The number of induced abortions performed in Minnesota continued to increase in 2023, according to year-end data from the state’s Health Department released this week.

In a report to the state Legislature, the Minnesota Department of Health said there were 14,124 abortions in Minnesota in 2023, an increase of almost 16% over 2022.

Most abortions performed by physicians and licensed practitioners were for Minnesota residents. But the number of people seeking abortion care in Minnesota from Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas jumped nearly 50% over the period.

Many states restricted abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to the procedure in 2022. Minnesota state law ensures the right to abortion care.

Abortion providers and others are legally required to submit data to the Health Department, which reports findings to lawmakers. The data also included numbers from two organizations for medication abortions, which accounted for around 15% of all abortions classified by the state as occurring in Minnesota.

Groups opposed to legalized abortion care say the state’s laws are “too extreme.’’

— Forum News Service

Fire at homeless camp leaves man with burns

A fire at a homeless encampment in St. Paul sent tents up in flames and burned a man, according to the fire department.

Firefighters responded to the area of the Lafayette Road railway overpass, near Union Gospel Mission and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

A space heater that was just outside a tent malfunctioned and started the fire, according to Assistant Fire Chief Jeramiah Melquist. Ten to 15 propane bottles were being stored in the tent, and a man was trying to put out the tent fire when his face and hands were burned, Melquist said.

The man sustained first-degree burns, which are are the least serious. Fire department medics took the man to the hospital and Melquist said he’s recovering.

The fire spread quickly to eight to 10 tents.

The St. Paul Public Works bridge division inspected the overpass Thursday morning and determined there was not significant structural damages, according to the city.

— Mara H. Gottfried

Lack of snow delays dog sled marathon

A lack of snow and icy conditions on the North Shore have prompted organizers to postpone the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon until March 2.

The races — a 40-miler, a 120-miler and the 300-mile marathon stretching from Duluth to Grand Portage — were initially scheduled for Jan. 26.

Organizers canceled last year’s race after record warmth and near snowless conditions.

“We are heartbroken that, once again, weather — a factor entirely out of our control — has impacted our plans,” Beargrease board president Mike Keyport said in a news release Thursday. “However, the safety of the dogs and mushers remains our unwavering priority, and we are determined to ensure that the rescheduled race continues to honor the spirit and legacy of the Beargrease.”

This year’s race will be the event’s 40th running.

Unlike this week last year, there’s snow on the ground, but several days of warm temperatures and rain in late December ate away at northeastern Minnesota’s snowpack.

— Forum News Service

1 dead in New Year’s stabbing at bar

Authorities in southwestern Minnesota are investigating a deadly altercation that occurred New Year’s Eve at a bar in Windom.

According to Windom Police Chief Scott Peterson, officers were dispatched shortly before midnight Tuesday to the Phat Pheasant Pub following a report of two people stabbed.

Upon arrival at the bar on Minnesota 60, officers found two men, ages 30 and 31, with stab wounds. The 30-year-old was later pronounced dead at the Windom hospital.

A suspect, a 26-year-old man from San Diego, was identified by witnesses and taken into custody. He was treated for minor injuries at the Worthington hospital and is currently being held at the Cottonwood County jail.

On Thursday, the Cottonwood County Citizen reported that family identified the fatally injured victim as Benjamin Matter, a Windom resident and father of two young children.

Peterson cited an “active investigation” into the altercation and stabbing and said that more information would be released later. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting Windom police.

In August 2021, the Phat Pheasant was the scene of another fatal altercation.

After skipping his February 2023 trial in Cottonwood County District Court, the 58-year-old murder suspect was convicted in absentia of putting the victim in a fatal chokehold. Following a 10-day manhunt, he was found dead on public property in Minneapolis. An autopsy determined he died of natural causes.

— Forum News Service