Latest news with #Ollig
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman got into politics because he wanted to help his neighbors
MINNEAPOLIS - Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were in stable condition at a hospital Saturday morning after they were shot in their Champlin home by a would-be assassin. Hoffman, 60, was shot six times and his wife five times, but they are expected to make a full recovery, said Mat Ollig, Hoffman's nephew. Hoffman's wife shielded their daughter, Hope, as shots rang out, Ollig said. "The family is in shock," Ollig said. "These two are the kindest, most giving and caring people I know. He knew his neighbors and everybody knew him." Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, entered state politics after he struggled to obtain insurance for his daughter who had spina bifida, and figured others had the same difficulty. "He hated being in politics," Ollig said. "He loved helping people, and you got to do one thing to do the other." Hoffman, a former marketing and public relations director, was elected to the Anoka Hennepin school board in 2005 and served as vice-chair before running for the Minnesota Senate. He beat incumbent Benjamin Kruse in 2012 and has represented Districts 34 and 36 covering parts of Anoka and Hennepin counties ever since. He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020, and as a chair of the Health and Human Services committee during the last half of the 2025 session. He also was a member of the Senate's Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate and the Environment, Climate, and Legacy committees. During his 12-year tenure, Hoffman also spent time on committees crafting policy on education, family care and aging, and energy and agriculture, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Hoffman is co-chairman of the Mississippi River and Town Initiatives City/State Task Force, a regional organization dedicated to conservation and water quality in the entire river basin. "Sen. Hoffman is one of middle America's best," said Coon Rapids Mayor Jerry Kock, who is MRTCI's co-chairman. "He has been a tireless advocate for our state and region. He means so much to us. We are hopeful for his swift and full recovery. We need John." Throughout his career in the Minnesota Senate, Hoffman worked across the aisle to get legislation passed, something he was extremely proud of, Ollig said. "You got a problem, he'd say 'write me a bill,'" Ollig said. "He tried to get things passed for everyone," regardless of their politics. Hoffman and his wife were attacked early Saturday by a gunman posing as a police officer who later assassinated state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha said she was "heartbroken" by the shootings of both lawmakers and their spouses. "They are more than dear friends, but also some of the greatest public servants I have ever known," Blaha said in a statement on X. "Violence has no place in our democracy." Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said she was devastated by the attacks and called the shootings an "unspeakably tragic day for Minnesotans." "John is one of Minnesota's great champions for people in need," Murphy said in a statement. "We are grateful to the law enforcement officers, and the doctors and nurses, who saved and are caring for them. Our prayers are with the Hoffmans and their loved ones. " Senate Republican leader Mark Johnson said the Hoffman and Hortman families are in his prayers. "Senate Republicans are unified in our condemnation of this brazen act of violence," he said in a statement. Levi Strand, who lives a few houses down and across the street from the Hoffmans, said he was awakened around 2 a.m. by several pops, and then he saw a large SUV with emergency lights that he assumed was a law enforcement vehicle. He thought the noises were fireworks and tried to go back to sleep, and then more vehicles flooded the street. "All of a sudden it was cop after cop after cop; it was pretty crazy." He later checked a ring camera on his home but it did not catch footage of the first SUV speeding away. He described the Hoffmans as a friendly couple who gave out full-sized candy bars on Halloween. When he later saw which house had been targeted, "I got a little sad because you see what the reality is, you see he's in politics." Hoffman never talked about political violence and didn't worry about it either, his nephew said. "He only saw kindness in people" Ollig said. Ollig trying said he is trying to process the unthinkable. "He didn't have a harsh word for anybody," Ollig said. "Salt of the Earth, that is how he saw everyone as." Protect Minnesota Executive Director Maggiy Emery said Hortman and Hoffman spent their careers striving to make Minnesota better, and that Saturday's events were a day of "grief, shock, and deep sorrow." "Our hearts are shattered, " said Emery, head of the organization dedicated to preventing gun violence. "We are grieving for the families, friends, and colleagues of those impacted, and we are holding them in our hearts." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
St. Pauli grapples with stadium hymn because of lyric-writer's alleged Nazi links
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga club St. Pauli is grappling with a decision on whether to continue playing its traditional stadium hymn following recent allegations of the lyric-writer's links to Nazis. Lyrics to the song, 'Das Herz von St. Pauli,' or the Heart of St. Pauli, were written by Josef Ollig, whose previously unknown war-time activities were documented in a podcast by the St. Pauli Museum. Ollig, a journalist who was drafted into the Luftwaffe (German air force) in 1940, worked as a war correspondent and produced reports that appeared alongside Nazi propaganda, the museum said. St. Pauli opted not to play the song before its Bundesliga match against Freiburg on Saturday, a decision that has caused division among fans with some booing club president Oke Göttlich and others applauding. 'We're all attached to the song, including me, but a stadium anthem doesn't work if 20, 30 or 40% are against it,' Sven Brux, the head of matchday organization, told the crowd. 'We have to discuss this in a debate that has only just begun.' It was the first time in around 20 years that the club did not play the hymn before one of its home games. 'Debates in this club are what has made this club great,' Göttlich told the fans. St. Pauli and its fans are known for taking a clear stand against racism, fascism and right-wing politics. 'Many members and fans have made it clear that they no longer feel comfortable with the song,' the club said on its website, noting that the hymn is now dividing the fans rather than bringing them together. The club said it was undertaking more research into the song and the author of the lyrics before more discussions can be held, including at an event involving the club museum and fan shop where the results of the research will be presented. 'Only then will a final decision be made about how to deal with the song,' the club said. St. Pauli in 1999 renamed its stadium from Wilhelm-Koch-Stadion to Millerntor-Stadion because of Koch's Nazi past. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
St. Pauli grapples with stadium hymn because of lyric-writer's alleged Nazi links
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga club St. Pauli is grappling with a decision on whether to continue playing its traditional stadium hymn following recent allegations of the lyric-writer's links to Nazis. Lyrics to the song, 'Das Herz von St. Pauli,' or the Heart of St. Pauli, were written by Josef Ollig, whose previously unknown war-time activities were documented in a podcast by the St. Pauli Museum. Ollig, a journalist who was drafted into the Luftwaffe (German air force) in 1940, worked as a war correspondent and produced reports that appeared alongside Nazi propaganda, the museum said. St. Pauli opted not to play the song before its Bundesliga match against Freiburg on Saturday, a decision that has caused division among fans with some booing club president Oke Göttlich and others applauding. 'We're all attached to the song, including me, but a stadium anthem doesn't work if 20, 30 or 40% are against it,' Sven Brux, the head of matchday organization, told the crowd. 'We have to discuss this in a debate that has only just begun.' It was the first time in around 20 years that the club did not play the hymn before one of its home games. 'Debates in this club are what has made this club great,' Göttlich told the fans. St. Pauli and its fans are known for taking a clear stand against racism, fascism and right-wing politics. 'Many members and fans have made it clear that they no longer feel comfortable with the song,' the club said on its website, noting that the hymn is now dividing the fans rather than bringing them together. The club said it was undertaking more research into the song and the author of the lyrics before more discussions can be held, including at an event involving the club museum and fan shop where the results of the research will be presented. 'Only then will a final decision be made about how to deal with the song,' the club said. St. Pauli in 1999 renamed its stadium from Wilhelm-Koch-Stadion to Millerntor-Stadion because of Koch's Nazi past. ___
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
St. Pauli opt to suspend playing of controversial club anthem
Bundesliga side St. Pauli – two weeks after making a principled political statement in the pre-match buildup to their last home fixture – are making more changes ahead of kick-offs at the Millerntor. On Friday, Hamburg's Kiezkicker announced that they would be suspend the playing of club anthem 'Das Herz von St. Pauli' for the time being. Club ultras and the St. Pauli Museum have reported grave concerns about the historical background of original composer Josef Ollig. Ollig worked as a journalist in Hamburg after serving in the second World War. He composed the ballad in the mid-1950s. It's since been covered by numerous artists, including legendary German punk rock artists die Tote Hosen, Schlager king Heino, the famous hip-hop trio Fettes Brot, and Hamburg's own 'elf'. A rock version usually blares from the Millerntor PA prior to St. Pauli home matches. The club museum and supporters have approached management with documented research suggesting that Ollig produced Nazi propaganda during the war. There remains some debate about this. Moreover, the fact that so many different artists have covered the song – which serves as a ballad to the area – also renders it questionable as to whether the original source is relevant. In any event, St. Pauli president Oke Göttlich accepted the petition of the supporters and opted to put the issue on the back-burner for now. In large part, it's because whistles and jeers have accompanied the playing of the anthem recently. Journalist Sebastian Wulff of Kicker supplied some quotes from Göttlich in a Friday article. 'We absolutely know and understand that the song has a very great emotional significance for many people,' Göttlich is quoted as saying. 'This can and should remain so on a personal level, but an anthem in the stadium has a special function. Such a song should bring people together. It should be a shared, unifying moment. 'Such a moment cannot be created at the moment, because many members and fans have made it clear that they no longer feel comfortable with the song,' Göttlich continues. 'If there are whistles when the anthem is played, that is unacceptable and helps no one. We can be proud that our club and our fans face difficult situations and do not avoid discussions, but instead conduct them openly.' GGFN | Peter Weis
