Law enforcement will have a more visible presence along St. Paul’s University Avenue and the Green Line, and service providers will be guiding people to resources including addiction treatment and housing services, Metro Transit police announced Wednesday.

A new initiative, Safe and Strong University Avenue, will bring together law enforcement, service providers and prosecutors. It’s planned to last until at least the end of summer and may be extended.

Metro Transit police, St. Paul police and the Ramsey County sheriff’s office “will conduct high visibility, coordinated enforcement operations on the Green Line corridor based on precise data … from our crime intelligence team,” said Joe Dotseth, interim Metro Transit police chief, at a Wednesday press conference near University and Snelling avenues.

Metro Transit is “developing dedicated police beats in this area, a proven approach that reduces crime and builds public trust through consistent officer presence,” including a Hamline-Midway beat, Dotseth added.

They also have the Transit Response Unit, which is out on the system to deal with serious crime.

The most serious crimes were up slightly on the Metro Transit system in the first quarter of this year, compared to last year, but down from two years ago.

In the categories of robbery, assault, homicide, sex offense, theft from person, motor vehicle and burglary, there were 211 reports in the first  quarter of this year (there were no homicides), compared with 200 in the same period last year and 291 in the first quarter of 2023, according to Metro Transit statistics.

‘Public health approach’ included in plan

Safe and Strong University Avenue builds on Metro Transit’s ongoing work to expand official presence on transit, which goes beyond police and includes community service officers and TRIP agents (Transit Rider Investment Program), Doseth said.

“This is not solely about enforcement,” he said. “While serious criminal behavior will result in arrest, our collaborative approach prioritizes connecting people with services whenever possible.”

Responders from St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health are working alongside the Metro Transit’s Homeless Action Team “to bring a public health approach to concerns that arise on public transit,” said Gloria Reyes, deputy Ramsey County manager of the Safety and Justice Service Team.

Public health responders provide Narcan, along with referrals for services. Ramsey County’s mental health response teams are also supporting people “in emotional distress, helping stabilize situations and guiding people to long term care,” Reyes said.

“People who are struggling, people who are causing a disturbance, … there’s law enforcement there, but there’s also an opportunity for us to get to the root causes of what’s occurring on the Metro Green Line,” Reyes said. “… We are seeing a public health crisis, and we need to bring our public health crisis workers out into the field.”

Prosecution approach includes looking at mental health, addiction

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said they’ve been meeting with Metro Transit police, St. Paul’s police and Office of Neighborhood Safety, along with the Ramsey County sheriff’s office.

“The light rail system truly belongs to the people,” he said. “And we’ve had some challenges over the past few years. We’re starting to see some better outcomes, but we know that we need to do more.”

Since August, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has been asking law enforcement agencies that present cases for charging consideration to designate which ones happened in the University Avenue/Green Line corridor. There have been 111 cases in the corridor presented since August and the county attorney’s office has charged more than 80 percent of them.

“What we are asking for is better investigation on those cases and more information so that we can take the appropriate steps in the court system,” Choi said.

That’s led to prosecutors asking judges to issue orders to stay away from transit or geographic areas in some instances, and also to efforts to “address the underlying reasons of their justice involvement, which oftentimes is mental health related or addiction related,” he added.

For violent offenses, Choi said his office still seeks prison time or the recommendation under state sentencing guidelines, but many of the cases that emerge from the area are misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor level.

Ridership below pandemic levels

Metro Transit ridership has been increasing, though it still remains below pre-pandemic numbers. There were 47.6 million rides on the system last year, compared with 77.9 million in 2019, according to Metro Transit data.

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In the first quarter of 2025, proactive calls for police service by Metro Transit officers increased 55% compared to the same quarter last year.

“We’re aggressively targeting quality-of-life violations that diminish the riders’ experience,” Doseth said, which could include smoking on the train or people acting in a disorderly way. “Serious crimes on the system remain consistently low.”

In a fall survey, more than 40% of respondents said the system felt safer than it did six months ago, in part due to increased presence, Metro Transit said.

By AUDREY McAVOY

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor signed legislation Tuesday that boosts a tax imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change.

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The signing, which comes nearly two years after a Maui wildfire killed 102 people and wiped out almost all of Lahaina town, marks the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. The money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fueled Lahaina’s wildfire.

Gov. Josh Green, speaking at a bill signing ceremony, said Hawaii needs to build more firebreaks and pay a fire marshal, a new position created after Lahaina that Green expects to be staffed within the next two months.

Green said other states and nations will need to act similarly to address climate disasters roiling the planet.

“There will be no way to deal with these crises without some forward-thinking mechanism,” Green said.

The measure adds an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. Green said this amounts to an extra $3 tax on a $400 hotel room rate.

It also levies a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills starting July 2026, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports, to bring cruise ship taxes in line with room taxes on land.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, surrounded by lawmakers and supporters, signs legislation in Honolulu on Tuesday, May 27, 2026 that raises the state’s tax on hotel rooms and other short-term accommodations to raise money to help the islands cope with climate change. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Travelers to Hawaii already pay a significant room tax. With the new law, the state’s existing 10.25% tax on short-term accommodations will climb to 11%. Together with other state and county taxes, visitors will pay a nearly 19% levy on their accommodations — one of the highest rates in the country.

Hawaii’s hotels ultimately supported the bill, saying it would help improve the visitor experience. Green said the industry looked at “the greater good” for tourism, Hawaii and the planet.

Green initially proposed a bill that would put revenue from the tax increase into a dedicated fund, but lawmakers instead put the money into the state’s general fund. Their compromise measure calls on the governor to request funds from the Legislature for projects in the following areas: protecting native forests, plants and animals; enhancing climate resilience; and mitigating the effects of tourism on the environment. Green said they will collaborate to implement the law.

State Rep. Adrian Tam, the chairperson of the House tourism committee, said the state must earn the public’s trust that it will spend the money transparently and in the best way possible. He noted Hawaii’s tourism economy relies on a brand that’s in part dependent on a pristine natural environment.

“The visitor industry will struggle if we do not take action now,” said Tam, a Democrat representing Waikiki. “There will be nothing left for them to showcase to the rest of the world if our beaches are decimated, wildfires have taken over our towns and hikes left unmanaged.”

Four Minnesota teams with Olympic experience have qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, including East Metro-based women’s squad, Team Peterson.

Team Peterson qualified by being one of the top three U.S. teams in the world rankings, No. 31 overall. The comprises sisters Tabitha Peterson and Tara Peterson, who grew up in Burnsville and cut their teeth at the St. Paul Curling club, as well as Cory Thiesse, Vicky Persinger and Taylor Anderson-Heide.

The Trails are scheduled for Nov. 11-16 in Sioux Falls, S.D., and feature four men’s and four women’s teams. The winning men’s and women’s teams will represent the U.S. at the Olympic Qualification Event in British Columbia, Canada, Dec. 6-19, where they will compete for the final two berths in the 2026 Games.

Duluth-based Team Shuster earned its berth last spring by winning the 2024 U.S. men’s nationals and finishing in sixth at the 2024 world championships. Skip John Shuster was part of teams that won an Olympic gold medal in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and a bronze medal in Torino, Italy, in 2006.

Team Peterson competed in the 2022 Beijing Games and in Pyeongchang, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.

Also qualifying from Minnesota were men’s sides Team Dropkin (Duluth) and Team Dropkin (Chaska).

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White Bear Lake’s free, outdoor summer concert series Music on the Lawn returns this year at White Bear Lake United Methodist Church.

Organized by contemporary music director John Koziol, performances are on the first Sunday of each month — June through September. They will take place on an outdoor stage at 4 p.m. on the church’s north lawn at 1851 Birch Street. Performances will be indoors in cases of bad weather.

“The Music On the Lawn outdoor concert series has become an important part of our community outreach, a way to invite people to get to know more about us, and for us to celebrate music and the great outdoors together,” Koziol said.

On June 1, The Craig Clark Band will perform. On July 6, the event will feature Jennifer Grimm and Joe Cruz, a duo that plays jazz, R&B, and Latin standards. On Aug 3 Hitchville, a Midwest country band featuring Heidi Owens and Matt Kneefe, will play. And, on Sept. 7 the event will feature The Beatles Ensemble, a quintet of local musicians playing music by The Beatles.

For more information contact the church at office@wblumc.org or visit wblumc.org.

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