Rochester Rundown Med City Beat

The city of Rochester lost an icon last Friday, when Igor Vovkovinskiy passed away at the young age of 38. A native of Ukraine, Igor came to the Med City at the age of seven for what the family thought would be a short visit to find the cause of his remarkable growth - but eventually, Rochester turned into a permanent home for him.
Vovkovinskiy ended up becoming the tallest man in America, and found fame because of it - but for the people that knew him when he first moved here, they remember him as an adult-sized elementary schooler who loved to laugh, play, and have fun.
“Between class and in the mornings, Igor and I were kinda buddy-buddy and he would give me piggyback rides," said Rochester resident Matt Ranfranz. "I’m just this little kindergartner or first grader, and sitting up on the shoulders of this six-foot kid. I just felt like the bee’s knees.”
Before long, however, the body that took Igor to national prominence would give him serious pain, eventually relegating him inside his house before passing of heart disease on August 20. In the wake of his passing, he is remembered as a compassionate, genuine person who gave more love than he received.
We’ll bring you the story of Igor’s remarkable life, in his own words and through his most recognizable experiences, all in this edition of the Rochester Rundown.

The Civic will announce the show lineup for its 70th season during their annual banquet Saturday night, with a newfound energy and excitement for the post-pandemic future. On this week's episode of the Rochester Rundown, we chat with Johnson and a few longtime volunteers, who say rubbing shoulders with other theater companies may be the best thing that's happened to the Civic in some time.

The story of the Civic Theatre's next act — plus the news of the week and events for this weekend — all included in this week's Rundown, presented by Altra Federal Credit Union. Listen below or on your favorite streaming service.

In their most recent meeting, the Rochester Park Board agreed to recommend a fast-tracking of $15 million in park improvement funding, paid for by Rochester taxpayers after a referendum was approved by voters in November. On top of the Park Board's current priority list: potentially overhauling Soldiers Field Pool, turning Silver Lake Pool into a splash pad, and upgrading MLK Park's bathrooms and gathering places — among a host of other improvement projects.

But before the first shovels go in the ground to begin a host of improvement projects, Rochester Parks and Recreation Director Paul Widman says he wants to make sure the department's priorities are in line with the priorities of the people making the investment

After sitting empty for the majority of the past seven years, the City of Rochester will soon release a request for proposals for organizations that wish to reactivate the 93-year-old facility.

The Landing MN has been operating out of the former Silver Lake Fire Station since November, but their lease with the city is set to expire August 31 — and hundreds of people experiencing homelessness stand to be affected. While the city council plans to address The Landing's request to stick around until April 2022 at their next meeting, a broader conversation has started between council members, Olmsted County commissioners, and the leaders of nonprofits like The Landing to overhaul the long-term strategy to support people who need help the most.

On this edition of the Rundown, we talk to the leader of The Landing, plus officials from the city and county, on the future of the fire station and what the city's long-term response to homelessness may look like - plus we'll hear from one resident who credits the Landing with turning his life around. Also, reporter Haley Handelman takes us through three of the biggest concerts to come to town this summer, all happening this weekend.

On this edition of the Rundown, two members of the Minnesota Legislature — one from each chamber, one from each party, both representing Rochester — join us to give their thoughts on what happened in the latest legislative session. The session ended on Wednesday, after lawmakers signed off on a $52 billion budget bill covering the state's bills for the next two years — including new guidelines on police reform, extra funding for education and child care, and a $250 million bonus package for frontline workers.

The budget came together in the only divided legislature in the country, which means it takes compromise in Minnesota to get much of anything passed. Inside this Rundown, thoughts from State Senator David Senjem (R) and State Rep. Liz Boldon (DFL) — plus, a clip from Gov. Tim Walz during his visit to Rochester Thursday afternoon — on what they consider the greatest accomplishments of state government this year, what was left on the table in 2021, and what it takes to pass a bill of this size without party consensus across different branches of government.