightening drinking water regulations on the state level could guarantee New Yorkers stay protected.

“When the federal government fails us, New York state authorities have to step up to protect us,” Hayes said.

“If the use of PFAS chemicals in products and in manufacturing processes continues, it’s possible that down the line the [city’s] drinking water could become polluted too, and it’s another reason why we have to turn off the tap on these chemicals entirely.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post After Feds Weaken Drinking Water Standards, NY Environmentalists Call for Tighter Regulations At Home appeared first on City Limits.

Deaths by suicide in Minnesota and across the country have been increasing over the past two decades. However, a new report from the Minnesota Department of Health indicates that for the second consecutive year, the number of suicides in the state has fallen below the peak levels reached in 2022.

The rate of increase may be slowing down, said Stefan Gingerich, senior epidemiologist at the health department who specializes in suicide.

“These patterns do vary by geography, sex, race and age,” Gingerich said.

The 2024 suicide rate in Minnesota was similar to 2023, with an estimated 813 suicides among residents, according to preliminary data from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Men tend to use more lethal methods than women. In 2024, nearly 80% of suicides in the state were men.

“This is a persistent pattern that we see year in and year out,” Gingerich said.

The suicide rate among women increased compared to 2023. Rates for other sexes or gender identities are not available because that information is not included on death certificates, according to the state health department.

The age groups with the highest rates were 50-54 years and 80-84 years. In 2024, teens and younger adults experienced lower suicide rates than in 2023.

“The overall increase in deaths by suicide over the last couple of decades continues to be concerning,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said in a statement. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy and can have an ongoing impact on families and communities. Our aim is to help make sure people know suicide is preventable and recovery is possible.”

The 2024 data show that suicide rates in rural areas of Minnesota are significantly higher than those in the Twin Cities and suburban counties, with rural rates being twice as high. The health department has noted that this trend is not new.

Between 2019 and 2023, most rural counties in Minnesota exhibited a suicide rate that was 59% higher than that of the Twin Cities and 46% higher than other urban counties outside the Twin Cities.

Residents of Greater Minnesota face a higher risk of suicide due to elevated rates of firearm ownership, limited access to mental health care, and higher poverty rates compared to urban areas.

In 2024, firearm injuries accounted for 51% of suicide deaths, a percentage higher than in recent years, according to the state health department.

Efforts to prevent suicide in rural areas include providing training for farm and ranch communities, as well as promoting the safe storage of firearms for higher-risk individuals.

The health department’s 2023-2027 State Suicide Prevention Plan supports various prevention efforts, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and enhancing care for suicide and self-harm within health care and behavioral health clinics.

Related Articles

In the Deep South, health care fights echo civil rights battles

Fast action from bystanders can improve cardiac arrest survival. Many don’t know what to do

Pain clinic CEO faced 20 years for making patients ‘human pin cushions.’ He got 18 months

Ramsey County mental health vehicle to provide assessments, resources

FDA OKs first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease

The 988 Lifeline offers free and confidential support for individuals experiencing mental health or emotional distress. In 2024, the Minnesota Lifeline Centers responded to approximately 90,000 contacts, marking a 75% increase from 2023.

State officials said they are monitoring proposed federal funding cuts that could eliminate national and local mental health programs, along with potential reductions to 988 funding.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture offers a rural mental health program that is free to Minnesota farmers. The number is 833-600-2670 or text FARMSTRESS to 898211.

For help

If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs immediate mental health support, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.