Brooklyn Park, MN — September 15, 2025

Three months after the tragic assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, the state continues to grapple with the emotional and political fallout of one of the most violent attacks on public officials in recent U.S. history. Hortman, 54, and her husband Mark were killed in their home on June 14, 2025, in what authorities have confirmed was a politically motivated act of domestic terrorism.

The coordinated assault began in the early hours of June 14, when a gunman disguised as a police officer first targeted State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in Champlin. Both survived despite being shot a combined 17 times. Ninety minutes later, the assailant arrived at the Hortman residence in Brooklyn Park, fatally shooting both Melissa and Mark Hortman. Their dog was also gravely injured and later euthanized.

The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, was apprehended the following day in Green Isle after what became the largest manhunt in Minnesota history. Boelter now faces a sweeping set of federal and state charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, impersonating a police officer, and stalking public officials.

Boelter has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege he compiled lists of elected officials and their home addresses, suggesting a broader plan of political violence. While the federal indictment could carry the death penalty, no decision has been announced. The trial is expected to be long and complex, with proceedings unlikely to conclude before 20262.

In a chilling twist, Boelter’s wife filed for divorce shortly after his arrest, citing irreconcilable differences and distancing herself from his alleged actions.

In the wake of Hortman’s death, Minnesota House Democrats selected Rep. Zack Stephenson as their new caucus leader. Stephenson, a longtime ally of Hortman, vowed to carry forward her legacy of bipartisan cooperation and progressive reform.

“Speaker Hortman is irreplaceable — as a leader, a strategist, a colleague, and a friend,” Stephenson said during his confirmation. “We are all still grieving, but I am confident we can carry our shared work into the future”.

Stephenson’s appointment comes at a critical time, as the Legislature prepares for a potential special session on gun reform following the Annunciation Church shooting in Minneapolis last month.

Melissa Hortman served in the Minnesota House for over two decades and led the DFL caucus for eight years. Known for her sharp intellect, strategic acumen, and commitment to equity, she was a driving force behind landmark legislation on climate, education, and reproductive rights.

Her funeral, held in late June, drew thousands of mourners, including national figures and local constituents. Stephenson, who once served as her campaign manager, was among the pallbearers.

The loss of Melissa Hortman has left a void in Minnesota politics and a scar on the state’s collective conscience. As the legal case unfolds and new leadership steps forward, her legacy remains a guiding light for those committed to public service in the face of adversity.

 Ukrainian Woman Stabbed, 

Gruesome video shows a man stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee

Gruesome video shows a man stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte light rail train — a case that has turned into a flashpoint as the Trump administration vows to crack down on crime in large, predominantly Democratic cities.

The unprovoked attack — which is being investigated by the FBI — happened shortly before 10 p.m. August 22, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. A caller said a woman was stabbed in the throat.

The victim, Iryna Zarutska, fled Ukraine in 2022 with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war with Russia — “and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States,” her obituary states.

Zarutska was a talented artist who worked at Zepeddie’s Pizzeria and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant.

The suspect, Decarlos Brown, 34, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a laceration and charged with first-degree murder. Homeless at the time of the stabbing, Brown has a history of arrests, according to court records, and suffered from mental health problems, family members told CNN.

Video of the attack shows Zarutska entering a train car and taking a seat directly in front of the suspect. With earbuds in and wearing a T-shirt for the pizzeria where she worked, she looked at her phone.

Around four and a half minutes after she boarded the train, a man identified by police as Brown pulled a knife out of his pocket, the video shows. He unfolded the knife while Zarutska remained looking on her phone.

Then, the video shows Brown jumped up, grabbed the seat bar in front of him with his left hand, and stabbed Zarutska with his right hand.

Zarutska, curled up with her knees by her chest and with her hand over her mouth, looks up at her attacker. About 15 seconds later, she fell to the floor, the video shows.

The video doesn’t show the two interacting before the attack.

A judge has ordered Brown to be evaluated for 60 days in a local hospital. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment.

Zarutska’s death drew attention over the weekend after video of the attack was released and former White House adviser Elon Musk posted about the incident several times on X.

The attack has since sparked several responses from the Trump administration and others who point fingers at crime and local authorities.

The mayor fired back in her most recent statement, blaming “a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates” for the death.

Suspect had lengthy criminal, mental health history

Decarlos Brown is charged with murder for the death of Iryna Zarutska.

He spent more than five years behind bars for robbery with a dangerous weapon, state records show. North Carolina state records list 14 cases for Brown, other than those related to the killing. They stem back to 2011 and include arrests for minor offenses like speeding and shoplifting. It is unclear how many of them were prosecuted.

After he was released from his five-year sentence in 2020, he “didn’t seem like himself,” his sister, Tracey Brown, told CNN, and he struggled holding conversations and jobs. Brown had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered hallucinations and paranoia, his sister said. He was sometimes aggressive and attacked his sister in 2022, she told CNN. Though he was arrested that night, she decided to drop the charges out of concern for her brother’s mental health issues.

“I knew he was battling something, but I wanted to know what it was,” she said.

Her brother told her multiple times the government had implanted a chip in him, she said.

Readmore

 Trump Announcement

President Donald Trump just made a public appearance and spoke to reporters, where he said he didn’t know about conspiracy theories circulating on the internet over the weekend about him being dead.

CNN had reported that Trump was on the golf course over Labor Day weekend.

Here’s what he covered in his remarks today:

New announcement: Trump said that US Space Command Headquarters will move to Huntsville, Alabama. This was decided during his first administration, but in 2023, former President Joe Biden elected to have it remain in Colorado, angering Alabama lawmakers. Today, Trump thanked Colorado for being the location for the headquarters, but blamed its mail-in voting provision for what ended up being a “big factor” in his decision.

On Chicago: Trump said today that he will send National Guard troops into Chicago, but did not provide a timeline.

Fate of tariffs: Trump said his administration will appeal a decision that shot down many of his sweeping tariffs to the Supreme Court as soon as tomorrow. A “wrong” decision from the conservative court would mean “devastation for our country,” he said. “The stock market needs the tariffs.”

Putin: The US president hinted at developments in his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, but declined to provide any specifics.

Viral video: Trump dismissed a viral video of what appears to be a black bag being tossed out of the White House as an AI-generated fake, adding that it’s “a little bit scary” how realistic such videos can be.

Readmore

 Trump Announcement

Stay up to date with live coverage of the Trump administration Tuesday, as the president announces the US Space Command is relocating to Alabama from Colorado after President Biden canceled plans to build the military branch’s headquarters in the Heart of Dixie.

Plus, Congress is back in session today after its summer recess, and House lawmakers will met with Jeffrey Epstein victims before releasing more than 30,000 pages of documents related to the Epstein case.

readmore

 General Hospital ,

Tristan Rogers is being remembered by his longtime TV wife.

Finola Hughes, who played Anna Devane opposite Rogers' Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, took to her Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 16, to pay tribute to him in the wake of his death at the age of 79.

"Wish I could play one more scene with you, my friend," she wrote alongside photos of them together. "Tris sauntered into my life on that first day to rehearse. Cropped hair & steel blue eyes, I thought 'damn, I'm gonna be working with Steve McQueen!'"

"From day one he called me 'kid' or 'Finny' and he made me laugh," the British actress, 65, recalled.

Hughes called Rogers an "effortless actor" who "taught me so much" throughout the years.

"Serious about his work, but always a rebel. His own man, navigating the system, he protected me, protected Kimberly [McCullough], his character, his friends," she continued of Rogers. "God, he was a good one. Silly, funny, kind, serious."

"I am heartbroken for his awesome wife Teresa, his children Sarah Jane & Cale," Hughes added of the Australian actor's loved ones. "His family made him so happy and he adored talking about them."

Hughes ended her post, writing, "Love you Trissy. Mai Tai's on the beach Scorpio."

Read more

 Kristi Noem Bag Stolen : Kristi Noem's bag stolen with multiple forms of ID, thousands in cash

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen Sunday night at a Washington, D.C. restaurant. At the time, the bag contained a number of sensitive personal items including Noem's driver's license, passport, DHS access badge, checks and roughly $3,000 in cash, according to three sources briefed, including two law enforcement officials.   

The Secret Service is reviewing security camera footage at the restaurant and has identified a White male suspect who was allegedly wearing a medical mask during the theft. The individual was not immediately spotted by her Secret Service detail, with the bag being discovered lost by Noem herself. 

readmore

 JD Vance Killed the Pope ?  JD Vance was Pope Francis' final visitor

JD Vance Killed the Pope ?  JD Vance was Pope Francis' final visitor

Florida State University shooting

Florida State Shooting

Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, is the suspected shooter in an attack at Florida State University on Thursday, April 17, that killed two and injured six.

The shooting claimed the lives of Robert Morales, an FSU employee and high school football coach, and Tiru Chabba, 45, a married father of two from South Carolina, who was at FSU on a work-related visit.

Three victims improved to "good" condition, and one remained in "fair" condition Friday, according to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Stephanie Derzypolski.

Harvard University sues Trump

Harvard University sues Trump

 Delta Plane catches Fire - Orlando

Delta Plane catches Fire - Orlando

Delta flight evacuated after engine sparks

Delta plane engine catches fire at Orlando airport, passengers evacuate on slides 

 Nvidia stock falls as China's Huawei reportedly boosts AI chip production after Trump's export ban

Nvidia (NVDA) stock fell 4.5% Monday after a report from Reuters said Chinese tech giant Huawei is set to begin shipping advanced AI chips as soon as next month in the wake of Trump's export rules effectively banning Nvidia's sale of its H20 chips in China.

Huawei's new 910C chips are reportedly competitive with Nvidia’s H100 AI chips, which are two generations behind its latest Blackwell chips. The US government banned the export of H100 GPUs (graphics processing units) to China in 2022.

Read more

Hurricane Elsa, Resilient Tropical Storm Elsa kills 1 in Jacksonville, Florida, injures 10 in southeast Georgia

Even after it lost some of its punch, a resilient Tropical Storm Elsa headed across the Georgia coast and into South Carolina Wednesday night, killing one and injuring several others in the Florida border.

Elsa's maximum winds had sustained at 45 mph as it traveled over southern Georgia, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. EDT update. From its location about 75 miles west of Brunswick, Georgia, the storm was expected to follow a steady path north and have an impact all the way up the Eastern Seaboard the rest of the week.

Flash flooding and isolated rain total up to 5 inches are possible as far north as the New England states. Tornadoes may also develop from the southeastern U.S. up to Virginia on Wednesday and Thursday.

After a slog up the west coast of Florida, Elsa made landfall around 11 a.m. Wednesday in lightly populated Taylor County along the state's northern Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said. Earlier, Key West streets had turned to roaring rivers and Tampa was blasted by high winds and heavy rains.

Authorities in Jacksonville, Florida, said one person was killed Wednesday when a tree fell and struck two cars. The National Weather Service reported 50 mph (80 kph) wind gusts in the city. The tree fell during heavy rains, said Capt. Eric Prosswimmer of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department. He said no one else was injured.

Nearby Camden County, Georgia, a possible tornado struck a park for recreational vehicles at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. About 10 people were injured and taken to hospitals by ambulance, said base spokesman Scott Bassett. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

Off the coast of Key West, the Coast Guard and a good Samaritan boat on Tuesday rescued 13 people who were part of a group of 22 that left Cuba on a boat that capsized in waters churned by the storm. Nine people were still missing.

 readmore

Hurricane Elsa, Resilient Tropical Storm Elsa kills 1 in Jacksonville, Florida, injures 10 in southeast Georgia

Workers Compensation Cost, How Much Does Workers Compensation Insurance Cost?

Workers compensation insurance pays for medical care, lost wages and other benefits should an employee get hurt or sick on the job. It is an important insurance coverage and one that is required of businesses in most states.

Employers pay for workers comp insurance, although costs can essentially be passed on to employees via lower wages.

Factors in Workers Comp Insurance Costs

Key factors affecting workers compensation premiums are your industry, payroll and claims history. Your state’s worker compensation laws will impact your workers compensation premium as well.

• Industry: When it comes to workers comp, businesses like construction are riskier for claims and thus have higher premiums.
• Payroll: A company’s annual payroll is used to calculate its annual workers compensation insurance cost. Because of this, you’ll need to know your annual payroll figures when shopping for workers compensation insurance.
• Claims history: If your business has had workers compensation claims in the past, you’ll see an increase in your workers compensation costs. Both the number of claims and the seriousness of the claims will be considered when determining the workers comp rate for your business.
• State laws: The location of your company has an impact on premiums. Each state has its own state laws regarding workers compensation and these laws impact insurance premiums.

Readmore

 Workers Compensation Cost, How Much Does Workers Compensation Insurance Cost?

Golf Course Shooting, 3 dead, including head pro Gene Siller

 Golf Course Shooting, Three men, including golf pro Eugene Siller, were killed in a shooting Saturday at a Georgia golf course.

The shooter has not been identified, Cobb County police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Police responded Saturday afternoon to a call about a shooting at Pinetree Country Club, CBS 46 reported. When officers arrived, they found Siller, 41, with a gunshot wound to the head at the 10th hole. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Police then found two other men who had been shot in the bed of a Dodge Ram 3500, the outlet reported. One man was identified as Paul Pierson, the owner of the truck.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Cobb County Police for comment.

A member of the club told 11 Alive that the shooter drove his vehicle near the 10th hole of the course when Siller went to see what was going on and was shot.

Pinetree Country Club is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. Nearby Kennesaw State University tweeted Saturday that there was no credible threats to campus. The university’s men’s and women’s golf teams often play the golf course.

PGA of America and its Georgia section confirmed Siller’s death on social media.

“Tragedy has stricken the Georgia Section PGA in the loss of our Member, Gene Siller. Thoughts and prayers for his family and the Pinetree Country Club family,” Georgia PGA tweeted.

PGA President Jim Richerson said on Facebook the organization was heartbroken to learn of Siller’s death.

 Gene Siller Death

readmore

 Golf Course Shooting, 3 dead, including head pro Gene Siller

Pennsylvania Shooting

 Tropical Storm Elsa makes landfall in Cuba as Florida braces for tropical storm

Tropical Storm Elsa has weakened slightly with winds dropping to 60mph as it made landfall on the southern coast of Cuba in the mid-afternoon on 5 July.

More than 180,000 residents were evacuated from the country as the storm approached, expecting to bring flooding rains through Monday before entering the Gulf of Mexico and making a second landfall on the western coast of Florida, according to projections from the National Weather Service.

Heavy rains are expected to bring “significant flooding and mudslides” across Cuba, the agency said. “Tropical storm conditions and a dangerous storm surge” will continue through central and western Cuba on Monday.

Florida and coastal Georgia could see isolated flooding though Wednesday, when the storm is likely to begin to weaken to a tropical depression.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect along the southern Florida coast, with tropical storm watches extending from Port St Joe along the panhandle towards Tampa and Fort Myers.

“On the forecast track, Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to continue to move over west-central Cuba for the next several hours, move into the Florida Straits this evening, and pass near the Florida Keys early Tuesday,” according to an afternoon alert from the National Weather Service.

Elsa strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Friday before it weakened into a tropical storm.

Although the storm has continued to weaken as it moves over land, it is expected to gain some strength when it enters the gulf.

At least two people died as the storm struck the Dominican Republic, and at least one person was killed as the storm hit St Lucia.

The storm made landfall around 2pm EST on Monday roughly 80 miles southeast of Havana.

On Saturday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 15 counties, including Miami-Dade, where emergency crews performed a controlled demolition of a partially collapsed condo building in Surfside ahead of the storm’s approach.

“While we continue to provide resources to support the response at Surfside, impacts from Elsa will begin affecting the Florida Keys and portions of southern Florida as early as Monday,” he said in a statement. “All Floridians in the potential path of this storm need to prepare for the risk of isolated tornadoes, storm surge, heavy rainfall and flash flooding.”

President Joe Biden has also declared an emergency in Florida and directed federal assistance to supplement the state, tribal and local response.

 link

 Tropical Storm Elsa makes landfall in Cuba as Florida braces for tropical storm

 Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida Keys

South Florida got its first taste of Tropical Storm Elsa Monday afternoon as the outermost bands began to lash the region with brief, intense bouts of rain likely to last through Tuesday.

The storm’s projected track jogged a bit west early Monday — easing the threat for South Florida, including most of the Lower Florida Keys, which now appear likely to see a windy, wet sideswipe rather than a direct hit from a small system that’s expected to strengthen after crossing Cuba.

Elsa’s path took it over most of central Cuba on Monday — where nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated and heavy rains were sweeping the island — before it’s expected to re-emerge in the Florida Straits early Tuesday morning. On Monday, storm surge and tropical storm warnings were extended north up the state and west to the Big Bend area. The easternmost part of the Panhandle was under a tropical storm watch.

Its potential Florida landfall site also shifted farther north overnight.

As of the 11 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Elsa appeared on track to make landfall in Florida in Horseshoe Beach, north of the Suwannee River, Wednesday morning. It was about 20 miles north, northeast of Havana and 80 miles south, southwest of Key West.

The storm weakened as it made landfall in Cuba to 50 mph maximum sustained winds, but by the 11 p.m. advisory the storm strengthened to 60 mph maximum sustained winds. Tropical storm elsa force winds extended only 70 miles from the center. Its pace dipped slightly to 12 mph. Elsa’s wind field also shrunk, with the strongest winds mostly within 60 miles of its center.

Cuba evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from the southern provinces in advance of the storm, which drenched the area in flooding rains on Sunday and Monday. Power and phone service were reported down in parts of the country but it was too early to get damage assessments.

In Havana — which may experience some of Elsa’s strongest winds — hundreds of people were evacuated from buildings that are considered unsafe, especially in older areas of the city, the Civil Defense office said. They fear gusty winds could topple some structures that have fallen into disrepair. The storm already has been blamed for two deaths in the Dominican Republic and one in St. Lucia, and crushed crops in Haiti.

Forecasters said they’ll have a better idea of exactly how Elsa will affect Florida after it finishes crossing Cuba. The latest prediction calls for Elsa’s maximum sustained winds to climb back to 65 mph before it makes landfall.

“Some restrengthening of the cyclone is likely after it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, but vertical shear associated with a broad upper-level trough over the Gulf is likely to limit intensification,” forecasters wrote in the 5 p.m. advisory.

 Read more

 Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida Keys

 EU Settlement Scheme, Call to change law to protect EU citizens as Settlement Scheme deadline passes

read more 

 EU Settlement Scheme, Call to change law to protect EU citizens as Settlement Scheme deadline passes

 Tropical Storm Elsa is the latest evidence climate change is happening now

Tropical Storm Elsa became the earliest fifth named storm on record Thursday, the latest weather-related record this year that climate scientists warn is linked to climate change.

While Tropical Storm Elsa, whose maximum sustained winds are 45 miles per hour, is unlikely to inflict the same amount of damage as a stronger hurricane if and when it makes landfall, its formation on July 1 — following Ana, Bill, Claudette and Danny — fits into a pattern in which the changing climate makes conditions for life-threatening storms more favorable.

For the past seven years, named storms have arrived ahead of the official June 1 start of hurricane season, including this year with Tropical Storm Ana, which formed on May 23. In 2020, which tied 2016 as the hottest year recorded by humans, a record 30 named storms formed, including six major hurricanes.

While the continued rise in global surface and water temperatures has expanded the parameters of hurricane season, factors such as stronger wind shear can impede the formation of storms that might have otherwise been named, the New York Times reported. Still, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 13 to 20 named storms this year, and Elsa’s early arrival means the season is well on its way to fulfilling that prediction.

It has already been a year of unprecedented weather events. Two record-breaking and deadly heat waves in the Western U.S.; record rainfall in Michigan, which overwhelmed Detroit’s aging storm water system; a record-breaking winter storm in Texas, which disabled the state’s power grid; the historic drought gripping nearly the entire western part of the country; and an unusually early start to so-called wildfire season in California — all of these events have been linked to climate change.

The Lava Fire, which is located near Mount Shasta, Calif., grew on Wednesday to more than 19,000 acres, forcing the evacuations of residents from homes. Just miles away, the Tennant Fire grew to more than 9,400 acres. Both blazes came after a weekend of extreme temperatures born of the heat dome that descended over the Pacific Northwest and are being aided by another year of below-normal rainfall as well as a marked increase in average temperatures.

“The mean warming in this region so far has been somewhere between 2 and 4 degrees Fahrenheit, so I think it’s fair to say that at a minimum, climate change contributed at least that much to the severity of this heat wave,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Yahoo News.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is charged with preventing and fighting blazes across the state, agrees that climate change is behind the increased wildfire activity there.

“While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, the fire season in California and across the West is starting earlier and ending later each year. Climate change is considered a key driver of this trend,” Cal Fire says on its website.

The trend line, according to a draft report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, obtained by Agence France-Presse, is that unless humans stop pumping greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, these weather conditions will continue to worsen.

“Life on Earth can recover from a drastic climate shift by evolving into new species and creating new ecosystems,” the report says. “Humans cannot.”

 Tropical Storm Elsa read more