Minnesota health care leaders gathered Thursday at the state Capitol to demand that Gov. Tim Walz call a special session to pass gun violence legislation more than a month after the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting in Minneapolis.

Joined by doctors who cared for Annunciation victims, they called for four gun control measures: a ban on assault-style weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines, safe storage laws, and the removal of the local preemption law that prohibits cities from enacting local gun control.

“This is no longer a friendly request from their local doctors,” said Dr. Lisa Mattson, president of the Minnesota Medical Association. “This is a demand from the tens of thousands of physicians across the state who know firearm violence for what it is: a public health crisis.”

The doctors in attendance at Thursday’s news conference said they are in conversation with lawmakers, but did not share details about what lawmakers are telling them as to why a special session has yet to be called.

Janna Gewirtz O’Brien, president-elect of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she’s hearing “a whole lot of empathy and not a lot of action.”

“I think sometimes politics gets in the way of good sense,” she said.

Walz said Thursday at an unrelated news conference that he’s “still working it,” but didn’t confirm whether he would call a special session. Negotiations for the parameters of a special session blew up publicly Tuesday, and DFL leaders said that negotiations are at a “clear impasse” with Republican leaders.

DFL leadership released one of their offers to the public, which includes several Republican proposals regarding school safety and mental health. Although Republicans did not release their counteroffer publicly, Walz said Thursday it’s “totally missing” any mention of gun control.

“If we’re going to come back in in a special session and address what the public clearly wants, we need to discuss the whole spectrum of issues,” he said. “For us to come back in and give Republicans everything they want, without anything we want, they are acting just like Republicans in D.C. right now.”

Dr. Trish Valusek, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Children’s Minnesota, recalled receiving a trauma alert the morning of the Annunciation shooting.

Valusek said she has cared for children with gunshot wounds before, but that it’s rare for school-age children to be “shot in the head at 8:30 in the morning” on a school day, so she had a gut feeling she would be dealing with a mass casualty.

“Having five bloody shocked children arrive at Children’s all at once, all of whom were the same age as my children, one of whom had the same name as one of my children, is very difficult,” she said.

Valusek said there’s a saying in pediatrics that kids “aren’t just little adults,” that they have a different physiology, and that doctors can’t treat them the same as adults.

“The saying certainly holds true for gunshot wounds,” she said. “It should be obvious — kids are small, and this can make the injury they incur more severe … I really hope I don’t need to give a more graphic description of what a bullet does to a child’s tiny body to get the point across that it is bad.”

Dr. Tim Kummer, the first physician on the scene, said he still remembers the blood on school uniforms, the looks in the children’s eyes and the screams of parents.

Kummer testified on Sept. 15 before Minnesota senators about the difference between a handgun injury and a rifle injury in a 12-year-old girl he treated. He said Thursday that assault weapons “multiplied” the number of children shot at Annunciation, and turned minor wounds into life-threatening ones.

“For those who say gun violence is a complicated issue, it isn’t,” said Kummer, who coordinates emergency medical services at Hennepin Healthcare. “This is a public health issue, and we know how to address public health issues. We follow the evidence.”

“And the evidence to this public health issue is clear: limit access to certain weapons, weapons that, by design, cause more victims, not less, with more severe injuries, not minor, creating more trauma for everyone who responds and cares for them,” he added.

Annunciation was celebrating the first Mass of the new school year on Aug. 27 when a shooter opened fire through a church window, killing two students and wounding 21 people, 18 of them children. The 23-year-old assailant, a former Annunciation student, died by suicide. No precise motive has been publicly identified by investigators.

Related Articles

St. Paul woman ties ribbons on TC Marathon route for Annunciation victims

DFL, GOP deadlocked in talks for special session on gun violence

Girl shot in the head in Minneapolis church attack is making ‘miraculous’ progress, family says

Annunciation parents testify as Minnesota senators look at gun control proposals

‘She taught us to live fully’: Remembering Harper Moyski

 

 

Quieris Barnslater rarely comes off the field for Apple Valley. On Thursday, he again showed why he should not.

He’s an offensive threat running or throwing, had a couple kickoff returns outside the 40, and is one of the team’s top tacklers from his cornerback position. “ATHLETE !!” is how he self-describes on his X page.

The North Dakota State commit ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 65 yards and a score as the Eagles won 43-24 at Burnsville. Tylan Ward had a touchdown reception and an interception.

This is the first time since 2016 the South Suburban Conference foes separated by less than five miles have met.

The advent of district football when teams played more schools in their class put a nearly decade-long kibosh on the rivalry with Apple Valley being a Class 5A school, Burnsville 6A. However, the Blaze dropped down a class this season.

Apple Valley (3-3) took advantage of two first-half interceptions and two fumble recoveries — one for a safety — for a 23-3 lead. The Blaze (1-5) finished with five turnovers and an unsuccessful fourth-quarter fake punt at their own 25. Burnsville has allowed at least 41 points in four of its six games.

After a fumble recovery deep in Burnsville territory, a 12-yard slither by Barnslater moved the ball to the 1 before Malik Quadri scored in the jumbo package with 4 minutes to play before half.

Barnslater, who scored untouched from the 15 early in the fourth quarter to make it 36-10, displayed shiftiness on the first Apple Valley play, a 38-run where the senior started left, burst through a seam, and, had he not stumbled, likely would have had a 68-yard score. Jackson Cozy scored from the 2 just four plays later.

A Christian Romero 25-yard field goal got Burnsville within 7-3, but a 25-yard pass from Barnslater to Tyson Johnson highlighted a seven-play drive that was capped by Barnslater faking a handoff and going untouched to the corner before the opening quarter expired.

Liam Henke led Burnsville with 102 yards rushing and the quarterback threw a perfect strike to Tommy Subah for a 30-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Caleb Kamara, who committed to Northern Iowa Monday, ran for 103 yards and had a late 82-yard touchdown reception.

Related Articles

High School Football: Predictions for Forest Lake-East Ridge, Woodbury-Mounds View and more

High school football: Mounds View goes on road to beat East Ridge

High school football: Grady Buettner leads Hill-Murray over South St. Paul

High School Volleyball: Gophers commit Madi Kraft is Eagan’s defensive anchor

High School Football: Baez tallies 201 yards, 3 TDs in Cadets win over Apple Valley

The 44th annual Twin Cities Marathon kicks off Friday with an expanded field of racers from all over the world and all 50 states.

The TC Marathon also will allow all mobility devices on the course for the first time this year. Joe Dailey, who regularly ran marathons before a spinal cord injury in 2002, is planning to compete with a hand cycle Sunday while raising money for Unite to Fight Paralysis.

Dailey, of Prior Lake, said he is excited to be back out on the course. His main goal is to finish, and when he does, he looks forward to that feeling of accomplishment again.

“The feeling you get when you cross the finish line, where there’s not a part of your body that you are not aware of,” Dailey said. “It’s such an overall encompassing feeling, and I’m looking forward to getting that feeling again.”

Dailey has already surpassed his fundraising goal of $2,000 for Unite to Fight Paralysis, reaching $2,500 as of Wednesday.

The TC Marathon also will give participants an additional 30 minutes to complete the course, extending the time to finish the marathon from 6 hours to 6:30. As of Monday, the TC Marathon had raised $1.1 million for 56 charities, with a goal of raising $2.62 million for more than 80 nonprofits.

Women’s winner Molly Bookmyer, from Columbus, Ohio, makes a sprint for the finish line in the Twin Cities Marathon in St. Paul on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. Bookmyer finished with a time of 2:28:52. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Where can I watch?

Here are a few of the best spots in St. Paul to watch the marathon.

Summit Avenue is lined with historic homes, and the first place you will spot runners is at the intersection of Cretin Avenue and Summit Avenue South. This part of the course features a steady incline, so spectators can offer support to marathoners as they tackle miles 21 through 25.

Cathedral Hill is where the racers make the final push to the finish line. The stretch covers the final full mile of the course as they approach the finish line at the Capitol.

What’s the etiquette for spectators?

Spectators shouldn’t take fuel from rehydration stations or walk across the course with runners present and should refrain from encouraging racers who might be walking to run. They know their bodies best.

What’s the purse?

The total purse is more than $80,000 and includes wheelchair athletes and $20,000 Best of the Midwest competition within the marathon. These racers must be accepted into the program.

Who is favored?

One of the favorites in the “Best of the Midwest is Tesfu Tewelde, who will be defending his title after finishing second overall in the 2024 TC Marathon. His competition includes Kenyans Elisha Barno, the 2018 champion; Will Norris, who took sixth place in 2024; and Nicolas Rotich, a six-time winner of Grandma’s Marathon.

The top contender for the women’s title in Best of the Midwest is Jane Bareikis. Courtney Dauwalter, an ultramarathon runner, joins the field this year and adds a unique skillset to the mix.

Who won last year?

Shadrack Kimining had the fastest time on Oct. 6, 2024, completing the race in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 17 seconds, beating Twelde by 4 seconds. Molly Bookmyer won the women’s race, finishing the course in 2:28.52, 5 minutes and 50 seconds faster than Jessica Watychowicz.

Streaming and results

Those who cannot make it to the race can stream it live Sunday on KARE11+ beginning at 6:30 a.m. with “More Than A Marathon Live.” Results from all of this weekend’s races can be found at RaceRecord.com.

Related Articles

Questions remain as Wild’s preseason comes to a close

High School Football: Predictions for Forest Lake-East Ridge, Woodbury-Mounds View and more

Why have the Vikings been limiting veteran safety Harrison Smith?

Would Gophers be left out of a college football ‘super league?’

Vikings’ trip to London in 1983 hooked these season ticket holders living in England

In recent weeks, Americans have grown increasingly anxious over mounting threats to free expression. New revelations about government influence during COVID show this is not new.

Google and YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, disclosed on Sept. 23 that the Biden administration pressured the company to suppress content that went against the accepted narrative during the pandemic — even when it didn’t violate company policy.

The federal government interfered with how the nation’s dominant search engine and its most widely used online video platform moderated speech.

Alphabet admitted Biden officials leaned on the company to remove posts questioning pandemic policy — even when they didn’t break its rules. In a letter to the House Committee on the Judiciary, Alphabet’s attorneys wrote: “While the Company continued to develop and enforce its policies independently, Biden Administration officials continued to press the Company to remove non-violative user-generated content.”

This comes after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared much the same story last year.

In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee on Aug. 26, 2024, Zuckerberg said senior Biden administration officials “pressured” Meta during the pandemic to remove or demote some COVID-19 posts, including humor and satire, called that pressure “wrong,” and said Meta took actions it “shouldn’t have.”

COVID was chaotic, and officials were trying to keep people safe. But that doesn’t excuse overreach.

Government pressure on media and speech isn’t unique to the digital age, and administrations from both parties have tried to influence how Americans receive information. What’s new is the scale and speed of influence when the government leans on online platforms used by billions.

Free speech must be defended consistently, no matter which party is in power. Today’s majority will someday be the minority — and when the government leans on companies to silence dissent, everyone eventually loses.

Indeed, the Biden administration’s actions have emboldened retaliatory efforts from the Trump administration. This is a terrifying precedent for American politics that needs to stop.

When lawful content is suppressed under government pressure, it doesn’t eliminate misinformation — it fuels distrust. Many Americans who suspected authorities were hiding uncomfortable truths during COVID feel vindicated by these disclosures, and that erosion of trust makes it harder to govern in future crises. Especially because some of the ideas flagged as “misinformation” later proved credible: the lab-leak theory is now considered plausible by intelligence agencies, and studies confirmed natural immunity offered real protection.

Ironically, removing lawful posts may have worsened public health outcomes. By driving skepticism underground rather than confronting it openly, officials created fertile ground for conspiracy theories that then were harder to debunk.

If Americans want to protect free expression, we must demand consistency from leaders of both parties. No U.S. government has the right to dictate what lawful ideas can be expressed by the people.

— The Chicago Tribune

Related Articles

Ken Peterson: Regarding Trump’s attempt to take control of states’ voting systems

Federal agency website notifications, social media posts blame shutdown on ‘radical left’ Democrats

Fundraising groups step up to help reopen national park sites and welcome visitors

Nebraska Republicans are targeting voter-approved medical marijuana, following other GOP-led states

Former Iowa superintendent charged with federal firearms offense after immigration arrest