Victor Stefanescu

Day turns to night in the 19 Bar, Minneapolis’ rebuilt ‘gay living room’ The 19 Bar in Loring Park survived the fire. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed.

Last year, a fire threatened to forever shutter the 19 Bar, one of the oldest gay bars in the U.S.

Revived from the ashes, Minneapolis’ “gay living room” remains a vital and vibrant safe space for the LGBTQ community.

Day turns to night in the 19 Bar, Minneapolis’ rebuilt ‘gay living room’ The 19 Bar in Loring Park survived the fire. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed.

I recently spent a night in one of the oldest gay bars in America that survived a devastating fire in 2024. In the words of a bartender, the 19 Bar in Loring Park “can tell us a lot about the current atmosphere, culturally and politically.”

My dispatch:
www.startribune.com/day-turns-to...

The June 15, 2025 front page of the Star Tribune with the main headline "Unspeakable" House DFL Leader Hortman, husband assassinated. State senator, wife also shot; suspect ID'd; killer posed as cop, had list

Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune

Tariffs force Minnesota hospitals to brace for high cost of medical equipment, supply challenges Trade groups have urged President Donald Trump to exempt medical supplies and devices, to no avail. A look inside one Minneapolis hospital shows the complexity of this supply chain.

ICYMI: The White House is exempting products like kids' books from tariffs, but not medical supplies.

I studied the journey of the rubber glove and the supply chain of an ER to show what's at stake. "The worst consequence is actually shortages,” an expert said.
www.startribune.com/medical-supp...

As FDA slashes workforce, number of new medical devices reaching the public has fallen The lower number of reported decisions is occurring despite more pending applications for these high-risk devices.

www.startribune.com/fda-layoffs/...

ICYMI: As the Trump administration has slashed the FDA workforce, the agency has approved fewer new high-risk, lifechanging medical devices than anytime in the past decade.

“I can’t imagine a less-efficient approach than what the administration has already done,” a reviewer on leave said. ⏬

As FDA slashes workforce, number of new medical devices reaching the public has fallen The lower number of reported decisions is occurring despite more pending applications for these high-risk devices.

The lower number of reported decisions is happening even though the agency had more applications for high-risk devices pending on Dec. 31, 2024, than by the same date in 2023.
www.startribune.com/fda-layoffs/...

New: U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of life-changing, high-risk medical devices reportedly slowed to a 10-year low for the January to March period, as sources say recent layoffs have had devastating effects.

More below

Medtech firm NAMSA to lay off more than 50 in St. Paul after acquisition NAMSA previously acquired St. Paul’s WuXi AppTec, a laboratory services firm dating back to 2001.

#MedTech firm NAMSA to lay off more than 50 in St. Paul after acquisition www.startribune.com/medtech-layo...

Abbott joins AFib-treating race with tech that may skip general anesthesia Abbott’s pulse field ablation system competes with products from Medtronic and Boston Scientific, which also have large operations in Minnesota.

More on the PFA front: Abbott joins AFib-treating race with tech that may skip general anesthesia www.startribune.com/abbott-pulse...

New Solventum layoff details emerge, including 110 Minnesota job cuts The restructuring of Minnesota’s newest large public company announced in December will result in $120 million in annual savings.

3M spinoff Solventum revealed Thursday that its previously reported restructuring eliminated 800 positions, including 110 in Minnesota, and will result in $120 million in annual savings. www.startribune.com/solventum-la...

Klobuchar, Smith advocate for turkey farmers amid bird flu outbreak At Willmar-area roundtable, the senators heard farmers' calls for revisions in biosecurity audits and said government needs to consider more funding for farmers.

Klobuchar, Smith advocate for turkey farmers amid bird flu outbreak www.startribune.com/bird-flu/601...

What Minnesotans need to know about bird flu risks H5N1 is still wrecking farms, prompting surging grocery store prices and posing public health uncertainty three years after the state’s first poultry cases.

What Minnesota needs to know about bird flu:
www.startribune.com/bird-flu-min...

Inside the slow rise and sudden death of Medtronic’s lifesaving ventilators Medtronic’s Puritan Bennett devices were some of the world’s most important in 2020, but profits dipped as clinical preferences shifted. Experts disagree on what their extinction means for the future...

A respiratory therapist said Medtronic's recent axing of the historic Puritan Bennett ventilator franchise after decades in production felt like if Ford stopped making trucks. Now industry experts debate whether it leaves the ventilator industry underprepared.
www.startribune.com/inside-the-s...

Inside the slow rise and sudden death of Medtronic’s lifesaving ventilators Medtronic’s Puritan Bennett devices were some of the world’s most important in 2020, but profits dipped as clinical preferences shifted. Experts disagree on what their extinction means for the future...

Five years ago, the ventilator was a symbol of the pandemic.

Medtronic ramped up production and made blueprints public so others could replicate.

Now, it's shuttering that business.

Inside the slow rise and sudden death of its lifesaving ventilators. By @vstef.bsky.social

Hi Minnesota! I'm covering bird flu for the @startribune.com this week. What are your questions about the virus? Eggs? Public health? Agriculture? I'm hoping to answer them in a story. #journorequests #birdflu #minnesota

How Boston Scientific (sort of) became ‘Minnesota Scientific’ The company bearing Boston’s name has approximately 10,000 employees in Minnesota, doubling in the past 15 years. And it’s not done growing.

How Boston Scientific (sort of) became ‘Minnesota Scientific:’ It has roughly doubled its Minnesota workforce in the last 15 years to about 10,000, and it’s not done expanding. Hear from CEO Mike Mahoney:
www.startribune.com/boston-scien...

Medtronic stock moves lower amid declines in surgical stapler business The staples distributor issue added to a mixed quarterly report for Medtronic, which is run out of Fridley.

The massive robot-making, pacemaker-inventing medtech company Medtronic is facing a financial snag: the humble stapler.

Company stock tumbled about 7% in early trading Tuesday as investors reacted to #medsurg troubles. @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/medtronic-ea...

Boston Scientific remains bullish despite tariffs with sales buoyed by Minnesota tech The medtech company with roughly 10,000 Minnesota employees reported annual revenue exceeding $16 billion.

Climbing sales for a made-in-Minnesota system treating atrial fibrillation helped sustain Boston Scientific’s streak of bullish results as the company brushed off tariffs. $BSX @startribune.com www.startribune.com/boston-scien...

Fearing impact on jobs and R&D, medtech group calls for tariff exemptions The top medtech trade organization calls for medical device exemptions. Medtronic is ready to “develop mitigation strategies if necessary.”

The top medtech trade organization calls for medical device exemptions. Medtronic is ready to “develop mitigation strategies if necessary.”
@startribune.com #MedTech
www.startribune.com/medtech-tari...

INBOX: #MedTech trade and lobbying group AdvaMed is calling for tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada to exempt medical devices.

The #tariffs could lead to less research and development, layoffs and higher prices for patients, the group’s chief executive said.

Amid recalls, Minnesota medtech exec says she was pressured to disregard safety law Susan Krause of Rosemount alleged New Jersey-based Integra LifeSciences pressured her to lie to regulators. Integra says “salacious” allegations aren’t true.

NEW: Execs at medtech company Integra, which makes brain surgery products, repeatedly belittled potential safety concerns and pressured their chief quality officer to lie to regulators, a lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota says. #IART @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/integra-qual...

Inside the lab that’s the beating heart of Medtronic’s product pipeline At the University of Minnesota, researchers keep hearts alive outside the body for hours. Medtronic uses them to develop blockbuster devices.

The pink, white and red blob of tissue quivers in a vat of clear goop about the size of a kitchen sink. This disembodied heart fuels innovation pipeline.

Come inside the U's Visible Heart lab with me and @startribune.com. www.startribune.com/inside-the-l...

A tumor filled 80% of this 12-day-old baby’s chest. How he survived. Jayden’s surgeon didn’t know if he’d survive birth. His parents grieved and hoped. His doctors put on a VR headset.

www.startribune.com/baby-tumor-m...

This is Jayden. He's a 7-month old baby boy who might tug on your hair or pinch your face. Huge smiles light up his face, and he sports a fluffy mohawk.

He also survived a tumor that invaded 80% of his chest. His miraculous story is below.
(Photos by @leilanavidi.bsky.social i.bsky.social)

New FDA rules to reduce racial bias in some common devices measuring oxygen in blood But so-called “health and wellness” pulse oximeters available at drugstores and online will not be subject to the FDA’s draft guidelines.

So-called "health and wellness" pulse oximeters don't require extensive testing, despite criticism they're less accurate on darker skin.

@vstef.bsky.social spoke w/ MN-based Nonin Medical, which launched the fingertip device in 1995, about its FDA-cleared device and the unregulated (cheaper) market

FDA recommends more robust testing of pulse oximeters to avoid bias in people with dark skin tone New draft guidelines would increase the number of people with darker skin who should be included in clinical trials of the devices.

New: Following the long-awaited release of the FDA's recommendations for pulse oximeter testing, the CEO of a major company in the field tells @StarTribune that health and wellness oximeters, unaffected by the guidance, need to be regulated, too.
www.startribune.com/fda-recommen...

New: The number of foreign workers newly employed in Minn. under the H-1B program has nearly doubled in the past decade. We dive into data and chat with experts. @startribune.com shorturl.at/zBaX0

Boston Scientific pacemakers linked to two deaths subject of FDA safety alert Boston Scientific said approximately 13% of devices from its Accolade family of pacemakers built before Sept. 2018 face an increased potential to switch to a pacing mode that may not provide optimal s...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an urgent safety alert after an electric malfunction in some older Boston Scientific pacemakers was linked to two reported deaths in ambulatory settings and early device replacements. @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/fda-issues-s...

McKesson to lay off more than 80 Minn. employees, close Rogers facility The massive pharmaceuticals distributor said it is offering employees severance. It plans to begin layoffs on March 3.

More Minnesota Layoff news: McKesson, a massive company that distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, is laying off 83 employees and permanently closing a medical-surgical distribution center in Rogers. @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/mckesson-to-...