By ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three paintings from famously chill public television legend Bob Ross sold Tuesday for more than $600,000 at auction. The paintings were the first of 30 Ross works being sold to benefit public TV stations hurt by cuts in federal funding.

At the live auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles, a serene, snow vista called “Winter’s Peace” that Ross painted entirely during a 1993 episode of “The Joy of Painting” went for $318,000 to a bidder on the phone.

“For a good cause — and you get the painting,” auctioneer Aaron Bastian said during the bidding. He invoked a common sentiment of Ross, who died in 1995, during a brief lull. “Bob would remind you that this is your world, and you can do anything you want.”

Another painting done on a 1993 episode, a lush, green landscape called “Home in the Valley,” went for $229,100. A third, “Cliffside,” sold for $114,800.

The final prices include a charge for the auction house added to the final bid known as the buyer’s premium. The identities of the buyers weren’t immediately revealed.

Bids for all three paintings went well past pre-auction estimates of their value, which topped out around $50,000.

Related Articles

What to know about Trump’s plan to give Americans a $2,000 tariff dividend

Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel’s bandleader and childhood friend, dies at 59

Federal Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and agents said to be leaving Chicago, sources say

British Muslim commentator Sami Hamdi agrees to leave US after immigration detention

In Arizona, a fading Route 66 motel hides a story of the Navajo Code Talkers

Three more Ross paintings will be up for auction at Bonhams in Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 27, with others to follow in New York and London.

All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.

Ross, a public television staple in the 1980s and ’90s, was known for his dome of hair and warm demeanor.

The special sales seek to help stations in need of licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that along with Ross’ show include “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics,” and “This Old House.” Small and rural stations are particularly challenged.

The stations “have been the gateway for generations of viewers to discover not just Bob’s gentle teaching, but the transformative power of the arts,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., said in a statement.

As sought by the Trump administration, Congress has eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations.

Ross died at age 52 of complications from cancer after 11 years in production with the therapeutic how-to show, “The Joy of Painting.” The former Air Force drill sergeant was a sort of pioneer, known for his calm — and calming — manner and encouraging words.

Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.”

He has only became more popular in the decades since his death, and his shows saw a surge in popularity during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputies arrested a Mounds View High School teacher Tuesday on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct of a 17-year-old female student.

The 58-year-old was taken into custody at his Minneapolis home, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

The teacher was put on administrative leave Monday and the school is cooperating with the investigation, Principal Rob Reetz wrote in a letter to parents on Tuesday.

“Because this is an active investigation and at this time there are no formal charges, we are limited in what we can share and when we can share it,” Reetz wrote. “We understand that this news may be upsetting to many, and our top concern remains focused on our students.”

The man is being held in the Ramsey County jail. He is an English language arts teacher and has worked for Mounds View Public Schools for 26 years, according to the school district.

Related Articles

MN lawmaker shootings: Independent investigation to review law enforcement response

St. Paul police ask for tips, ‘big or small,’ after man shot and injured during carjacking

Suburban Chicago dad headed to store with toddler says they were pepper-sprayed by federal agents

Drug dealer granted clemency by Trump sent back to prison for violating terms of his release

Two men injured in separate shootings in St. Paul

State and local law enforcement agencies in Minnesota are moving forward with an independent review of their response to the targeted shootings of two DFL state lawmakers at their homes in June.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said Tuesday that an “after-action review” by the International Association of Chiefs of Police will focus on a 43-hour period, beginning with the first 911 call just after 2:30 a.m. June 14 and ending with Vance Boelter’s arrest near his home in rural Sibley County.

Boelter, 58, faces federal and state prosecution for allegedly killing Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home, and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin about an hour and a half earlier.

The review will assess law enforcement’s mobilization, coordination and communication during the manhunt, which was the largest in state history.

“I want to recognize the exceptional work of DPS staff and our law enforcement partners,” Commissioner Bob Jacobson said in a news release announcing the review. “This after-action review not only represents Minnesota’s commitment to learning and improving but also to honoring the lives that were lost and forever changed because of one person’s horrific actions.”

Agencies that requested the review include the Brooklyn Park, Champlin and New Hope police departments, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and State Patrol.

The study and report will cost $429,500, with Public Safety contributing $210,000 and the rest shared among the participating agencies.

Officials emphasized the review is not only intended to reflect on Minnesota’s response, coordination and communication but also to provide insights that could benefit law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher at a 2019 news conference. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher has been asking for an after-action review since July.

“I welcome the review. I think it’ll be beneficial,” Fletcher said Tuesday. “And I’m a little surprised by the cost, but maybe that means it’ll be exceptionally thorough. My primary concerns rest with those early, first five hours in terms of how information was communicated to legislators.”

Police response

State and federal prosecutors say Boelter was driving a fake squad car, wearing tactical gear and announced himself as an officer when he went to the Hoffmans’ Champlin home around 2 a.m. June 14.

Boelter went to two more DFL legislators’ homes, though he didn’t encounter them, before he arrived at the Hortman home about 3:30 a.m., according to the federal charges.

Brooklyn Park officers went to check on the Hortman home after finding out about the Champlin shootings, encountered Boelter and exchanged gunfire with him before he escaped, prosecutors say.

Vance Luther Boelter is taken into custody on June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)

Boelter allegedly had a list of addresses for Democratic elected officials and abortion providers in his vehicle, and had visited the homes of Sen. Ann Rest, New Hope, and Rep. Kristin Bahner, Maple Grove. Bahner was not home at the time, and Boelter allegedly left Rest’s street after a police officer arrived.

Local police became aware of the shootings just after 2 a.m., when Hoffman’s daughter called 911, and started responding to north Hennepin County legislators’ homes. A widespread alert did not happen until after 3:30 a.m., when officers encountered the shooter at the Hortmans’ home.

Public Safety has said teletype notifications went out to metro-area law enforcement agencies: one from the Brooklyn Park Police Department at 4:25 a.m. and another from the State Patrol at 4:40 a.m.

The notifications mentioned that the suspected shooter appeared to be impersonating a police officer and urged agencies to monitor elected officials’ residences.

Fletcher’s concerns

Three weeks after the shooting, Fletcher pressed public safety officials for answers on how they handled notifying legislators and law enforcement agencies of the ongoing threat.

In a July 7 letter to security officials at the Minnesota Capitol, Fletcher raised concerns about information sharing between law enforcement and state leaders. Fletcher said the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office did not learn of the shootings, details about the suspect or the fact that the suspect had been targeting lawmakers until hours after the information had become available to other officials and law enforcement agencies.

Fletcher, in a July 28 letter to Jacobson, continued to push DPS for answers on the notification processes for legislators and law enforcement in an emergency. He said he learned during a July 9 law enforcement briefing with Jacobson, “several chiefs and sheriffs raised the issue of delayed notification on June 14th.”

Fletcher said he was aware that State Patrol Capitol Security Division Capt. Eric Roeske was notified at 2:37 a.m. of the shootings of the Hoffmans.

In addition to the 4:40 a.m. teletype, Fletcher said a State Patrol captain called one of his undersheriffs at 6:42 a.m. Fletcher said he talked at 7 a.m. to the superintendent of the BCA, who told him some names of legislators on Boelter’s “list,” and “we then deployed deputies to all the elected officials in suburban Ramsey County.”

Related Articles

St. Paul police ask for tips, ‘big or small,’ after man shot and injured during carjacking

Two men injured in separate shootings in St. Paul

Retired longtime Woodbury Police Chief Bill Hering dies at 76

Ex-wife of DOC commissioner sentenced to 3 years in prison for attempted murder of son

Southern Minnesota man charged in shotgun slayings of his ex, her new partner

Fletcher said there was some “great police work done once everyone was communicating and working together. But the initial five hours in terms of communication could have been improved in my estimation. And I’m confident that the after action report will describe that.”

Fletcher said he has yet to get an answer as to his question of who exactly should be notifying lawmakers and state law enforcement of potential threats.

“And it appears that no one wants to take responsibility for that duty. And that’s disappointing,” he said. “That’s disappointing, and dangerous.”

The Gophers’ opening two regular-season games were over soon after tipoff, thanks to Minnesota’s stifling defense and huge scoring runs against lackluster competition.

Wednesday’s game will be on the other side of the spectrum.

Minnesota (2-0) heads on the road for a huge test against Missouri (3-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

After trouncing Gardner-Webb 87-62 and Alcorn State 95-50, the Gophers will face a Tigers team that qualified for the NCAA tournament last year and is picked to finish seventh in a loaded Southeastern Conference this season.

“We get to test ourselves in a tough environment,” head coach Niko Medved told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. “I’m interested to see how we do and if we can take the things that we’ve been able to do well so far and take it to the court.”

Missouri was one of the rare teams in the country to play three games in the opening week, but they were pushed by Southeast Missouri State in a 89-84 win on Friday. With each team having a few games under their belts, film study can now lead to real game plans to try to stop difference-makers.

There are two key questions:

Can Missouri slow down Gophers wing Cade Tyson? The North Carolina transfer is averaging 25.5 points per game, while shooting 45% from 3-point range.

And can Minnesota limit Mark Mitchell? The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging up 20.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. The former McDonald’s All-American, who started his career at Duke, is shooting nearly 70% from two-point range.

“You can see when you watch the film why he’s an all-SEC player,” Medved said. “He has great length and athleticism. He is an incredible attacker of the rim, a guy who can drive it through a keyhole. He is so explosive. When he can get his shoulder on you and into the paint, he causes a ton of problems.”

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson figures to be one of the players tasked with defending Mitchell.

Another recruit?

Medved’s first recruiting class anticipates three players signing with the U on Wednesday: four-star forward Nolen Anderson from Wayzata; three-star center Chadrack Mpoyi from Irvine, Calif.; and three-star point guard Cedric Tomes of East Ridge.

Earlier this fall, Minnesota was looking to add another player to the group but now will probably hold at three high school additions for next year, Medved said.

Alums welcome

Former Gophers center John Thomas visited the U’s practice on Monday. He is the latest in a growing list of former players Medved has welcomed back to their alma mater.

“I was in college with John, too,” said Medved, who was a student manager for the Gophers from 1993-96. “We go way back. He’s one of my favorite people and favorite players. I loved the spirit that he brought to the game.”

Thomas played on the Gophers’ Final Four team in 1997 before going onto a pro career that included five years in the NBA. He was on the Timberwolves in 2004-05.

“It’s awesome to have these guys come back and be around and get a chance to speak to our players, and hopefully develop a connection with our players,” Medved said. “That is what it’s all about.”

Briefly

Confirming the weakness of Minnesota’s early schedule: Gardner-Webb lost to North Greenville, a Division II program, 92-81 on Monday. … Going into Tuesday’s games, Missouri is ranked 35th on the analytics site KenPom.com, while Minnesota has climbed to 64th.

Gophers Langston Reynolds and Cade Tyson celebrate during Minnesota’s exhibition win over North Dakota on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 at Williams Arena (Brace Hemmelgarn / Gophers Athletics)
Gophers guard Langston Reynolds throws down a dunk during the Gophers 95-50 victory over Alcorn State on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 at Williams Arena. (Brad Rempel / Gophers Athletics)

Related Articles

Men’s basketball: Gophers blowout Alcorn State in 95-50 win

Coach Niko Medved reflects on ‘pretty cool’ debut with Gophers

Men’s basketball: Gophers open with rout of Gardner-Webb

Frustrated by stagnation, Mark Coyle puts more money into Gophers men’s basketball

North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson can have ‘really good year’ for Gophers