Hagedorn staff to visit Fairmont

FAIRMONT — Congressman Jim Hagedorn’s office will hold mobile hours April 15 in Fairmont.

Members of Hagedorn’s staff will be at the Martin County Library in Fairmont from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The gathering is an opportunity for constituents to seek help they need with a federal issue or agency.

Mobile office hours are designed to bring constituent services to the doorstep of the residents in need of assistance. Members of Congress frequently handle casework that helps people solve problems with Social Security, passports, veteran benefits, USDA farm programs and more.

New name: Mayo Clinic Ambulance

ROCHESTER — As of Monday, Gold Cross Ambulance is now Mayo Clinic Ambulance.

Gold Cross has been part of Mayo Clinic since 1994. The name change will clarify for patients and communities that Mayo Clinic provides their ambulance service.

Ambulances, uniforms and signage will be refreshed with a design that aligns with the Mayo Clinic brand. The new look will roll out throughout the year, first in Rochester, then in the other communities served by Gold Cross in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Fairmont is expected to see a new ambulance in mid-May.

“It will take us several months to update our entire fleet of ambulances. We have 70 ambulances serving communities across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, so we’ll take a phased approach to transitioning the fleet,” said Dr. John Wald, a member of the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service board of directors. “For a while, people may see both Gold Cross and Mayo Clinic ambulances in their communities — but it’s always the same Mayo Clinic paramedics and EMTs caring for them.”

Midwest in line for growth

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A March survey of business supply managers is signaling solid economic growth over the next three to six months for nine Midwest and Plains states, although the survey report released Monday said Midwest flooding has harmed some companies.

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit its highest level since August, 58.2, compared with 57.9 in February. The January figure was 56.0.

“As in recent months, international trade tension/tariffs and the global economic slowdown remain obstacles to even stronger growth,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.