ALBERT LEA, Minnesota – The jury selection finished in the criminal trial of Melissa “Lisa” Hanson on Tuesday evening, after a full day of interviews. Hanson and the City Attorney Kelly Martinez chose six jurors to serve and two back up jurors.
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ALBERT LEA, Minnesota – The prosecutor, an Albert Lea city attorney, in the Melissa “Lisa” Hanson case appeared to compare Hanson’s alleged violation of COVID emergency orders with Black Lives Matter Riots and January 6 during the jury selection process.
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ALBERT LEA, Minnesota – Monday was the scheduled start to the trial against Minnesota restaurant owner, Melissa “Lisa” Hanson, who is charged with nine misdemeanors after she opened her restaurant in violation of Governor Tim Walz’s (D) COVID orders in 2020.
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The Minnesota Democrat Farmer Laborer Party (DFL) released a statement on Friday, criticizing all the Republican gubernatorial candidates for their stances on abortion, saying “Abortion rights are under attack at the national level.” The DFL was referencing the Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson, where the state of Mississippi is challenging Roe v. Wade.
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Mailchimp suspended a local Minnesota group, Child Protection League (CPL), for “violating” their “terms of use” after they tried to send a newsletter asking questions of the “rush to inject children” with the COVID vaccine. CPL is an activist group that is “committed to promoting the welfare of children and protecting them from exploitation, indoctrination and violence.”
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A Minnesota family has been advocating for their father and husband, David Dentz, in the Methodist Hospital ICU with COVID, where Justin Dentz says his father is failing because of the hospital’s refusal to allow ‘non-protocol’ treatments. Dentz told The Minnesota Sun that his grandfather passed away at the end of November due to similar issues and he doesn’t want to see the same thing happen to his father. Dentz says his father has been on a ventilator and despite multiple meetings, the hospital refuses to try treating him with Ivermectin or supplements.
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Minnesota’s Democrat lawmakers responded to the first Omicron COVID case detected in Minnesota. To date, the case is only the second diagnosed case of the Omicron variant in the nation. The man who tested positive for Omicron was fully vaccinated and had just gotten his booster shot in early November. He contracted the virus while attending a conference in New York City in mid-November, Alpha News reported.
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Cortez Rice, a Minnesota activist who had falsely claimed to be George Floyd’s nephew, is imprisoned in Waukesha County, Wisconsin for jury tampering.
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ROSEMOUNT, Minnesota – Several Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) students shared with The Minnesota Sun that they were told to stay off campus during President Joe Biden’s visit. Biden visited DCTC on Tuesday afternoon to discuss his new infrastructure bill, accompanied by Governor Tim Walz, Representative Angie Craig (D-MN-02),…
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The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association asked the Brooklyn Center City Council to vote ‘no’ on Mayor Mike Elliot’s proposal to cut funding to the police department by 30%. The City Council will be voting during their Monday night meeting.
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In a statement released Monday, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) called on Israel to “end its military occupation” of Palestinian lands. McCollum said she was “standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
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A protest allegedly over “occupying native land” erupted at the Mall of America on Black Friday. In video of the incident obtained by The Minnesota Sun, protesters can be heard banging native drums and chanting while standing in the mall’s rotunda.
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The union for St. Paul police officers filed a lawsuit over a COVID vaccine mandate that will be in place in the new year. The mandate does not allow for testing and masking as a substitute for getting vaccinated, however they will allow medical and religious exemptions, sources say.
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The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul offered counseling to students who were ‘impacted’ by the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. They said, “As individuals and communities, we may need time to process the verdict.”
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Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus raised concerns about the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) newly released draft of their K-12 Academic Standards about social studies. They took issue with the curriculum outlined under the social studies section titled “Ethnic Studies.” One statement, categorized under the heading “resistance,” says that…
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Governor Tim Walz (D) announced he is activating 400 National Guard members to assist with the growing staff shortage in the state’s nursing homes. “Our long-term care facilities are facing an all-hands-on-deck moment, and that’s why we are taking unprecedented action to support skilled nursing workers, residents, and patients,” said Governor Walz.
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The driver in the Waukesha mass murder event Sunday has a long criminal history spanning nearly two decades. Darrell Edward Brooks, the man taken into custody after he drove through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killed 5 and wounded 48 others in the mass killing.
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters blocked some Minneapolis streets Saturday evening, protesting the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. The protest began at the Hennepin County Government Center, a 24-story skyscraper in the heart of Minneapolis, where many masked protesters gathered.
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota – A medical freedom protest took place in St. Paul outside of the ABC affiliate, KSTP 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. The event, organized by Mark Bishofsky, was attended by several hundred people who stood on the sidewalks waving and cheering.
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Shakopee, Minnesota public schools are closing for the entire week of Thanksgiving due to rising COVID case levels. Across all 10 Shakopee schools, 85 students have COVID as of Friday, with 30 of the cases at Jackson Elementary. The number of cases is growing, with over 20 more cases added to the list Friday afternoon.
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Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro is examining a newly enacted deadly force law following a lawsuit by police and law enforcement groups. Castro suspended the law temporarily in September following criticism from policing groups.
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A Chinese national who has been living and studying in Los Angeles has been accused of stalking and harassing a Minnesota college student. Ki Cheung Yau, age 27, has been arrested and charged with cyberstalking. Yau posed as the victim and created several accounts in their name, “including social media platforms, dating websites, and pornography websites, using the name, photos, and personally identifying information of the victim.”
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) says he does not want to include “additional, controversial topics” in a proposed special session. Walz finally made the move to have a special session, something that Republican lawmakers have been asking him to do for months.
In the letter to Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona), Walz wrote, “A special session should be focused on areas where we can find agreement, while areas of disagreement can be addressed in the regular session.” The governor is suggesting calling a special session on November 29, if Miller agrees to his terms, which confine the actions of the session to a drought relief bill, a frontline worker pay bill, and a COVID relief bill. Walz is also requiring that the session last no more than three days.
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A Minneapolis City Council candidate is requesting a recount after narrowly losing to a candidate endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Democrat Yusra Arab, announced her intentions on Twitter saying, “The outcome is one of the closest margins Minneapolis has ever experienced in a city council race using rank choice voting.”
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A leaked email from Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcom appears to say that the “small impacts” are not enough to justify “dial backs” to the public. The emails, sent in October of 2020, include from Malcolm to other MDH staff and one from the Chief of Staff for Governor Tim Walz (D).
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Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN-06) introduced legislation to try and reduce opioid related deaths. Emmer, along with Representative Annie Kuster (R-NH-02), wrote the Inpatient Opioid Safety Act of 2021, which is “legislation to improve patient safety, simplify care, and reduce preventable opioid-induced injury and death under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
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Three socialists were elected to the Minneapolis City Council during the November general election. Jason Chavez, a 26 year old, was endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). “People are tired of doing the same thing over and over again,” Chavez said. “This new wave in Minneapolis that just hit with the three of us is something that is going to return power back to regular people.”
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Minnesota criminal defense attorney Thomas Gallagher, with Gallagher Criminal Defense, told The Minnesota Sun that he believes that protesters who went to Judge Regina Chu’s apartment in the Loring Park neighborhood are being “abusive.”
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MAPLEWOOD, Minnesota – Hundreds gathered outside of the 3M located in Maplewood, Minnesota on Sunday afternoon to protest the company’s COVID vaccine mandate. 3M mandated the COVID vaccine for their employees, with a deadline of December 8.
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In a statement released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) as a part of the state’s new COVID vaccine program for elementary aged children, they shared that COVID vaccines can be given to minors without parental consent under “special circumstances.”
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A high school in Zimmerman, Minnesota threatened students with suspension who participated in a walk out on Friday opposing the sexual abuse of students. Sarah Ronchak, with Open Schools USA, told The Minnesota Sun that the perpetrator of an alleged sexual assault was allowed back into the classroom during his trial. Two girls that he abused now have to see him in the hallways every day.
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Both the Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors were reelected despite many claiming “failed leadership” during the riots of 2020. Current Mayors Melvin Carter and Jacob Frey were both reelected in Minnesota’s November general election.
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Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber has demanded that the Biden Administration halt the COVID vaccine mandate for those serving as Border Patrol agents. Stauber said in a tweet, “Border Patrol agents are heroes [and] shouldn’t be fired over their vaccination status. We need every one of them to address the Biden Border Crisis.”
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The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association responded to Minneapolis residents voting against replacing the police with a Department of Public Safety. The ballot question, sponsored by Yes 4 Minneapolis, asked if residents wanted to replace the Minneapolis Police Department.
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A rally opposing mandates for kids took place outside the Minnesota Department of Education building in Roseville, Minnesota on Wednesday. The rally, organized by Mark Bishofsky, had around 200 attendees. Bishofsky has organized several other protests in the last few months, hosting one of the largest Stop The Mandate protests at the Minnesota State Capitol.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) announced his reelection campaign on Tuesday. Walz is the seventh gubernatorial candidate to place a bid and the only Democrat to have entered the race so far.
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Minnesota State Representative Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal) questioned a Democrat redistricting bill in a Facebook video. Munson said that aspects of the bill are “at odds with election integrity.”
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Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher wrote a letter to Ramsey County Attorney John Choi opposing his Collaborative Review Team (CRT), saying that it returns dangerous juveniles to society. In his letter, Fletcher asks Choi to pause the program until certain issues are resolved.
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Minneapolis Public Schools announced that they will be reducing the mandatory quarantine period following a petition from parents arguing that their policies were stricter than the surrounding districts. As of Sunday, the petition had been signed by over 600 parents.
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Four Minnesota legislators signed a letter asking for a forensic audit of the 2020 election in all 50 states. The letter has been signed by 138 legislators within 38 states. The Minnesota legislators who signed the letter include State Senator Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo Township), Representative Glenn Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe), Representative Erik Mortensen (R-Shakopee), and Representative John Poston (R-Lake Shore).
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Several Minnesota ER doctors shared their concerns and frustrations over the growing inability of larger local hospitals to accept trauma patients. One Minnesota emergency room doctor who preferred to remain anonymous said that the impact of this lack of staffing is much larger than anyone might realize.
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Several Republican lawmakers from Minnesota critiqued the recent inflation, blaming the Biden Administration. Minnesota Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN-06), Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01), and Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) called out the Biden Administration for their part in driving prices higher.
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A group of Minnesota healthcare workers who are suing several of the state’s healthcare systems over the COVID vaccine mandates are going to be forced to identify themselves. A judge ruled on Tuesday that they must give the names of the plaintiffs to all of the defendants.
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Charges will not be issued against the officers involved in the shooting of Winston Smith, county attorneys say. The incident that killed Smith was ruled a justified use of deadly force, calling the conduct of the U.S. Marshals involved in attempting to apprehend Smith “reasonable and justified.”
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Minnesota Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01) is seeking answers regarding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) alleged “attempts to silence parents.” Hagedorn announced his support for a letter, led by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI-10), asking why the DOJ “is targeting parents who speak out in opposition to school board decisions.”
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A group of parents from the Iron Range are suing the Rock Ridge schools for enacting a mask mandate. According to a report from the Star Tribune, 280 parents are involved.
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Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) wrote a letter to the Biden Administration demanding that they cancel student debt. Omar said that Biden could cancel student debt “with a flick of his pen.” The letter is asking that the Biden Administration “release the memo to determine the extent of the administration’s authority to broadly cancel student debt through administrative action.”
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Minnesota has announced an expansion of rapid COVID testing in schools. According to Minnesota Public Radio, “The state is making rapid at-home tests available to districts that request them.”
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Governor Tim Walz (D) called for COVID vaccine requirements for Minnesota teachers on Tuesday. The governor said there should also be “consistent” COVID mitigation requirements for schools.
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Twin Cities landlords are asking voters to oppose rent control on the November ballots. The landlords say that rent controls would create more issues within an already struggling housing market.
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