Looking back at the stories that shaped Rochester in 2020

“The start of a new decade has Rochester looking to the future.”

That’s the first sentence published by Med City Beat in 2020; and while the past year has tested our community like never before, those words ring especially true in this moment. 

The rollout of various Covid-19 vaccines brings hope. A new city council will be sworn in in a matter of days, bringing four new voices to the city’s most important governing body. The city’s population continues to grow, and the Destination Medical Center will be in the spotlight as the initiative moves into the ‘second quarter’ of its lifespan.

We sit in this position, however, after enduring one of the most challenging years in modern times — brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has intruded on every aspect of our lives. The pandemic will not go away with the turning of a page, but 2021 should mark the ‘beginning of the end.’

Before we can officially do that, though, we at Med City Beat believe it is prudent to look back at what this community endured in 2020 — from economic upheaval and a health crisis, to protests for justice and equality. To mark the end of this momentous year, here are the storylines from the past 12 months that defined life — and our reporting — in Rochester.

Before Covid-19

It was business as usual to start the year. The lead stories of 2020’s first two months revolved around the Rochester City Council — notably, its decision to walk back the extent of the pay increases approved back in 2019 and its dust-up with the School Board over the best site for a new middle school. 

We also featured some of our favorite restaurants in Rochester that don’t always get the press they deserve — and if you’re looking for a new place to try as we enter the new year, chances are this article can help you out. 

Through the last days of February, however, the world’s attention began to shift toward a contagious virus spreading through China and parts of Europe, while just beginning to reach North America.

For a few weeks, the epidemic felt distant.

Everything changed on Wednesday, March 11, however. That afternoon, Olmsted County Public Health Director Graham Briggs held a press conference confirming the inevitable: a Rochester resident had contracted Covid-19. 

In the immediate weeks and months after Briggs’ announcement, life changed in ways we would never have expected.

Graham Briggs reports the community’s first case of Covid-19 / Med City Beat

Mayo mobilizes Covid response

March was an absolute whirlwind inside our newsroom, as typical life as we knew it came to halt and changed by the day — sometimes, by the hour. 

One day after the first local case of Covid-19 was found, Mayo Clinic announced it had developed one of the first tests in America to identify the virus. A couple weeks later, the Clinic — fresh off its best year ever, financially speaking — implemented pay cuts and furloughs to tackle a sudden $3 billion projected budget shortfall. 

We spent much of March and April on the phone with Clinic doctors and officials, trying to get a clearer picture of what the days ahead would be like. Even in those early days of the pandemic, the people we spoke with saw the stress the pandemic was inducing on workers, patients, and the public.

Vice President Pence’s decision to forgo wearing a mask inside Mayo’s research facility was met with widespread criticism / photo courtesy Mayo Clinic

In late April, the eyes of the world descended on Rochester as Vice President Mike Pence visited Mayo’s Covid-19 testing and treatment facilities. While Mayo announced breakthroughs in testing and telehealth during the VP’s stop, the national attention focused on Pence’s apparent refusal to wear a mask. Pence and the Clinic became easy targets for criticism and comedy from — among others — the late-night talk show crowd.

“I guess he was just like, ‘it’s okay, I don’t believe in science,’” said The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, in a minute-long roast of Mayo and the VP.

To date, 59 Olmsted County residents have lost their lives to Covid-19. Our community has also said goodbye to a number of local luminaries in 2020, including Sandy Keith, Gus Chafoulias and Dr. David Ahlquist.

In the darkness, however, a few Rochester-based medical workers made headlines with their own stories — bringing light to an otherwise dark year. In May, Dr. Christine Chen was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America after releasing a video condemning racism against Asian-Americans, as prominent politicians peddled the “China Virus” moniker for Covid-19.

Just two weeks later, Drs. Elvis Francois and William Robinson — commonly known as the “singing surgeons” — were invited to sing “God Bless America” for a TV special held in place of the Indianapolis 500, postponed due to the pandemic. The doctors both completed their Mayo residencies in late June, and have moved on from Rochester since then.

Drs. Robinson and Francois give a farewell concert at Forager Brewery after completing their residencies at Mayo Clinic / William Forsman

Social justice movement takes center stage

When a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd on May 25, shock waves were sent through our community — just 75 miles to the south. While protests turned violent in the Twin Cities and elsewhere, public response in Rochester, while passionate, was entirely peaceful. 

In the immediate weeks after Floyd’s death, we published a podcast featuring the seven students that organized a 2,000-person Black Lives Matter demonstration, plus an exclusive interview with Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin. Contributor Bryan Lund brought us the story of Daniel Johnson, Brandy Moore and LEVELS Clothing, which moved to Rochester after its Minneapolis location was destroyed in the Floyd-related riots. 

We also gave the community the opportunity to voice their opinions, hosting an open forum on race and policing that hit our site on June 25. It features a dozen pieces, written by people of various backgrounds.

Perhaps the most poignant message, though, came from a column written by Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara, published on our site June 2.

“We are a community that is quick to celebrate the good, the peaceful, and the ways in which we are working hard to build an inclusive community,” wrote Nfonoyim-Hara. "But we know there is a tale of two Rochesters, just as in any other city. We must confront this fact bravely and fiercely, today. Our silence will not protect us.”

Rochester native Daniel Johnson brought his business to Rochester after losing his Twin Cities’ storefront in the Minneapolis riots / William Forsman

A roller coaster ride for local businesses

As spring gave way to summer, it became clear that the pandemic would not simply go away in a matter of a few months, as some had hoped. The restrictions on gatherings and indoor capacities hit small businesses — specifically in Rochester’s bustling hospitality industry — the hardest, with the long-term economic health of some favorite local establishments suddenly in jeopardy.

The best way to hear the concerns of business owners, we found, was to let the people hear their voices. The Rochester Rundown, our podcast originally intended to blend news and culture, became a vehicle for longer-form journalism, as we scoured every industry for people concerned for the future. 

In dozens of interviews, we found a sense of creativity and a can-do attitude that’s allowed these featured businesses to stay alive. We have covered the demise of some downtown staples — The Loop, Primp and Tonic Juice Bar, among others — but the stories of adaptability we heard were truly inspiring — especially to us, a small team working hard to stay financially solvent ourselves.

An UNPRECEDENTED election

In late June, we began gearing up for what we originally thought would be the biggest story of 2020: the elections. After hosting a successful town hall series for the City Council primaries in June and July, we expanded on the idea and welcomed all 32 candidates for local office — from county board to state senate — into the virtual debate room streamed live on Facebook.

While the results of the elections are undoubtedly the key takeaway — Brooke Carlson narrowly defeating Kathleen Harrington for City Council President, Mark Bransford unseating Michael Wojcik in Ward 2, GOP incumbents holding onto narrow victories in competitive state House and Senate races, among others — 2020’s election cycle may have more of a lasting impact on the ways citizens vote.

Over three different interviews (and podcast episodes), local election officials Mark Krupski and Katie Smith kept increasing the expected vote share coming from mail-in votes. In the end, over half of Olmsted County’s 91,864 votes came in through the mail — easily setting a new record. 

More recently…

We were on the scene in late October when President Donald Trump visited Rochester International Airport — and followed the fiasco preceding the rally, in which the Trump campaign changed the rally’s location twice. 

President Trump’s campaign stop in Rochester was preceded by turmoil over where he event would be hosted / William Forsman

Since that point, our coverage has largely followed the surge in Covid-19 cases locally, dwarfing any previous spike to this point.

“We are seeing the ugly side of this virus,” said Desirae Cogswell, a respiratory therapist at the Clinic working in the MICU, on December 1. “I’m thankful that not a lot of people are seeing the side that we’re seeing.”

We also broke the story surrounding Superintendent Michael Munoz’s plagiarized Thanksgiving thank-you letter, which ended up making the rounds in newspapers across Minnesota and led to Munoz being handed a five-day suspension.

Our most recent coverage, though, gives us hope for the future: over the past two weeks, the first doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to Rochester’s frontline health care workers.

“It doesn’t just mean safety for me, it’s safety for my family,” said Diane Schwarz, a critical care nurse that became the first OMC employee to receive the vaccine, on December 18. “When you’ve seen someone with Covid, watched them struggle with breathing and see the fear in their eyes, this is a very exciting day. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, to hopefully turn this around and find a way back to normality.”

As we close the book on this year, we hope to bring you more stories of success and hope in 2021. Med City Beat is in a position of strength as the new year dawns — something that would not be possible without the support of our members and the broader community.

We will continue to bring you independent, objective journalism in the months to come, and for that we could not be more grateful. From our entire team, thank you for your support, and best wishes in the new year.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover photo: Black Lives Matter demonstrators gather in Rochester to protest systemic racism in the criminal justice system / William Forsman