Tag: Minnesota

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Recall Effort Under Review by State Supreme Court

Minnesota Sun Staff

A recall effort has been filed against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) over his mask mandate in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Minnesota Supreme Court will now review whether the grounds for recall stated in the petition are sufficient and meet statutory requirements. Two earlier efforts to recall Walz were dismissed by the supreme court because the petitions did not meet the legal standards to recall an elected official.

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60 Percent of Duluth Rally Attendees Were Not Republicans, RNC Says

Minnesota Sun Staff

The majority of attendees at President Donald Trump’s recent rally in Duluth, Minnesota, were not Republicans, the Republican National Committee said.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said 60% of attendees were not Republicans while another 20% were Democrats, according to data the GOP collected from voters during the event.

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House Leader Calls for ‘Full and Robust Investigation’ of Minneapolis Voter Fraud Allegations

Minnesota Sun Staff

In a letter sent Monday, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt called on Secretary of State Steve Simon to conduct a “full and robust investigation” following allegations of systemic voter fraud in Minneapolis.

The letter was issued in response to a Project Veritas video released Sunday night that accused Rep. Ilhan Omar’s campaign of running a ballot-harvesting scheme out of two Minneapolis high-rises. A source quoted in the video claimed that one of Omar’s staffers is central to the operation and even pays voters for their ballots.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar Linked to Cash-for-Ballots Voter Fraud Scheme in Minneapolis

Minnesota Sun Staff

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has been linked to a massive illegal vote-buying scheme in an elderly community in her heavily Somali district in Minneapolis. The illegal ballot harvesting operation is just the latest in a growing list of federal crimes the self-avowed democratic socialist is alleged to have committed in recent years, including marrying her brother to commit immigration fraud and student loan fraud.

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Trump to Return to Minnesota for Duluth Rally on Wednesday

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump will campaign in Duluth on Wednesday, his campaign announced Friday, marking his third visit to the key swing state of Minnesota in recent weeks.

The campaign said Trump will speak at a Make America Great Again rally at the Duluth International Airport at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Doors will open at 2 p.m.

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Minnesota Department of Health No Longer Reporting Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Minnesota Sun Staff

The Minnesota Department of Health abruptly stopped reporting the current number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 or in an intensive care unit in its daily situation update Thursday.

The Department of Health (MDH) publishes a situation update every morning at 11 a.m., but Thursday’s update was lacking one standard piece of information: current hospitalizations and ICU patients.

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Woman Who Assaulted Alpha News Journalist Charged with Rioting, Assault and Disorderly Conduct

Minnesota Sun Staff

The woman who assaulted an Alpha News journalist last month has been identified as 37-year-old Lauren Patricia Peterson and was charged this week in Hennepin County District Court.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by Alpha News, Peterson faces charges of third-degree rioting, disorderly conduct, and two counts of fifth-degree assault.

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Minnesota Freedom Fund Bailed Out 37-Year-Old Man Accused of Raping 8-Year-Old Girl

Minnesota Sun Staff

The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF), a charity promoted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, helped free a 37-year-old man accused of raping an 8-year-old girl from jail.

The fund also bailed out a man who allegedly broke into the home of a 71-year-old woman and tortured her, and a man accused of curb stomping and robbing another man who walked with a cane the same day that George Floyd died. Records of the fund assisting these individuals and others were obtained by Alpha News in collaboration with the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

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Minnesota Law Firm Plans Suit Against ‘Critical Race Training’ in Schools, Government Agencies

Minnesota Sun Staff

A Minnesota law firm said it plans to launch a legal challenge against the practice of conducting “critical race training” in government agencies, schools and corporations.

“Most of the ‘diversity’ and ‘anti-racism’ training being conducted today is Marxist and anti-American, as well as racist, in its fundamental premise that whites are inherently bad and must be subordinated to minorities because of systemic racism,” the Upper Midwest Law Center said in a press release issued Thursday.

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Minnesota Man Faces Terror Charge for Allegedly Joining ISIS

The Associated Press

A Minnesota man accused of joining the Islamic State group has been returned to the United States and faces a terrorism charge after spending more than a year in Syrian custody with alleged IS fighters, according to documents unsealed Wednesday.

Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, 23, made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, appearing via video from a cell. Authorities say he was vacationing with his family in Morocco in 2015 when he secretly booked a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, and then traveled to Iraq and Syria, where he joined IS.

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White House COVID Coordinator Tells Minnesotans to Wear Masks in Their Homes

Minnesota Sun Staff

Dr. Deborah Birx, a top official on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, advised Minnesotans to wear masks inside their homes during a recent press conference in St. Paul.

“It really does come down to every Minnesotan following these common sense path[s] forward to ensure we protect each other, and really a lot of that pathway goes through wearing this mask not just in public but also in private if we need to protect others in the household,” she told reporters Sunday after a meeting with officials from the Minnesota Department of Health.

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White House COVID Coordinator Tells Minnesotans to Wear Masks in Their Homes

Minnesota Sun Staff

Dr. Deborah Birx, a top official on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, advised Minnesotans to wear masks inside their homes during a recent press conference in St. Paul.

“It really does come down to every Minnesotan following these common sense path[s] forward to ensure we protect each other, and really a lot of that pathway goes through wearing this mask not just in public but also in private if we need to protect others in the household,” she told reporters Sunday after a meeting with officials from the Minnesota Department of Health.

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White House Officials Refute Governor Walz’s Claim About Warning Trump to Avoid Minneapolis

Corinne Murdock

Prior to President Trump’s arrival in Minnesota Monday, Governor Walz claimed in a virtual interview that he had warned Trump to avoid Minneapolis. Twin Cities PBS reporter Mary Lahammer uploaded a segment of Walz’s statement on Twitter.

“My activism started sixteen years ago with a presidential visit to Mankato, and in a few hours President Trump will visit Mankato, my hometown. I spent this weekend trying to tell the White House why it was a really bad idea to have President Trump go down and stand at the George Floyd Memorial, and use [it] as a backdrop for his campaign and ignite the pain and the anguish that we’re feeling in Minnesota.”

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Trump Meets with Riot Victims, Campaigns in Minnesota

Ben Kolodny

President Trump visited Minnesota today as part of a push to counter Joe Biden’s campaign efforts in the state. 

The president spoke to victims of the riots that rocked the state after the death of George Floyd, Breitbart reports. John Wolf, owner of a liquor store in Minneapolis told the story of how his business was targetted multiple times over the period of unrest, resulting in a million dollars in damages and lost merchandise.  Wolf stated that he called police 10 times as rioters vandalized and looted his building, but no one came. “The feeling of helplessness that I had knowing that no one was coming was indescribable,” Wolf told the president. Wolf went on to say that “there’s nothing more important for elected officials than providing safety to residents and businesses. Without that, nothing works… I held up to my end. The city of Minneapolis didn’t.”

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Minnesota Raises Smoking Age to 21

Ben Kolodny

Minnesotans must be 21 years of age or older to purchase tobacco products starting Saturday, according to twincities.com.

The new law puts the state in line with a similar federal law that raised the legal age to purchase tobacco to in December. E-cigarettes and vapes are included in the law, as well as cigars, chewing tobacco and cigarettes.

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Minnesotans Divided Over ‘Safe Return’ to Schools

Corinne Murdock

This week, educators and parents wait with bated breath on Governor Tim Walz’s upcoming decision on a safe return to schools.
On the Facebook page, “Minnesota for a Safe Return to Campus”, the greatest concerns were mainly posted by educators. Death, unrealistic demands, a future lack of interest in teaching as a profession, and the inability to be with elderly loved ones were all consistent issues listed throughout the page.

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Biden Adds Three Campaign Staffers in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign hired three full-time staffers this week to oversee its campaign operations in Minnesota.

According to ABC News, Ryan Doyle, who managed Keith Ellison’s campaign for attorney general, will serve as Biden’s Minnesota state director.

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Minnesota Lawmaker Asks Federal Government to Withhold Transportation Funds if Highway Protests Continue

Anthony Gockowski

A Minnesota lawmaker has asked the federal government to withhold federal transportation funds from the state if leaders continue to allow protesters to block highways.

“In the last few months, we have seen two of our primary interstates blocked by protesters, 35 and 94, with the acquiescence of state and local officials. While some arrests have been made, the penalty for this offense is low; it encourages others to protest in the same way,” Rep. Cal Bahr (R-East Bethel) said in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.

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Minneapolis Park Board Plans to Repeal Nudity Ordinance

Anthony Gockowski

The Minneapolis Park Board plans to vote on repealing its nudity ordinance this week because the law contains “discriminatory language that targets female breasts.”

Park Board Commissioner Chris Meyer said repealing the ordinance will be voted on during a Wednesday meeting. According to Meyer, it’s already legal for “people of all genders” to be topless in Minneapolis, but women and transgender people can still be cited for going topless in parks and on parkways because of the Park Board ordinance.

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Minnesota House Committee Declares ‘Racism Embedded in Foundation of America’

Anthony Gockowski

A Minnesota House committee approved a resolution Tuesday declaring racism a statewide “public health crisis.”

The resolution passed out of the House Rules Committee and now heads to the House floor for debate, with a final vote expected for July 20.

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Former Obama Official Asks Walz to Reclose All Bars for Indoor Service in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

One of former President Barack Obama’s top health care officials said he asked Gov. Tim Walz to reclose all bars in Minnesota during a Sunday phone call.

Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said he urged Walz and Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm to close “all of the bars to indoor service across the state of Minnesota” to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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North Minneapolis Democrat Says City Facing ‘Real Emergency’ Amid Ceaseless Violence

Anthony Gockowski

A north Minneapolis Democrat said his constituents are “facing a real emergency” as the city continues to experience alarming levels of gun violence.

“Every Minnesotan deserves to be safe in their own neighborhood, but right now many people are experiencing gun violence at unsustainable levels,” Rep. Fue Lee (DFL-Minneapolis) said in a statement released Saturday. “The neighborhoods I represent in north Minneapolis are facing a real emergency.”

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Trump Rejects Gov. Walz’s Request for Federal Support to Rebuild Minneapolis from Riots

Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump has rejected Gov. Tim Walz’s request for federal financial assistance to help rebuild portions of the Twin Cities that were destroyed by rioting.

Nearly 1,500 Twin Cities businesses were vandalized, burned, or looted during the late May riots, with current estimates of the damage exceeding $500 million.

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DFL Targets State Senate Republicans on Police Reform in New Ad Campaign

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota DFL Party launched a new ad campaign this week targeting key Republican state senators who are accused of “standing in the way of passing real police reform.”

Jason Lewis, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a recent interview that Democrats don’t “want reform” so much as they “want a political issue.”

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Majority of Minnesota Parents Say They Are Comfortable Sending Children Back to School in Fall

Anthony Gockowski

A survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education found that the majority of parents would feel comfortable sending their children back to school this fall.

Between June 15 and July 6, the agency collected more than 130,000 responses to the informal survey, which was offered in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. A total of 64 percent of respondents said they would feel comfortable sending their children back to school in September. Of that 64 percent, 94 percent said they would send their children back to school full time.

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DOJ Announces Twin Cities Violent Crimes Task Force In Response to ‘Extraordinary Spike’ in Violence

Anthony Gockowski

The Department of Justice announced the formation of a new Twin Cities Violent Crimes Task Force Wednesday in response to an “extraordinary spike in gun violence and violent crimes.”

Erica MacDonald, U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, said the task force will bring together federal and state resources to assist local law enforcement in investigating, arresting, and prosecuting individuals responsible for gun violence.

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Jason Lewis Says Parents Should Be Refunded for Property Taxes If Schools Don’t Reopen

Anthony Gockowski

Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis said parents should be refunded for property tax payments and tuition if schools aren’t allowed to reopen in the fall.

“The more we learn about COVID, the more it becomes apparent that we have done a huge disservice to our children in the way we have handled this virus. Research has proven that COVID presents minimal risks to young people. But what isn’t minimal is the toll this prolonged lockdown and social isolation has on our kids’ social, mental, and physical well-being,” Lewis said in a statement released Wednesday.

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Republican Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Sell Minnesota’s $6.9 Million COVID-19 Morgue

Anthony Gockowski

A Republican lawmaker has drafted a bill that would require Minnesota to sell a facility it purchased for the storage of deceased COVID-19 patients.

Due to a projected surge in COVID-19 fatalities, the state of Minnesota spent $6.9 million in May to acquire a warehouse for the “temporary storage of human remains.” As of early June, however, the facility had yet to be used.

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Three Sexual Assaults Reported at Minneapolis Homeless Encampment in Public Park

Anthony Gockowski

Police are investigating a string of sexual assaults at a homeless encampment in a Minneapolis park, according to various news reports.

Since June 26, Minneapolis Park Police have received three reports of sexual assault in Powderhorn Park, where more than 850 people have set up a 560-tent encampment, according to KARE 11. Two of the assaults involved juvenile victims.

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Walz Expected to Call Another Special Session to Extend Emergency Powers

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz is expected to call another special session by the end of the week in order to extend his peacetime emergency powers.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) alerted members and staff in a Monday email about the likely special session.

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Lt. Gov. Flanagan Shares Post Calling Mount Rushmore ‘Symbol of White Supremacy’

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan shared a post on social media over the Independence Day weekend calling Mount Rushmore a “symbol of white supremacy.”

“Mount Rushmore is a symbol of white supremacy, of structural racism that’s still alive and well in society today. It’s an injustice to actively steal Indigenous people’s land, then carve the white faces of the colonizers who committed genocide,” said the post, which Flanagan shared on her Instagram.

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Minnesota Board of Medical Practice Investigating Republican Senator for Speaking Out on COVID-19

Anthony Gockowski

State Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a practicing physician, revealed Sunday that anonymous complaints were filed against him with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice for his public comments on the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is one of the most important videos I’ve made and one of the hardest,” Jensen said in a video posted to Facebook. “Less than a week ago, I was notified by the Board of Medical Practice in Minnesota that I was being investigated because of public statements I had made.”

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Rep. Ilhan Omar Introduces Federal Job Guarantee Bill

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) introduced a bill last week that would create a “job guarantee program” at the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Workforce Promotion and Access Act, sponsored by Omar and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), seeks to get more Americans “back to work in living-wage jobs created directly by the federal government.”

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Republicans Invoke Independence Day In Opposition to Walz’s Coronavirus Response

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz recently filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against him regarding his use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawsuit was filed on May 28 by four members of the New House Republican Caucus, the Free Minnesota Coalition, and at least eight businesses across the state. The complaint argues that the governor does not have the authority to “suspend the constitutional rights of Minnesotans.”

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Walz Asks Federal Government to Help Twin Cities Rebuild from $500M Worth of Rioting Damage

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz has requested federal financial assistance to help the Twin Cities recover from more than $500 million worth of damage caused by rioting.

In a press release, Walz’s office said nearly 1,500 Twin Cities businesses were vandalized, burned, or looted during the late May riots, with current estimates of the damage exceeding $500 million.

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Minnesota’s Betty McCollum Touts ‘Decade’ of Work to Change Washington Redskins Name

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) praised FedEx and Nike for their efforts to pressure the Washington Redskins into changing the team’s “harmful” name and mascot.

“I have been working on this for almost a decade because I believe all people, including Native Americans, should be treated with dignity and respect – and not dehumanized as mascots,” McCollum said in a statement.

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GOP State Senators Ask Minnesota Historical Society to Return Columbus Statue to Capitol

Anthony Gockowski

Two Republican state senators asked the Minnesota Historical Society to repair and restore a Christopher Columbus statue that was torn down outside the Minnesota Capitol three weeks ago.

Although the incident took place in broad daylight and was recorded by countless news stations and reporters, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said last week the investigation remains ongoing.

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Three More Charged with Arson in Connection to Twin Cities Riots

Anthony Gockowski

Three more Minnesotans are facing federal arson charges in connection to the late May riots in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Both Matthew Scott White, 31, and Mohamed Hussein Abdi, 19, were arrested on June 29 and charged with one count of arson.

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Hennepin County Board Passes Resolution Declaring Racism a ‘Public Health Crisis’

Anthony Gockowski

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday declaring racism a “public health crisis.”

Commissioners Angela Conley and Irene Fernando introduced the resolution, which passed in a vote of 6-1.

“Ultimately this resolution is about the health and well-being of Hennepin County residents who have borne the brunt of racial discrimination and racial inequity through various different systems,” Conley said in a press release after the resolution passed.

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Three More Charged with Arson in Connection to Twin Cities Riots

Anthony Gockowski

Three more Minnesotans are facing federal arson charges in connection to the late May riots in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Both Matthew Scott White, 31, and Mohamed Hussein Abdi, 19, were arrested on June 29 and charged with one count of arson.

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Hennepin County Board Passes Resolution Declaring Racism a ‘Public Health Crisis’

Anthony Gockowski

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday declaring racism a “public health crisis.”

Commissioners Angela Conley and Irene Fernando introduced the resolution, which passed in a vote of 6-1.

“Ultimately this resolution is about the health and well-being of Hennepin County residents who have borne the brunt of racial discrimination and racial inequity through various different systems,” Conley said in a press release after the resolution passed.

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Judge Threatens to Move Trial Out of Minneapolis If Public Officials Don’t Stop Speaking Out About Floyd Case

The Associated Press

A Minnesota judge on Monday warned that he’s likely to move the trials of four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death out of Minneapolis if public officials, attorneys and family members don’t stop speaking out about the case.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill stopped short of issuing a gag order against attorneys on both sides, but he said he likely will if public statements continue that make it hard to find an impartial jury. Cahill said that would also make him likely to grant a change-of-venue motion if one is filed, as he anticipates.

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Judge Threatens to Move Trial Out of Minneapolis If Public Officials Don’t Stop Speaking Out About Floyd Case

The Associated Press

A Minnesota judge on Monday warned that he’s likely to move the trials of four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death out of Minneapolis if public officials, attorneys and family members don’t stop speaking out about the case.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill stopped short of issuing a gag order against attorneys on both sides, but he said he likely will if public statements continue that make it hard to find an impartial jury. Cahill said that would also make him likely to grant a change-of-venue motion if one is filed, as he anticipates.

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Walz Says Statewide Mask Mandate Is ‘On the Table’

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz said a statewide mask mandate to help curb the spread of COVID-19 is “on the table” during a Monday press conference.

According to Walz, Republican governors who participated in a Monday phone call with Vice President Mike Pence were also “exploring the idea.”

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Walz Says Statewide Mask Mandate Is ‘On the Table’

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz said a statewide mask mandate to help curb the spread of COVID-19 is “on the table” during a Monday press conference.

According to Walz, Republican governors who participated in a Monday phone call with Vice President Mike Pence were also “exploring the idea.”

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‘Train Wreck’ Special Session Cost Estimated $108,000

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota Legislature’s recent special session ended with no major accomplishments, but the eight-day session will still cost taxpayers an estimated $108,000.

The special session concluded on June 20 after Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in the House failed to reach an agreement on police reform legislation, the allocation of federal coronavirus relief funds, and other leftover business from the regular session, such as a borrowing package for public infrastructure projects.

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