Do your jobs, city councilors

Can we find serious adults to represent St. Paulites and conduct city business on the St. Paul City Council?  At first, the 2024 slate of City Council members offered much promise. Unfortunately, that promise of good governance was replaced with stunts, drama, and lawsuits.

Let’s hope that for the next City Council election, we can find public servants who will faithfully fulfill their responsibilities.  But for now, I ask that the current City Council members get back to work and do their jobs without distractions.

Kate Hunt, St. Paul

 

In this fiscal mess together

Reading Thursday’s Pioneer Press was a painful reality check.

The page one headline article stated President Trump’s tariff taxes are expected to be more than $1 trillion annually and will “shatter the global trading system” and likely “ripple through the global economy”.

But wait, here buried on Page 6 is an article on the budget negotiations in Washington where the Treasury needs Congress to raise our debt ceiling by $4-$5 trillion, adding to the current $36 trillion (>$100,000 per person) debt load.

So the headline-grabbing, globally upsetting tariffs will only offset 20%-25% of the relatively under-the-radar anticipated increase in our nation’s debt.being discussed in Washington, and in fact if we could somehow balance our budgets going forward and apply all of the new tariff taxes to our debt it would take over 30 years to pay off.

Wake up, everyone. We are all in this fiscal mess together and will only get out of it if we work together and stop the finger pointing. It will not be easy or painless. Tariffs may or may not be part of the answer but it seems clear there needs to be some combination of tax increases and budget cuts moving forward.

Tyler Beck, Vadnais Heights

 

The people pay

To piggyback on Don Jacobson’s letter to the editor in Thursday’s paper (“The old argument for higher taxes”), I would remind people what Paul Harvey used to say; “Corporations don’t pay taxes, people pay taxes,” as corporations just pass any tax that they have to pay on to the products they make or services they provide.

Dave Schultz, Stillwater

 

Snake oil

Scientific medical research and health management in the second Trump term has been replaced by snake oil and witchcraft.

Joe Danko, North St. Paul

 

Discriminating against some taxpayers

The current budget proposed by Gov. Walz discriminates against non-public education. He wants to cut the $109 million ($54.5 million annually) from the state budget. This money is used for transportation, textbooks, curriculum, nurses and counselors. Walz’ proposal does not make fiscal sense.

According to 2022-23 figures, the cost of K-12 education per public school student is approximately $18,000. Of this, state taxes paid $7,700, local taxes paid $7,500, and the federal taxes paid the remainder.

The total of non-public school students during that same period was about 72,000, about 29,000 were home schooled, leaving a total of 43,000 who attended a traditional non-public/religious school. Considering the number of non-public students and the annual amount of $54.5 million, state taxes paid approximately $1,275 per year/per student to these non-public schools. If, on the other hand, the parent decides to have their child attend public school … that $18,000 figure comes into play.

The students of these non-public institutions are receiving an excellent education. Their parents contribute to the tax base of state, local and federal government. It then becomes an issue of fairness. Are you discriminating against this group because many are religious schools, or not a part of the teachers union?

Imagine what it would cost the taxpayers if every one of these students attended public/government schools. Take the blinders off Gov. Walz … you are getting a good deal.

Jerry Wynn, St. Paul

 

Get into the weeds on data centers

Minnesota, we must get in the weeds with proposed data centers in our communities.

Open the door slowly, oh so slowly.

I’m staggered to find myself looking at a single landscape that has emerged to threaten everything that I care about in one fell swoop: smart energy use, conservation of water, recycling metal resources and protecting farm land.

Just what are data centers about? Essentially they are large warehouses filled with computers that handle AI and our digital needs. A quick glimpse: 10 new data centers are being proposed in Minnesota. The largest is the size of 25 Target stores. Energy use of 10 data centers = energy use of ALL Minnesota homes. The proposed Farmington operation would use twice as much water as the whole city itself. Whoa … what?

Granted, there are promises to use sustainable energy to meet the huge increased need for electricity production but only good intentions there, no guarantees, no teeth so far. And the delivery, the grid, the extra lines? Who pays for these? And using less water is a goal, but again so far we have no identifiable requirements. Aside from construction jobs, data centers only add 20-50 long term jobs. Greenlighting these facilities is more like approving a bridge or a highway than any business. This is a complex and significant new issue.

As Minnesota citizens, it’s our job to insist that there be the best possible guidelines for this coming chapter.  Within the next five years we must bring our best minds to the job of striking the right balance between critical digital infrastructure and responsible use of public funds, precious resources and open land. We will need serious conversation and collaboration between many sectors.

Slow down, be smart, make educated choices Minnesotans.

Karen Hannah, Stillwater

 

Get back to the office

Governor Tim Walz has instructed most state employees to return to the office on a hybrid schedule. The employees and their union are against it and in fact they protested outside the governor’s mansion. Some gathered in front of the Capitol a week ago.

Funny how they don’t want to return to the office, but make an effort to hold a news conference and stage a protest. For those at the Capitol that day, did they use time off?

Their parents/grandparents never had an option to work at home, so get back to the office.

Jacqueline Heintz, Maplewood

 

Phones: off limits during the school day

January 6 was a peaceful protest. It was about manifest destiny, not genocide. Confederate heroes fought for states’ rights.

Please do not allow our children to access social media platforms that amplify these falsehoods during the school day. I believe it is essential for at least one generation to understand history before the ongoing revisionist efforts take effect. Allowing cell phones during class breaks only ensures that our children will be distracted during class, constantly seeking the next dopamine hit that these platforms provide in the pursuit of profit.

Colin Cook, Shoreview

 

Economics is destiny

The Pioneer Press published an excellent column titled “Economics is destiny” in a recent edition. Economics is not a deeply studied field of knowledge in the general population. Nevertheless, a properly functioning economy depends upon informed and well-behaved governance interacting with the business industry on behalf of the general well-being of the nation.

Unfortunately, we are witnessing a veritable train wreck in governance and economic planning at the hands of our U.S. president, whose erratic policies are undermining our national and international image, stability and well-being. This recklessness has been exploited by Elon Musk, a non-elected subordinate to the president who is running amok with attacks on vital agencies and public service within the U.S. government.

A subservient U.S. Congress has further compounded this dilemma via recent legislation that reduces income taxes for the upper income strata of our population. This entire prevailing scenario has evolved into a modern-day reenactment of the “Let them eat cake” quotation attributed to Marie Antoinette in response to the plight of starving peasants during the French Revolution.

Millions of working-class citizens, many of whom voted for the purveyors of this dysfunctional governance, are facing disablement of vital U.S. government services, persistent inflation, deteriorating job opportunities and a likelihood that an economic recession will be forthcoming. Our destiny is in peril.

Gerry Del Fiacco, Eagan

 

‘I know nothing’

One of the regular and ongoing bits within the 1960s television series “Hogan’s Heroes’” ,a story about US airmen in a German POW camp, was the lovable and buffoonish Sgt. Schultz.” He would react any time a risky question came up with a hands-in-the-air-baffled-look-on-his-face, “I know nothing.”

I was reminded of this when I watched our commander in chief answer questions regarding the bombing attacks on Houti targets with virtually the identical reaction. In that same instance it also occurred to me that. shouldn’t our POTUS be aware that the US was undertaking a major air attack that was putting our military personnel in “harm’s way”?

With all the spinning and coverup surrounding this incident I guess an honest answer from our fearless leaders would be a miracle.

Jack Palmer, Lilydale

 

A bright moment

At a time when empathy and civility seem to be in short supply, Timberwolves’ coach Chris Finch, his fellow coaches, and Wolves players recently provided us with a reminder of the goodness of people. Finch’s decision to start Joe Ingles so his son (who has autism) might see his dad play his first game was a kind and thoughtful gesture.

Thank you to Finch and reporter Jace Frederick for providing a bright moment for many of us.

Go Wolves!

Liz Erickson, Eagan

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By ALAN SUDERMAN, AP Business Writer

After holding relatively stable during last week’s global market turmoil, cryptocurrencies have joined the sell-off.

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Bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency dipped below $75,000 Monday morning before seeing a slight rebound.

Bitcoin’s prices haven’t been this low since just after President Donald Trump’s Election Day victory last year launched a bull run in crypto prices. Trump, whose tariff announcements led to massive stock sell offs, has been a major promoter of the crypto industry and previously took credit when bitcoin’s price broke $100,000 in December. Bitcoin has been on a relatively steady slide in price since Trump took office earlier this year.

Bitcoin’s backers say it is a type of digital gold that can act as a hedge against volatility. But Garrick Hileman, an independent cryptocurrency analyst, said bitcoin’s price slide shows that thesis still hasn’t proven to be true.

“It’s just not there today,” he said. “(Bitcoin) trades like a risky tech stock.”

Other major digital assets saw even bigger one-day percentage drops on Monday morning.

Ether, the second most popular crypto token, was trading at about $1,500 on Monday morning. It’s lost about half of its value since Trump’s son, Eric Trump, encouraged his followers on social media to buy ether in early February.

President Trump’s own meme coin, which he launched just before taking office and once hit a high of more than $70, dipped below $8 Monday morning.

Stock prices of crypto-focused companies also saw declines in early trading Monday.

By Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The genius knows all. It knows my height, my weight, my hydration, my cardio stamina — even, regrettably, my body’s visceral fat percentage. I’m standing on a bioelectrical impedance device — which looks a lot like a scale but with metal handles and metal foot pads — and it’s sending low-grade, painless electrical signals through my hands and feet to measure my muscle, fat and water. The percentages of each are then fed into an AI program.

Welcome to Fred Fitness, which touts itself as L.A.’s “first full-scale AI-powered gym.” You might be wondering: What does that even mean? Mostly that AI-powered software, referred to as Genius, is integrated into every piece of cardio and strength equipment at the gym. Throughout your workout, it functions as an ever-present but imperceptible force, sparking beneath the surface, like a digital mycelium network with an agenda: to help you reach your training goal (whether that’s weight loss, strength building or toning) in the most efficient way possible.

The Santa Monica facility opened in mid-February in an 11,500-square-foot former Patagonia store on 4th Street. Fred Fitness CEO Andre Enzensberger says the gym has about 400 members, who pay $150 a month to be bossed around by an algorithm.

At first glance, Fred Fitness looks like nothing more than a high-end gym in a tony neighborhood. It’s airy and bright, with soaring ceilings, exposed wood rafters and leafy hanging plants. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, it was sparsely populated, with just a few dozen members working out on brand-new, still-gleaming treadmills, bikes and elliptical machines. The strength machines use electric motors to create resistance instead of physical weights, so there’s no clanking. It’s relatively quiet but for the whirring of cardio equipment and a blend of lo-fi and electronic pop music on the sound system. Not exactly “The Matrix.”

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But the exercise machines at Fred Fitness are tailored to you. They know members’ names and body analysis data, and they’ve configured personalized workout programs customized to their goals and fitness abilities. They’re also gamified, meaning their screens display a “Pac-Man”-like video game that members “play” by moving the weight during reps and sets. Grab the handles of a seated rowing machine, for example, and pull the weight faster or slower to move your on-screen avatar — a ball — up or down within a maze and “eat” coins as you go. Competitive? The gym keeps track of your scores, if you choose to participate, and displays the information on an app and a wall-mounted monitor to encourage a sense of community.

“I love it because it’s fun and totally automated,” says Keverton Marinho, a 32-year-old new member. “I just play — I don’t have to think about anything.”

The gamification may be fun, but it’s purposeful too, Enzensberger says.

“It helps members train at the correct speed,” he says. “It regulates time under tension, meaning how fast you push or how slow you release the weight. So your workout is more effective.”

There’s no joining fee at Fred Fitness and the month-to-month membership includes access to certified personal trainers — though not unlimited sessions — who consult with members about their AI-generated training programs. Trainers also wander the gym floor, answering questions and offering corrections when they notice someone’s form is off. That human element is critical, Enzensberger says.

“AI is so big right now, but we’re very proud of the human aspect of our gym — the team — and how we complement the AI precision,” he said.

Before joining, potential members undergo a free full-body assessment from Genius to get a fitness baseline. A “body composition analyzer” breaks down fat and lean muscle mass limb by limb and gives stats about foundational muscle strength, base metabolic rate and hydration levels, among other metrics. That information is then interpreted by the AI. Many gyms offer fitness assessments when you sign up for personal training, and luxury health clubs, such as Equinox and Santa Monica’s Love Life, do in-depth health and fitness testing for new members; but most regular gym memberships don’t include fitness assessments.

After the body composition analysis, which measures your metabolism, a human trainer leads the member-to-be through different exercise circuits on machines that measure their strength, cardio and flexibility. There’s also a series of on-screen questions related to workout goals, exercise experience and preferences.

Genius then assigns the member a “biological age” — different from your chronological age in years. It’s like an overall fitness score, says Fred Fitness general manager Miguel Alvino.

“It’s a metric we use to give people an idea of where their strength and areas of improvement are compared to their calendar age,” Alvino explains.

From that point on, when you log onto an exercise machine with your wristband, it calls up your personalized training program. The machine then physically adjusts to your height and limb length, raising or lowering its seat and altering the position of its handles according to your body. The AI is also adaptive, utilizing machine learning. So it will evolve with you as you get fitter.

“The machines continue to learn about your capabilities,” Enzensberger says. “And that data is collected and fed into the AI to constantly generate a better training program for you.”

Fred Fitness is the brain child of Andre Enzensberger’s brother, Alfred, who is the president and founder of Munich-based Clever Fit, a fitness franchise with more than 500 locations throughout Europe. Alfred Enzensberger partnered with Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, CEO of EGYM, a global fitness technology company also based in Munich, in 2023 to create a full AI gym. EGYM wrote Genius, which was deployed in August 2024. They brought in Andre Enzensberger as CEO.

There are other gyms with smart or AI-powered equipment in Southern California, such as L.A.’s EōS Fitness (with equipment from EGYM) and Smart Fit Method in Orange County. But at Fred Fitness, “Every piece of machinery is tied into the network,” Andre Enzensberger says. “We’re utilizing what the AI system can do on a much larger, fuller scale.”

Los Angeles was the ideal city in which to launch the venture, given its history as a hub for fitness and tech culture, he says. “We wanted to embrace the open-mindedness of the people of Los Angeles. Fred Fitness is groundbreaking and requires people who want to experience training in a new way.”

I enjoyed Genius’ guidance during my workout. The treadmill set itself to a lower speed than I normally run at, though at a higher incline, because Genius knew my exercise goal was strength building, not weight loss. And I loved the gamification element of the weight-lifting machines, even going so far as to laugh out loud mid-rep — though I wonder whether the game would get old over time. But in the end, what keeps me coming back to a gym is the promise of a sauna or steam after my workout. And Fred Fitness, unfortunately, doesn’t provide those amenities, which was disappointing.

But growth is on the horizon. A second Fred Fitness is now underway in downtown Culver City — it’s planning to open in early 2026 — and the company hopes to open four additional facilities within three to five years. The locations under consideration are downtown L.A., West Hollywood and Glendale.

“This is just a modern gym that’s fun to use — and people love it because it takes the guesswork out,” Enzensberger says. “Everything is fully guided.”

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By SUSAN HAIGH and MARC LEVY, Associated Press

States increasingly struggling to cover the rising cost of popular GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound are searching for ways to get out from under the budgetary squeeze that took them by surprise.

One solution some policymakers may try is restricting the number of people on Medicaid who can use the pricey diabetes drugs for weight-loss purposes.

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid coverage of the drugs is expected to cost $1.3 billion in 2025 — up from a fraction of that several years ago — and is contributing to projections of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. The state is thinking about requiring Medicaid patients who want to use GLP-1s for weight loss to meet a certain number on the body-mass index or try diet and exercise programs or less expensive medications first.

“It is a medication that’s gotten a lot of hype and a lot of press, and has become very popular in its use and it is wildly expensive,” Dr. Val Arkoosh, Pennsylvania’s human services secretary, told a state House hearing in March.

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At least 14 states already cover the cost of GLP-1 medications for obesity treatment for patients on Medicaid, the federal health care program for people with low incomes. Democrats and Republicans in at least a half-dozen other states floated bills this year to require the same coverage, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.

Some bills have stalled while others remain alive, including a proposal in Arkansas requiring GLP-1s to be covered under Medicaid when prescribed specifically for weight loss. Iowa lawmakers are thinking about ordering a cost-benefit analysis before making the commitment. Already, West Virginia and North Carolina ended programs in 2024 that provided coverage for state employees, citing cost concerns.

“It is very expensive,” said Jeffrey Beckham, the state budget director in Connecticut, where Medicaid coverage of the drugs for weight loss may be scrapped entirely. “Other states are coming to that conclusion, as well as some private carriers.”

Overall Medicaid spending on GLP-1 drugs — before partial rebates from drug manufacturers — jumped from $577.3 million in 2019 to $3.9 billion in 2023, according to a November report from KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. The number of prescriptions for the drugs increased by more than 400% during that same time period. The average annual cost per patient for a GLP-1 drug is $12,000, according to a Peterson-KFF tracker.

About half of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” favor having Medicare and Medicaid cover weight-loss drugs for people who have obesity, a recent AP-NORC poll showed, with about 2 in 10 opposed the idea and about one-quarter with a neutral view.

But Medicare does not cover GLP-1s, and the Trump administration said Friday that wouldn’t put into place a proposed rule by presidential predecessor Joe Biden to cover the medications under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug coverage. Biden’s proposal was expensive: It would have included coverage for all state- and federally funded Medicaid programs, costing taxpayers as much as $35 billion over next decade.

States that do provide coverage have tried to manage costs by putting prescribing limits on the GLP-1s. There’s also some evidence that if Medicaid patients lose weight with the drugs, they’ll be healthier and less expensive to cover, said Tracy Zvenyach of Obesity Action, an advocacy group that urges states to provide coverage.

Zvenyach also stressed how it’s unclear whether patients will need to regularly take these drugs for the rest of their lives — a key cost concern raised by public officials. “Someone may have to be on treatment for over the course of their lifetime,” she said. “But we don’t know exactly what that regimen would look like.”

About 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can cause hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, which lead to greater risks of things like stroke and heart attacks.

Dr. Adam Raphael Rom, a physician at Greater Philadelphia Health Action, a network of health centers in the city, said most of his patients who take GLP-1s are covered by Medicaid and some are non-diabetics who use it for weight loss.

“I had one patient tell me that it’s like, changed her relationship to food,” Rom said. “I’ve had patients lose like 20, 40, 60 pounds.”

But obesity experts have told The Associated Press that as many as 1 in 5 people may not lose the amount of weight that others have seen come off. And in a recent survey of state Medicaid directors conducted by KFF, a health policy research organization, they said cost and potential side effects are among their concerns.

The debate over coverage coincides with rising Medicaid budgets and the prospect of losing federal funding — with congressional Republicans considering siphoning as much as $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade.

Connecticut is facing a $290 million Medicaid account deficit, and Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont proposed doing away with a 2023 requirement that Medicaid cover GLP-1s for severe obesity, though the state has never fully abided by the law due to the cost.

Starting June 14, though, state Medicaid patients will be required to have a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis to get the drugs covered. Lamont also is pushing for the state to cover two less expensive oral medications approved by the FDA for weight loss, as well as nutrition counseling.

Sarah Makowicki, 42, tried the other medications and said she suffered serious side effects. The graduate student and statehouse intern is working on a bill that would restore the full GLP-1 coverage for her and others.

Sara Lamontagne, a transgender woman with a disability who is on Medicaid, said she regained weight when her coverage for GLP-1 medication was cut off in the past. She said she went from 260 pounds to over 300, heavier than she had ever been.

“So, it’s a horrible game to be played, to be going back and and forth,” said Lamontagne, whose attempts to appeal the state’s recent denial of her Ozempic prescription refill have been unsuccessful.

Makowicki said GLP-1 drugs combined with weight-loss surgery helped her change her life: She’s had knee-replacement surgery and lost over 200 pounds.

“I am a different person from what I was five years ago,” Makowicki said. “Not only in my physical space, but also mentally.”

Haigh reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.