Latest news with #Champlin
CBS News
6 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
The risks of smartphone use for kids under 13
New research published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities suggests kids who get smartphones before age 13 face significantly higher risks of mental health problems. On a summer day in Champlin, many kids are busy running, playing and swinging in the park. "I think it's important for them to just still grow up without the constant electronics," said Milaniya Oayenyagra, a mother of three from Rogers. Countless others are at home absorbed in their smartphones and social media. Almost two-thirds of kids say they were 10 or younger when they got their first smartphone. "We see anxiety increasing, negative body image increasing, we see thoughts to hurt self," said Dr. Joshua Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical director at PrairieCare. Stein admits it's a tricky world for parents to navigate. "Even as parents, we're just trying to catch up and understand our own use and our own patterns, and I think it's a really good chance to start that conversation now wherever you're at, even if you have to claw back some of these privileges." Stein says if you feel like what you've already done isn't working for your child or your family, make changes, like adding parental controls, setting time limits and eliminating use close to bedtime. He also adds there are red flags to look for that may indicate a problem online. "If all of the sudden when they come off their phones, they're irritable, they're agitated or if they start to just all of the sudden not use their phone at all," he said. "Sometimes it can be that they're being bullied, sometimes it can be that they're frustrated, but other times it can be that they're being preyed upon." Regular check-ins, where you ask if there is anything online that makes your child feel sad or uncomfortable, can help you gauge their mental health and open the door to suggest tech-free activities. "Parents need to make sure they're providing their young kids that opportunity to make play, that it's OK for them to be bored and it's OK for your older teenagers to be bored, too, and to figure out how to connect and have fun with one another," he said. Stein suggests families use the free Family Media Plan provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It helps keep track of social media usage and set family priorities.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Federal grand jury indicts man accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman
A federal grand jury indicted a Minnesota man Tuesday on charges that he fatally shot a prominent Minnesota state representative and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife while he was allegedly disguised as a police officer. The indictment handed up lists murder, stalking and firearms charges against Vance Boelter. The murder counts in the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could carry the federal death penalty. The chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called the killings a political assassination. Prosecutors initially charged Boelter in a complaint with six counts, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses. But under federal court rules they needed a grand jury indictment to take the case to trial. Prosecutors say Boelter, 57, was driving a fake squad car, wearing a realistic rubber mask that covered his head and wearing tactical gear around 2 a.m. on June 14 when he went to the home of Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and Yvette Hoffman eight times, but they survived. Prosecutors allege he then stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers. One, in Maple Grove, wasn't home while a police officer may have scared him off from the second, in New Hope. Boelter then allegedly went to the Hortmans' home in nearby Brooklyn Park and killed both of them. Their dog was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized. Brooklyn Park police, who had been alerted to the shootings of the Hoffmans, arrived at the Hortman home around 3:30 a.m., moments before the gunman opened fire on the couple, the complaint said. Boelter allegedly fled and left behind his car, which contained notebooks listing dozens of Democratic officials as potential targets with their home addresses, as well as five guns and a large quantity of ammunition. Law enforcement officers finally captured Boelter about 40 hours later, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from his rural home in Green Isle, after what authorities called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. Sen. Hoffman is out of the hospital and is now at a rehabilitation facility, his family announced last week, adding he has a long road to recovery. Yvette Hoffman was released a few days after the attack. Former President Joe Biden visited the senator in the hospital when he was in town for the Hortmans' funeral. Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had been struggling to find work. At a hearing July 3, Boelter said he was 'looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out.' In an interview published by the New York Post on Saturday, Boelter insisted the shootings had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion or his support for President Donald Trump, but he declined to discuss why he allegedly killed the Hortmans and wounded the Hoffmans. 'You are fishing and I can't talk about my case…I'll say it didn't involve either the Trump stuff or pro life,' Boelter wrote in a message to the newspaper via the jail's messaging system. It ultimately will be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi, in consultation with the local U.S. attorney's office, to decide whether to seek the federal death penalty. Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911. But the Trump administration says it intends to be aggressive in seeking capital punishment for eligible federal crimes. Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County, but the federal case will go first. Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined mourners at the Hortmans' funeral June 28. Gov. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, eulogized Melissa Hortman as 'the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.' Hortman led the House from 2019 until January and was a driving force as Democrats passed an ambitious list of liberal priorities in 2023. She yielded the speakership to a Republican in a power-sharing deal after the November elections left the House tied, and she took the title speaker emerita.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Lawmaker John Hoffman Out of Hospital After 'Politically-Motivated' June Shooting
John Hoffman is out of the ICU after being shot nine times during a home invasion Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called it a "politically motivated assassination' after Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and injured. Democratic state rep Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were also fatally shot in their home just over an hour earlier Vance Boelter was arrested by police following a 43-hour manhunt on June 15Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman has been released from the hospital after he was shot multiple times during a "politically motivated assassination' attempt, though he still has a ways to go before he's physically healed. Family spokesperson Bess Ellenson told CNN on Tuesday, July 8, that the 60-year-old lawmaker 'still has a long recovery ahead,' WKOW reported. "I can confirm John is out of the ICU and at a rehab facility," the spokesperson said in a written statement, per CBS News. A photo shared by Ellenson showed the Democrat standing in a hospital room, giving the camera a thumbs up as a suitcase was positioned near him. Hoffman spent three weeks in an intensive care unit after he and his wife Yvette Hoffman were attacked by a gunman in their home in Champlin around 2 a.m. local time on June 14. He was 'struck nine times' as the 'weapon was pointed directly at him,' while Yvette was 'also hit eight times by gunfire,' the Hoffmans later said in a statement. The couple, along with their daughter Hope were awakened by 'sounds of pounding on the front door and shouts of someone seeking entry, identifying himself as a police officer,' the family said. The gunman was able to gain entry through their front door. After her parents were shot, 'Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home,' their statement continued. 'Her brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway.' Approximately 90 minutes before the Hoffmans were attacked, Melissa Hortman, a Democratic representative in the state, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were fatally shot inside their Brooklyn Park home. Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested by police following a 43-hour manhunt on June 15, WKOW reported. He was described as a white male with brown hair, who was wearing a blue shirt, blue pants and black body armor. Police found a list of 45 elected officials and notes about their homes in his car, along with firearms, ABC News previously reported. During a press conference hours after the shootings, Gov. Tim Walz said, "We're here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded today in Minnesota. My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark, were shot and killed earlier this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 'I assure you that those responsible for this will be held accountable, and each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country,' Walz, 61, added later in his speech. Boelter is facing federal and state charges, including murder, stalking, and weapons offenses, WKOW said. Read the original article on People
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, shot 9 times by a man posing as an officer, leaves the hospital
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, who was shot nine times by a gunman posing as a police officer who authorities say went on to kill another lawmaker, is out of the hospital and is now recovering in a transitional care unit, his family said. 'John has been moved to a rehab facility, but still has a long road to recovery ahead,' the family said in a statement Monday night. The family released a photo showing a smiling Hoffman giving a thumbs-up while standing with a suitcase on rollers, ready to leave the hospital. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were awakened around 2 a.m. on June 14 by a man pounding on the door of their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin, who said he was a police officer. According to an FBI agent's affidavit, security video showed the suspect, Vance Boelter, at the door wearing a black tactical vest and holding a flashlight. He was wearing a flesh-colored mask that covered his entire head. Yvette Hoffman told investigators they opened the door, and when they spotted the mask, they realized that the man was not a police officer. He then said something like 'this is a robbery.' The senator then lunged at the gunman and was shot nine times. Yvette Hoffman was hit eight times before she could shut the door. Their adult daughter, Hope, was there but was not injured and called 911. Boelter is accused of going to the homes of two other lawmakers in a vehicle altered to resemble a squad car, without making contact with them, before going to the home of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in nearby Brooklyn Park. He allegedly killed both of them and wounded their dog so seriously that he had to be euthanized. The chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called the lawmaker's killing an assassination. Yvette Hoffman was released from the hospital a few days after the attacks. Former President Joe Biden visited the senator in the hospital when he was in town for the Hortmans' funeral. Boelter, who remains jailed without bail, is charged in federal and state court with murder and attempted murder. At a hearing Thursday, Boelter said he was 'looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out.' Prosecutors have declined to speculate on a motive. Friends have described him as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. It will be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi to decide whether to seek the federal death penalty. Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911.
CBS News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman discharged from ICU following lawmaker shootings
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman has been discharged from the ICU, just over three weeks after he and his wife Yvette were shot in their home, a family spokesperson said on Monday. "I can confirm John is out of the ICU and at a rehab facility," the spokesperson said in a written statement. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman leaves the ICU just over three weeks after he and his wife Yvette were shot in their Champlin home. Hoffman family The shooting in Champlin happened on June 14 around 2 a.m., officials said, approximately 90 minutes before Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were fatally shot inside their Brooklyn Park home in what Gov. Walz has called "politically motivated" attacks. According to a written statement, John Hoffman was shot nine times while Yvette Hoffman was hit eight times. The Hoffmans' nephew says that during the shooting, Yvette Hoffman jumped on their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, to shield her from the shots. Officials provided life-saving measures to both people before they were taken to an area hospital, where they underwent surgery. Yvette Hoffman was released from the hospital on June 19. Vance Boelter, the man accused in the shootings, was taken into custody in Sibley County around 36 hours after the shootings. He faces six federal charges and four state charges of murder and attempted murder. He made a federal court appearance on Thursday, waiving his right to a probable cause hearing and a detention hearing he had scheduled. Investigators allege Boelter also went to the homes of two other elected officials the same night of the shootings. One wasn't home, and a police officer reportedly scared Boelter away before he was able to approach the other lawmaker's residence. If convicted, Boelter may face the death penalty. This is a developing story. Stay with to learn more. Note: The above video first aired on June 30, 2025.
