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Online Terror Chatter About Minnesota Picks Up

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Minneapolis, MN – KSTP-TV reports that chatter among terrorist groups have mentioned Minnesota more since the sentencing of nine Minnesotans for terror-related crimes in November.

According to KSTP, the internet site, “Inspire” which is operated by ISIS, posted a story recently that explicitly mentions New Jersey, New York and Minnesota attacks.  The posts also encouraged terror attacks against “enemies of Islam.”

The posts also specifically mention the attack on the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, for which ISIS claimed responsibility. The posts give a detailed description about this attack and encourages others in the United States and other western countries to commit attacks similar to it.

Minnesota based counter-terrorism expert Michael Rozin, told KSTP, “This is somewhat expected to see the self-proclaimed ISIS use these cowardly acts to inspire similar attacks anywhere in the U.S., including Minnesota.” Rozin is the president of Rozin Consulting, a security company that contracts with the United States Government and private companies to combat terrorism.

The local FBI office and the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office told KSTP that they were not surprised by the increased terrorist chatter.

As Alpha News reported in November, Minnesota Representative-elect Ilhan Omar (DFL-60B), the first Muslim-American woman elected to the state house, sent a letter to Judge Michael Davis asking for leniency for the nine Somali men who were convicted for trying to join ISIS. Omar stated in her letter that the men do not deserve to spend their lives behind prison walls and that a long sentencing would, in fact, destroy their lives as mistrust from the community around them would ultimately lead to unproductive lives. She advocated for a restorative and rehabilitative punishment, stating that “the desire to commit violence is not inherent to people — it is the consequence for alienation.”

Alpha News referenced a Wall Street Journal article from May 2016 reporting that Judge Davis tried the rehabilitative approach with these nine young men and after evaluations and tests, let one of the young men out. Abdullahi Yusuf was released from prison into a halfway home as long as he went through the deradicalization program. According to the Star Tribune, Yusuf violated the terms of his release and was promptly taken into custody.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported in November that the FBI has said about a dozen people have left Minnesota to join militant groups in Syria in recent years. Since 2007, more than 22 men have joined al-Shabab in Somalia.

The post Online Terror Chatter About Minnesota Picks Up appeared first on Alpha News.


“Special Session? Why Not Just Wait,” Asks New Radio Ad

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Woodbury, MN – Action 4 Liberty, a Minnesota-based political non-profit that promotes free markets, limited government and fiscal responsibility, will be running radio ads in the Twin Cities demanding that Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt not agree to a Special Session.

The ads started running on major Minnesota radio stations for starting on December 15th and will run for five days.

On Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, MPR reported that Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton gave legislative lawmakers a deadline of Thursday, December 15 to finish the negotiations on the agenda for a planned Dec. 20, 2016 special session.  As Alpha News reported, Minnesota legislative leaders Kurt Daudt (R-Crown), Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers) will have to work their negotiations for the billion dollar public works bill, health insurance premium relief and tax cut plan between “training sessions” while attending the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) “Special Symposium for Legislative Leaders 2016” held in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week.  The leaders are expected to return on Friday. According to CBS Minnesota, Dayton said the deadline for a special session is 5PM tonight.

According to their press release, Action 4 Liberty is running the ads because this past election season, Minnesota voters elected Republicans to hold the majority in the State Senate. The release went on to say that if Kurt Daudt and Democrats agree to a special session before the new majority takes office, they are undermining the results of the November elections because Democrats would still have more power in that chamber.

Action 4 Liberty president Jake Duesenberg said, “Minnesotans aren’t paying attention to politics during the holiday season.  Therefore, holding a special session at this time appears to be a sneaky way of ushering in massive spending without much reaction from the public or accountability by voters.  Estimates of the cost of this special session are between $1.5 and $2 billion.”

The press release states that the special session would cost taxpayers additionally tens of thousands of dollars in per diem payments, which will directly benefit legislators.  Other expenses incurred would be due to finding another venue to hold the meeting since the State Capitol is still under renovation.

Duesenberg told Alpha News that if the special session were to be held in December, newly elected legislators like Cal Bahr (R-31B) would have no say in the session while Tom Hackbarth (R) the incumbent of that legislative district who was defeated by Bahr would be able to vote. “By Kurt Daudt calling a special session before the Republicans take control of the legislature, he gives up his ability to actually get real long-term reform,” Duesenberg said.

Duesenberg expressed his concerns regarding the state’s top legislator’s negotiating a special session while at a conference in the Caribbean. “They’re down there in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  There’s a perception that people back here in the state of Minnesota are looking at this saying, ‘you guys are really negotiating something that’s going to help people back in Minnesota?’ This is not how things are supposed to be done.  These backroom deals have been synonymous with any kind of negotiation.  Nothing is done in public.  The leadership, usually Kurt Daudt, Tom Bakk and Mark Dayton come together with these deals and then they’re supposed to vote on it.  It’s going to be done in a day and they’re going to spend close to $2 billion.  It looks real bad when the lead negotiators are down in the Virgin Islands.  It looks real bad,” Duesenberg said.

The post “Special Session? Why Not Just Wait,” Asks New Radio Ad appeared first on Alpha News.

MN Sanctuary City Mayor Announces Future Plans

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Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has announced that she will be running for a second term.

In a press release dated December 15th, Hodges said, “I am running for reelection because I’ve gotten great results for our city.  I am running for reelection because I’ve delivered on the promises I made to our people.  And I am running for reelection because I’m not done yet: there’s a lot more to do and I’m the right mayor to get it done.”

In the press release, Hodges targets President-Elect Donald Trump.  She says, “In just the five weeks since Donald Trump was awarded the Presidency without really winning it (emphasis added), I have defended our Muslim brothers and sisters against vicious attack, I have worked with the City Council to put more resources into investigating cases of discrimination and I have stood rock-solid in defense of our separation ordinance – what some call “sanctuary city” – so that everyone in Minneapolis, including immigrants, can feel safe when calling the police.  I will not waver in my defense of our city against Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Mike Pence, or anyone who sets their sights on us and comes after our people.”

Included among her list of accomplishments over the past three years as mayor is “making it easier to file and track complaints against (police) officers.”

Under Hodges’ leadership, Minneapolis has seen a lot of turbulence and turmoil.

In a Facebook post dated November 9th, Hodges encouraged people to “rage” after the election of Donald Trump:

Anti-Trump protesters marched through downtown Minneapolis and blocked the street outside of the WCCO television station at 11th and Nicollet in November.  Police officers were asked by a witness to the protest, Jake Duesenberg, president of Action 4 Liberty why the protesters were allowed to block traffic.  According to Duesenberg, the officers told him that they were “under orders to make no arrests, we are only to escort the protesters.”  When Duesenberg questioned where the orders came from, the police officers responded, “They came directly from the Mayor.”

Shortly after Election Day, Hodges said that she would not comply with President-Elect Donald Trump’s policies. Trump, in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes announced plans to deport 2-3 million illegal immigrants with a criminal background. Hodges took a personal stand against Trump and said that Minneapolis Police would not assist federal agencies in detaining illegal immigrants.

Earlier this summer at a rally for Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Trump supporter Henry Schmeper told Alpha News that he was pushed, shouted at, spray painted, spit-on and had his fingers stepped on by anti-Trump protesters outside of the Minneapolis Convention Center.  Schemper said there were several officers present who did nothing to help those being assaulted. On the day of the assault and on two separate occasions while filing a police report, officers told Schemper that orders came, “from the top” not to apprehend the violent protesters nor follow up on assault claims.  The Mayor’s office denied these claims, saying she did not issue a “stand down” order.

In July, Hodges posted a profanity laced Facebook rant aimed at Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation for comments he made about the poor attendance at Lynx games.  His comments about the team came after four off-duty Minneapolis police officers working in the capacity of security contractors walked off the job at a Lynx game when the players wore “Black Lives Matters” warm-up jerseys shortly after the death of Philando Castile.

“Bob Kroll’s remarks about the Lynx are jackass remarks,” Hodges wrote, “Let me be clear: labor leadership inherently does not speak on behalf of management. Bob Kroll sure as hell doesn’t speak for me about the Lynx or about anything else.”

Mayor Hodges and her husband, Metropolitan Council member Gary Cunningham, were two of the many DFL insiders recently named in U.S. Bank Stadium “ticketgate.”  Hodges and Cunningham were among the recipients of misused tickets given out by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which was recently investigated by Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles.

Hodges says as mayor, she is proud that she is making a difference for people.  “That’s the great thing about this campaign, though: for the next year, it gives me an excuse to tell people everything they got when they voted for me.  I am looking forward to it and I’m starting now,” Hodges said in her press release announcing her reelection bid.

Hodges, so far, will be facing Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy-Pounds, who announced that she will be running for mayor of Minneapolis back in November.

The election will be held in November 2017.

The post MN Sanctuary City Mayor Announces Future Plans appeared first on Alpha News.

Minnesota Switches from Caucus to Primary Election System

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Minnesota’s new presidential election system law goes into effect January 1, 2017: Out with caucus, in with primary election system.

St. Paul, MN- Starting with the 2020 presidential race, Minnesota will replace its caucus system with a primary election.  The change will allow Minnesotans to vote all day instead of having to show up at a specific time on a precinct caucus night.  March 3, 2020 is the date set for the first presidential primary, unless an agreement is reached by state leaders to change the date.  The state’s political parties may still choose to hold caucuses, and the primary election for other federal, state and local office will continue to be held in August.

Over the past few presidential election years, Minnesota’s caucus system has been criticized by some as a means for the parties to prevent some people from engaging in voting for lesser-known candidates or those not supported by party leadership.  The caucus format also was viewed as less-accessible for some voters:  instead of having a full day to vote, people were required to show up to their precinct caucus during a specific window of time if they wanted their vote counted.  Long lines and limited space in many of the caucus locations frustrated many voters and were viewed as a way for party elites to “skew” election turnout.

During the March 1, 2016 “Super-Tuesday” Minnesota caucus, DFL activist Soren Sorenson criticized the lack of space for what was expected to be a large voter turnout for the caucus election.  Citing the fact that five precinct caucuses were scheduled to convene in the Whittier Recreation Center Gym in Senate District 62 (South Minneapolis), a place that was packed in the 2008 caucuses, Sorenson said in an interview with City Pages, “The facility won’t be big enough and I’m afraid [Bernie Sanders’] supporters will be affected the most.” Ken Martin, DFL Chair, worked with SD 62 leadership to add space to the caucus location to ensure no voters were disenfranchised during the caucus election.

The entire caucus system was also criticized after the Republican Iowa caucus, when presidential candidate Ted Cruz supporters and campaign staff initiated the rumor that candidate Ben Carson was dropping out of the race just prior to the caucuses voting.  The move by Cruz was seen as causing voters to flip their Carson votes to Cruz, giving Cruz a win over Carson in the state.  According to a MinnPost article, Marty Seifert, former Minnesota House minority leader, said about the caucus system and the Iowa Cruz-Carson scandal, “It’s a very contained environment where it’s easy to throw things around. If there are things that go out in the mail a week or two in advance, there’s time for people to refute. At conventions, there’s no time to respond, or maybe you don’t even hear it.”  As a result, Minnesota leaders from both parties had worked for years to change Minnesota’s election system from caucus to primary.

What Changes from Caucus to Primary?

  • Voters could get absentee ballots, could vote any time the polls were open during primary day and could vote by mail in precincts where that is an option.
  • Party choices become “Public”: “The county auditor shall make available for inspection a public information list which must contain the name, address, year of birth, and voting history of each registered voter in the county. The list must include the party choice of any voter who voted in the most recent presidential nomination primary,” the Senate’s presidential primary bill says.
  • Voters would have to attest that they agree in general with the principles of the party of the candidate for whom they are voting.
  • Votes are private, but which party’s ballot a voter picked up would be public.
  • Greater voter turnout is expected with a primary vs. a caucus.
  • Contrary to the caucus system where anyone eligible to vote in the November presidential election may participate, in a primary only registered voters are allowed to cast a ballot.
  • Party caucuses would continue for the parties’ business to be conducted.
  • In a caucus system, the political parties run the caucus, usually staffed by volunteers.  With the switch to a primary system, the state assumes the associated costs and staffs the polling places with local election judges.  The cost is estimated to be around $4 million and includes programming voting machines and computers and hiring election judges for 3,000 polling places.
  • Only the GOP and DFL presidential primaries would have costs covered by the state.
  • A one-time appropriation of $110,000 is given to the Office of the Secretary of State during fiscal year 2019 for computer programming costs.

~Sources: Pioneer Press & MN House News

The post Minnesota Switches from Caucus to Primary Election System appeared first on Alpha News.

Tips for Staying Safe on the Ice

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“On average, 3 to 4 people have died each winter season on Minnesota water over the past decade,” cautions Lisa Dugan, DNR boat and water safety outreach coordinator.  “Most of those deaths occurred with someone operating a snowmobile or ATV on the ice. ~ Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

White Bear Lake, Minnesota     With the sub-zero temperatures over the weekend, ice-fishing enthusiasts itching to get to their favorite past-time may be thinking that the ice is safe for vehicles.  An SUV driver on White Bear Lake apparently believed it was, until the vehicle plunged through the ice.

According to the Minnesota Fishing and Outdoors Facebook post showing the half-submerged vehicle, the ice on White Bear Lake was only about 5” thick – well below the MN DNR’s recommended guidelines for safely driving a vehicle on the ice.

The Minnesota DNR reports that an average of 4 people die each year through ice related accidents.  Most of those accidents have occurred when a vehicle or ATV have gone through ice that was too thin to drive on.

On Dec. 15, 2016, the DNR released an ice safety reminder to outdoor enthusiasts.  The reminder includes the following recommended guidelines for ice safety:

The DNR offers the following guidelines for new clear ice:

Minnesota DNR ice thickness safety guidelines.
Minnesota DNR ice thickness safety guidelines.

Factors that may affect ice include snow (works as an insulator, so snow-covered ice is usually about half as thick as clear ice), moving/flowing water under the ice surface, and/or schools of fish churning water under the ice.

The DNR also recommends that people remember to check ice conditions before heading out and to carry a safety kit that includes a rope, ice pick and lifejacket.  Always tell someone where you are planning to be and when you can be expected to return.  

If you are parking a vehicles on ice, be sure to keep 50 feet between vehicles and move them every two hours to prevent sinking.

Stay safe and enjoy the winter season.

The post Tips for Staying Safe on the Ice appeared first on Alpha News.

Ellison Says Ohio’s 20 Week Abortion Restriction is “Awful”

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Minneapolis, MN – Democratic Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-CD5) took to Twitter earlier this week to criticize Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) for signing a 20-week abortion ban into law last week.  Ohio is the 18th state to sign this ban into law.

The “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” bans late-term abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Medical evidence shows that by 20 weeks after fertilization, all the physical structures necessary to experience pain have developed in the unborn child. The “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” could save hundreds of babies’ lives.

Ellison called Kasich’s decision “awful” in a Tweet dated on December 13th.

Alpha News contacted Congressman Ellison’s Washington, D.C. office to get a statement from the congressman regarding his Tweet.  A receptionist said there was no one in Ellison’s office at the time who could handle this issue to offer a statement on behalf of the congressman.

Kasich vetoed implementing the “Heartbeat Bill” which would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.  The “Heartbeat Bill” would be the most extreme anti-abortion law in the country, with doctors facing a possible year in jail if they performed an abortion after detecting a fetal heartbeat.

The Huffington Post reported that Ohio’s Republican-controlled House and Senate passed both the six-week ban and the 20-week ban last week. Kasich, who opposes abortion, was expected to sign the 20-week ban.

The landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade, protects the right to have an abortion up until the time that the fetus is viable outside the womb, which is around 22 to 24 weeks of gestation.  Kasich said in a statement that the 20-week restriction on abortions is the “best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life.”

Abortion rights advocates are concerned that the 20-week ban could actually be a vehicle to overturn Roe vs. Wade.  Pro-choice supporters have been protesting Ohio’s abortion restriction by placing coat hangers on the fence of the Statehouse as a reminder to lawmakers of the time when women used dangerous methods to terminate their pregnancies.

A spokeswoman for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Dawn Laguens, told The Huffington Post that the 20-week ban is “just another shameful attempt by John Kasich to make abortion illegal.”

She said that Kasich is on a mission to make abortion illegal in Ohio and that he’s intent on using smoke and mirrors and backdoor politics to do it.  “He may hope that by vetoing a six-week ban, which would have virtually banned abortion with almost no exceptions – he comes off as a moderate,” she said. “But Ohio women see right through this and reject this extreme agenda.” Laguens said that the ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to obtain a safe legal abortion, which she said is a barrier that many women simply can not afford.

The 18 states with the 20-week abortion law include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

 

The post Ellison Says Ohio’s 20 Week Abortion Restriction is “Awful” appeared first on Alpha News.

Outstate MN Group Turning up Heat on Lawmakers

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Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities asking for more money to help local governments fast.

The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities is urging lawmakers to act quickly and pass legislation that they say is critical for people living outside the Metro area.

Bradley Peterson, Executive Director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, representing 88 cities across the state, says lawmakers need to move on passing bills that didn’t make it last session and as a result hurt Greater Minnesota cities, stating, “Serious proposals, no game playing to get these critical things done. There’s a lot of work to be done –  a state budget, tax bill, bonding bill, transportation…there’s not a moment to be wasted.”

Alexandria Mayor Sara Carlson serves as President of the Coalition; she says in addition to passing the three vital bills that didn’t make it last session, their number one priority is local government aid (LGA), a program that reduces disparities in parts of Minnesota with smaller tax bases. Carlson explains, “All the cities across Minnesota need the local government aid to support themselves, their roads, their streets, bring down property taxes.”

The Coalition is seeking a $45.5 million increase in local government aid. Carlson says the 2017 legislative session will be a test as to which state leaders have truly heard the messages sent from Greater Minnesota.  

Subscribe to Alpha News for coverage throughout the legislative session.

The post Outstate MN Group Turning up Heat on Lawmakers appeared first on Alpha News.

Mayor Betsy Hodges, Mpls City Council Support Syrian Refugee Resettlement

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Mayor Betsy Hodges and Minneapolis City Council pass Resolution supporting Syrian refugee resettlement; call upon other cities to do the same.

Minneapolis, MN –  Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and the City Council voted to pass a resolution supporting the settlement of Syrian refugees in Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota on Dec. 13, 2016.  The Resolution also calls on other cities to join Minneapolis in welcoming Syrian refugees to Minnesota.

The resolution, authored by Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon (Ward 2), states “the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has determined that 10 percent of Syrian refugees are in need of resettlement to nations outside of the region due to a heightened vulnerability to further harm, but less than 200,000 resettlement places have been pledged by nations – with the U.S. pledging only 10,000 places this year.”  Describing the Syrian refugees as having been identified “based on their vulnerabilities and risk of further exposure to violence and exploitation” specifically, members of the LGBTI community, children traveling alone, victims of torture, the physically disabled and female-headed households.

The resolution also commends the United States for resettling over 14,000 Syrian refugees since 2011, and states that all the refugees “undergo an extensive and rigorous security screening process including biometric analysis, and all Syrians go through an additional screening procedure.”

Furthermore, the resolution lists the organizations in support of resettling Syrian refugees in the Twin Cities, including: The International Institute of Minnesota, Arrive Ministries, United Nations Association of MN, The American Refugee Committee, The Minnesota Council of Churches, and The Center for Victims of Torture.

Graph: CNSnews.com
Graph: CNSnews.com

It would seem that the Minneapolis Council’s statistics on the actual numbers of Syrian refugees admitted into the US since 2011 are not completely correct.  According to an analysis of US Syrian refugee resettlement by  CNSnews.com, in 2016, the Obama administration admitted 15,479 Syrian refugees, a 606.1 percent increase from 2015.  As for the demographics of those refugees, CNSnews.com states:

–15,302 (98.8 percent) are Muslims – 15,134 Sunnis, 29 Shi’a, and 139 other Muslims
–125 (0.8 percent) are Christians – 32 Catholics, 32 Orthodox, five Protestants, four Jehovah’s Witnesses, and 52 refugees described only as “Christian” in State Department Refugee Processing Center data
–43(0.27 percent) are Yazidis
–eight are “other” religion and one is described as having “no religion”
–3,904 (25.2 percent) are males between the ages of 14 and 50
–3,521 (22.7 percent) are females aged 14-50
–7,428 (47.9 percent) are children under 14, of whom 3,824 are boys and 3,604 are girls.

In 2015 the administration admitted a total of 2,192 Syrian refugees total.  In just the month of December 2016 1,307 Syrian refugees were brought into the US.

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the US has admitted 18,026 refugees, of whom 187 were Christian, even though Christians made up 10 percent of the Syrian population before the war began.

Betsy Hodges said in a statement, “Minneapolis has long stood as a place of welcome for refugees from throughout the world, including those seeking resettlement from Syria. Today we restate our City’s commitment to welcome Syrian families to make homes and new lives here.”

Resolution on the resettlement of Syrian refugees passed by the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges on Jan. 13, 2016
Resolution on the resettlement of Syrian refugees passed by the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges on Jan. 13, 2016

The post Mayor Betsy Hodges, Mpls City Council Support Syrian Refugee Resettlement appeared first on Alpha News.


Politicians Pay Their Respects to Dr. King: Take Jabs at Trump”

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ST. PAUL, MN — Monday morning saw several events celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Twin Cities.

Of the events, the Governor’s Council on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday held a celebration service at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.

Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar
Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar

Governor Mark Dayton attended the General Mills MLK Breakfast in Minneapolis earlier in the morning but fell ill and did not make his scheduled appearance at the Ordway celebration. While there has not been an official update on the Governor’s health, Minnesota’s Chief Inclusion Officer James Burrough told the crowd the Governor was home resting.

Despite the Governor’s absence, big name politicians filled the void to speak about Dr. King’s

legacy. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) addressed the audience first. She spoke on the work ahead, noting the country’s immense progress towards equal rights for all. “They want a country as good as its promise,” said Klobuchar. Klobuchar encouraged those in attendance to not only remember Dr. King’s legacy but to honor it with their actions.

Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar
Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar

She also mentioned that many were disappointed and concerned with the election results but it meant that she would vote to reauthorize the voting rights act. She also said that it was time to reform the current immigration policy and to pass the federal sentencing bill to make the justice system more accountable. Klobuchar was met with applause as she took a shot at Trump saying “I’d rather be here with you than in Washington right now.”

St. Paul Mayor and candidate for Governor Chris Coleman also spoke at the event. Coleman spoke of a small march from the Capitol to the Ordway Center that took place before the

Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar
Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar

event and said: “the march was just a segment that began centuries ago.” He said oppression and racism were coming to a head in this country and reminded the crowd “the march must continue.” Coleman also took a shot at President-elect Trump in his speech noting “it happens in statehouses, where we have to continue fighting against federal policy that even though we’ve come so far can be erased with a stroke of a pen or a single tweet,”

Lt. Governor Tina Smith spoke of the courageous actions of three teens at Maple Grove High School who chose to fight racism in their school in a planned walkout. Smith said these teens put Dr. King’s words into action “the time is always right to do what is right.” Smith encouraged the audience to not overthink a situation and to do what is right.

The council gave out three awards for service. One of those awards went to CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein for his work in the community over the last decade.

Speaking with a few attendees before the event, many were there to celebrate the life of Dr. King. Matt, a father of two young children said to Alpha News the celebration brings a sense of optimism and hope – “there isn’t a lot of that right now.” Matt said his two children are currently learning about Dr. King in school and decided to make the trip to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King’s good work.

The event also included music from Grammy-award winning group Sounds of Blackness and keynote speech from Target VP Caroline Wanga who spoke of the steps of activism. The event was hosted by Brandi Powell of KSTP-TV and Chief Inclusion Officer James Burrough.

The post Politicians Pay Their Respects to Dr. King: Take Jabs at Trump” appeared first on Alpha News.

Cross Removed from Belle Plaine Veterans’ Memorial Display

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Atheist group demands cross to be removed from Vets’ Memorial; city agrees, residents organize to fight back

Belle Plaine, MN – The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has succeeded in having a cross removed from a Belle Plaine, Minnesota Veterans Memorial display.

The original display of a soldier kneeling with his rifle featured a cross gravestone marking. Local veteran Joseph Gregory created and donated the artwork to the Belle Plaine Veterans Memorial Park. Gregory passed away in October.

Belle Plaine City Administrator Mike Votca told Alpha News that the city is working with the Belle Plaine Veterans Club on improvements to the Veterans Memorial Park. According to Votca, the city council approved all past improvements made by the club. However, the soldier and cross display was installed in the park in August without the council’s knowledge or approval.

The demand for removal of the cross started with a complaint made to the Belle Plaine police department. According to the official police report, on August 18, 2016, Belle Plaine resident Joanne Gill called the police department and questioned whether the cross was legally installed on public property.

Belle Plaine, MN Police Report of complaint made by Joanne Gill regarding the cross display at the Veterans Memorial
Belle Plaine, MN Police Report of complaint made by Joanne Gill regarding the cross display at the Veterans Memorial

The police officer taking the call asked if Gill found the cross offensive; she said she did not find it offensive, but stated that the cross needed to be removed if it was illegally placed. She then, “advised me (the officer) that I should do my job in enforcing the law.” The issue was given to the city administrator for legal review.

The group, Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a formal letter of complaint against the display to the city council. FFRF released a statement about the display on its website:

“We certainly have no objection to veterans’ memorials. But it is unlawful for a city government to display patently religious symbols on city property, even to commemorate our veterans. It shows an endorsement of religion over nonreligion. Additionally, the memorial sends a message that the government cares only about the death of Christian soldiers and is disdainful of the sacrifices made by non-Christian and nonreligious soldiers, since it excludes the one-third of the population that identifies as such.”

The city council held a closed-door meeting about the complaint on Jan. 3, citing attorney/client privilege as the reason to keep the meeting closed to the public and media. According to the Belle Plaine Herald, neither Mayor Chris Meyer nor City Administrator Mike Votca disclosed any information from the meeting. The two were in attendance at the Jan. 16 Belle Plaine Veterans Club meeting where the veterans representatives took the recommendation by City Attorney Bob Vose to remove the cross from the display.

According to Votca, the reasons for the decision to remove the cross from the display included the costs that could be incurred by a court battle with FFRF to keep the cross in the park, and that the city leaders “understand what the law states, and we want to be inclusive.”

Belle Plaine residents expressed disappointment with the city’s decision to remove the cross on the Belle Plaine Vet’s Club Facebook page. A group of citizens, lead by Andy Parrish, former Chief of Staff and campaign director for US Representative Michele Bachmann, started a Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon called “Defend Veterans Park.” The page already has more than 1000 “likes.”

Parrish said in an interview with Alpha News, “The vets defended us; it’s time now for us to defend them.” The group connected with Action4Liberty and the Alliance for Defending Freedom to help the cause.

Parrish also told Alpha News that the group hopes to raise awareness of the issue and to “pack the city council meeting” on Feb. 6, where they plan to demand that the city sell the Veterans Memorial Park to the Belle Plaine Vets Club for $1 and charge the club $1/year for the park’s maintenance. City Administrator Votca told Alpha News the city council would consider a purchase plan for the park.

A petition has also been launched on ipetitions.com. Titled “Return Our Cross Now” the petition states:

“Out-of-State atheists have no right to tell our town how to live and JoAnne Gill does not get to make decisions for the entire city. To avoid a recall campaign of elected members of the city, we as citizens of Belle Plaine demand the city council return our cross to Veterans Park NOW and issue a formal apology to us, your fellow citizens.”

Family members of Joseph Gregory will be at Neisen’s Corner Bar in downtown Belle Plaine starting at noon today to hand out crosses to Belle Plaine residents who would like to show their support for the Vet’s Memorial by displaying a cross in their yards.

This is not the first time the FFRF and Joanne Gill have complained to the city of Belle Plaine regarding religious displays on public property. During the 2015 holiday season, Gill and the group made a complaint regarding the Belle Plaine Rotary Club’s Nativity scene displayed on police department grounds. The city allowed Gill to place a banner in the area that stated “At this season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail. There are no Gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but a myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds.” In 2016, the Nativity scene was moved to a new location on private property.

Alpha News attempted to reach Gill, but the number listed is no longer working.

Alpha News is reaching out to several people involved with the city and the veterans memorial. Subscribe to Alpha News for continued updates.

 

UPDATED 01/19/2017 12:13PM

The post Cross Removed from Belle Plaine Veterans’ Memorial Display appeared first on Alpha News.

Day One of Resistance Begins Friday

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN — On the steps of Minneapolis City Hall, the Resist from Day One Coalition announced it will begin its protest of President-Elect Donald Trump and everything his administration stands for on Friday afternoon after the inauguration.

The Resist from Day One Coalition emcee and President of AFSCME 3800, Clerical Workers Union at the U of M, Cherrene Horazuk has been active for several years seeking to promote social, political, and economic justice. Horazuk says the group’s goal is to fight against what she calls hateful and discriminatory policies handed down by the Trump administration.

More than 70 organizations are working together on Friday’s March. It will consist of smaller movements starting at 2 p.m. and will finish with a large rally at 5 p.m. at Minneapolis City Hall.

The coalition held a press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning, featuring several speakers from groups organizing demonstrations, that will join the coalition’s rally in Minneapolis.

“I am not a stranger in my own homeland,“ Susana De León, an immigration lawyer, and Latina activist told members of the media.

Inaguration Protester Press Conference Edited
Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Preya Samsundar

Speaking first, De León said U.S. policies and interventions in other countries created unstable and dangerous situations forcing families to leave their homeland. She said immigration in the US is fiction and the country does not seek to help immigrants but seeks to make them available in a growing labor pool to dehumanize and exploit them.

De León concluded her remarks by announcing that the group “denounces the system of law. It is only regulating people’s movement, not helping them live their lives to their full potential. These systems of law must be dismantled.”

Gabriel Black Elk, a leader of the Black Snake Resistance March, told reporters, “Trump is the wrong representative for the people in America.”

Black Elk said his group would not support illegal policies pushed on the country and would seek justice including police accountability stating, “these murderous cops are getting away from it [accountability].” Black Elk concluded his remarks stating Hennepin County Officers terrorized peaceful protesters in North Dakota and the Dakota Access Pipeline must be stopped.

Luciano Balbuena, a worker, and a member of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha – Center of United Workers in Struggle (CTUL) told his story of mistreatment at the hands of his employer Kimco Cleaning Services. Through an interpreter, Balbuena explained that Trump and Trump supporter Home Depot – which is a Kimco client – support the poverty wages and lack of benefits that he has worked for in the past eight years. Balbuena states he makes $9.50 an hour and has had a $0.12 raise every year for the last 8 years he has been employed with Kimco. Balbuena and other Kimco employees will be going on strike in front of the Home Depot at the Quarry in Minneapolis starting Friday morning at 6 A.M.

Nick Faber, an elementary science teacher for St. Paul Public Schools, told members of the press teachers in St. Paul would ask the school board to make St. Paul Public Schools a sanctuary school. Faber explained that billionaires were stealing from public school students by refusing to pay taxes and CEO’s made a teacher’s yearly salary in one day. Faber then encouraged members of congress to reject the nomination of Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos who he states “spent her family fortune ruining the education system in Michigan.”

The march on Friday has been described as a peaceful, family friendly event, but Horazuk notes that the Coalition did hire a security team for any unwanted violence.

Despite a significant Republican majority in D.C., Horazuk says the march will ultimately have an impact. Horazuk told Alpha News “Politicians nor the Supreme Court will save us, it’s people coming together and forcing the change they want, politicians and the Supreme Court respond to the pressures in society. Public sentiment forced the Supreme Court to change their opinion on gay marriage – the constitution didn’t change.”

While Trump will not take office until Friday at noon, many policies and changes he promised to enact have changed immensely since his win in November. One campaign promise that has changed since his election win includes the deportation of undocumented immigrants. While on the campaign, Trump promised to deport all immigrants who were not in the country legally, he has since changed his tune to deporting those who are criminal undocumented immigrants. MINNEAPOLIS, Minn — On the steps of City Hall in Minneapolis, the Resist from Day One Coalition announced it will begin its protest of President-Elect Donald Trump and everything his administration stands for on Friday afternoon after the inauguration.

The post Day One of Resistance Begins Friday appeared first on Alpha News.

Protesters Hit the Streets of Minneapolis

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN — More than 2,000 protesters from more than 70 organizations took to the streets of Downtown Minneapolis to voice their displeasure with the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump.

Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN
Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN

The protest remained fairly peaceful and nonconfrontational. An effigy of Donald Trump was burned to ash at the intersection of Franklin and Nicollet.

Multiple groups held separate protests around the city to voice their anger towards the Dakota Access Pipeline, islamophobia, anti-immigration rhetoric, anti-women rhetoric, anti-LGBT rhetoric, pro-cop rhetoric, the state of the criminal justice system, and the election and policies of the Trump Administration.

Separate protests began at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon around the city and converged into the plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis around 5 p.m. where speakers from Black Lives Matter St. Paul and other groups spoke to the crowd.

Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN
Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN

Protesters blocked and ultimately shut down the light rail for approximately 30 minutes by walking on the tracks.  A group of people with their faces covered with bandanas cheered when they realized they shut the light rail down. One young man waiting for the train to arrive told Alpha News that “it [shutting light rail down] was a useful tactic but it was an annoyance, so it’s working” explaining he had worked a long day.

Some protesters lit firecrackers and opened a canister filling the air with orange smoke.

Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN
Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News MN

A group of Native American protesters danced and played drums according to their traditional customs and lit sage on fire creating smoke.

Most people who spoke with Alpha News were angry with Trump’s inauguration and the policies that he had proposed during the campaign trail.

A couple of girls who attended the protest worked for the Sierra Club, an environmental group out of D.C. They told Alpha News they did not consider the actions of protesters in D.C. to be violent when asked about the burning of SUV’s and breaking windows. “There are a lot of questions about what is considered violence, property is not people. I think people have a lot of feelings, people are being charged and fired up.”

The crowd began to thin out by 5:30 p.m. and the event was packed up and over by 6:10 p.m.

No arrests were made according to officials.

The post Protesters Hit the Streets of Minneapolis appeared first on Alpha News.

Minnesota to Secede?

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A Petition Urges Minnesota Leaders to Work Toward Changing “Minnesota, USA” to “Minnesota, Canada”

St. Paul, MN – A petition for the secession of Minnesota from the United States and to join Canada has gained more than 7,000 signatures on the popular petition site Change.org.  

Titled, “Minnesota to secede from the United States of America and join the nation of Canada,” the petition has received 7,510 signatures toward the 10,000 signature goal. It was posted on Nov. 9, 2016 by Zachary Zaboj, who, according to his public Facebook profile, is a 2012 graduate of Rosemount High School and current Winona State University film student.

The petition states:

With the recent election of Donald Trump for President of the United States, we, the people of the State of Minnesota, feel it is against our state’s better interests to remain in the Union of the United States under such leadership. It is the people’s opinion that this State now has more in common with the Nation of Canada than the United States when the President-Elect is sworn in.
President-Elect Trump has a history of comments and potential policies that will openly discriminate against a large portion of Minnesotans that are of minority decent (sic). This could include thousands of unlawful deportations or severe bullying and harassment of Minnesota citizens, families, and children.

The petition ends with an appeal to the state’s leaders to consider leaving the United States:

We, the people of Minnesota, urge our State’s leaders to consider the possibility of leaving the United States and join Canada. This would allow us to better maintain a way of life for all Minnesotans in terms of society, environment, and equality.

According to the petition, it will be sent to Governor Mark Dayton (D), Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN).

The Minnesota secession effort is not the only one in the United States.  People in California are also urging their leaders to consider seceding from the Union.  

Video: Fortune.com

The “Calexit” movement gained steam since the election of President Donald Trump in November. Created by Louis J. Marinelli and Marcus Ruiz Evans, the “Yes California Exit” movement is pushing for a 2018 ballot measure that would “give the people of California the chance to vote to remain a part of the Union, or to separate from it to become its own independent country.”

According to the Calexit group’s founders, they understand  there is no clause in the Constitution that allows for a state to legally leave the Union; however, according to the group’s website, they believe they have two paths to secession that would avoid an actual war like the Civil War of the 1860s when the southern states attempted to leave the United States.

Those two paths include:

  • A member of the California federal delegation to Washington would propose an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowing the State of California to withdraw from the Union. The Amendment would have to be approved by 2/3 of the House of Representatives and 2/3 of the Senate. If the Amendment passed it would be sent to the fifty state legislatures to be considered (to satisfy the “consent of the states” requirement in Texas v. White). It would need to be accepted by at least 38 of the 50 state legislatures to be adopted.
  • California could call for a convention of the states (which is currently being organized to tackle other constitutional amendments as we speak) and the Amendment granting California its independence would have to be approved by 2/3 of the delegates to this convention. If it passed, the Amendment would be sent to the fifty state legislatures to be considered and 38 of the 50 states would have to approve the measure in order for it to be adopted.

Marinelli and the Calexit group also believe there is a third path:  the UN. Fox40 reported:

Rather than making their case to the people of the United States and their elected representatives in Congress, they want to make their case to the United Nations. True way they see it, if California is recognized by the UN as an independent country, it will force the U.S.’s hand to let the state go.

The Minnesota petition is gaining attention: in the time that it took to write this article, twenty more people signed the petition.  Exactly how the Zaboj plans to have Minnesota leave the US and join Canada is not outlined on the petition’s page.

The post Minnesota to Secede? appeared first on Alpha News.

Get to Know the Future Leader of the MNGOP

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn — The race for State Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party (MNGOP) has found four highly qualified yet very different candidates who are campaigning around the State.

This week, Alpha News MN will share individual profiles of each candidate. The candidates agreed to a sit down off camera interview where they shared their experience and their vision for the future of the Republican Party.

David Hann

Former State Senator David Hann is the last of the four candidates to announce his candidacy for State Chair in mid-January after losing his Senate seat in November to a high school teacher.

Hann has had an illustrious career. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Bloomington before receiving his Bachelors in Religious Studies. He also attended the University of Chicago Divinity School. He was a member of the U.S. Army serving in Vietnam. He spent 25 years working for E.A. Sween-a national food distribution company. Hann served three terms on the Eden Prairie School Board before being elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2002.

During his time as a legislator, Hann served on multiple committees including, the Rules and Administrations Committee, Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, Education Committee, and Finance Committee.

Hann has four adult children and has been married to his wife Anne for 35 years.

Chris Fields

Current Deputy Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, Chris Fields announced his intentions to run for State Chair at the MNGOP State Central meeting in December.

Fields is best known for his efforts to challenge Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) as a congressional candidate in 2010.

Born and raised in New York, Fields was the valedictorian when he graduated from Bronx Regional High School. He then completed his Bachelors in Business Management at Park University in Missouri. He served in the United States Marine Corp. for 21 years. Fields ran a tough race against Ellison receiving 25.2% of the vote.He also served as the Secretary of the MNGOP and Co-Chair of the Elephant Club.

Fields has one child with his wife Christa.

Rick Rice

Rick Rice is the Minnesota Chairman for the Republican National Committee. Rice was elected during the State Party Convention in May 2016 and publically announced his intention to run through a MinnPost article in early January.

Rice is involved in everything related to Minnesota republican politics. Rice also serves as the MNGOP Finance Chair, Co-chair of the Elephant Club, and an avid boots-on-the-ground activist for the Trump team in Minnesota.

He was a candidate for House District 44B in 2010, but lost to his democratic challenger Ryan Winkler.

He graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Business and has worked for Northwestern Mutual for the past 30 years.

Rice has two adult children with his wife Nancy.

Jennifer Carnahan

Quickly rising to fame in the 2016 election cycle, Jennifer Carnahan is a political newcomer.

Attending her first caucus this election cycle, Carnahan is determined to make a name for herself in Minnesota’s Republican Party.

She is a businesswoman – owning her own clothing boutique called Primrose Park. Carnahan, born in South Korea, was adopted at a young age and graduated from the Syracuse University with degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Finance. Carnahan worked for big name sports teams like the Timberwolves, the LA Angels, and Florida Marlins and corporate giants like McDonald’s, General Mills, and Ecolab.

Carnahan served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and ran for State Senate in 2016. Though she lost to DFL incumbent Bobby Joe Champion, she did much better than other Republicans in the past by door knocking every home in her district.

Carnahan is meticulous, having distributed a 40-page plan of how she plans to turn the MNGOP around.

Four candidates very different in experience and personality. Subscribe to Alpha News MN as we introduce you to these four candidates.

The post Get to Know the Future Leader of the MNGOP appeared first on Alpha News.

Veterans Find Victory Against Anti-Religious Foundation

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BELLE PLAINE, Minn — Members of a veterans club in Belle Plaine, Minnesota won a huge victory Monday night when the local City Council voted 3-2 on a proposal that would return a veterans memorial display to the local veterans park.

As reported by Alpha News MN in January, the memorial – which depicts a kneeling soldier in front of a cross-shaped grave marker with a rifle in his hand, was removed by the city.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) – a Wisconsin-based organization, threatened to sue the small town of 6,600 if they did not remove the memorial for what they claim is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Jake Duesenberg of Action4Liberty told Alpha News, “I think this country needs people of courage standing up to bullies and tonight two council members did not stand up to a bunch of bullies from out-of-state. I am encouraged to see three did and there was a big victory tonight.”

On Monday night at City Hall, the effort to return the memorial to the park was led by Belle Plaine resident Andy Parrish – former Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Action4Liberty, and Alliance for Defending Freedom. The groups gathered a large crowd to make their case to the members of the City Council.

Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Donna Azarian
Image Credit: Alpha News MN/Donna Azarian

A proposal was introduced by Alliance for Defending Freedom attorney Doug Wardlow during the council meeting that would create a small section of land designated as a limited public forum. A limited public forum would allow the individuals – within certain restrictions and approved by the City Council – to put up memorials honoring veterans in the park.

As the standing-room-only crowd of people packed the council chambers, Belle Plaine Mayor Christopher Meyer had to leave the door open to City Hall so they would not violate the fire code.

Belle Plaine City Attorney Robert Vose was cautious in his testimony about going forward with a vote on the proposal. In his testimony, Vose was concerned about violating First Amendment liberties and the city’s role as an arbiter of speech. Councilman Gary Coop offered no comment except for his no vote. Councilman Paul Chard, who was concerned the City would face a lawsuit, also voted no.

After almost an hour into the meeting, Councilwoman Theresa McDaniels made the motion to adopt the group’s proposal. After several more minutes of discussion, Councilman Ben Stier asked the crowd, “Is this what you want?”  After receiving affirmation from the crowd, Stier then seconded McDaniels’ motion. Meyer, the last to vote said: “I’m voting my conscious” before voting “yes” to the motion.

“This is a big victory for small town America. The small town of Belle Plaine, Minnesota stood up to a multi-million dollar out-of-state group that is trying to bully this town and bully towns like this around the country into removing all references, any hints of any kind of religious faith from memorials honoring veterans. So this is a big victory,”  Wardlow told Alpha News.

State Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake) told Alpha News,  “It was a tough call. The City Council was put in a tough position that really no city should be put into. You have an outside group representing a minority, a small minority of people – most of them who do not live in this community and dictating a war memorial that wasn’t dictated a religious memorial, but for fallen soldiers. It should be taboo. Most members would totally agree if there was a Jewish or Muslim monument, no problem. But to do away with the cross like that, I think it was handled poorly. “

Though encouraged by Parrish and Wardlow to restore the memorial immediately, the Council has not given a timeline in which the memorial will be restored. The council will meet with Vose to review and tailor the proposal for the city.

The post Veterans Find Victory Against Anti-Religious Foundation appeared first on Alpha News.


MN Shooting Victim Says Somali Man Pulled Trigger

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ROCHESTER, MINN – A man was shot twice in a drive-by shooting around 10:40pm on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017.  The incident happened on the 100 block of 19th Street SE in Rochester.  When police arrived at the scene they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim, a 33 year old Detroit Lakes man, was at a relative’s house to watch the Superbowl.  He stepped outside to smoke a cigarette after the game.  While he was out smoking, a silver Honda Accord and a maroon Chevy Impala pulled up.  According to Rochester Police Investigator, John Sherwin, the victim told police he did not know the men in the cars.  The victim told police he believed the men were Somali.  

One passenger got out of the Honda Accord and exchanged words with the victim.  Then the man shot the victim twice and then the group drove away.  

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, however, the victim suffered at least seven wounds from through-and-through bullet injuries.  According to Sherwin, the victim had to have surgery to repair his wounds, but is expected to recover.  

Rochester police are asking for anyone with information about the incident contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.  Anyone with information that leads to an arrest and/or prosecution could be eligible for a cash reward.

The post MN Shooting Victim Says Somali Man Pulled Trigger appeared first on Alpha News.

David Hann: From Senate to the State Party

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn — Republican delegates at State Central will vote for the next State Party Chair of the MNGOP in April. The position, held by Keith Downey for the last four years will take on a new meaning following a major upset in the November 8 election by Republicans. Every day, Alpha News MN will introduce you to a candidate for Chair. Each candidate answered a list of questions about their ideas for the future of the GOP.

Throughout our conversation, former Senate Minority Leader David Hann preached a message of hope. Hope for a better future for everyone. Very reserved and soft-spoken, Hann is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the political landscape and the history of the major parties. When talking about the Declaration of Independence, Hann pulled out a worn, hand-held copy of the Declaration of Independence to point out what the Republican Party stood on. Hann is the perfect statesman. He is skilled, experienced, and a respected leader in the Republican Party. Hann is also genuine in his speech. He gave an honest assessment of Trump. Hann was blunt stating “I don’t think he’s a conservative.” Acknowledging his support for another GOP candidate in the beginning, Hann said “Trump’s a welcomed breath of fresh air. I think he’ll do well. I’m looking forward to see what the next four years bring.”

Below are a list of answers given by former Senate Minority Leader David Hann during a sit-down, off-camera interview at a local coffee shop in Eden Prairie, MN.

You’ve had an illustrious career. You have been a business consultant, Senate Minority Leader, and school board member. How do these different job titles prepare you for a role as Chair of the MNGOP?

“Well, having the ability to work in the legislature, make contacts with people who are serving in elected office, serving as the minority leader for the last four years, putting together a statewide campaign to successfully win the majority of Republicans in the Senate, recruiting candidates, raising a record amount of money for Senate Republicans, and creating an organization, this was one of the biggest challenges we faced as an organization. I think those are the challenges the State Party faces, to develop the strength of party organization and continuing to maintain the financial discipline. To win elections in 2018 you need money, an organization, and a message.”

It looked as if you were on the fence when publicly asked if you would run. Walk me through your thought process and what ultimately pushed you to run?

“After the election, I wasn’t thinking a whole lot about this. However, people began to call me from around the state: donors, legislators, party leaders, activist – many I’ve become acquainted with and have gotten to know well. I’ve been active in the GOP for most of my adult life. I’ve have attended conventions on all levels, served as a Precinct Chair, a Senate Vice Chair, local level Party Officer, a member of the School board, and a candidate. It is different because I have never been a part of managing the State Party. I felt the need to learn how to do that and is what ultimately led me to my decision. The experience I have would be put to good use.”

You have some tough opponents running against you. What sets you apart from them?

“Well, they’re all good people. I know them all. They all have things to offer. To me, the Party Chair job is not a glamorous job, it’s not a stepping stone to something else, it’s just hard work. It’s building an organization, putting together a team, raising money, strengthening the organization across the State, and effective communications. The fact is of all the people running, I’m the only one with experience similar to the job qualifications of a State Chair. The question for delegates is whether they elect someone who has a good story or someone who has actually accomplished something.”

This seems like it is your race to lose. The only caveat is that some delegates might view you as being the ultimate insider – establishment. What do you say to those who call you establishment?

“What is establishment? People say that, but are they saying that people with experience should not seek political office? Would you pick a Senior Partner who has never gone to law school? There is nothing special about experience. A teacher says they have 30 years of experience. They don’t have 30 years of experience, they have one year of experience repeated 30 times. This is a label created by people who have no experience to criticize those who do. I have never thought about what is good for my career. What is important is the success of the enterprise.”

Despite Minnesota coming as close as it has been in the last 30 years to voting Republican in a presidential race, Stewart Mills lost the eighth and many local candidates did much better than Trump in their districts. Do you think there was a Trump wave?

“Yes and no. There were parts of the State where Trump’s message was appealing. In many cases, he drew a lot of disaffected Democrats in greater Minnesota. Democrats have been telling people that they are too stupid, too dumb, you don’t know what you’re doing, you need us experts in St. Paul or D.C. on how to live your life. Democrats tell them they should not have jobs. Environmentalist dominate the DFL telling people who want to work for a living that there are no jobs for them. They are now a metrocentric party dominated by extremist environmentalist. They believe socialism is going to save us. Republicans need to work in Greater Minnesota to bring the “F” and “L” element that has been dissatisfied to our side. But we cannot become the reverse of Democrats and abandon the metro either.”

Should you be elected, you face a very tough road ahead. You have a party that has over $1 million in debt, a skeleton staff, a remarkable statewide win you’ll be expected to replicate in 2018, and just two years to run effective campaigns for mayoral races in Minneapolis/St. Paul, a U.S. Senate race, eight Congressional races, State Representative races, statewide constitutional races, a Governor’s race, and a potential special election.
Where do you begin?

“The Party needs to change and become more effective. It has become burdened by debt over the last number of years, but we’ve turned a corner. Most of the debt we have is not interest bearing debt – that is the critical piece. I think the next Chairman will be tasked with raising money, changing the Party structure so the organization can function effectively, and prove effective support for campaigns. We have not done a good job at that. There is no secret sauce. It will be challenging, but I believe without a doubt that we will have success in 2018.”

How does the Republican Party of Minnesota continue to be the Party of fiscal responsibility when it has significant State and Federal debt?

“I think the Party has been responsible they way it has dealt with its debt. We haven’t declared bankruptcy, we haven’t walked away from the debt, we have done what a lot of families and businesses do: they struggle, they figure out how to pay their debts. The State Party is doing the same thing. Talking to donors, asking them to invest in an organization you have to give them a good reason to do so. It’s hard to convince them that the best reason to donate is so the organization can pay its taxes.”

In the past, the GOP has lost statewide races due to vote totals in CD4 and CD5. Many predict the GOP could win statewide if they raise vote totals in these districts to 28%-30%. However, they have been ignored in large part by the Party. How do you plan to change democratic strongholds in the cities to raise those vote totals?

“You have to make sure your base – dependable Republican voters in Greater Minnesota are motivated to vote. You cannot chase them away. I think a lot of Republicans in the Twin Cities chose not to vote for Trump and I think that did hurt. We looked at our map four years ago at the Senate Districts around the State and did an analytical investigation of all the districts we felt were going to be in play. We looked down to the precinct level to find out where we could win. This is what we did in the Senate.”

How do you plan to rebrand the party to make it more inclusive?

“This is a democratic talking point. There is no more racist organization in the country than Democrats. The people they celebrate – the Jefferson/Jackson Day Dinner, who were they? Two slave owners. They’re the headliners and champions of their dinners for the Party. They led the South in rebellion of the North over slavery. For 100 years after the Civil War, they resisted and implemented Jim Crow laws. The GOP was founded by going back to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and talking about all men being created equal and endowed by our creator with certain rights. It was in the first Party platform Republicans ever adopted. These are the principles that would drive the decision making of the Republican Party and we believe that there are things that are true about all people regardless of where they come from, their religion, or their heritage. I reject the notion that Republicans are not inclusive.”

Tomorrow, Alpha News MN will introduce you to MNGOP Deputy Chair Chris Fields. As reported by Alpha News MN, Fields announced his candidacy for State Chair during the December State Central meeting. Look out for interviews with Rick Rice and Jennifer Carnahan in the following days.

Subscribe to Alpha News MN to get updates on the State Party Chair race.

The post David Hann: From Senate to the State Party appeared first on Alpha News.

Battle Continues for Belle Plaine Vets’ Memorial

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BELLE PLAINE, MINN –  Defenders of the Belle Plaine Veterans Park cross memorial have resumed their stand at the park this week after the city council made alterations to the Proposed Limited Public Forum passed on Feb. 6.

As Alpha News reported, the group, Defend Veterans Park, saw a victory on Feb. 6 when the city council voted 3-2 to create a Limited Public Forum at the park site. The public forum would allow for individuals to erect memorials honoring veterans at the park.  However, the city council recently made amendments to the proposal, significantly altering the language and changing the requirements for the memorials.  The new language includes an increase in the number of allowed memorials, limits the time the memorials can remain in place and requires a $1,000,000 insurance policy for the memorials.

Defend Veterans Park alerted the community to the proposed amendments in a Facebook post, stating: “Their Policy allows 18 monuments rather than the 5 we proposed, they are approved on a first come first serve basis with ZERO preference given to YOU the residents of Belle Plaine. Finally, the display must have liability coverage of $1,000,000 which coverage must list the City as an additional insured. $1,000,000 is more insurance than your average house has, more than your average life insurance policy, and an amount the Vets Club and your average individual resident can’t sustain. ….Very disappointing, but we are not giving up. If passed as written Joe’s memorial won’t go back up.”

Now, according to Defend Veterans Park member Katie Novotny, the group feels blindsided. Novotny told Alpha News in an interview, “We’re disappointed in the changes the city has made, and we don’t think the city council has the community’s best interest at heart.”  She went on to say, “This is our Veterans Park. We need to honor our vets.  If there are atheist vets they will be honored as well.”  

The Belle Plaine City Council meets on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017.  Defend Veterans Park will have a rally at 5:30pm at the Belle Plaine Vets’ Club.  The group then plans to attend the city council meeting at 6:30.  The organization packed the council chambers with a standing room only crowd on Feb. 6 and hope to do it again.

The Belle Plaine Herald reported the group, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), who made the original complaint about the cross, sent a letter to Belle Plaine City Attorney Bob Vose dated Feb. 16, 2017.  FFRF Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert states in the letter:

“In light of the city of Belle Plaine’s decision to open a “limited public forum” in its Veterans Park, our national organization, which works to protect the constitutional principle of separation from state and church, is considering its legal options including litigation in this matter.”  

The Defend Veterans Park is also organizing a fundraising effort for four additional monuments in the park.  The monuments will honor the four branches of the United States military.  They plan to include a plaque with the monuments stating, “Dedicated to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines—religious, agnostic, and atheist—who served our Nation as one and as brothers. Presented by (Name).”  A GoFundMe page has been set up for people who wish to donate to the effort.

Subscribe to Alpha News for updates on this story.

The post Battle Continues for Belle Plaine Vets’ Memorial appeared first on Alpha News.

Chris Fields: Continuing the Fight as State Party Chair

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MINNETONKA, Minn — Republican delegates at the GOP State Central Convention will vote for the next State Party Chair of the MNGOP in April. The position, held by Keith Downey for the last four years, will take on a new meaning following a huge win by Republicans on November 8.

Alpha News MN is introducing you to each of the candidates for Chair. We asked them to answer a list of questions about their ideas for the future of the GOP. This is how current MNGOP Deputy Chair Chris Fields responded.

Fields could be described as a man of the people. No matter the audience he exudes charisma and confidence. In the past, he has rallied Republicans in a way that brings energy and excitement. This could be attributed to his time in the US Marine Corps.

The corps motto of “no man left behind”  was an underlying theme in our conversation. Fields acknowledges the metro has been left behind in attempts by Republicans to win races – something he seeks to change. He leans heavily on the ideas of engagement, something that has served him well as Deputy Chair. Fields military training carries forward in his planning for the Party’s future. He looks at the scenario as a battle that needs to be won with confidence and strategy.

How do you plan to rebrand the party to make it more inclusive?

“You have to challenge the notion of what diversity is and what inclusive is. I don’t  buy the Democrats definition of diversity. Democrats define diversity as having 10 different people up on stage with different genders, different colors, and different accents. When they are all screaming ‘we want more government’ that is not diversity. To that end, I’ve always believed Republicans are much more diverse as an organization. We can have 10 different people on stage, but they all have different ideas. That is diversity. At the end of the day we are a big 10 party. We need to do more to let people know who we are. They’re not going to agree with us 10 out of 10 times, but 7, 8, 9 out of 10 times, they’ll find more in common with us than the other side.”

In the past, the GOP has lost statewide races due to vote totals in CD4 and CD5. Many predict the GOP could win statewide if they raise vote totals in these districts to 28%-30%. However, they have been ignored in large part by the Party. How do you plan to change democratic strongholds in the cities to raise those vote totals?

“We have to be there making our case. We have written those places off so much, in some cases, they haven’t seen Republicans in years. It’s an engagement strategy. My Dad, as a community activist has lived in South Bronx for 40 years. He’s been successful because he’s down in the community. Right now, the only thing the Twin Cities hears is how awesome democrats are and how bad we are. Jeff Johnson got 35% in Hennepin County. Tim Pawlenty, I believe got 40%. Hennepin and Ramsey County are responsible for us coming up short in statewide races. It’s not a secret anymore. Everyone wants to compare Minnesota to Wisconsin. We aren’t Wisconsin. Trump got 29% in Milwaukee County and he still won the State. You cannot get 29% in Hennepin County and win the State of Minnesota. Our efforts thus far haven’t been strong enough. It is going to take boots on the ground, us reestablishing our relationship with folks in Ramsey and Hennepin County. It’s time.”

You have some tough opponents running against you. What sets you apart from them?

“I can get the job done. I got here five years ago and I didn’t know anyone or anything about politics. I retired from the marines and said “hey I’m going to take this challenge on.” In five years, I have built solid relationships across this state, with activists and donors. I’ve expanded our reach where we weren’t going for. I believe in an approach that allows us to be everywhere and allows us to be competitive in places where we weren’t competitive. I’ve already done that, I can do that at a statewide level as a Chair.”

What are you running for Chair?

“My decision to run was based on the fact that I was very pleased that we won on election day. However, we dodged a bullet. Ten Senate races were decided by 3 points or less. We lost seven of them, including Lakeville, and Apple Valley, and Dave Hann’s seat in Eden Prairie. Republicans should never lose those seats. We did in 2016 is not going to work in 2018. A different set of skills are going to be needed and a different level of engagement with the community and what Minnesotans needs. I thought I could be that.”

You ran for Congress against Ellison in 2010. How does your experience as a candidate help you run an effective statewide campaign?

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned is Minnesota voters are accessible. They are willing to listen to us, they mostly agree with us, and they are willing to vote for us. We just have to go out and meet them where they are. I don’t think we’ve done a great job. I think that we have written off too many people and focused on our strengths and not strengthening our weaknesses. Trump won 19 counties that voted for a Republican for Governor 2006-2014. Now our job is to figure out how we can build relationships so we can get some of their support.”

Despite Minnesota coming as close as it has been in the last 30 years to voting Republican in a presidential race, Stewart Mills lost the eighth and many local candidates did much better than Trump in their districts. Do you think there was a Trump wave?

“Yes. Trump won 78 counties in MN. The previous high I believe was Tom Emmer in 2010 when he won 59 counties. I think those folks came out and were energized by a President who was unabashedly pro-American and willing to put America first. It made a huge difference for us. I don’t think all those Trump voters were your typical Republicans. I would say maybe a 1/3 of those guys came out and said, ‘you know what? I was a voting Democrat but I’ll give this guy a shot.’ Look at Hibbing, M.N. Hibbing hasn’t voted for a Republican President since Herbert Hoover. They voted for Trump, then they turned around and voted for Nolan. It will be the responsibility of the Party Chair to figure out what that is all about and can we go in there now and reintroduce ourselves and become successful in places like Hibbing.”

Should you be elected, you face a very tough road ahead. You have a party that has over $1 million in debt, a skeleton staff, a remarkable statewide win you’ll be expected to replicate in 2018, and just two years to run effective campaigns for mayoral races in Minneapolis/St. Paul, a U.S. Senate race, eight Congressional races, State Representative races, statewide constitutional races, a Governor’s race, and a potential special election.

Where do you begin?

“I’ve already begun. We start by going to counties Trump won and Republicans didn’t. We look at districts Trump won and our candidates came in very close. We start there because we know those people are willing to listen, vote for us, and mostly agree with us. Our debt is going to be an issue and needs to be retired. I believe we can retire it in 18 months. With regard to the statewide races, we have to shape the landscape and create the appetite for change. The party hasn’t done that yet. We cannot sit around and allow Minnesotans to have a steady diet of Trump bashing from the media, celebrities, and from all parts of the political spectrum and then expect to show up six months before the election and say ‘hey vote for us because we aren’t like that.’  No, it is 24/7 365. Our engagement efforts won’t look the same in Minneapolis as it does in Clay County. It’s going to be different. But that work has already begun.”

How does the Republican Party of Minnesota continue to be the Party of fiscal responsibility when it has significant State and Federal debt?

“We have given donors some confidence in the last 3-1/2 years. We are a worthwhile investment because the party is the brand. those guys aren’t successful if the party isn’t successful. We are interlocked. The party is the brand and you need a strong party to send a signal to Minnesotans. This is who we are and this is what we stand for. Our core values center around respect. We respect the meaning of law, we respect individual freedom, and we respect local control. If we are able and convince Minnesotans that is who we are, I think we will do very well.”

Next on the Party Chair candidate list, Alpha News MN will introduce you to RNC National Committeeman Rick Rice. As reported by Alpha News MN, Rice announced his candidacy for State Chair in a MinnPost article. Look for our final interview with Jennifer Carnahan in coming days.

Subscribe to Alpha News MN to get updates on the State Party Chair race.

 

The post Chris Fields: Continuing the Fight as State Party Chair appeared first on Alpha News.

Refugees Living In MN Heading For Canadian Border

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Increasing numbers of immigrants are illegally crossing into Canada

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota, home of the largest Somali refugee population in the U.S., is often viewed as an appealing destination for refugees and immigrants seeking asylum. However, some immigrants are now heading for the border.

The U.S. border patrol has reported a spike in Canadian-bound border crossings this month. Most of the immigrants braving the bitter Minnesotan winter to illegally enter Canada in hopes of asylum come from Somalia, Ghana, or other African countries.

This new spike is being blamed on President Trump’s views on immigration. Even with the court-ordered restriction on the travel ban, immigrants are still uneasy about their future here. In comparison, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau displayed a welcoming stance on immigrants and refugees. Following Trump’s temporary ban on refugees, Trudeau tweeted that “Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith.”

Immigrants, including some that have been denied refugee-status in the U.S. and face potential deportation, are now putting Trudeau’s Twitter statements to the test.

While it isn’t a crime to attempt to leave the U.S., Aaron Heitke, the Border Patrol Grand Forks sector commander, is concerned about the dangers associated with the cold winters in Minnesota and North Dakota. Heitke has reached out to African communities in hopes of educating those unaware of the climate near the border.

“Family groups with small children that, if someone hadn’t gone out and picked them up, they’d have frozen to death,” Heitke said.

Heitke claims are not unreasonable. Two men from Ghana, Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal, were reported to have suffered severe frostbite on their hands leading to amputation of their fingers.

“We lost our fingers, but we still alive,” Iyal told MPR News. “I know with the help of people of Canada, we can do something with our life.”

The refugees and immigrants fleeing the country have to avoid official border crossings and make the treacherous trip across snow-covered farm land because of the U.S.-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement. Under this agreement, people seeking asylum must apply for refugee status in the first safe country they arrive in. Immigrants showing up at the Canadian border would be told to apply for refugee status in the U.S. and turned away.

However, if immigrants cross the border illegally and are arrested by Canadian officials, they can apply for refugee status and their case will often be heard. Just this month, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have reported 69 people who have crossed the northwest Minnesota border have received refugee status.

The immigrants coming from Minnesota are usually processed in Emerson, Manitoba. If the current trend continues, it would be a significant increase from the 444 refugees who crossed into Canada from the same area last year.

The post Refugees Living In MN Heading For Canadian Border appeared first on Alpha News.

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