After trending upward for two decades, hitting a record high in 2022, suicide deaths in Minnesota have remained flat for the past two years, state health officials say.

According to preliminary data, the number of Minnesota suicides in 2024 — 813 — was the same as in 2023, ending a 20-year upward trend.

This marks two years of suicides below the state high set in 2022, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Until 2023, “deaths by suicide in Minnesota have been trending up for the past 20 years with some slight fluctuations each year, mirroring patterns” across the country.

“The overall increase in deaths by suicide over the last couple of decades continues to be concerning,” Health Commissioner 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.”

Some key points in the 2024 data:

• The suicide rate in entirely rural counties was twice that of Twin Cities metro counties. State health officials say contributing factors that make rural residents more at risk could include higher rates of firearm ownership, less access to health and mental health care, and higher poverty rates.

• More males died by suicide than females, with males making up nearly 80% of the deaths.

• Nearly 51% of the deaths were caused by firearms, a higher percentage than in recent years.

State officials are “closely watching initial proposed federal funding cuts that could significantly undermine this work to protect Minnesotans. Specifically, it calls for the elimination of both the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC and key SAMHSA Mental Health Programs, as well as possible cuts to some 988 funding.”

If you need immediate emotional or mental health support, or are worried about someone else, call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org to connect with a trained specialist.

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Not long after J.J. McCarthy went down with a torn meniscus last summer, Kevin O’Connell doubled down on his signal caller, proclaiming that the organization had found its next franchise quarterback.

That might explain why the hype surrounding the Vikings is already palpable with McCarthy set to take over under center.

It will be sink or swim for McCarthy next season as he will immediately be thrown into the deep end of the pool.

Not only will he be thrust into the spotlight with the Vikings prominently featured in primetime — including a pair of international games across the pond — he also will get to see how he compares to some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.

Here’s a look at the Vikings’ schedule with a game-by-game breakdown:

Week 1: Vikings at Bears

Monday, Sept. 8, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Why not kick things off against an NFC North rival in primetime? The opener should be a good measuring stick for the NFC North rivals. It will be a chance for McCarthy to prove himself against Caleb Williams in a clash of young quarterbacks, and a chance for the Vikings to spoil Ben Johnson’s debut as the head coach of the Bears.

Week 2: Vikings vs. Falcons

Sunday, Sept. 14, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

No longer is this game defined by Kirk Cousins playing the Vikings. Not when the Falcons have handed the keys to Michael Penix Jr. This will be another chance for McCarthy to prove himself against a young quarterback selected ahead of him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Week 3: Vikings vs. Bengals

Sunday, Sept. 21, Noon (CBS)

The defense will face an early test against the Bengals with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase coming to town. They were former college teammates with Justin Jefferson at LSU, and will be looking to score some bragging rights.

Week 4: Vikings at Steelers (Dublin, Ireland)

Sunday, Sept. 28, 8:30 a.m. (NFL Network)

After having some discussions with Aaron Rodgers this spring, the Vikings might end up playing againts him this fall if he signs with the Steelers. That would be the main topic heading into the international game in Dublin, Ireland.

Week 5: Vikings at Browns (London, England)

Sunday, Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. (NFL Network)

When the Vikings play the Browns it will mark the first time a team has played international games on consecutive weekends in different countries. There could be a slight advantage for the Vikings getting to acclimated to the time change ahead of this game in London.

Week 6: Bye

This will be a much-needed break for the Vikings after spending a week and a half across the pond.

Week 7: Vikings vs. Eagles

Sunday, Oct. 19, Noon (Fox)

A matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion should give the Vikings a good idea of where they stand. It shouldn’t be overlooked that the Vikings invested in the interiors of both lines in free agency largely because the Eagles dominated Kansas City in the trenches in a blowout Super Bowl victory.

Week 8: Vikings at Chargers

Thursday Oct. 23, 7:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

Though the game is technically a battle between the Vikings and Chargers, also will be a battle between McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh. They won a national championship together at Michigan before they each made the jump to the next level.

Week 9: Vikings at Lions

Sunday, Nov. 2, Noon (Fox)

This game could go a long way toward determining who wins the NFC North. If the Vikings beat the Lions, they will put themselves in the driver’s seat. If the Vikings lose, they will be in chase mode.

Week 10: Vikings vs. Ravens

Sunday, Nov. 9, Noon (Fox)

It might be impossible for the Vikings to slow down the Ravens with Lamar Jackson running the show. He’s arguably the most dynamic player in the NFL, so the Vikings are going to have their hands full. They might simply have to outscore him if they want to win the game.

Week 11: Vikings vs. Bears

Sunday, Nov. 16, Noon (Fox)

Maybe the best part about the Vikings playing the Bears on the road early in their slate? They should get to avoid sloppy conditions at Soldier Field. The rematch at home will feature an optimal playing surface inside U.S. Bank Stadium regardless of what the weather looks like outside.

Week 12: Vikings at Packers

Sunday, Nov. 23, Noon (Fox)

The rivalry matchup will have to wait as the Vikings and the Packers aren’t scheduled to face off until right before Thanksgiving. The playoff picture in the NFC North should be starting to come into focus by this time, so the game itself could be extremely important for both teams.

Week 13: Vikings at Seahawks

Sunday, Nov. 30, 3:05 p.m. (Fox)

It won’t necessarily be a revenge game considering the Vikings helped Sam Darnold get his career back on track. That said, Darnold will no doubt be looking to put his best foot forward when the Seahawks host the Vikings.

Week 14: Vikings vs. Commanders

Sunday, Dec. 7, Noon (Fox)

The defense for the Vikings will have to bring it when the Commanders descend upon the Twin Cities with Jayden Daniels in tow. He was electrifying as a rookie, leading Washington into the NFC championship game.

Week 15: Vikings at Cowboys

Sunday, Dec. 14, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

A pilgrimage to Jerry World in Dallas will offer its own set of challenges as the Vikings attempt to take down the Cowboys. It will likely take a complete effort from the Vikings on both sides of the ball to score a win.

Week 16: Vikings at Giants

Sunday, Dec. 21, Noon (Fox)

There’s no place like New York City around Christmas. It’s likely that the Vikings will be heavy favorites when they travel to play the New York Giants. They have to take care of business to make sure the trip doesn’t take on a sour note.

Week 17: Vikings vs. Lions

Thursday, Dec. 25, 3:30 p.m. (Netflix)

The good news for the Vikings is they will be home for the holidays when they host the Lions on Christmas. The bad news for the Vikings is it will be a quick turnaround against arguably the best team in the division.

Week 18: Vikings vs. Packers

Sunday, Jan. 4, TBD (TBD)

The competitive nature of the NFC North should keep everybody relatively close in the standings. It would certainly be something if the finale between the Vikings and the Packers had major implications.

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After impressing at rookie minicamp last week, left guard Donovan Jackson has officially signed with the Vikings.

A source confirmed the move to the Pioneer Press.

It was only a matter of time before Jackson inked his contract after being selected by the Vikings with the No. 24 pick in the 2025 draft. His signing means every player from the Class of 2025 is now under contract.

Though his place on the depth chart isn’t set in stone, Jackson will presumably be given the insider track to start at left guard for the Vikings.

If he ends up winning the job in training camp, Jackson will benefit from playing between left tackle Christian Darrisaw and center Ryan Kelly. The other side of the offensive line will feature right guard Will Fries and right tackle Brian O’Neill holding down the fort.

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Eager to jumpstart 450 residential units and a series of commercial buildings on long-stalled development parcels at Highland Bridge, the St. Paul City Council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to amend a longstanding tax incentive district, delaying construction of some internal sidewalks and landscaping for up to five years.

The amendments — the sixth to the former Ford Motor Co. site’s $275 million tax increment financing district since 2016 — do not alter the total spending planned within the TIF district, but they do alter payment schedules. A new “minimum assessments agreement” shifts some TIF payments from interest to principal and saves the master developer, the Ryan Cos., some costs upfront as the taxable value of particular land parcels are lowered.

“This does not impact the city budget or the general fund,” said Council Member Saura Jost, addressing the city council on Wednesday. “This reduces the holding cost to the developer, enabling it to move forward as foreseen in the master plan. … We’re not changing the public investment at the site.”

Getting county assessors to agree to drop land values took a joint effort from both the city and the Ryan Cos.

At Highland Bridge, Weidner Apartment Homes now plan construction of two market-rate apartment buildings spanning 350 housing units in the near future. Nearby, the Ryan Cos. had once planned to have started work on a series of commercial or mixed-use buildings on the parcel known as “Block 2” back in 2021.

Neither project has moved forward in recent years, with both developers blaming the city’s rent control policies for adding to an already-complicated financing landscape weighed down by high interest rates, rising construction costs and other barriers.

3,100 units instead of 3,800

The Ryan Cos. have since redrawn their plans for four one-story commercial buildings, as well as a four-story, mixed-use residential building consisting of 97 market-rate rental units attached to ground-floor commercial space, a rooftop deck, streetscape improvements and a public promenade. Also planned is a 190-stall structured parking facility.

“You would see immediate development at this site,” said Maureen Michalski, a regional senior vice president of development with the Ryan Cos., referring to the TIF agreement.

So far, the developer has secured a letter of intent for a daycare to operate in one of the stand-alone commercial buildings.

Both Council Members HwaJeong Kim and Nelsie Yang voted against the new TIF arrangement and the related agreements.

While 20% of Highland Bridge is set up for affordable housing through a master plan, Yang expressed concern Wednesday that there was little clarity about the specific rents planned in the new residential buildings. The overall number of residential units planned for Highland Bridge has been redrawn at 3,100 units, down from an initial projection of 3,800 units, according to city staff.

Rents at an existing market-rate development — The Collection at Highland Bridge — average about $2,000 per unit, according to a spokesperson for Weidner Apartment Homes, who said he expected the new construction to proceed along the same grounds.

“Is this truly the biggest win that we can get for the city of St. Paul at the negotiation table?” said Yang, noting that Ramsey County had delayed a vote this week on the new minimum assessments agreement. “I don’t know what an alternative agreement could have looked like. … Also, where is the county on this, too? This is something that is going to be impacting them.”

With Weidner refusing to move forward until the company was released from rent control obligations, the city council voted 4-3 last week to relieve all buildings citywide built after 2004 from the city’s voter-approved 3% cap on annual rent increases.

A lack of communication

Council Member Cheniqua Johnson, who chairs the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, said Wednesday she was excited to see new housing move forward, though she was disappointed with Weidner’s lack of communication with her office, as well as with the city in general, prior to the council vote on the rent control amendment.

“I want to add you to that discussion,” said Johnson, addressing Weidner development director Nick Nowotarski, who promised better days ahead. “That was the first time I had ever met you.”

Added Council President Rebecca Noecker, “I have been on this council for 10 years, and I’ve never had any contact with Weidner. … It matters to have you show up, and it matters to have this communication.”

The Ryan Cos. now hope to build the stand-alone commercial structures and the mixed-use building on Blocks 2 using both a public business subsidy and some $24 million in additional loan principal, supported by tax increment financing through a pay-as-you-go note. “TIF” tax incentives allow private developers to complete public-facing aspects of their developments using money that would ordinarily pay off city, county and school district tax obligations.

The city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority hired the tax firm Baker Tilly as a fiscal consultant to evaluate project costs, financing and operations and confirm the need for TIF to move the Ryan Cos.’ Block 2 project forward.

New lower land values

A fresh agreement involves lower new tax values for the buildable land.

The original “minimum assessments agreement … places a tax burden on the properties without an offsetting income source,” reads the city staff report. “Both the city and the developer have incurred debt to advance the infrastructure and have carefully evaluated adjustments to the minimum values to entice the stalled development to proceed.”

“We have worked with the assessor, who is supportive of adjustments to certain lots,” the report states. “The resulting … amendment will reduce values for the certain lots in the short term.” The lot values will exceed the original values in 2041 and continue to increase through the year 2047, the final year of the TIF district.

Separately, the Weidner agreement will require the construction of two buildings resulting in approximately 350 housing units over the next few years, as well as pre-payment to the city of all of their “Green Infrastructure” assessments. Jost noted that form of binding development agreement was not in place previously.

The two developers have agreed not to apply for additional city or Housing and Redevelopment Authority funds on land they own for any future “vertical development” at Highland Bridge.

“Highland Bridge is important to Ward 3,” Jost told the council Wednesday. “It’s important to the whole city. … Our city will see one of its vacant spaces replaced with something of purpose. … We’re expanding the housing options available to our residents in Highland.”