Vikings drop heartbreaker to Bears on a field goal as time expires

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The boo birds rained down from the home crowd on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium as J.J. McCarthy slowly trotted off the field. It was the first sign that the fan base has started to grow frustrated the development of the young quarterback.

Who could blame them?

The growing pains of McCarthy were once again on display as the Vikings struggled to get anything going against the Chicago Bears. That said, McCarthy saved his best for last, leading an impressive drive in the final minutes.

Not only did McCarthy show incredible poise while leading the Vikings down the field, he then showed a clutch gene by delivering a strike to Jordan Addison to give the Vikings the lead with 56 left.

That wasn’t enough to earn the Vikings a win, as the Bears got into field goal range following a long kick return, which set the stage for Cairo Santos to play hero with a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

It went down as a heartbreaking 19-17 loss for the Vikings that has left them with more questions than answers.

There was some foreshadowing on the opening drive of the game as McCarthy underthrew Addison deep downfield off play action, then airmailed Justin Jefferson near the sideline for what would’ve moved the chains.

It was a sign of things to come as McCarthy looked overwhelmed for prolonged stretches while only completed 16 of 32 pass attempts for 150 yards. Though he mixed in an good throw over the middle here in there, he more often made routine throws look like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded.

It simply wasn’t good enough from a guy the Vikings selected with the No. 10 overall pick with hopes of him being the franchise quarterback.

That said, the Vikings still managed to take an early lead in the game, as McCarthy put together a solid drive that stalled out short of the end zone. That set up a field goal from Will Reichard that made it 3-0 in favor of the Vikings.

That prompted a good response from the Bears as they put together a lengthy 15-play drive that ended with a touchdown run by Kyle Monangai to make it 7-3.

The struggles of McCarthy started to rear their ugly head from there. He threw an interception on the next drive after climbing up a little bit too far in the pocket and getting hit while he released the ball.

Fortunately for the Vikings, the Bears couldn’t deliver the haymaker, settling for a field goal to make it 10-3.

There was still a chance for the Vikings to score some points before halftime, until McCarthy made yet another mistake, this time throwing an interception on a pass intended for Addison the end zone.

After a pair of field goals from the Bears made it 16-3 after halftime, the Vikings finally got a spark they desperately needed thanks to some complimentary football.

They got a couple of sacks by Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel on defense, a 42-yard punt return by Myles Price on special teams, then a touchdown run by Jordan Mason to cut the deficit to 16-10.

That set the stage for McCarthy to put the Vikings ahead in the final minute with his most impressive drive of the game that make it 17-16 with 56 second left in the game. That proved to be too much time as Devin Duvernay provided a 56-yard kick return that put the Bears on the edge of field goal range.

After a few runs up the gut, Santos walked onto the field, and put the ball through the uprights to finalize the score at 19-17.

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Minnesota’s Frankie Capan III finishes T-3 in Bermuda, inching toward PGA Tour status next season

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Frankie Capan III logged the best individual finish of his young PGA Tour career on Sunday in Southampton, Bermuda. The Tour rookie finished in a tie for third at the Bermuda Championship, which provided valuable points heading into the finale of the fall season.

Capan, a North Oaks native and the lone Minnesotan on the PGA Tour, shot a 1-under round of 70 in the final round. That was tied for the seventh-best round on the course on a day where wins hovered around 30 miles per hour, with gusts swirling north of 40 MPH.

Adam Schenk finished 12-under par to win the tournament, edging Chandler Phillips by a stroke via a four and a half foot par putt on the 18th hole.

Capan was in a tie for second, just one shot back of Schenk, when on the 16th tee on Sunday. But he bogeyed No. 16 and No. 17 to fall out of contention for the win before making par on the 18th hole.

But his finish moved Capan up 18 spots on the season-long points list to No. 124 heading into next week’s fall finale — the RSM Classic.

Golfers in the top 100 after that event secure their PGA Tour cards for next season. Those in spots No. 101-125 earn conditional status and will probably get eight-to-12 starts on golf’s top tour next year.

So Capan still has work to do, but he’s given himself a chance via improved play this fall. Sunday marked his second top-six finish in his last four events.

He could sure use something similar again next weekend.

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Many House Republicans will back a bill to release Epstein files, leaders of the effort say

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By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON  — Lawmakers seeking to force the release of files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein are predicting a big win in the House this week with a “deluge of Republicans” voting for their bill and bucking the GOP leadership and President Donald Trump, who for months have disparaged their effort.

The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted.

“There could be 100 or more” votes from Republicans, said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., among the lawmakers discussing the legislation on Sunday news show appearances. “I’m hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.”

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. That is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had panned the discharge petition effort and sent members home early for their August recess when the GOP’s legislative agenda was upended in the clamoring for an Epstein vote. Democrats also contend the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition and gain the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.

Massie said Johnson, Trump and others who have been critical of his efforts would be “taking a big loss this week.”

“I’m not tired of winning yet, but we are winning,” Massie said.

The view from GOP leadership

Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.

“We’ll just get this done and move it on. There’s nothing to hide,” adding that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been releasing “far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.”

The vote comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.

Johnson said Trump “has nothing to hide from this.”

“They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said.

Trump’s association with Epstein is well-established and the president’s name was included in records that his own Justice Department released in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.

Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someone’s name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.

Khanna voiced more modest expectations on the vote count than Massie. Still, Khanna said he was hoping for 40 or more Republicans to join the effort.

“I don’t even know how involved Trump was,” Khanna said. “There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.”

Khanna also asked Trump to meet with those who were abused. Some will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.

Massie said Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump’s endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record, if they vote “no,” that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.

“The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump’s presidency,” Massie said.

A MAGA split

On the Republican side, three Republicans joined with Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Trump publicly called it quits with Greene last week and said he would endorse a challenger against her in 2026 “if the right person runs.”

Greene attributed the fallout with Trump as “unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files.” She said the country deserves transparency on the issue and that Trump’s criticism of her is confusing because the women she has talked to say he did nothing wrong.

“I have no idea what’s in the files. I can’t even guess. But that is the questions everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard?” Greene said.

Even if the bill passes the House, there is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will go along. Massie said he just hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., “will do the right thing.”

“The pressure is going to be there if we get a big vote in the House,” Massie said, who thinks “we could have a deluge of Republicans.”

Massie appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” Johnson was on “Fox News Sunday,” Khanna spoke on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Greene was interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

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Business People: Roxane Battle joins Women’s Foundation of Minnesota

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ORGANIZATIONS

Roxane Battle

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, a Minneapolis organization focused on grantmaking, research, public policy and narrative change, announced that Roxane Battle has joined as vice president of communications and strategic Initiatives. Battle previously was a Twin Cities TV personality on NBC-Minneapolis, KARE-11, WCCO-TV, and FOX9. … The Minneapolis Renaissance Coalition, a public-private partnership aimed at revitalizing the city’s urban core, has named Dario Anselmo president; Anselmo is a former state legislator and former owner of the Fine Line music venue in downtown Minneapolis.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Nordeast Marketing Group, Minneapolis, announced that Scott Dahl is joining the firm as chief creative officer. Dahl previously was VP, group creative director at Betty (formerly Periscope), and came out of retirement to join Nordeast. …  The Lacek Group, a Minneapolis-based Ogilvy One agency focused on brand-loyalty marketing, announced it has been named as FNBO‘s agency of record for credit card marketing. FNBO, First National Bank of Omaha, is headquartered in Nebraska.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Mairs & Power, a St. Paul-based employee-owned investment advisory firm, announced the appointment of Pete Slattery as head of distribution. Slattery joins Mairs & Power from Aristotle Capital Management, where he served as senior vice president of institutional services.

HEALTH CARE

Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers, a nationally franchised holistic physical therapy and rehab program, announced the planned opening this fall of a clinic in White Bear Lake near Century College. The franchisee is Kyle Smaagard, a White Bear Lake High School and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who previously worked in artificial intelligence research and development.

HONORS

Storm Creek, an Eagan-based sustainable apparel company, announced that CEO and majority owner Teresa Fudenberg has been named one of the most influential leaders in the promotional products industry, earning a spot on the 2025 ASI Counselor Power 50 list. Fudenberg joined the company with her husband, Storm Creek founder and President Doug Jackson, in 2014. Storm Creek has pledged to donate $5 million to charity by 2030. … Central Lakes College meat cutting and butchery instructor Jess Feierabend has been named 2025 Post-Secondary Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. Feierabend also will participate in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 107th Annual Convention in Anaheim, Ca., in January. Central Lakes College is located in Brainerd.

LAW

Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Masha M. Yevzelman has been appointed to serve a two-year term as vice chair of the Tax Section’s State and Local Taxes Committee of the American Bar Association.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Solventum, a St. Paul-based provider of medical components, announced the appointment of Heather Knight in the newly created position of chief commercial officer, effective Nov. 10. Knight most recently served as chief operating officer at Baxter International. … AngioInsight, a Minnetonka-based developer of AI-powered cardiovascular diagnostics, announced the appointment of Shlomi Nachman to its board of directors. Nachman is former worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Cardiovascular and Specialty Solutions. … Provation ,a Minneapolis-based provider of office software for the health care industry, announced the appointment of gastroenterologist Dr. Lukasz Kowalczyk as executive medical director. Kowalczyk is a graduate of the Mayo Clinic AI Accelerator and a member of the HIMSS AI Advisory Group.

MINING

Pulsar Helium, a Portugal-based helium exploration and development company, announced the appointment of Peter Barry of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as the company’s scientific helium-3 adviser, assisting the company’s Topaz helium project in northern Minnesota.

REAL ESTATE

Sherman Associates, a national commercial real estate firm, announced the appointment of Mary Jo Kelly as manager of Commercial Leasing and Business Development in Minneapolis. Kelly previously was vice president, financial services group at Kraus-Anderson.

TECHNOLOGY

LiquidCool Solutions, a Rochester-based developer and maker of computer hardware systems, announced that Brian Casey has been appointed chief operating officer. Casey comes to LiquidCool Solutions from Celestica, a global electronic manufacturing services provider.

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