Peter Brosius is not going quietly.

Peter Brosius (Courtesy of Dan Norman)

While some bosses spend their final months on a job easing into retirement and smoothing their successor’s path, Brosius is directing up a storm during the last of his 27 seasons as artistic director of Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company.

He’s helmed all of the company’s large-scale, technically demanding mainstage productions this season, overseeing “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Alice in Wonderland” and, now – for his farewell staging – a revival of one of his company’s highest-visibility achievements, “A Year With Frog and Toad.”

A musical adaptation of stories gleaned from Arnold Lobel’s series of children’s books, it premiered at CTC in 2002 before heading off to Broadway and three Tony nominations. It didn’t win any of those, but drew enough overdue attention to the company that it received the special Tony awarded to an American regional theater each year.

And it says something about the impeccably professional, well-oiled machine that Brosius has helped create at CTC that – even when one of the lead actors quit the show two days before opening – its production of “A Year With Frog and Toad” is nevertheless a slickly produced and tremendously enjoyable piece of theater. Boasting a delightful design scheme and five richly human portrayals of multiple anthropomorphized animals, it’s a sweet celebration of friendship with lovely lessons for even the youngest of audience members.

Jay Goede, left, as Frog, and Reed Sigmund, as Toad, in the Children’s Theatre Company’s production of “A Year with Frog and Toad.” Goede ended up quitting two days before opening. (Glen Stubbe / Children’s Theatre Company)

Now, perhaps you’re saying: Back up. One of the leads quit two days before opening? Yes, Jay Goede was slated to revive the role of the wise and patient Frog that he created in the original 2002 production. But differences with director Brosius evidently inspired him to take the very unprofessional (and probably career-damaging) step of walking out on his collaborators after preview performances had begun.

But kudos to understudy John-Michael Zuerlein, whose Frog exudes a kindness and patience ideal for the part. Acting as something of a straight man for Reed Sigmund’s more irascible and impulsive Toad, Zuerlein bears a warm, comforting air reminiscent of two classic characters from PBS kids programming, Mr. Rogers and Bob McGrath’s amiable music teacher on vintage “Sesame Street.”

Zuerlein brings the ideal calming element to this collection of vignettes about a devoted friendship between a compulsive worrier and his more even-keeled companion. As the title suggests, we follow the pair through a year around the pond, starting as they awaken from hibernation and progressing through adventures involving flower planting, swimming, cookie baking, kite flying, leaf raking, sledding and celebrating Christmas.

Jay Goede, from left, as Frog, Becca Claire Hart, Reed Sigmund as Toad, Ryan London Levin and Janely Rodriguez in the Children’s Theatre Company’s production of “A Year with Frog and Toad.” Frog is now being played by John-Michael Zuerlein.  (Glen Stubbe / Children’s Theatre Company)

While there’s plenty of physical comedy to get the young ones laughing, their adults will likely enjoy the wit in Willie Reale’s script and lyrics. His brother, Robert Reale, is the composer, and his best work is found in such heartfelt ballads as “Seeds” – in which Sigmund serenades his flower bed – and Zuerlein’s lovely take on “Alone,” which advocates for the advantages of taking a periodic pause to cultivate your gratitude.

Becca Claire Hart, Ryan London Levin and Janely Rodriguez all deserve praise for bringing such individuality to their collection of birds, snails and squirrels. And the show boasts a host of imaginative design ideas in the sets of Adrianne Lobel (the original author’s daughter), Martin Pakledinaz’s costumes and Daniel Pelzig’s choreography. They help bring Brosius’ CTC tenure to a heartwarming conclusion.

‘A Year With Frog and Toad’

When: Through June 16
Where: Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $87-$15, available at 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org
Capsule: A sweet send-off for longtime CTC artistic director Peter Brosius.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

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In mid-April, former FBI agent Coleen Rowley of Apple Valley and retired carpenter Barry Riesch of St. Paul flew to Istanbul to board the Freedom Flotilla, a handful of boats loaded with 5,000 pounds of food and medicine intended for the war-ravaged people of Gaza. The flotilla, however, never left its dock.

FBI whistleblower and Dakota County resident Coleen Rowley. (Getty Images: Mike Theiler)

Rather than deliver humanitarian aid, the crew of international peace advocates and relief aid observers have been delivered disappointment.

To enter international waters, the boats need to fly under the flag of a recognized nation, and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s partnership with the small African nation of Guinea Bissau appears to have fallen apart as of late last week.

“I’ve been in Istanbul 10 days now,” said Rowley, in a phone call on Monday morning. “When we first initially came, we thought we’d be sailing within three days. … At the last minute, they yanked their flag.”

Inspection

Coalition officials said they was contacted by the Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry on Thursday requesting an inspection of their lead cargo ship, the Akdenez. “This was a highly unusual request as our ship had already passed all required inspections; nevertheless, we agreed,” reads a statement issued by the coalition over the weekend.

On Friday afternoon, before the inspection was completed, coalition members said the registry informed them it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, including the Akdenez. Registry officials demanded more information about the ships’ destination, any potential additional port calls, the discharge port for humanitarian aid and estimated arrival dates and times. They also demanded a complete cargo manifest.

“Without a flag, we cannot sail,” wrote the coalition, in a statement published Saturday that called the registry’s decision “a blatantly political move.”

Riesch, a Vietnam veteran with Veterans for Peace, chose to fly back to St. Paul on Monday, and Rowley, who is active with Women Against Military Madness, said she plans to return Thursday if the boats don’t set sail.

Rowley became famous after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 for accusing her then-employer, the FBI, of ignoring advance warning signs.

“I spent my whole career in law enforcement trying to serve justice. I even worked on mafia murders,” Rowley said. “And the worst crime in the world is genocide.”

Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Formed in 2010 in response to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition includes member organizations from the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Norway and Turkey.

Rowley said the wide-ranging mix of some 200 international volunteers who have gathered in Istanbul this month includes three doctors from New Zealand, a former opera singer from Milan, Italy and others from around the world, as well as many additional volunteers based in Turkey.

After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Rowley accused the FBI of putting roadblocks in the way of Minneapolis field agents trying to investigate Zacarius Moussaoui, the only suspect charged with conspiring with the hijackers in the attacks. She tried to unseat Congressman John Kline in 2006.

More than 34,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel began its military strikes in retaliation for the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, which were perpetrated by Hamas and other militantly pro-Palestinian organizations.

Roughly 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, the worst loss of life in a single day since Israel’s founding in 1948, and more than 240 people were taken hostage. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

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PHONEIX — Last year, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said he couldn’t be considered a star until he won in the playoffs.

So, surely after Edwards lifted Minnesota to a series sweep over the Kevin Durant and Devin Booker-led Suns in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, even the 22-year-old is comfortable viewing himself in that light.

“Nah, not yet, man,” Edwards said. “Not yet.”

The Timberwolves completed their series sweep of the Suns with a 122-116 victory Sunday at Footprint Arena, but there’s still more work to be done.

Mike Conley spoke to the team ahead of this year’s playoffs about having a sense of urgency, about how teams like this year’s Timberwolves squad don’t come around often. Conley himself hasn’t been in a conference final for more than a decade. Basically, the 36-year-old asked his teammates to help make a deep run for him.

He wants to compete for a championship.

That feels lofty for this organization. After all, the win over the Suns was Minnesota’s first series victory in 20 years. There were countless references to winning a series being “a step.”

“And I understand it’s just one series win and you don’t want to overblow it, but it’s the next step,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said, “and it’s the next step in the progression for all of our guys.”

But there’s no law against taking multiple steps within the same postseason. That seems to be where the Wolves’ collective heads are at the moment.

Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels briefly discussed his enjoyment of the challenge of defending the likes of Booker, Durant and Brad Beal.

“I mean, we held them to whatever they were, bad shooting nights,” McDaniels said. “So, just keep doing that.”

McDaniels paused, hitting the realization the series was no more.

“Well,” he said, “(it’s) over now.”

The win matters. It matters for national respect. It matters for an even higher level of internal belief that not only is this a good team, it’s one that can achieve in the postseason. Karl-Anthony Towns noted how much it matters that he finally notched a series victory under his belt.

But it still only matters to a certain degree.

“It’s just the first round, though,” McDaniels said. “We don’t want to get too high, too low. We’ve still got another team to play.”

Onto the next one, which will be against either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers starting Saturday or next Monday.

“Obviously, for this franchise, for these fans, for this organization, it feels good,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “It’s a credit to the work that this front office, coaching staff and all of us players have been putting in since I got here (before the 2022-23 season) until now. It’s great.

“But at the same time, we’re trying to get that championship, and this is one step of the way. It’s not gonna get easier. So, we’ve just gotta stay focused, keep putting in the work every day and keep taking care of ourselves and we’ll be alright.”

As Conley — the only player on the roster who’s advanced past the next round and has played in a conference final — knows, the games only get bigger from here.

“We can celebrate (Sunday), but we’ve got to be ready to go when we play next round, because the lights get bigger, moments get bigger and teams get smarter and teams start figuring out what other teams did against you, trying to figure out ways to attack you,” the veteran guard said. “It’s going to be a lot of film on you. You have to be able to manipulate that and still try to find a way to win. It’s going to take a lot, and a lot physically from us.”

And they intend to bring all of that. That was evident when looking at the whiteboard located in the visitor’s locker room in Phoenix after Minnesota’s victory.

Two things were featured in red marker: A broom, signaling Minnesota’s sweep, and a big, circled 12, the amount of remaining victories standing between the Timberwolves and the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

So it is written.

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By ALEXA ST. JOHN (Associated Press)

Three women were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report last week, marking the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through cosmetic services using needles.

Federal health officials said in a new report that an investigation from 2018 through 2023 into the clinic in Albuquerque, VIP Spa, found it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use, transmitting HIV to clients through its services via contaminated blood.

WHAT IS A VAMPI

RE FACIAL? IS IT SAFE?

Vampire facials, formally known as platelet-rich plasma microneedling facials, are cosmetic procedures intended to rejuvenate one’s skin, making it more youthful-looking and reducing acne scars and wrinkles, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

After a client’s blood is drawn, a machine separates the blood into platelets and cells.

The plasma is then injected into the client’s face, either through single-use disposable or multiuse sterile needles.

Vampire facials have gained popularity in recent years as celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have publicized receiving the procedure.

HIV transmission via unsterile injection is a known risk of beauty treatments and other services, officials say.

Despite this, the Academy says vampire facials are generally safe.

Health officials say spa facilities that offer cosmetic injection services should practice proper infection control and maintain client records to help prevent the transmission of bloodborne pathogens such as HIV.

HOW WERE THE HIV CASES LINKED TO THE SPA?

The New Mexico Department of Health was notified during summer 2018 that a woman with no known HIV risk factors was diagnosed with an HIV infection after receiving the spa’s vampire facial services that spring.

Four women — former spa clients — and one man — the sexual partner of one of the spa clients but who did not receive services at the spa himself — received HIV infection diagnoses there during 2018-2023. Analysis showed similar HIV strains among all cases, according to the CDC’s report last week.

The HIV diagnoses for two of these patients “were likely attributed to exposures before receipt of cosmetic injection services,” according to the CDC.

Evidence suggested that contamination from services at the spa resulted in the positive HIV infection tests for the other three patients.

Health officials found equipment containing blood on a kitchen counter, unlabeled tubes of blood and injectables in the refrigerator alongside food and unwrapped syringes not properly disposed of. The CDC report said that a steam sterilizer, known as an autoclave — which is necessary for cleaning equipment that is reused — was not found at the spa.

ARE ANY OTHER PATIENTS AT R

ISK?

Through the New Mexico Department of Health’s investigation, nearly 200 former clients of the spa, and their sexual partners, were tested for HIV, and no additional infections were found.

According to the CDC, free testing remains available for those who previously frequented the spa.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SPA OWNER?

The former owner of VIP Spa, Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz, pleaded guilty in 2022 to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, including conducting the unlicensed vampire facials.

The New Mexico Attorney General’s office said Ramos de Ruiz also did illegal plasma and Botox-injection procedures.

According to prosecutors, inspections by state health and regulation and licensing departments found the code violations, and the spa closed in fall 2018 after the investigation was launched.

Ramos de Ruiz was sentenced to 7 1/2 years, with four years being suspended on supervised probation, 3 1/2 years time in prison and parole, according to court documents.

Raul A. Lopez, attorney for Ramos de Ruiz, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

___

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.