Latest news with #Minnesotans
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Air quality alert issued across Minnesota: ‘Unhealthy for everyone'
The Brief The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for northwest, north central and northeast Minnesota due to continued wildfire smoke from Canada. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the purple air quality index category, meaning it is considered very unhealthy for everyone. The alert begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and ends at 9 a.m. on Monday. (FOX 9) - An air quality alert has been issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for northwest, north central and northeast Minnesota due to continued wildfire smoke from Canada. Minnesota air quality alert What we know Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, heavy surface smoke from Canadian wildfires will drift south into Minnesota. Affected areas will include Brainerd, Hinckley, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, International Falls, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, White Earth, Red Lake, Grand Portage and Fond du Lac. According to the MPCA, smoke will initially impact far northern Minnesota early Saturday afternoon and then spread south and east through the rest of the day. Smoke will linger across the region on Sunday and then exit to the north through Monday morning. The highest smoke concentrations are expected to be across far northern Minnesota and the Arrowhead region. Why you should care Fine particle levels are expected to reach the purple air quality index category, which means it is considered "very unhealthy" for everyone. The MPCA recommends that Minnesotans in the affected areas avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and stay indoors. The Source Information provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Solve the daily Crossword
UPI
16-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Feds indict and release letter from alleged Minnesota lawmaker shooter
July 16 (UPI) -- New details about the motive of the fatal shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers were revealed when federal prosecutors released a letter allegedly written by accused shooter Vance Boelter. The announcement Tuesday accompanied a statement that Boelter, 57, was indicted by a grand jury on enhanced murder charges tied to the killing of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor party, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert. The announcement came from Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph Thompson. Boelter, who is from Green Isle, Minn., is also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman, DFL member, and his wife, Yvette. Both were seriously wounded. The letter said that Boelter had also planned to kill the Hoffmans' daughter, Hope, but she was not injured. Investigators found the letter addressed to FBI director Kash Patel in a car found near Boelter's home on June 15. "I am the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the two shootings," Boelter allegedly wrote in the letter. The letter detailed his plan to kill the two state lawmakers, and said that he was ordered to do so by Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat. He said he had been trained by the U.S. military and had taken part in secret missions "all in the line of what I thought was doing right and was in the best interest of the United States." He claimed in the letter that Walz also ordered him to kill Minnesota's two U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, because "Tim wants to be a senator." "The tragedy continues to be deeply disturbing for all Minnesotans," Walz said in response to the revelation. The letter claimed that Boelter didn't want to shoot them, but he did so after someone threatened his family. Thompson described it as fantasy. "Was it a delusion that he believes, or was it a delusion that is designed as an effort to misdirect our investigation or to, frankly, excuse his crimes? Well, that's a good question," Thompson said at a news conference. "It certainly seems designed to excuse his crimes." A grand jury indicted Boelter on six counts, Thompson said, including two murder counts, stalking with the intent to murder and firearm charges. Each count carries a penalty of up to life in prison. The two capital murder charges mean he faces the death penalty. Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911, but the federal government has had capital punnishment since 1988.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, husband and dog to lie in state
Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their golden retriever Gilbert will lie in state at the Minnesota State Capitol on June 27 after they were killed in what officials have called a 'politically motivated assassination.' Hortman and her husband were shot and killed inside their home on June 14. After what has been described as the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested and charged in state and federal court in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors say Boelter also went to the home of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman disguised as a law enforcement officer and wounded Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. He then traveled to two other unnamed lawmakers' homes before entering the Hortmans' home and killing them, according to a federal affidavit. The affidavit says Boelter wanted to 'kill, injure, harass and intimidate'' more than 45 Minnesota state and federal officials and prosecutors say he also intended to target several other Midwestern lawmakers. Hortman will be the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans to lie in state at the Capitol, according to a release from the state's House of Representatives. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. The tribute will come on the same day Boelter is expected to appear in federal court, where he faces half a dozen charges, including multiple counts of murder and stalking. A private funeral for the Hortmans, which will be livestreamed, will follow on June 28, officials said. The couple had two children and lived in Brooklyn Park, a suburban city about 10 miles north of Minneapolis, according to Hortman's profile. Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), a political party exclusive to the state. Hortman was elected in 2004 and was speaker-emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans. Police: Break-in at home of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman Hortman served the people of Minnesota with compassion and grace, Gov. Tim Walz previously said. 'Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends," Walz said. "She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.' Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Eduardo Cuevas, Christopher Cann, Terry Collins and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Slain Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, husband and dog to lie in state
New York Post
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Accused Minnesota assassin wrote unhinged confession to Kash Patel wildly claiming Walz urged him to murder Dem lawmakers
Accused political assassin Vance Boelter allegedly sent a deranged confession to FBI Director Kash Patel claiming that Gov. Tim Walz had urged him to kill Democratic lawmakers as part of a twisted plot. The wild handwritten ramblings were released Tuesday as Boelter was indicted for allegedly gunning down ex-Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Minneapolis home on June 14. 'Dear Kash Patel. My name is Dr. Vance Luther, Boelter E.d.D. I am the shooter at large in Minnesota,' Boelter allegedly wrote. Advertisement 5 This image provided by the FBI shows Vance Boelter in a mask at the home of John Hoffman on June 14, 2025. FBI 5 Minnesota Rep Melissa Hortman and husband Mark Hortman were killed. Mark Hortman/Facebook He went on to claim that he'd been 'hired by US military people off the books' since his college days — and had gone to work on 'line of duty' missions across the world. Advertisement 'Recently, I was approached about a project that Tim Walz wanted done… Tim wanted me to kill Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Tim wants to be a senator,' he claimed, referring to the Minnesota US senators. 5 Boelter was arrested on June 15, 2025. HANDOUT/RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Elsewhere in the ramblings, he alleged: 'I told Tim I want nothing to do with it and if he didn't call off that plan I would go public.' The note, which was first reported on last month in the wake of his arrest, was found in his abandoned SUV at the crime scene after he allegedly gunned down Hortman and her husband. Advertisement Boelter allegedly shot state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette earlier that night but they miraculously survived. 5 FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before a Senate Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 8, 2025. AP The letter didn't disclose why Boelter allegedly targeted the two couples. He insisted to The Post last week that the murders had nothing to do with President Trump or abortion — but stopped short of saying what allegedly drove him to kill. Advertisement 'There is little evidence showing why he turned to political violence and extremism,' acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said following his indictment. 5 Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz presents a Minnesota flag to the family of DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman after a funeral ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Mary on June 28, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Getty Images 'What he left were lists: politicians in Minnesota, lists of politicians in other states, lists of names of attorneys at national law firms.' Asked for comment on the letter, a spokesman for Walz told the Washington Post, 'The tragedy continues to be deeply disturbing for all Minnesotans.'
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Vance Boelter claimed he had been ‘approached' by governor and ordered to kill state's two senators
Both were seriously wounded when they opened their door in the middle of the night to a man disguised as a police officer who then opened fire. The fresh indictment charges Boelter with the attempted murders of Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope. In the letter, Boelter allegedly wrote that he had been secretly trained by the United States military and had participated in secret overseas missions 'all in the line of what I thought was doing right and was in the best interest of the US'. The letter claimed he had been 'approached' by Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) and ordered to kill the state's two US senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, because 'Tim wants to be senator'. Asked for comment on the letter, a spokesman for Walz said, 'The tragedy continues to be deeply disturbing for all Minnesotans'. The letter claims that Boelter didn't want to participate but did so after someone threatened his family and that he later killed people who were part of the alleged plot. Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson, whose office is leading the federal case against Boelter, said it was unclear if the rambling note was the gunman's attempt to implicate the Hortmans and Hoffmans. He described it as fantasy. 'Was it a delusion that he believes, or was it a delusion that is designed as an effort to misdirect our investigation or to, frankly, excuse his crimes? Well, that's a good question,' Thompson said at a news conference. 'It certainly seems designed to excuse his crimes.' In announcing the new charges, Thompson said he had decided to make public a photo of the letter and other evidence to be as 'transparent as possible in this case, in light of the legitimate public interest'. The attack has already spurred conspiracy theories about the gunman's motivations. 'It's been a terrible personal tragedy for the Hoffman and Hortman families, and it's something that has rocked the entire state of Minnesota and even the country,' Thompson said. The indictment comes nearly two weeks after Boelter appeared in a federal courtroom in St Paul, where he waived his right to a bond and probable cause hearing on his initial charges and agreed to remain in jail until trial. He was doing so to speed up the process and reveal 'the truth' about what happened on June 14, he said. Boelter's alleged letter is likely to spur questions about his competency. Manny Atwal, a public defender appointed last month to represent him in the federal case, declined to say whether she planned to seek a mental health evaluation for her client. In an email, she said today's developments would 'allow me to evaluate the case'. Boelter is expected back in court this week to be formally arraigned on the new charges. 'Mr Boelter will be pleading not guilty,' Atwal said. Prosecutors have alleged that Boelter shot the Hoffmans and then travelled in a vehicle disguised as a police SUV to the addresses of at least two other state lawmakers who weren't home. He then went to Hortman's Brooklyn Park home, where local police conducting a welfare check on the former House speaker saw him fatally shoot her husband, according to prosecutors. After officers opened fire, the gunman ran into the home, fatally shot Hortman and fled out a back door. As the investigation continues, Thompson reaffirmed that authorities still do not have a clear motive but that they believe Boelter acted alone. He said notebooks found inside Boelter's fake police vehicle listed names of numerous elected officials from Minnesota and other states, primarily Democrats. They also listed lawyers from national legal firms, he added. In today's indictment, federal prosecutors included a notice of 'special findings', suggesting Boelter should qualify for the death penalty if convicted in the Hortmans' killings. Thompson said that decision, which ultimately will be made by Attorney-General Pam Bondi, was 'many months' off.
