RED WING, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Corrections determined that the Red Wing youth correctional facility violated four standards around the time a 16-year-old resident died by suicide in October.

The Department of Corrections investigation, completed in January, found that the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Red Wing failed to complete well-being checks in a timely matter, had no documentation to account for the 16-year-old’s location and did not seek permission to administer medication to the minor.

Additionally, the DOC found that a staff member working that day was supposed to be terminated in 2023 due to not cooperating with background study requirements.

The 16-year-old from Shakopee died by suicide on Oct. 19, according to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to the death review investigation, the facility conducted the required well-being checks on the resident every 30 minutes from 9:53 p.m. Oct. 18 through 2:13 a.m. Oct. 19.

However, camera footage revealed that the checks lasted approximately one second, “which does not allow a reasonable person to ensure the safety and well-being of residents,” the review said. As a corrective action, the DOC ordered that the facility retrain its employees on well-being check requirements.

The review also found that the 16-year-old was not accounted for from approximately 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 18. The facility was required to submit a plan identifying how staff would ensure that residents are accounted for at all times.

The review also discovered that on Oct. 18, staff did not have documented attempts to seek permission from the minor’s parents or guardian to administer medication.

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The Gophers football program picked up a commitment from Janesville, Wis., offensive lineman Gavin Meier on Wednesday.

The top-ranked prospect in Wisconsin had scholarship offers from Wisconsin, Auburn, Indiana, Northwestern and others. The three-star prospect listed at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds was on the U campus this week after being in Madison earlier this month and Auburn in February.

“I can’t wait to step onto the field at Huntington Bank Stadium for the first time with my future teammates and rep the ‘M’ on the front of my jersey,” Meier wrote on social media. “I will give everything I’ve got to help this program succeed.”

Minnesota now has six commitments in its 2025 class.

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An inspection uncovered corrosion on several of the railcars used on the new Amtrak Borealis line from downtown St. Paul to Chicago, leading to the decision to remove them from service on Wednesday and shuttle passengers by bus in both directions. It’s unclear when Amtrak will resume rail trips.

Amtrak officials issued a statement Wednesday indicating they worked with the manufacturer of the Horizon railcars and “decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars.”

The decision impacts service on multiple Amtrak lines to varying degrees, including the Downeaster, Hiawatha, Borealis and Amtrak Cascades. Some trains, such as the Downeaster, will operate with fewer cars, while “other services will be provided substitute transportation until a long-term plan is developed,” reads the statement.

The Borealis runs round-trips daily between Chicago and St. Paul through Milwaukee, and Hiawatha operates daily with multiple trips between Chicago and Milwaukee. On Wednesday, about half of the Hiawatha departures were replaced by chartered buses as substitute transportation, as were departures in both directions for the Borealis.

The Empire Builder service that stops in St. Paul as its travels from Seattle or Portland, Ore. to Chicago was not impacted. An Amtrak spokesperson on Wednesday said no other information was available.

After years of clamoring for a second daily round-trip from Minnesota’s capital city to Chicago, the Borealis launched last May.

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In a perfect world for the Vikings, unproven quarterback J.J. McCarthy will earn the right to be the starter next season.

That much was made clear talking to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Wednesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center.

“That’s the outcome we want,” Adofo-Mensah said. “That’s the outcome we’re heading towards.”

It’s logical to think that McCarthy will be able to separate himself once the Vikings get back on the field considering he was the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, and his only competition at the moment is journeyman quarterback Brett Rypien.

As committed as the Vikings seem to be to McCarthy at this point, however, Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers reemerging as a potential option down the road.

“For me, to sit here and say that anything is 100 percent forever, that’s just not the job,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes.”

Though multiple reports came out last week saying the Vikings were moving forward with McCarthy at the forefront, Adofo-Mensah confirmed that head coach Kevin O’Connell has been in touch Rodgers.

“He’s got a great relationship with him,” Adofo-Mensah said. “They’ve had a lot of conversations.”

None of those conversations have resulted in the Vikings agreeing to terms with Rodgers, and while the door appears to be closed in the present, the only way the noise is going to go away is if he signs with, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers in the near future.

“We didn’t think it was the right move at this time,” Adofo-Mensah said. “It’s his decision whether he signs with another team.”

The rumors linking Rodgers to the Vikings really started to pick up after veteran quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks and backup Daniel Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Though the Vikings still have interest in adding a veteran presence to pair with McCarthy, Adofo-Mensah hinted they might wait until next month when free agents no longer impact the formula used to determine compensatory picks.

“We’re looking at all our options,” Adofo-Mensah said. “There’s a lot of good players out there.”

As for McCarthy, the Vikings have remained steadfast in their belief in him, and they seem ready to roll with him moving forward.

“He has passed every test with flying colors,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re excited about where he is in his development, and we’ll keep learning the information we get as it comes.”

This is a 2024 photo of JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings NFL football team. This image reflects the Minnesota Vikings active roster as of Thursday, May 9, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on the sidelines before the start of a NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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