Latest news with #Dillman
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council awards $2.5M bid for replacement of 3 pedestrian bridges in Jamestown
May 6—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved on Monday, May 5, awarding a bid for more than $2.5 million to Industrial Builders Inc. to replace three pedestrian bridges in Jamestown. The city of Jamestown's share is just over $490,000. Federal funds obligated for the project won't exceed about 81% of the total eligible project cost. Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said there will be a citywide special assessment to pay for the local share. The three pedestrian bridges that will be replaced are at Klaus, McElroy and Nickeus parks. Plans call for replacing the bridges with wider structures for easier maintenance and better access. The bridges in Nickeus and Klaus parks were built in 1909 and 1908, respectively. The bridge at McElroy Park was built sometime after 1957. "This is something that needs to be taken care of," said David Steele, city councilman. The pedestrian bridge project is a collaboration between the city of Jamestown and the Jamestown Parks and Recreation District. City Engineer Travis Dillman said the estimated cost for the project was about $3.75 million in 2023 with the local share being about $1.2 million. The local share has grown to about $1.5 million. He did not say what the total estimated cost has increased to. Dillman said the project went through a North Dakota Department of Transportation process and included an archaeological study among others. He said the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Commission will need to approve the bid from Industrial Builders as well at its next meeting on Monday, May 12. The City Council unanimously approved awarding a bid for about $2.5 million to Scherbenske Inc. for a portion of the 2025 water main replacement project. Dillman said this portion of the project includes replacing the water main at Business Loop West. He said the project needs to get completed before Business Loop West is reconstructed in 2027. In related business, the City Council unanimously approved awarding a bid for about $1.2 million to Crow River Construction for a portion of the 2025 water main replacement project. The awarding of the bids is contingent on approval from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The entire project includes replacing deteriorated water mains and associated infrastructure in the following areas: * between the 1100 and 1300 blocks of 4th Avenue Southwest * between the 400 block Southwest and 200 block Southeast of 10th Street/U.S. Highway 52 * between the 800 and 1000 blocks of 1st Avenue South * 400 block of 7th Street Southwest * between the 1100 and 1600 blocks of 4th Avenue Northwest Dillman said a Department of Water Resources Pre-Commission meeting is scheduled for May 22 when additional funds for the water main replacement project could be approved. He said the city will receive a $1.2 million forgivable loan through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for the water main replacement project. The City Council also unanimously approved a letter of intent to meet conditions set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a potential grant for a 96-inch storm water disaster project. In addition, the City Council approved a request for an obligation of funds from USDA Rural Development for the 96-inch storm water disaster project for up to $2.35 million in grant funds. The water main replacement project began after stormwater runoff and flooding resulted in the failure of a 96-inch stormwater pipe located south of 25th Street Southwest and east of 8th Avenue Southwest. The first phase included replacing the stormwater pipe near Applebee's. The second phase included replacing the water main from 25th Street Southwest to the parking lot where Perkins Restaurant & Bakery was formerly located. The final phase includes replacing the 96-inch storm sewer from U.S. Highway 281 to Interstate 94, Heinrich said. Heinrich said the total cost of the water main replacement project is about $9 million. "We really owe the people up at Interstate Engineering that were on top of some of these grants really a big thank you because they really zeroed in on a couple of things and had the relationship with some people and the knowledge of how to fill out these grant requests to be able to get this," he said. "This $9 million project is going to be completed without using any local money. ... It's going to be paid for with money from the State Water Commission, the USDA and the use of Prairie Dog funds."
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council awards $2.5M bid for pedestrian bridge replacement in Jamestown
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 6—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved on Monday, May 5, awarding a bid for more than $2.5 million to Industrial Builders Inc. to replace three pedestrian bridges in Jamestown. The city of Jamestown's share is just over $490,000. Federal funds obligated for the project won't exceed about 81% of the total eligible project cost. Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said there will be a citywide special assessment to pay for the local share. The three pedestrian bridges that will be replaced are at Klaus, McElroy and Nickeus parks. Plans call for replacing the bridges with wider structures for easier maintenance and better access. The bridges in Nickeus and Klaus parks were built in 1909 and 1908, respectively. The bridge at McElroy Park was built sometime after 1957. "This is something that needs to be taken care of," said David Steele, city councilman. The pedestrian bridge project is a collaboration between the city of Jamestown and the Jamestown Parks and Recreation District. City Engineer Travis Dillman said the estimated cost for the project was about $3.75 million in 2023 with the local share being about $1.2 million. The local share has grown to about $1.5 million. He did not say what the total estimated cost has increased to. Dillman said the project went through a North Dakota Department of Transportation process and included an archaeological study among others. He said the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Commission will need to approve the bid from Industrial Builders as well at its next meeting on Monday, May 12. The City Council unanimously approved awarding a bid for about $2.5 million to Scherbenske Inc. for a portion of the 2025 water main replacement project. Dillman said this portion of the project includes replacing the water main at Business Loop West. He said the project needs to get completed before Business Loop West is reconstructed in 2027. In related business, the City Council unanimously approved awarding a bid for about $1.2 million to Crow River Construction for a portion of the 2025 water main replacement project. The awarding of the bids is contingent on approval from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The entire project includes replacing deteriorated water mains and associated infrastructure in the following areas: * between the 1100 and 1300 blocks of 4th Avenue Southwest * between the 400 block Southwest and 200 block Southeast of 10th Street/U.S. Highway 52 * between the 800 and 1000 blocks of 1st Avenue South * 400 block of 7th Street Southwest * between the 1100 and 1600 blocks of 4th Avenue Northwest Dillman said a Department of Water Resources Pre-Commission meeting is scheduled for May 22 when additional funds for the water main replacement project could be approved. He said the city will receive a $1.2 million forgivable loan through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for the water main replacement project. The City Council also unanimously approved a letter of intent to meet conditions set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a potential grant for a 96-inch storm water disaster project. In addition, the City Council approved a request for an obligation of funds from USDA Rural Development for the 96-inch storm water disaster project for up to $2.35 million in grant funds. The water main replacement project began after stormwater runoff and flooding resulted in the failure of a 96-inch stormwater pipe located south of 25th Street Southwest and east of 8th Avenue Southwest. The first phase included replacing the stormwater pipe near Applebee's. The second phase included replacing the water main from 25th Street Southwest to the parking lot where Perkins Restaurant & Bakery was formerly located. The final phase includes replacing the 96-inch storm sewer from U.S. Highway 281 to Interstate 94, Heinrich said. Heinrich said the total cost of the water main replacement project is about $9 million. "We really owe the people up at Interstate Engineering that were on top of some of these grants really a big thank you because they really zeroed in on a couple of things and had the relationship with some people and the knowledge of how to fill out these grant requests to be able to get this," he said. "This $9 million project is going to be completed without using any local money. ... It's going to be paid for with money from the State Water Commission, the USDA and the use of Prairie Dog funds."
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
UnitedHealth's Move to End Cyberattack Loan Lifeline Upsets Medical Providers
Two independent medical practices in Minnesota once hoped to expand operations but have spent the past year struggling to recover from the cyberattack on a vast UnitedHealth Group payment system. Odom Health & Wellness, a sports medicine and rehabilitation outfit, and the Dillman Clinic & Lab, a family medicine practice, are among the thousands of medical offices that experienced sudden financial turmoil last year. The cyberattack against Change Healthcare, a division of United, paralyzed much of the nation's health-care payment system for months. Change lent billions of dollars to medical practices that were short on cash but has begun demanding repayments. Dillman and Odom are suing United in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, accusing the corporation of negligence related to the cyberattack and claiming they sustained excessive expenses because of the attack's fallout. In addition, Odom and Dillman asserted in court filings that the company's insurance arm, UnitedHealthcare, has in turn been denying claims to cover patient care for being submitted late. Lawmakers viewed the chaos caused by the cyberattack as a result of United's seemingly insatiable desire to buy up companies like Change, alongside doctors' practices and pharmacy businesses. The widespread disruption was a reminder of how deeply United's sprawling subsidiaries had become embedded in the nation's health care system. 'This is yet another sign that the rapid consolidation of major health care companies has harmed, rather than helped, American patients and doctors,' Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said of the financial bind that the cyberattack had placed on practices. Last month, the American Medical Association sent a letter to Optum, the UnitedHealth division that owns Change, saying that it was concerned that many practices were being pressured to repay loans despite continued financial difficulties from the cyberattack. Since March 2024, Change had provided $9 billion in interest-free loans to more than 10,000 medical providers, including $569,680 to Odom and $157,600 to Dillman. A year later, roughly $5.5 billion had been repaid, United said in court filings. About 3,500 practices, including Odom, Dillman and six other plaintiffs in the lawsuits, had made no repayments as of April 1. Several other practices and patients have also filed suits against United. In a statement, Change said it would 'continue to actively work with providers to identify flexible repayment plans based on the individual circumstances of providers and their practices.' It added, 'We have also worked with UnitedHealthcare to ensure the claims it receives are reviewed in light of the challenges providers experienced, including waiving timely filing requirements for the plans under its control.' Change compared its efforts to recoup loans to those by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. After the cyberattack, C.M.S. provided accelerated payments to practices to cover Medicare billings delayed by the cyberattack. It has since garnished Medicare claims to recoup the funds. In court filings, United cited data showing that only a small percentage of Odom's and Dillman's health care claims were rejected for being 'untimely,' although those denials increased after the cyberattack. Calling the plaintiffs' motions a 'collective shakedown,' UnitedHealth has also requested that the district court reject their request for an injunction against repayment of loans, arguing that they did not have the right to interfere in its business with thousands of other loan recipients. An injunction, United argued, could be used by other medical practices to 'hold hostage billions of dollars.' Dr. Megan Dillman, who specializes in pediatrics and internal medicine, said she had opened her Lakeville, Minn., practice in 2022 to 'bring the joy back to medicine.' She said she spent far more time with patients than the spartan 15 minutes that corporate health care operations have increasingly required of their doctors. 'I have some patients where I don't think they would be here today if we didn't exist,' Dr. Dillman said, citing cancers she had detected that had been missed by more hurried doctors. Her husband, Richard Dillman, runs the business side of the practice. He called United's repayment demands 'a kick in the teeth.' 'I'd rather go through the Special Forces qualification course back to back — to back to back — than ever do this again,' said Mr. Dillman, a former Green Beret. At the time of the cyberattack, Change's medical-billing clearinghouse processed about 45 percent of the nation's health care transactions, or about $2 trillion annually. The company had to take its services offline in February 2024 to contain damage from the attack, halting much of the health care system's cash flow and unleashing chaos. The associated breach of private information was the largest reported in U.S. health-care history. In January, United increased the reported number of people whose personal data had been exposed to 190 million from 100 million. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into the ransomware attack in March 2024. An agency spokesperson stated that it 'does not generally comment on current or open investigations.' Some health care companies have been fined for breaches involving patient data. Company officials have said that the hackers infiltrated Change's systems by obtaining compromised login credentials and using a portal for entry that did not require multifactor authentication. United officials confirmed that the company had paid a $22 million ransom to the Russian cybercriminals who claimed responsibility. The corporation reported in a January earnings report that the cyberattack had by then cost $3.1 billion. Health care reimbursements didn't begin to channel relatively freely through Change until June 2024, although United said that some of its systems had taken longer to come back online and that a few were still not at 100 percent. At congressional hearings in May 2024, senators slammed Andrew Witty, United's chief executive, for how the company had handled the cyberattack and the disruption it caused thousands of providers. Mr. Witty testified that the company had 'no intention of asking for repayment until providers determine their business is back to normal.' The loan terms stipulated that Change would not demand repayment until 'after claims processing and/or payment processing services and payments impacted during the service disruption period are being processed.' The meaning of 'being processed' is now at the center of the court cases. Change began seeking repayment from Dillman and Odom through what the medical practices characterized in court filings as a succession of increasingly aggressive letters. Both practices told Change they were unable to repay and neither accepted repayment plan offers. Change then in January demanded full repayment and threatened to withhold future reimbursements for patients' health care. 'It's disappointing but not surprising that UnitedHealth Group has decided to prioritize its bottom line over the well-being of families and small businesses,' said Mr. Wyden, who led the Senate hearing on the cyberattack. The A.M.A. called upon the company to negotiate 'an individualized, realistic repayment plan' with each practice. Dr. Catherine Mazzola, who runs a pediatric neurology and neurosurgery practice in New Jersey, is among many others who have also battled with United over the loans. 'Optum, in my opinion, is acting like a loan shark trying to rapidly collect,' Dr. Mazzola, who is not a plaintiff in the lawsuits against United, said of the division that owns Change. Dr. Mazzola received a $535,000 loan, and she said she had later told Change she could not repay it. She proposed a schedule but received no response. So she began paying $10,000 a month in January. But without any warning, she said, United began garnishing her reimbursements. Today, Dr. Odom employs about 110 people, many of whom provide rehab to older people in assisted-living facilities. If his practice had to repay the Change loan immediately, his lawsuit asserted, he would have to lay off at least 22 staff members. Dr. Odom said that could prompt assisted-living chains to drop his services and cause more financial harm. 'We face an uphill battle as such a small company,' said Dr. Meghan Klein, Odom's president. Speaking to the gulf between her company's finances and United's, she said: 'What is little impact to them is huge impact to us. These are a lot of people's lives that we're worried about.' The Dillman Clinic, which derives about one-quarter of its income from United insurance reimbursements, would face bankruptcy if forced to fully repay its loan, according to its lawsuit. Having leveraged their house, their cars and their retirement accounts against their practice, the Dillmans would lose all of their assets to bankruptcy, including their home, they said. 'Part of the goal of being here is to have control over my schedule,' Dr. Dillman said. But the cyberattack-driven chaos has consumed the couple's time, leaving little for their 6-year-old daughter. 'There are days I see her for an hour,' Dr. Dillman said. 'I'm missing her childhood.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Plea reached for driver accused of killing Indy ER doctor and mother in separate crashes
A driver charged with fatally striking an Indianapolis doctor and then a mother of four in crashes that occurred less than a month apart in 2022 has pleaded guilty, according to court records. Kelli Anderson on Monday entered an agreement to plead guilty to two counts of reckless homicide in connection with the deaths of Franciscan Health physician Brian Dillman, 49, and Kiana Burns, a 28-year-old mother to four young children. Anderson's numerous criminal recklessness charges were dropped as part of the deal, which calls for no more than three years of prison time. Her driver's license will also be suspended for six years. Anderson is scheduled to be sentenced April 10. According to court documents, Dillman was walking on a sidewalk near West 49th and Meridian Streets when Anderson is said to have jumped the curb in an SUV and struck him. Police in an arrest affidavit said Anderson continued driving down the sidewalk, slamming into a utility pole and a second vehicle before coming to a stop. Dillman was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital and died shortly after arriving. He had worked as an emergency physician in the Franciscan Health network for more than 20 years. Anderson underwent a blood draw following the crash, per state law following fatal crashes. She told police she suffers from seizures. Doctors had advised her not to drive, according to the arrest affidavit. Less than a month later, Anderson was charged in a second fatal crash. Court records state that on June 9, 2022, Anderson drove across a median near the intersection of North Keystone Avenue and East 52nd Street, causing a chain-reaction collision. Burns, whose car was hit first, suffered critical injuries and died in a hospital two days later. Data collected from the car Anderson drove indicated the car was traveling 69 mph upon impact. The speed limit along Keystone Avenue is 35 mph. As police investigated the crashes, they discovered Anderson had been involved in five more crashes since August 2019. August 3, 2019: Anderson was driving a Saturn Outlook on the 6500 block of North Meridian Street when she veered off the road, drove the car into a ditch and it flipped over. After the crash, Anderson told police officers she possibly had a seizure and did not know what happened. February 20, 2020: Anderson was driving a silver 2012 GMC Acadia south on Dean Road and rolled through a stop sign at East 79th Street. Police said she crashed into a BMW 528i turning south onto Dean Road. The driver said she had shoulder pains and was transported to Community North Hospital. March 9, 2021: Anderson was driving a silver 2013 GMC Acadia south on Fall Creek Parkway's North Drive when she struck another vehicle going south, records state. September 2, 2021: Anderson was driving a silver 2013 GMC Acadia south on Allisonville Road when she hit a black Chevrolet Trax travelling the same direction, causing the Chevrolet to spin out and the GMC to veer off the road and into a fire hydrant. Anderson told police she did not know she was involved in an accident or hit anyone. May 2, 2022: Anderson was driving a black 2017 GMC Acadia south in the 3700 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street when she veered off the road and into a light pole. Anderson said a car had stopped suddenly in front of her and she had swerved to avoid it, which she told police caused her to run off the road. Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Plea reached for driver charged in deaths of ER doctor, mother of four
