By Michelle Griffith | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry sued Mayor Kaohly Her yesterday alleging that the mayor sexually harassed and battered him.
The police chief in the lawsuit said Her made “unwanted and nonconsensual physical contact” and placed her hand on his thigh during a St. Paul Police Department budget meeting.
The city announced last week that its misconduct investigation into the mayor found that Her did not sexually harass or retaliate against anyone but “engaged in offensive and inappropriate behavior,” the Star Tribune reported.
St. Paul has not released the full investigative report, and the police chief’s lawsuit seeks to compel the city to release it and requests a jury trial to determine damages for emotional distress and harm to reputation.
Her’s spokesperson has pointed to the city’s investigation that found she did not sexually harass anyone and said Her will continue to serve as mayor.
The Star Tribune spoke to people who have worked with Her, and they described Her as a workhorse who likes to develop close relationships with people but who also has a sense of humor that makes some people uncomfortable.
In other (alleged) bad boss news: The New York Times is out with an expose on the behavior of Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola, whose staff had to feed live crickets to the family pet chameleon, Meatball.
Onto today’s Reformer.
Doctors Council-SEIU members at Allina picket during a historic four-day Unfair Labor Practice strike at Allina Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
By Max Nesterak
The union representing about 150 Allina hospital doctors announced on Wednesday a tentative agreement on a first labor contract covering wages and benefits.
The agreement follows a four-day strike last week, believed to be the first by private-sector hospital doctors in U.S. history. It came after three years and more than 66 contentious negotiation sessions over sick leave, pay and the use of artificial intelligence.
“This hard-won first contract gives us the written protections we needed so we can keep providing the care our patients deserve, instead of watching burnout drive good doctors out,” said Dr. Saul Singh, an Allina physician and union leader, in a statement.
By Michelle Griffith
A super PAC backing Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth’s campaign for Minnesota governor received a $10 million cash infusion in recent weeks, cutting into Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s longtime financial advantage in the race.
Restore Sanity — a political action committee that has provided the most significant outside money in support of a statewide Republican candidate in years — received $10 million in the past four weeks from the Restoration of America PAC, which is primarily funded by Wisconsin billionaire couple Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. The Uihleins own one of North America’s largest distributors of shipping and packaging supplies.
The cash infusion suggests at least some big-money Republicans see glimmers of hope here in Minnesota, where Democrats haven’t lost a statewide race since 2006 but have been weighed down since 2022 by embarrassing stories about the looting of the state’s safety net by fraudsters.
By Kurt Grunzke
A mathematics instructor at Minneapolis College who teaches courses at correctional facilities argues that prisons should be constructive.
“Minnesotans should pay attention to the lessons emerging from inside them. Strong communities are built when people are given opportunities to participate, contribute and accept responsibility for one another,” Grunzke writes. “My students practice those skills every day inside Stillwater, and they deserve a place in the conversation about what correction should mean in Minnesota.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Ex-legislator Eichorn gets 16 months in prison in underage solicitation case | Reformer via KAXE
OH BY THE WAY
I took a bus tour of St. Paul this past weekend to learn more about the many gangsters who used to live in the city during the Prohibition era.
The St. Paul police chief at the time had a policy offering criminals from across the country safe harbor as long as they checked in with the cops when they arrived, paid them bribes and agreed to commit no major crimes in St. Paul. Apparently the word about the policy got around, and many notorious gangsters flocked to the city, including John Dillinger.
I also learned that the current site of the Science Museum of Minnesota used to be a luxurious, two-story brothel. Nina Clifford was its legendary madam, and Nina’s Coffee Cafe on Cathedral Hill is named after her. In all my visits to the Science Museum, no one ever mentioned the site’s lurid history. I can’t imagine why.
Have a great Thursday!
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