By HOLLY RAMER

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who was once engaged to the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt remains in ICE custody two weeks after being arrested on her way to pick up the son she shares with her former fiancé.

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Bruna Ferreira, 33, was driving to her son’s school in New Hampshire on Nov. 12 when she was pulled over in Revere, Massachusetts, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said Wednesday.

“She wasn’t told why she was detained,” he said. “She was bounced from Massachusetts, to New Hampshire, to Vermont, to Louisiana on this unconstitutional merry-go-round.”

Pomerleau said Ferreira’s 11-year-old son lives with her former fiancé, Michael Leavitt, in New Hampshire, but they have shared custody and maintained a co-parenting relationship for many years since their engagement broke off.

“She was detained for no reason at all. She’s not dangerous. She’s not a flight risk. She’s not a criminal illegal alien,” he said. “She’s a business owner who pays taxes and has a child who was wondering where mommy was after school two weeks ago.”

Michael Leavitt did not respond to a message sent to his workplace. The White House press secretary declined comment. Karoline Leavitt grew up in New Hampshire, and made an unsuccessful run for Congress from the state in 2022 before becoming Trump’s spokesperson for his 2024 campaign and later joining him at the White House.

Pomerleau said his client was 2 or 3 when she and her family came to the U.S. from Brazil, and she later enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Obama-era policy that shields immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. He said she was in the process of applying for a green card.

The Department of Homeland Security said Ferreira entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that required her to leave in 1999. A department spokesperson said Ferreira had a previous arrest for battery, an allegation her attorney denied.

An online search of court cases in several Massachusetts locations where she has lived found no record of such a charge.

“They’re claiming she has some type of criminal record we’ve seen nowhere. Show us the proof,” Pomerleau said. “She would’ve been deported years ago if that was true. And yet, here she is in the middle of this immigration imbroglio.”

A DHS spokesperson confirmed Ferreira is being held in Louisiana.

President Donald Trump’s efforts to broadly reshape immigration policy have included changing the approach to DACA recipients. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently issued a statement saying that people “who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.”

The annual border battle between East Ridge and Woodbury was in full swing back on Oct. 19, 2016, when Ty Okada threw a costly interception.

East ridge junior punter Grant Ryerse holds up junior Ty Okada in celebration after beating Wayzata 31-28. (Pioneer Press: Holly Peterson)

Okada was an undersized quarterback who might have weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. Instead of brooding, he channeled his frustration in that moment, squared up the defender near the sideline, then unleashed a big hit that would have made Harrison Smith proud.

That particular play might have changed the trajectory of Okada’s life.

After learning that Okada hadn’t garnered any scholarship offers, Woodbury football coach Andy Hill decided to send an email to somebody he knew at Montana State on behalf of his biggest rival.

“Your reputation is tied to those types of recommendations, so I’m not sure I would’ve done it for (just) anybody,” Hill said. “He just seemed like a good kid that deserved a shot.”

The brief sales pitch from Hill featured as many video highlights as he could find, including the big hit from Okada, which ultimately led to Montana State reaching out to East Ridge football coach Dan Fritze.

“I was like, ‘You’ve got to take this kid. You won’t regret it. You can’t go wrong,’ ” Fritze said. “They took a chance on him, and good for them.”

The rest is history for Okada. He steadily built himself into an invaluable defensive player for Montana State. And while he hit another road block after going unselected in the NFL draft, he managed to latch on with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.

After slowly working his way up from the practice squad, Okada, 26, has turned himself into as a key contributor for the Seahawks. He has grown into a 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety that recently recorded the first interception of his career with a highlight-reel catch.

Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) makes an interception against Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

If he hadn’t recently suffered an oblique injury that could land him on injured reserve, Okada would be preparing for a game between the Seahawks and the Vikings on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.

Nonetheless, that Okada made it to the NFL against all odds is both surprising and, well, not surprising to those that know him best. He was a standout athlete for East Ridge who carried himself with an unmatched intensity whether he was competing in football, wrestling or baseball.

“We couldn’t have imagined he would get all the way to the NFL,” Fritze said. “You also can’t be too shocked based on who he has always been at his core.”

As he reflected on their time together, Fritze noted how Okada was roughly 130 pounds as a junior, serving as the backup quarterback while East Ridge advanced all the way to the state championship game before losing a heartbreaker to Osseo.

“He had no chance of seeing the field without an injury,” Fritze said. “He hadn’t fully grown into his body yet.”

After putting in a ton of work in the weight room, Okada reached roughly 150 pounds as a senior, earning the right to be the starting quarterback, largely because of his intangibles.

“He was the best leader on the team,” Fritze said. “He was also the hardest worker on the team.”

That translated to success for Okada, who proved to be a threat with his arm and his legs en route to being named the district’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. He ran with a noticeable nastiness about him, often delivering contact rather than absorbing it.

East Ridge Raptors quarterback Ty Okada calls his own number as he rushes against the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders in the fourth quarter at East Ridge High School in Woodbury on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. East Ridge beat Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, 21-7. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

“He didn’t seem like he would be that impactful based on his size,” Fritz said. “He succeeded because his physical toughness and mental toughness was so off the charts.”

As much as he gravitated to football from an early age, Okada actually might have been most naturally gifted as a wrestler. He qualified for the state tournament twice under the tutelage of former East Ridge wrestling coach Matt Everson.

“He was special,” Everson said. “He had this attitude where he was never going to back down.”

The gravitational pull of football proved to be too much, however, and Okada hung up the singlet to focus on getting stronger. He knew he had to add more muscle if he wanted to make it to the next level.

“He outlined his goals in a way that made it pretty clear he wasn’t going to back down,” Everson said. “It made me take a step back and be like, ‘How can I help?’ He’s always been very strong willed, a hard worker who always believed in himself.”

As for his time on the diamond, Okada was originally a catcher by trade that made the move to second base because East Ridge baseball coach Brian Sprout needed some consistency in the infield.

“He stepped right in and did the job,” Sprout said. “Just like everything else he does in life.”

There are a couple of stories that stand out to Sprout when it comes to Okada.

There was the time he played a role in the benches clearing during a game between East Ridge and Eastview in the section tournament. There was also the time he was spotted getting in some extra work in the batting cages before school, despite it being around 35 degrees late in the fall.

There’s a reason Sprout brought up both of those specific anecdotes. They perfectly encapsulate the competitive fire that has fueled him throughout his rise up the ranks.

“He’s an example for everybody to watch and strive to be like,” Sprout said. “He wasn’t supposed to go play college football. And then he did. He wasn’t supposed to play much. And then he did. He wasn’t supposed to make it to the NFL. And then he did. The opportunities kept presenting themselves because he refused to quit.”

That explains why Okada still gets mentioned in casual conversation around East Ridge nearly a decade after he graduated.

“We’re all watching what he’s doing,” Sprout said. “He’s a kid we’ll never forget.”

Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada celebrates after sacking Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

After walking on at Montana State, Okada put his head down and went to work. He switched positions pretty much as soon as he arrived on campus, carving out a niche for himself in spot minutes before eventually being put on scholarship and earning All-Big Sky honors.

It’s almost fitting that Okada was passed over in the 2023 NFL draft. It put him in position to prove the doubters wrong once again. He signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, spent an extended period of time on the practice squad, emerged as a special teams ace and is now making an impact as a defensive player with a runway to improvement.

“You add that all up and it’s pretty incredible,” Fritze said. “He worked so hard and overcame so many obstacles to get to where he is right now. We’re beaming with pride for him and his family. It’s so cool to see what he has done.”

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FARGO — Paul Hedren grew up in a part of Minnesota where the Dakota War of 1862 was ignited when starving Dakota renegades raided the Lower Sioux Agency and white settlements along the Minnesota River.

Born in New Ulm, his family later moved to Olivia. Those surroundings kindled his interest in Sioux history, which led to a lifelong obsession about the Great Sioux War that followed the Minnesota uprising, a bloody conflict that culminated in Lt. Col. George Custer’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Hedren’s interest in history evolved into a 37-year career with the National Park Service as a historian and superintendent . His administrative postings included overseeing the Fort Union National Historic Site near Williston, North Dakota, a replica of a major fur-trading post close to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers.

Besides his administrative duties, Hedren also indulged his interest in history and became one of the leading experts on the Great Sioux War, writing more books on the subject than any other author.

Sitting Bull was the leading figure in the Lakota resistance during the Great Sioux War. He led the Lakotas and Cheyennes who refused to be confined to a reservation and clung to the traditional life of chasing buffalo herds.

Although Little Bighorn and other battles of the Great Sioux War have been extensively written about, Hedren was bothered that nobody had written about the entire war from the perspective of the Lakotas and Cheyennes.

His response to that omission is his latest book, “Sitting Bull’s War,” just published by Pegasus Books.

“It’s the right way to tell such a story,” drawing upon the accounts of Native American participants, with their motivations and reactions at the forefront, Hedren said.

“Nobody’s done this,” he added, recalling the impetus for the book. “How come nobody’s done this? It’s a story that’s never been told.”

The book’s subtitle on the cover crystallizes Hedren’s theme: “The Battle of the Little Big Horn and the Fight for Buffalo and Freedom on the Plains.”

Custer’s shocking defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn still captures the nation’s imagination, and that battle has overshadowed the long, desperate struggle by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and others who wanted to keep their freedom and independence.

“It’s a day in two years of fighting inside of 10 years to maintain a homeland,” Hedren said.

Not long after defeating Custer, the alliance Sitting Bull put together splintered as they fled the retribution they knew was coming. Ultimately, Sitting Bull and his most ardent followers sought asylum in Canada. At first, buffalo were plentiful and life was good.

But when the herds bordered on extinction, Sitting Bull and his followers faced starvation, and were forced to surrender at Fort Buford in 1881, ending his long struggle to maintain his freedom.

Sitting Bull’s favorite hunting lands were the Little Missouri River country that includes what today is Theodore Roosevelt National Park. “That was his home country,” Hedren said.

“He never favored the Missouri River,” which was heavily traveled by steamboats and lined with forts, making it a congested neighborhood.

But as settlers pushed westward, buffalo were driven further west, into Montana and Wyoming, where Sitting Bull and those like him followed — where they were pursued by an army determined to subdue them and drive them onto reservations.

“To understand the war is to understand the prairie alliance’s reliance on buffalo,” a great vulnerability as the herds became increasingly scarce, Hedren said.

For the government, “The prime objective is to destroy a lifeway, a way to sustain yourself for another season,” he said.

At first, the army was stymied. The Lakotas and Cheyennes were expert cavalry soldiers. Faced by superior numbers, the warriors attacked using guerilla techniques. And when they were attacked, they proved an elusive enemy.

As a result, the army turned to more brutal methods, attacking tipi villages before dawn, with indiscriminate fire killing noncombatant women and children. Then, after taking a village, they burned their lodges, dried meat and robes, leaving them hungry and destitute.

“What wins here is starvation,” Hedren said. “The whole thing is just a sad story. It is what it is. The government achieved its purposes,” forcing the holdouts to submit to reservation life.

That was Custer’s objective when he attacked an enormous village gathered by Sitting Bull on the Little Bighorn. His aim was to capture women and children, forcing a surrender, but he ran into overwhelming opposition.

The tragic devastation of a once-proud way of life is something that has long tugged at Hedren.

While posted at Fort Union in the 1980s, he often visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where he heard a program from a ranger who recited Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Buffalo Dusk,” which mourned the loss of the vast buffalo herds and those who relied on them.

“It played straight into several lifelong themes central to my own studies of the American West, the buffalo of the Great Plains, the Indian people who built lives around those majestic creatures, and, further, that time when, for buffalo and Indians, their world turned upside down,” Hedren wrote in the preface of “Sitting Bull’s War,” his 14th book.

“No other historian has mined American Indian accounts of a war with the U.S. government more thoroughly than Mr. Hedren has here,” a reviewer for the Wall Street Journal wrote. “As an encyclopedic recounting of the battles, skirmishes and other encounters of the Great Sioux War and of its antecedents, however, ‘Sitting Bull’s War’ succeeds admirably, and is a worthwhile addition to the literature on the Indian Wars of the West that students of that era will welcome.”

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The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season means bargain hunting. Retail artists comb the web and the newspaper fliers searching for those one-of-a-kind hidden bargains that might be the perfect fit.

For Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, the greatest hidden bargain might have been found way, way before anyone was checking names off their holiday gift list.

In the run-up to what most consider an underwhelming foray into free agency last summer, Guerin signed veteran forward Marcus Johansson to a team-friendly one-year contract worth $800,000 last June.

Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson (90) shoots the puck against Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

At the time, Johansson was coming off his 15th NHL season having recorded 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 72 games, and his new deal didn’t appear to be a needle-mover. Less than six months later, the same GM who signed Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in NHL history also looks like a shrewd value hunter with what Johansson has done so far in 2025-26.

Early returns

A few weeks after he turned 35, and a few weeks before he was honored for hitting the 1,000 career games milestone, Johansson started a hot streak that has coincided nicely with the Wild’s November rise from early disappointment to solidly in the Central Division race.

Entering Wednesday’s meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks, Johansson had posted 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in Minnesota’s previous 15 games, and had everyone wondering if there was a new pregame ritual or superstition at work.

Before a recent win in Pittsburgh in which he scored a goal, Johansson admitted that ignoring the numbers while getting his offense going early in the season has been the key to his success.

“Just trying to play and enjoying it and not worrying too much about anything. Just trying to help the team win, and I think that’s been the main thing,” he explained. “Also, I think sometimes you get some points early, and that kind of makes it easier not to think about it. No one’s talking about you not getting points, so then it comes more naturally, I think.”

Traveling man

Originally from Sweden, Johansson put up some impressive numbers in his home country as a teen, prompting the Washington Capitals to use their 2009 first-round pick on him.

He made his NHL debut two years later and spent his first seven NHL seasons learning the ways of the North American game alongside stars such as Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin.

“Washington, obviously, I was there for such a long time. That’s kind of where I grew up a little bit and we had our first daughter and all that. So that place means a lot to us,” said Johansson, who has two daughters with his wife, Amelia.

In 2017, the Capitals traded Johansson to New Jersey, where he spent two seasons and first played for current Wild coach John Hynes. At the 2019 trade deadline, the Devils shipped him to Boston, where he was a part of the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, which they lost to St. Louis in seven games.

“Boston was short, but it was very special, the big group we had there and made it to the finals and all that,” Johansson said of the 32 games he spent there.

From there, Johansson played a season in Buffalo, then a season with the Wild, then part of a season in Seattle, which traded him back to the Capitals — who traded him back to Minnesota late in the 2022-23 season.

He has been here since then. And while they still spend summers in Sweden, for the Johanssons, this feels like home.

“My kids love it in Minnesota. They have a lot of friends, they like their schools and all that, and my wife has her routine. So it makes everything easier,” he said. “Family’s important, so when they’re happy, that makes it easier for me. It’s just been nice to kind of find somewhere that we like and that we enjoy being.”

Working the wing

Playing wing on a line centered by Joel Eriksson Ek, with Matt Boldy on the other wing, Johansson has been part of a symbiotic that has provided the Wild with reliable offense as they rallied from the lousy October to start November with a 9-1-1 run.

With the Wild killing a penalty in Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon, defenseman Brock Faber chipped a puck out of the defensive zone to Johansson, starting a 2-on-1 break toward the Jets’ net. Faber followed the play and was in the right place for Johansson to give the puck back, setting up Faber’s first career shorthanded goal.

“I was screaming (for the puck) just as loud as I could,” Faber said after the game, a 3-0 win. “Jojo’s obviously such a gifted passer, there was no doubt in my mind that he wasn’t going to pass that thing back.”

For Hynes, the late-career resurgence has not been a surprise. Johansson, he said, is showing some of the things the coach first saw nearly a decade ago in Newark.

“He has played a lot of hockey, and he came back this year,” Hynes said. “Obviously, he has had a great start to the season. He’s one of our more consistent players in the way he plays the game and also some of his point production. So it’s nice to see.”

Career regular season game number 1,000 came in a 2-0 win over Calgary this month. Before the next game, Johansson, along with his family, was honored before the opening faceoff, presented with the traditional silver stick to mark the milestone. All of that, and the points he has posted this season, are very special, he admits.

But having gotten a taste of a deep playoff run in 2019, Johansson said there is one goal only in his mind that fuels everything he does on the ice each game.

“I don’t play to get as many points as possible,” he said. “Towards the end of my career, the only thing I want to do is win, to have a chance to win and win the Stanley Cup. That’s why I’m here, and that’s all I worry about.”

And if that drive and offense come with a bargain price tag, all the better for Guerin and the Wild.

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