By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and BEN FINLEY

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region where U.S. forces have been attacking alleged drug boats off Venezuela will retire in December, he and the Defense Secretary announced Thursday.

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Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only in November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

The news of Holsey’s upcoming retirement comes two days after the U.S. military’s fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean against a small boat accused of carrying drugs. The Trump administration has asserted it’s treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.

Frustration with the attacks has been growing on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have been seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes, while Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law.

Holsey said in a statement posted on the command’s Facebook page that it’s “been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend our Constitution for over 37 years.”

“The SOUTHCOM team has made lasting contributions to the defense of our nation and will continue to do so,” he said. “I am confident that you will forge ahead, focused on your mission that strengthens our nation and ensures its longevity as a beacon of freedom around the globe.”

U.S. Southern Command did not provide any more information beyond the admiral’s statement.

In a post on X Thursday afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Holsey for his “decades of service to our country, and we wish him and his family continued success and fulfillment in the years ahead.”

“Admiral Holsey has demonstrated unwavering commitment to mission, people, and nation,” Hegseth wrote.

Officials at the Pentagon did not provide any more information and referred The Associated Press to Hegseth’s statement on social media.

The New York Times first reported on Holsey’s plans to leave his position.

The ice palaces … the snow sculptures … the parades … what are your favorite memories of the St. Paul Winter Carnival?

With fewer than 100 days to go before the start of the 2026 Carnival, organizers are seeking submissions for their “Remember When” campaign.

Submissions could consist of a favorite childhood moment, a family tradition or a special experience that captures the spirit of the festival.

The public can email entries to RememberWhen@spfhf.org or upload them to the St. Paul Winter Carnival website at wintercarnival.com/p/getinvolved/remember-when.

Memories can also be mailed to the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation at 75 W. Fifth Street, Suite 429, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Submissions will be shared on the Winter Carnival’s various communications, including its website and social media.

The 10-day winter festival will be held from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1.

Prime Minister

Tom Barrett flashes the Vulcan “V” as he shows off a portion of his collection of Winter Carnival memorabilia in the basement of his home on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Since the 1990s, Barrett has been one of the key players who make the St. Paul Winter Carnival happen. In 2004, Barrett led his own Vulcan Krewe as the Fire King, Vulcanus Rex LXVII. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

On Tuesday, marking the 100-day countdown to the start of the Carnival, Tom Barrett was announced as the 2026 Prime Minister of the Royal Family. The prime minister serves as a sort of logistics manager for the royal family as they attend events throughout the year. Other members of the royal family will be announced/revealed later.

Barrett’s memories of the Winter Carnival, sent out in a news release on Tuesday, mark the first submissions to the “Remember When” campaign:

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“I’ve been involved with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival since the early 1970s when I ran for (and lost) the Junior Royalty,” he said in the statement. “But my best experience was in 2004 when I was Vulcanus Rex and along with my Vulcan Krewe, we greeted people from all over the world to our Ice Palace in St. Paul!!!

“Another great memory was in 1993 along the parade route. It was my first year as a Vulcan. I loved seeing all the smiling faces. So many kids that wanted to have a Vulcan mustache or the ‘Mark of a V’ on their cheek!

“Now, in 2026, and as the Prime Minister of the Royal Family, I still embrace what the legend of the Winter Carnival represents, and I look forward to seeing those smiling faces again albeit from the ‘other side!’”

Commemorative coin

The St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that produces the Winter Carnival, has created a commemorative coin for the event’s 140th anniversary.

The St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit which produces the Winter Carnival, has created a commemorative coin for the event’s 140th anniversary in 2026. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation)

One side of the coin features a bejeweled 140th logo while the flip side displays a photo of the first Winter Carnival ice palace.

There are a limited number of coins available to purchase: exactly 1,886 to represent the inaugural year of the Winter Carnival.

The coin goes on sale to the public on Friday, Oct. 17, for $140, representing the 140th anniversary. Foundation members can purchase the coins now, while supplies last, for $100.

Info/purchase by visiting wintercarnival.com and clicking “Marketplace.”

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By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, Associated Press

Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss who captivated audiences with his elaborate makeup and smoke-filled guitar, died Thursday. He was 74.

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Frehley died peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, following a recent fall, according to his agent.

Family members said in a statement that they are “completely devastated and heartbroken” but will cherish his laughter and celebrate the kindness he bestowed upon others.

Kiss, whose hits included “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City,” was known for its theatrical stage shows, with fireworks, smoking instruments and fake blood spewing from the mouths of band members in body armor, platform boots, wigs and signature black-and-white face paint.

Band members took on the personas of comic book-style characters — Frehley was known as “Space Ace” and the “Spaceman.”

The band was extremely popular, especially in the mid-1970s, selling tens of millions of albums and licensing its iconic look to sell numerous products.

Frehley and his band mates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Frehley’s is the first death among the four founding members, a group that also includes singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.

A Minnesota Senate subcommittee on Wednesday heard testimony from hospitals, insurance experts and business owners on the anticipated changes to the state’s health insurance landscape in 2026.

“This week, Minnesotans who purchase insurance on the individual market are beginning to shop for the plans they’ll use next year,” said Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, chair of the Subcommittee on the Federal Impact on Minnesotans and Economic Stability. “And they’re getting hit with the sticker shock at the prices that they’re seeing.”

One of the biggest changes the subcommittee discussed was the enhanced advance premium tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of 2025. This tax credit reduces the cost of monthly premiums for those making more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. (Other tax credits, which are still active, apply to those making less than 400% FPG.)

Roughly half of the 187,000 Minnesotans who purchase their health insurance through the individual market will be affected by the tax credit’s expiration, said Grace Arnold, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

“Minnesota (is) estimating that 90,000 Minnesotans will see a cost increase averaging $2,000 a year,” she said.

This change coincides with a 21.5% average increase in individual market plan premiums for 2026, Arnold said.

Because some younger, healthier adults are expected to become uninsured due to these higher costs, Arnold said the overall health insurance will have a higher proportion of sicker, older enrollees who utilize more health care services, leading to rate increases.

“Many individuals and families with incomes below that 400% threshold will see cost increases,” said Libby Caulum, CEO of MNsure, the state’s independent health insurance marketplace.

Caulum used the example of a family of four living in Freeborn County. Their household income is $105,000, or 325% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

“In 2025, they pay $143 per month after their tax credits,” she said. “If they select the same plan for 2026, they will still receive some tax credits, but their net premium will more than triple to $490 per month.”

The hearing took place one day after MNsure shoppers could begin previewing their 2026 plan options. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1.

Caulum, Arnold and other testifiers also spoke to the projected impact of federal Medicaid changes — passed into law through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — on health care costs.

“There’s some estimates that Minnesota could lose up to $154 million just in fiscal year 2026,” said Lynn Blewett, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, “and an estimated increase of uninsured of 170 (thousand) to 180,000 individuals could lose coverage, and those are primarily from work requirements … and new verification requirements.”

The effects of higher health insurance costs go beyond individual payers — hospital leaders and business advocates shared with the subcommittee how they will be impacted.

With reduced Medicaid enrollment, the Minnesota Hospital Association estimates that the state’s hospitals will collectively lose, per year, $354 million in lost Medicaid payments, and will pay $269 million more in charity care — financial assistance for low-income patients.

“The nonprofit hospitals and health systems in Minnesota are already in a pretty precarious position,” said Mary Krinkie, vice president of government relations at the MHA. “We know that we will be forced to close additional services if these cuts come to full fruition.”

For Zander Abbott, president and CEO of Northfield Hospital and Clinics, service line closures at other rural hospitals in the area will result in higher demand at remaining facilities.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “We’re going to be around to serve the people in our communities, but this is making it harder and harder.”

In her closing comments, ranking minority member Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, made the case for focusing on how Minnesota can respond to rising health care costs, referencing previous state budget surpluses that weren’t directed toward health care and the millions of dollars lost to recent fraud events.

“We want to point our finger at Washington, D.C. and, well, we don’t have that control there,” she said. “I want us to focus on those things that we can control right here in Minnesota.”

Nelson also advocated for federal lawmakers to end the government shutdown and renew the enhanced tax credit.

After the hearing, subcommittee DFL members addressed the federal government shutdown; the core issues underlying the shutdown, for U.S. Senate Democrats, are the enhanced tax credit renewal and undoing the Medicaid cuts passed earlier this year. A continuing resolution to fund the government needs 60 votes in the Senate to pass.

“When you need the votes, you have to earn the votes,” Port said of Senate Republicans. “You have to talk with people, you have to compromise.”

The subcommittee, formed within the state Senate’s Committee on Rules and Administration, had its first hearing on Oct. 1, centered on federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. No other hearings are scheduled as of Wednesday.