Elderly person forgotten and hospital street to become bus-only

An elderly person in a special care home in Östersund Municipality was forgotten and did not receive food – the municipality has made a lex Sarah report. At the same time, Kyrkgatan is to become a bus street past Östersund Hospital from 13 December, a decision that has received both praise and criticism.

Older person neglected at residential home – municipality has reported it

An older person at a special residential home (an elderly care home with staff) in Östersund municipality, the local authority responsible, among other things, for elderly care, lost 5 kilos in 3 months. When the unit manager investigated the weight loss, it emerged that the person had been neglected while bedridden. The report states that the person "is neglected and not even offered meals on days when they are bedridden". How many days the person went without food is not stated in the report.

The situation was discovered in the spring, and the Health and Social Care Committee in Östersund municipality made a Lex Sarah report. Lex Sarah means that staff in areas including elderly care are obliged to report serious shortcomings or risks of such shortcomings. Following the report, weight checks are to be carried out every week, and action plans must be in place for what staff should do if the person does not eat. SVT Nyheter Jämtland Länstidningen Östersund

New forum for Indigenous research at Mid Sweden University

Mid Sweden University has established a new forum to sustainably strengthen research, collaboration and knowledge development concerning Sámi and other Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous Research Forum was established on 1 November and is based at the Faculty of Humanities, Mid Sweden University announced in a press release. Länstidningen Östersund

Stop further golf villas on Frösön

Östersund Frösö Golfklubb has already been granted permission to build villas on 6 plots by the Frösö golf course, along the road from the existing clubhouse, north of the golf course within the Kungsgården 5:2 property on Frösön. The villas will be built with an associated so-called supplementary building or garage.

However, the municipality appears to be extremely skeptical about saying yes to a further 8 villa plots. Länstidningen Östersund

Billion-krona investment in battery storage in Enafors

One of Sweden’s largest battery storage facilities is planned in a disused gravel pit in Enafors in Åre Municipality, near Snasahögarna and Ånnsjön. The facility is called Jämtmassivet and is estimated to cost around 1 000 000 000 kr to build. It will be capable of delivering 150 MW of power, and the plan is to store 300 MWh. “But I hope the market will be ready to meet 600 MWh,” says Marcus Qviberg, CEO of Sunna Group, to SVT Jämtland.

The company wants to buy electricity when it is cheap, store it and sell it back when electricity is more expensive – so-called arbitrage trading – and the battery storage facility will be used to stabilize the power grid. Sunna Group has initiated contact with Åre Municipality ahead of a future building permit application, and Jämtkraft is investigating the possibility of connecting the facility to the power grid. A consultation document will be sent to the county administrative board, the government authority at regional level. The goal is to make an investment decision at the end of 2028, and if everything goes according to plan, the facility could be completed in 2029 or 2030. SVT Nyheter Jämtland

Tänndalen is Sweden’s best ski resort – again

For the second year in a row, Tänndalen has been voted Sweden’s best ski resort in the World Ski Awards. The “Sweden's Best Ski Resort 2026” distinction is based on votes from ski guests, industry professionals and travel media around the world. This is according to a press release from Tänndalens Fjällanläggning. Länstidningen Östersund

Kyrkgatan past the hospital becomes a bus street

On Tuesday, the news came that Kyrkgatan past Östersund Hospital will become a bus street, something that has drawn both praise and heavy criticism on social media. The renovation of Kyrkgatan has been underway for quite some time, and meanwhile the buses have been driving along Rådhusgatan. From 13 December, the buses will once again drive along Kyrkgatan, but just past the hospital it will be car-free. Making this section a bus street was not in the plans from the outset, but came about when it became apparent that it would be too cramped.

"We will have a really extensive evaluation, in fact," says Per Berlén, head of unit at Östersund Municipality. He is not worried about traffic problems around the Arkivvägen–Kyrkgatan junction, but traffic measurements will be taken. A person who took the bus from Norråker thinks the buses could start stopping at the hospital right now: "They can stop there now – why wait 4 weeks when there is snow and ice". SVT Nyheter Jämtland

In brief

• Mittuniversitetet is launching 2 new education programmes for people with at least 3 years of experience in preschool or after-school care, with teaching both on campus and online. Länstidningen Östersund
• Galan Kraft & Hopp, a gala for and with people affected by cancer, will be held in Brunflo church on Saturday 14 November. Länstidningen Östersund
• In Ragunda, Centerpartiet, Vänsterpartiet, Kristdemokraterna and Allt för Ragunda have agreed to form a minority government. Länstidningen Östersund
• Bergs municipality received news on Tuesday from a lawyer representing Alex Karp's company Cladonia Skog, among other things about why the company bought 15 000 hectares of forest outside Storsjö in Härjedalen. SVT Nyheter Jämtland
• The Football Gala in the county is cancelled again, after having returned last year. Östersunds-Posten
• A vintage shop of about 33 square metres in central Östersund is for sale after 5 years. Östersunds-Posten
• A new gym is opening in the former premises of After Eights in central Östersund, which later became Saga Nightclub and Verket. Länstidningen Östersund
• Snowfall in November may not be so strange, but snowfall in July and August is more remarkable – SMHI has records of the earliest and latest snowfall in Jämtland. Östersunds-Posten