James Walsh

1 month ago | startribune.com | James Walsh

State faces more delays in expunging some criminal records under Clean Slate ActMinnesota officials say they need more time to expunge some criminal records, a process that was supposed to start Jan. 1 under the Clean Slate Act. The check-in line snaked around the lobby during a felony-level expungement clinic inside the Urban League Twin Cities office in 2024. (Shari L. Gross/The Minnesota Star Tribune)Minnesotans expecting to have a clean slate by Jan.

2 months ago | winonadailynews.com | James Walsh

Until two years ago, Kristen Ellingson was fit, active and had a good full-time job. Not now. Disabled with Lyme disease and preparing for surgery to repair damaged vertebrae in her neck, the Hutchinson woman struggles to pay for food, medicine and transportation. She struggles, too, to make sense of a system in which her $16,000-a-year job pays too much to qualify for the help that would make life so much easier. Ellingson’s disability qualifies her for “waiver services” to live better.

2 months ago | startribune.com | James Walsh

Hutchinson woman’s struggle to navigate Minnesota’s Medicaid system highlights long wait for aidAdvocates say requirements for Medical Assistance can be frustrating to navigate for people with disabilities. Kristen Ellingson poses for a portrait at her apartment in Hutchinson, Minn. on Feb. 13. She's wearing a wig that she goes out with since experiencing hair loss from her Lyme disease. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune)HUTCHINSON, MINN.

2 months ago | startribune.com | James Walsh

Assisted living center is blamed for a fatal fall, but data on similar deaths is hard to findMinnesotans searching for a nursing home or assisted living facility for a loved one have limited data about maltreatment reports. State Sen Karin Housley said families need more data on assisted living facilities.

2 months ago | disabilityscoop.com | Jessie Van Berkel |James Walsh

MINNEAPOLIS — Sumukha Terakanambi’s disability services waiver paid for the lift the Lakeville resident uses to get out of bed and the care that allows him to live in his family’s home. For Steve Reinardy, whose eye disorder keeps him from driving, his waiver covers the transportation he needs to get to his job and doctor’s appointments. Tim Gross has seen his son Ben, who has Down syndrome, develop life skills using waiver-funded training that allows him to remain in his own Duluth apartment.