Latest news with #MinnesotaCapitol
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lobbyist in custody for ‘threat of violence' at Minnesota Capitol
Authorities have arrested a Minnesota lobbyist suspected of sending a text message that included a 'threat of violence' at the state Capitol, Minnesota House Republicans said Thursday. Jonathan Michael Bohn, 41, of Woodbury, remained in custody at the Carver County Jail in Chaska Thursday awaiting a court hearing for a pending threats of violence charge, according to Sgt. Chris Nelson with the Carver County Sheriff's Office. Rep. Jim Nash, who reported the threatening text to law enforcement on Wednesday, confirmed Bohn is a lobbyist with the Inter Faculty Organization, a union representing faculty at Minnesota state universities. The organization didn't immediately respond to a phone call late Thursday. Nash notified the House Sergeant at Arms, State Patrol and Carver County Sheriff's Office of a 'personal text message to a constituent that was threatening in nature,' the Minnesota House GOP Caucus said in a news release. 'The threat was not aimed at any particular lawmaker but the message did include a threat of violence at the Capitol,' Republicans said. The news release didn't identify the suspect but said authorities questioned and arrested him on Wednesday. Republicans said the Sergeant at Arms is not aware of any further threats to the Legislature or its staff. Nelson said more details on the case would come in a Friday news release. Check back for updates to this developing story. UMN hikes tuition 6.5%, makes program cuts at all campuses Julian Scadden: Recent grads can build their futures in the trades Maple Grove lawmaker confirms gunman visited her home Letters: Republicans want to deceive the public when it comes to Medicaid State Sen. Sandy Pappas reflects on lawmaker shootings, personal safety
CBS News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Man arrested after sending text including "threat of violence at the Capitol," Minnesota House GOP says
Safety at top of mind at Minnesota Capitol after lawmaker shootings Safety at top of mind at Minnesota Capitol after lawmaker shootings Safety at top of mind at Minnesota Capitol after lawmaker shootings A man is in jail Thursday after the Minnesota House GOP says he threatened violence at the Minnesota State Capitol, just days after Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed. A statement from House Republican staff says a legislator notified law enforcement on Wednesday of a "personal text message" received by a constituent that was threatening in nature. "The threat was not aimed at any particular lawmaker but the message did include a threat of violence at the Capitol," the Minnesota House GOP said. The man was questioned, arrested and is being held at Carver County Jail pending an appearance in court. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, both survived being shot multiple times inside their Champlin home. The couple is still recovering in the hospital. Vance Boelter is facing both federal and state charges in the shootings, including stalking and murder. He was taken into custody Sunday night near his Sibley County home following a manhunt that lasted over 36 hours. This is a developing story and will be updated. contributed to this report.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota's elected officials say lawmaker shootings have shattered their sense of safety
The assassinations of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted killings of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, have put a spotlight on the safety of elected officials and security in the Minnesota Capitol building. Authorities say the accused killer, Vance Boelter, had a hit list citing 45 state and federal officials and had visited two others Saturday morning before he shot the Hoffmans and murdered the Hortmans. "Boelter planned his attack carefully. He researched his victims and their families. He used the Internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes," said Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, John Thompson, during a press conference Monday. "It's no exaggeration to say this is the stuff of nightmares." There has been discussion about safety around the state capitol for years, but the tragedy adds a new level of urgency. Several lawmakers told WCCO how the shootings shattered their sense of safety. In the immediate aftermath, the names of towns and cities where state lawmakers live were removed from the Minnesota Legislature's website, where those details had been public for many years. Anyone can enter the Minnesota State Capitol building without going through a metal detector or any sort of security screening. There are multiple ways to enter and not a single point of entry for the public, as is the case with other state capitols. Former GOP Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said he wanted there to be changes nearly a decade ago when he was first elevated to that role. Now he believes these attacks will finally be the "catalyst for change." "It is long overdue. When I was leader, I thought we should do it, but there's just a lot of people that really were against it from the standpoint of, it's the people's house. We want them to have easy access, and we do," he said. "But times have changed. They had changed even back then…it's common sense today." Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said she is not sure that fortifying the Capitol building is the right answer to the larger problem of violent rhetoric, though she described working there as "being in a fishbowl." She wants changes to prohibit guns within the building and hopes political discourse will shift in a way that the building can remain more accessible to the public. "The thing that increases our safety is the way that we treat each other, the way we hold members and the public accountable for ratcheting up inflammatory rhetoric for the types of things that end up inciting violence," she said in an interview Monday. "How can we contribute to that kind of culture? Because that way can leave the people's house open." "I'm very aware of the ways in which those things increase the perception of this is a place where dangerous things happen, and it leads to more dangerous things happening," she added. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat representing Minnesota's Second District, said the attacks are reverberating to Washington, where Congress has already been on alert about safety for years. Craig said she does not ever do events without private security and that local law enforcement is made aware of her whereabouts whenever she is back in the state. "Many of us have already had to take precautionary measures, but this was the worst case scenario where someone literally comes to your home where you feel safe," she said. "This is why a number of years ago, Congress started allocating dollars for members of Congress to fortify our home security systems and other things that I won't go into because most of us don't talk about this much, because we don't want to tip anyone off to the measures in which we've taken to try to keep ourselves and our families safe." Craig said there was a meeting with Congressional leadership in the wake of the shootings in which members expressed concern that they do not have adequate security, despite the increase in resources in recent years. The Minnesota Legislature is a part-time, citizen Legislature, which means lawmakers are in session for about half of the year and then they return to their communities where they live and often work in other capacities — whether that's as farmers, teachers, small business owners, attorneys and other roles. "Many of us have other jobs, like really boring, normal jobs, and so, like, our world really isn't constructed to have the resources to do, like a big security protocol," Maye Quade said. "I'm just a suburban mom, I don't know how to put together a security apparatus, and I hate that that's something that we have to talk about." In a statement, a bipartisan panel of lawmakers working on the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security — tasked with providing recommendations to the governor and Legislature about security strategies — did not specifically name what they believe needs to change in the wake of this, but said safety is top of mind. "This horrific act of political violence highlights the vital importance of our continued diligence to ensure that members of the legislature, staff, those that work in State Government, and the public are safe within the walls of the State Capitol and around the Capitol complex," said DFL Rep. Kelly Moller, GOP Rep. Jim Nash, DFL Sen. Bonnie Westlin and GOP Sen. Warren Limmer in a statement. "As members of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, we are committed to continue working alongside our law enforcement partners and our colleagues in both the House and Senate to ensure the safety of everybody participating in our democratic process in Saint Paul." The committee in its recent report said there has been $19 million allocated for security upgrades over the last five years. Part of their mission statement is that the "Capitol, Minnesota Senate, and State Office Buildings must remain open in both reality and perception."
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
From Making Burritos To Minnesota Lawyer, All About Melissa Hortman
Minneapolis: Melissa Hortman's influence at the Minnesota Capitol and her power as a Democratic leader to shape the course of a deeply divided Legislature were a far cry from her job as a teenager making chili-cheese burritos and overshadowed her volunteer work training service dogs for veterans. She was a lifelong Minneapolis-area resident who went to college in Boston and then returned home for law school and, with degree fresh in hand, worked as a volunteer lawyer for a group fighting housing discrimination. Elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, she helped pass liberal initiatives like free lunches for public school students in 2023 as the chamber's speaker. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she helped break a budget impasse threatening to shut down state government. Tributes from friends and colleagues in both parties poured in after Hortman and her husband were shot to death early Saturday in their suburban Brooklyn Park home in what authorities called an act of targeted political violence. Helping Paws, which trains service dogs, posted a message on its Facebook page, along with a 2022 photo of a smiling Hortman with her arm around Gilbert, a friendly-looking golden retriever trained to be a service dog and adopted by her family. "Melissa Hortman was a woman that I wish everyone around the country knew," US Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a longtime friend and Democratic ally, said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." Klobuchar added: "She was a true leader and loved her work, but was always so grounded and such a decent person. I think that's probably the best word to describe her. You look at her pictures and you know what she was about." The shootings followed a big Democratic dinner The killings of Hortman and her husband early Saturday followed the shootings and wounding of another prominent Minnesota lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, at their home in Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb. Hoffman is chair of the Senate committee overseeing human resources spending. A nephew posted Sunday on Facebook that the Hoffmans were out of surgery and recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Hortmans, the Hoffmans and other top Democrats had gathered at a downtown Minneapolis hotel Friday night for their party's annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner. It's named for two Minnesota liberal icons who served both as US senators and vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Minnesota Democrat and US Sen. Tina Smith said she saw both lawmakers at the dinner. "So it feels so personal, because we're all very good friends, of course, to have that have happened so shortly after we were all together," Smith said on CNN's "Inside Politics Sunday." Outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, a memorial to Hortman and her husband included flowers, candles, small American flags and a photo of the couple. Visitors left messages on Post-It notes commending Hortman's legislative work, including, "You changed countless lives." Hortman supplied a key vote for a budget deal Democrats disliked Legislative colleagues described Hortman as funny, savvy and fiercely committed to liberal causes. When lawmakers convened in January with a vacancy in a Democratic seat in the House giving the GOP a temporary advantage, Hortman led a boycott of daily sessions for more than three weeks to force Republicans into a power-sharing arrangement. Republicans were intent this year on ending state health coverage for adult immigrants who entered the US illegally, authorized in 2023 as part of a sweeping liberal program. Democrats wanted to keep it, and lawmakers began June - the last month of the 2025 budget year - without having passed a 2026-27 spending blueprint. Hortman helped negotiate a package that included a bill ending the state health coverage for adult immigrants on Jan. 1, 2026. She was the only House Democrat to vote for it last week- the 68th vote it needed to pass the chamber. She told reporters afterward that Republicans insisted on the bill, and Minnesota voters who gave the House an even partisan split expect the parties to compromise. But she acknowledged she worries about people who will lose their health insurance. "I know that people will be hurt by that vote," she said, choking up briefly before regaining her composure. "We worked very hard to try to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision." Tacos, auto parts, physics and Habitat for Humanity Hortman's earliest jobs didn't suggest that she'd become a power in Minnesota politics. The earliest job listed on her profile, when she was 16, was as a cook and cashier at a restaurant, where she made tacos and, "most importantly, chili cheese burritos." She also worked for caterers and was a runner at an auto parts store, putting inventory away and retrieving items for customers. Her husband, Mark, earned a physics degree from the University of North Carolina and later, a master's of business administration. He was the chief operating officer of an auto parts company for 10 years before co-founding a business consulting firm. He was active in Helping Paws and worked with homebuilding nonprofit Habitat for Humanity. They have an adult son and an adult daughter. Melissa Hortman earned a degree in philosophy and political science from Boston University, where she also worked as a residence assistant in one of its dormitories. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota, but also a master's of public administration from Harvard University. She served a decade on the board of a local nonprofit providing transportation and car repairs for low-income residents. She also was part of a committee in 2005 considering whether Minneapolis should submit a bid to host the Summer Olympics. "We remember Melissa for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making the world better," Helping Paws said in its Facebook message.
5 days ago
- Politics
A teenager with a job making burritos became a powerful Minnesota lawmaker who trained service dogs
MINNEAPOLIS -- MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Melissa Hortman' s influence at the Minnesota Capitol and her power as a Democratic leader to shape the course of a deeply divided Legislature were a far cry from her job as a teenager making chili-cheese burritos and overshadowed her volunteer work training service dogs for veterans. She was a lifelong Minneapolis-area resident who went to college in Boston and then returned home for law school and, with degree fresh in hand, worked as a volunteer lawyer for a group fighting housing discrimination. Elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, she helped pass liberal initiatives like free lunches for public school students in 2023 as the chamber's speaker. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she helped break a budget impasse threatening to shut down state government. Tributes from friends and colleagues in both parties poured in after Hortman and her husband were shot to death early Saturday in their suburban Brooklyn Park home in what authorities called an act of targeted political violence. Helping Paws, which trains service dogs, posted a message on its Facebook page, along with a 2022 photo of a smiling Hortman with her arm around Gilbert, a friendly-looking golden retriever trained to be a service dog and adopted by her family. 'Melissa Hortman was a woman that I wish everyone around the country knew,' U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a longtime friend and Democratic ally, said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.' Klobuchar added: 'She was a true leader and loved her work, but was always so grounded and such a decent person. I think that's probably the best word to describe her. You look at her pictures and you know what she was about.' The killings of Hortman and her husband early Saturday followed the shootings and wounding of another prominent Minnesota lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, at their home in Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb. Hoffman is chair of the Senate committee overseeing human resources spending. A nephew posted Sunday on Facebook that the Hoffmans were out of surgery and recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Hortmans, the Hoffmans and other top Democrats had gathered at a downtown Minneapolis hotel Friday night for their party's annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner. It's named for two Minnesota liberal icons who served both as U.S. senators and vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Minnesota Democrat and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said she saw both lawmakers at the dinner. 'So it feels so personal, because we're all very good friends, of course, to have that have happened so shortly after we were all together,' Smith said on CNN's 'Inside Politics Sunday.' Outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, a memorial to Hortman and her husband included flowers, candles, small American flags and a photo of the couple. Visitors left messages on Post-It notes commending Hortman's legislative work, including, 'You changed countless lives." Legislative colleagues described Hortman as funny, savvy and fiercely committed to liberal causes. When lawmakers convened in January with a vacancy in a Democratic seat in the House giving the GOP a temporary advantage, Hortman led a boycott of daily sessions for more than three weeks to force Republicans into a power-sharing arrangement. Republicans were intent this year on ending state health coverage for adult immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, authorized in 2023 as part of a sweeping liberal program. Democrats wanted to keep it, and lawmakers began June — the last month of the 2025 budget year — without having passed a 2026-27 spending blueprint. Hortman helped negotiate a package that included a bill ending the state health coverage for adult immigrants on Jan. 1, 2026. She was the only House Democrat to vote for it last week— the 68th vote it needed to pass the chamber. She told reporters afterward that Republicans insisted on the bill, and Minnesota voters who gave the House an even partisan split expect the parties to compromise. But she acknowledged she worries about people who will lose their health insurance. 'I know that people will be hurt by that vote,' she said, choking up briefly before regaining her composure. 'We worked very hard to try to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision.' Hortman's earliest jobs didn't suggest that she'd become a power in Minnesota politics. The earliest job listed on her profile, when she was 16, was as a cook and cashier at a restaurant, where she made tacos and, 'most importantly, chili cheese burritos.' She also worked for caterers and was a runner at an auto parts store, putting inventory away and retrieving items for customers. Her husband, Mark, earned a physics degree from the University of North Carolina and later, a master's of business administration. He was the chief operating officer of an auto parts company for 10 years before co-founding a business consulting firm. He was active in Helping Paws and worked with homebuilding nonprofit Habitat for Humanity. They have an adult son and an adult daughter. Melissa Hortman earned a degree in philosophy and political science from Boston University, where she also worked as a residence assistant in one of its dormitories. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota, but also a master's of public administration from Harvard University. She served a decade on the board of a local nonprofit providing transportation and car repairs for low-income residents. She also was part of a committee in 2005 considering whether Minneapolis should submit a bid to host the Summer Olympics. 'We remember Melissa for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making the world better,' Helping Paws said in its Facebook message.
