The Minnesota Department of Health will host a virtual public hearing this month on Allina Health’s planned relocation of adolescent mental health beds from United Hospital in St. Paul to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

Allina has maintained that there will be no overall reduction in mental health services when the 10-bed unit moves across the river, a claim that has been questioned by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which held informational street picketing against the relocation and other changes in late October.

In-patient adult mental health services will continue to be provided at United Hospital, according to Allina.

The hearing will be hosted virtually by MDH’s Health Regulation Division at 6 p.m. on Dec. 21. Those who want to participate can look online for the Microsoft Teams event “Allina Health United Hospital Relocation of Services Public Hearing” or call 651-395-7448 and use the access code 933 516 723#.

The state Legislature approved legislation in June 2021 requiring a public notice and a public hearing before closure of a hospital or hospital campus, or the relocation of services or cessation in offering certain services.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Before the Wild’s game Tuesday night against the Flames in Calgary, Mats Zuccarello was discussing the sweet spot on his stick with equipment manager Tony DeCosta.

Zuccarello bent the stick between the blade and shaft to explain his desired level of pliability. DeCosta nodded. He’s been the Wild’s equipment manager since the inaugural season in 2001, and knows how to keep Wild players happy and productive.

None has been as productive this season as Zuccarello, who heads into Thursday night’s game here against the Canucks as the Wild’s points leader, 6-21–27 after his assist in Minnesota’s 5-2 victory at the Saddledome. The veteran wing seems to be getting better with age, on pace for a career-high 92.6 points in an 82-game season.

When the math was presented to him after Tuesday night’s game, Zuccarello said, “It’s a little early. It can go on a cold streak whenever. I’ve been on those before.”

The circumspection isn’t surprising from a veteran of 15 seasons who turned 36 on Sept. 1. He’s seen it all, and knows how quickly fortunes can turn in the NHL. Ask him about how he’s playing and he’ll tell you it doesn’t matter if the team is losing, which was the case for most of this season.

Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello celebrates after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Now that the Wild are winning, well, the answer is essentially the same.

“You know what? I’m too old to just worry about my game,” he said. “I think we’re all playing way better as a team. We’re helping each other more as a unit, and I think it’s really fun to play like that right now.”

The Wild will bring a four-game winning streak, their first since Feb. 29-March 4, into Rogers Arena, all earned in convincing fashion and under new head coach John Hynes, perfect so far as the replacement for Dean Evason, who was fired on the heels of a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2).

At all times, Zuccarello has been one of the Wild’s best two or three players this season. His assist on Tuesday against the Flames, on a goal by longtime linemate Kirill Kaprizov, was his 600th NHL point, and extended his current points streak to 10 games.

“It’s really impressive,” said Hynes, who coached a lot of games against Zuccarello’s New York Rangers as the New Jersey Devils’ head coach from 2015-20. “You always admire him as an opposing coach, but when you get a chance to coach a guy like this, it’s something different. He’s an ultra-competitor.

“The thing I really respect about him (is) he’s really smart. He’s good to bounce ideas off of as a coach, but he’s (also) just a tenacious competitor. He’s got great skill, great head for the game, and that’s why he continues to have success. I’m excited to be able to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Playing on the last season of a three-year, $18 million deal, Zuccarello signed a two-year, $6 million extension during training camp and hasn’t disappointed, on pace to eclipse his career-high 79 points earned over 70 games with Minnesota in 2021-22. He’s a big part of a productive top line with Kaprizov and rookie center Marco Rossi.

Kaprizov scored his eighth goal Tuesday and is second to Zuccarello with 23 points. Rossi, 22, leads all NHL rookies in plus/minus with a plus-6, and ranks second to Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard in goals (8) and points (15).

Zuccarello’s assist total, he said, is mostly a reflection of how hard his linemates work without the puck.

“His vision is really good,” Rossi said. “Some players don’t see what he sees. It’s really nice to play with him. I just try to get open.”

In four games under Hynes, Zuccarello has a goal and five assists. In those games, Minnesota has outscored its opponents 9-1 in the first period and 18-5 overall. Last year at this time, the Wild were in the middle of a 15-5-0 streak that put them back into playoff contention. Currently under .500 (9-10-4) and 11th in the Western Conference, five points out of a playoff spot, they’ll need a similar streak this year.

As veteran Marcus Foligno said, “We still have a mountain to climb.”

For now, they look capable of turning this around, but the Canucks, fourth in the West with 33 points, will be their stiffest test since a 3-2 loss to second-place Colorado on Nov. 26.

“We had really good years with Dean, of course, but Hynes came in and did some tweaking on our game, and I feel like from early this season, it’s a completely different team,” Zuccarello said. “We play real good hockey. You never like to lose guys, but it’s been a real positive change here as of now. It’s been good.”

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After more than a century in business, St. Paul leather goods retailer J.W. Hulme has closed its doors.

The company, which was founded in St. Paul in 1905, operated a manufacturing facility on West Seventh Street for decades and sold its products online until it eventually opened a Grand Avenue storefront in 2019. The retailer announced at the end of September that it was closing and a couple of weeks later announced an online liquidation sale.

“It is a difficult day for us as we get ready to close our doors,” the store wrote in a Facebook post dated Nov. 7. “Today is the last day to shop our liquidation sale before we close for good.”

Named after John Willis Hulme, the company got its start specializing in canvas awnings and tents, said Chuck Bidwell, a minority owner of J.W. Hulme who bought the company in 2003.

Chairman Chuck Bidwell and President Jen Guarino in the J.W. Hulme leather room where pieces are stamped and cut Sept. 29, 2010, in St. Paul. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

“Think of all the homes along the beautiful avenues of St. Paul around World War I, awnings were extremely important to block out the summer sun,” Bidwell said.

When he took over, Bidwell said the retailer was selling a small line of hunting equipment, such as duffel bags and backpacks made out of canvas. With the help of the marketing team and the “wonderful family of employees,” Bidwell said they were able to turn J.W. Hulme into the luxury leather brand it is known for today.

Although he is no longer at the helm, Bidwell is still a minority owner in the company and said on Wednesday that he was shocked to learn about the closures.

“I was surprised to see that they were totally closing down,” Bidwell said, noting that he knew first-hand about the struggles of the company, such as fairly pricing leather products for both consumers and the business.

Now, the storefront sits empty.

Shifting owners

Olympus Capital Investments, a private equity company based in Morristown, N.J., invested in the company in 2009, becoming the majority owner.

Nearly 10 years later, Olympus Capital made the call to close the St. Paul manufacturing plant and moved J.W. Hulme’s production to Minneapolis-based firm Softline Brand Partners, which has manufacturing plants in the U.S. and overseas.

“Our sales base hasn’t grown to the point where we ourselves can keep the factory efficient and full,” Dean Vanech, chairman and CEO of Olympus Capital Investments, told the Pioneer Press in 2018. “I bought the business nine years ago because I wanted to preserve U.S. manufacturing jobs. It is my aspiration to make as much of our product in America still.”

J.W. Hulme opened a new store Friday, April 5, 2019, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. (Andy Rathbun / Pioneer Press)

Less than a year after closing its West Seventh Street facility and showroom, J.W. Hulme opened its first retail store at 867 Grand Ave. in the spring of 2019.

The 880-square-foot store sold J.W. Hulme’s leather goods along with products from Minnesota companies such as Faribault Mill and Wit and Delight. The Grand Avenue location also had its own monogramming machine and coffee bar.

Shortly after the opening of the brick-and-mortar store, the retailer’s ownership switched back to Minnesotan hands in the form of Eden Prairie-based iMedia Brands.

iMedia Brands, which acquired J.W. Hulme in November 2019, is also known for operating ShopHQ, a TV shopping network.

Sudden ending

Seemingly out of the blue, the retailer announced in September, “We have made the difficult decision to close our flagship store on Grand Ave., in St. Paul.”

While no explanation was offered, the retailer wrote on Facebook, “It’s always hard to say goodbye to something we love.”

Chris Jensen, president of the Grand Avenue Business Association, said he would like to see another local small business move into J.W. Hulme’s space.

Jensen said the business association receives weekly inquiries about smaller leases from local business owners as larger big box retailers are struggling to stay open on Grand. Just this week, Pottery Barn announced that it will leave its storefront on Grand Avenue early next year.

Representatives from J.W. Hulme and iMedia Brands did not return a request for comment.

“Thank you for being a part of our J.W. Hulme legacy,” the retailer wrote in its farewell message.

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“What is a holiday cookie plate without some decorated gingerbread cookies?” writes Dan Langan, introducing his recipe for gingerbread cut-out cookies in his new cookbook, “Bake Your Heart Out: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking” (Union Square & Co., $29.99). Langan is a baker, blogger and host of the Food Network show, “Dan Can Bake It.”

This recipe produces dough that handles well. It’s ready to roll and cut in a single hour, and bakes up chewy or crisp, depending on your preference and baking time. Replacing some of the flour with powdered milk helps control how much the cookies spread during baking, without making them tough. The spice level is “fairly robust” in this recipe, according to Langan, but if you think it might be too much, you can decrease the amount of ground ginger a tad or use lots of royal icing to mellow the flavor.

Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

Makes about 30 large cookies

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and left at room temperature for 20 minutes

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (43 g) dry milk powder, whirred in a blender if coarse

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1¼ teaspoons fine salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup (125 g) unsulfured molasses

1 large egg yolk (reserve the egg white for royal icing if desired)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2¾ cups (360 g) all-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Royal icing:

2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 large egg white (see Bakers Note below)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

“Bake Your Heat Out: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking” by Dan Langan shares a collection of recipes including cookies, breakfast foods and cakes. (Courtesy Rikki Snyder/Union Square & Co.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, milk powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix on low for about 30 seconds to combine, then beat on medium until a smooth, stiff paste forms, about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add the molasses, egg yolk and vanilla and mix on low until combined, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Add the flour and mix on low until a crumbly dough just starts to form. Scrape down the bowl and paddle again, then continue to mix another 20 seconds or so until a rough dough forms. Knead the dough in the bowl 3 or 4 times to make a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a 1-inch-thick slab. Wrap each dough slab in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (If the dough is refrigerated for longer than 1 hour, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes or it will be too hard to roll.)

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the center position. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

To roll the dough, sprinkle a sheet of parchment with a generous amount of confectioners’ sugar. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick, moving it around on the parchment after every couple of passes of the rolling pin to prevent sticking.

Cut out cookies with cutters, using firm downward pressure and fitting as many onto your dough slab as possible. Lift off the scraps, then use an offset spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about ½ inch between them. Roll out and cut the second portion of dough just as you did the first. Combine the scraps into a pile, pressing them together and kneading just a few times. Reroll the scraps and cut out a few more cookies.

Bake the cookies on the center rack, one sheet at a time. For soft cookies, bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until just darkening at the edges. For crisp cookies, bake a minute or two longer, or until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the sheets, lightly gliding an offset spatula over the cookies to smooth out any air bubbles on the surface.

To decorate the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, egg white and vanilla. Add 2 teaspoons of water and whip on low to combine. When all the sugar is moistened, whip on high for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth, bright white and shiny.

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Place the icing in a piping bag with a small open tip and decorate the gingerbread as desired. Allow decorated cookies to dry for 1 to 2 hours before stacking or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Baker’s Note

Two teaspoons meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons cold water can be substituted for the egg white in the royal icing. If you are not using your icing right away, cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and a layer of plastic wrap and set it aside at room temperature for up to one week.

— Recipe reprinted with permission from “Bake Your Heart Out: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking” by Dan Langan © 2023. Published by Union Square & Co. Photography by Rikki Snyder. ($29.99)