Woodbury dental practice's closure shocks patients who paid up front for implants

WOODBURY, Minn. — A Woodbury dental office is closed, leaving patients unsure of their next steps.

Meg Omlie has been a satisfied customer of Woodbury Dental Arts since August of last year.

"They were actually going to order my final set of teeth, my uppers, and so the process is almost finished," Omlie said.

She was super excited to wake up to an automated call from the dental office.

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"I drove from St. Paul to Woodbury and then there were other people waiting, and then somebody said, 'Yep, they shut down and abandoned the patients,'" Omlie said.

She joined about six other clients in the parking lot, all in various stages of their dental implant journey.

Off camera, we spoke with another patient there to get her final implants put in, and another who just had all his teeth pulled last Friday  

The group is now working together to find answers as to why their dental office is closed. 

"I talked to somebody last week making this appointment and they gave no indication that there was anything wrong," she said.

What we do know is Dr. Marko Kamel's license was temporarily suspended last May for "incompetence." He was allowed to go back to work in June, but his license was suspended again in November and remains so today.

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"They were all so nice and all of the staff so nice, and I have no complaints about anything until now," she said.

Omlie and other patients tell WCCO they had to pay upfront to get their dental implants.

"They require payment in advance of about $30,000," she said. "I want answers, I want, you know, my treatment completed."

WCCO contacted Kamel's attorney and got no response. Our crew even went by his home and no one was there.

Kamel's patients have filed a report with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. They tell WCCO it could be several weeks of investigation before they could learn anything.

North Commons Park getting to receive $35 million facelift

MINNEAPOLIS — One of Minneapolis' largest and oldest neighborhood parks is getting a major facelift.

Spanning nine city blocks, North Commons Park has served as the centerpiece of north Minneapolis since the early 70s. After decades of wear and tear, at $35 million, North Commons is getting the largest-ever investment made by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Upgrades include three full-sized courts, community rooms and a water park with a mix of pools, etc.

"We need a lot of support in what we do, we are open to people working with us to make a difference," said Shawn Lewis, Minneapolis Parks Foundation Project Manager.

MORE NEWS: Woodbury dental practice's closure shocks patients who paid up front for implants

Lewis believes this upgrade is long overdue and crucial not only for people who call North Minneapolis home, but the greater metro community. That's why the "Transforming North Commons Park capital campaign" is officially underway.

This $20 million capital campaign is already halfway there, with a $10 million gift already secured.

"You want to have an attractive facility that will help people overcame those barriers and come here," Lewis said.

He believes connecting kids to important programs can help deter youth from violence and keep them engaged in new activities.

"We want them in healthy safe productive activities and this particular corridor I see as a safe haven,"  Lewis said.

Construction is set to begin in 2025 and they hope to finish in 2027.

If you would like to learn more about the North Commons Park renovation, click here.

Country music is at a crossroads and 2 of its most viral 2023 songs show why

People — non-country lovers specifically — like to joke that modern country music is a repetitive incantation of beer, trucks, girls and American flags, with the occasional sprinkling of Copenhagen or MultiCam thrown in. (And, for the women, there's an extra dash of marital homicide.)

That's all part of it, for certain. But a longer pause on the radio dial, or a deeper dive into the genre's roots, reveals far more variation — different traditions and cultures calling to each other, answering and reinventing themselves as they go.

The struggle for the soul of country music is on full display now as two very different songs have been making headlines. Jason Aldean, one of country music's biggest stars, has been embroiled in controversy over his single "Try That in a Small Town." The song contains what critics say are racially charged lyrics, and scenes from the music video were shot in front of a courthouse that was the site of an infamous lynching in the 1920s. The backlash was so complete, CMT removed Aldean's video from its rotatio

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