Following testimony from a state representative and a review of dozens of pages of text messages, a Ramsey County family court referee tossed out a petition this week for a restraining order against newly elected St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her filed by a former family friend.

Shirly Yang, a former confidante of the mayor, told the court she attends weekly therapy and was driven to thoughts of suicide after her friendship with Her deteriorated into a war of words by text message last summer, causing Yang to fear retaliation.

Yang said the two served together on the board of the National Kidney Foundation in Minnesota from October 2023 until October 2025, when the executive director dropped her from her board seat, citing her “public conflict” with Her, who was then still a state representative.

Yang said she was a suburban “nobody, twice divorced” and in the midst of a child-custody dispute when Her introduced her last year to state Rep. Ethan Cha, a DFLer who represents Woodbury and part of Washington County.

The two started an on-again, off-again romantic relationship, and Her began asking increasingly intrusive questions about their sex lives, oversharing about her own personal life, and calling or texting from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., said Yang, who represented herself before the court.

“I tried to set boundaries without hurting her feelings,” said Yang, whose petition describes unwanted conversations Her allegedly initiated around spirituality, sexuality and the personal lives of the mayor’s children.

Under direct examination from Yang, Cha testified that he considered himself a neutral party between the two women and had tried without success to get both sides to de-escalate the situation and avoid legal proceedings.

Her, who appeared in court represented by attorney Charlie Nauen and Rachel Kitze Collins of Lockridge Grindal Nauen, did not testify Tuesday. Nauen noted in his questions to Yang that both women had blocked each other on social media and have had almost no contact since the end of last July, other than meeting for mediation Nov. 2 with two elders in the Hmong community.

Yang displayed a thread of text messages from last July on an overhead screen. Her had written to Cha at the time that if Yang’s behavior continued she risked being psychiatrically committed, at great loss to her four children.

“Please get her to stop sending threats,” Her wrote at the time. “I don’t want to take action against her and get her committed. I can lose a race but she can lose her life and livelihood.”

Yang said she was “terrified” by the wording. Her and her husband “threatened legal action if I refused to talk to them,” Yang wrote, in her petition for a harassment restraining order. “I felt helpless.”

Cha testified he felt Her had escalated the situation, but that he also had concerns about Yang’s mental stability.

Yang, who continued to criticize Her and her mayoral campaign on Facebook, posted a picture to social media of one of Her’s campaign fliers with the candidate’s name crossed out on Oct. 13. When she lost her board seat with the National Kidney Foundation a week later, she said she came to see the July text thread as a serious threat on her life and employment, and filed a petition for an emergency restraining order Nov. 17.

It was not initially approved. In blocking the subsequent petition Tuesday, court referee Elizabeth Clysdale said there was no evidence the July text was intended in a threatening manner or that there was a sustained pattern of intrusive behavior.

In an interview after the 90-minute hearing, Yang said she had no plans to appeal the decision and that she thought her anti-bullying message to the mayor had gotten through.

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“Mayor Her is pleased with the referee’s decision to dismiss this matter from the bench, finding that the petitioner did not meet her burden of proof,” Nauen wrote in a public statement Tuesday.

“In this day and age, public figures are subject to many unfounded allegations attacking their integrity,” he added. “Mayor Her appreciated the opportunity to clear her name and looks forward to getting back to work. She hopes petitioner finds peace and wishes her well.”

By MATT OTT

Nathan’s Famous, which opened as a 5-cent hot dog stand in Coney Island more than a century ago, has been sold to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods in a $450 million all-cash deal, the companies announced Wednesday.

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Smithfield, which has held rights to produce and sell Nathan’s products in the U.S., Canada and at Sam’s Clubs in Mexico since 2014, will acquire all of Nathan’s outstanding shares for $102 each. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.

Smithfield jumped nearly 9% higher in midday trading, to $100.81 a share.

Smithfield said it expects to achieve annual savings of about $9 million within two years of closing the deal.

“As a long-time partner, Smithfield has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to investing in and growing our brand while maintaining the utmost quality and customer service standards,” said Nathan’s CEO Eric Gatoff.

Nathan’s board of directors, which own or control nearly 30% of the outstanding shares of Nathan’s Famous common stock, approved the buyout and agreed to recommend to its shareholders to vote in favor of the deal.

Smithfield, which also owns the Gwaltney bacon and Armour frozen meat brands, rang up more than a billion dollars in operating profit in 2024 on sales of $14.1 billion. It’s on track to eclipse both those figures when it reports its fourth-quarter results.

Smithfield shares were unchanged in midday trading Wednesday at $23.39.

In fiscal 2025, Nathan’s reported profit of $24 million on revenue approaching $150 million.

Entrepreneur and local small business advocate Sheletta Brundidge is teaming up with a state agency to connect food businesses to support during an immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

Sheletta Brundidge (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

Hosted by Brundidge’s nonprofit and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the free lunch-and-learn event, called, “Growing Food & Agriculture Businesses,” will connect food producers, vendors and entrepreneurs with support, resources and funding opportunities that are available through the agriculture department.

The Feb. 2 event comes at a time when some local businesses are afraid to open their doors due to “Operation Metro Surge,” which has sent thousands of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

“The immigration crackdown is destroying the infrastructure that entrepreneurs and small business owners have been working to build up for years,” Brundidge told the Pioneer Press on Wednesday.

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“ICE is terrorizing our citizens and people are afraid to leave the house,” she said. “If they are afraid to leave the house, they aren’t coming to your pop-up, they aren’t buying your products and you are going out of business.”

The upcoming event will include information on starting a food business in Minnesota, accessing commercial kitchens, ingredient sourcing, wholesale markets and grant programs.

Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey and other MDA staff will also be available to help food entrepreneurs navigate licensing, marketing and whether to sell under cottage food versus wholesale, Brundidge said.

Catered by Afro Deli, the event kicks off at 11 a.m. at 625 N. Robert Street. To register, go to http://pipr.es/BvY45zT.

Local shops speak out

Some local businesses are speaking out about ICE actions and decrying the death of Minneapolis mother Renee Good, who was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7.

Mischief Toy Store, located on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue, is being vocal about its feelings toward ICE by handing out whistles and posting signs on social media that read “No Ice: Resist Fascism.” The toy store caught the attention of ICE this week after ABC News ran a story about its activism. “Three hours later, two plainclothes ICE agents came into our store and served us with a Notice of Inspection,” said owner Dan Marshall.

The Black Hart of St. Paul, Makwa Coffee in Roseville and 620 Club in St. Paul are among the businesses making their stances known. Wes Burdine, owner of Black Hart, said he has gotten some blowback over his vocal opposition to the president and ICE. He recently received an email from someone telling him he’s alienating half of his customers, which he disputes.

Upcoming strike

Thousands of union members, religious faithful and ordinary citizens are expected to participate in a massive statewide economic strike on Friday that organizers are hoping will bring an end to ICE activity in Minnesota.

The event, called “A Day of Truth and Freedom,” is being organized by union representatives, faith leaders and community members who are urging Minnesotans not to go to work, school or go shopping in response to the ongoing federal immigration enforcement surge in the state.

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Businesses, stores and restaurants across the metro area have announced plans to be closed on Friday. Among them is Mississippi Market Co-op, which has three stores in St. Paul, Claddagh Coffee, J. Selby’s, Wet Paint, River Market Co-op in Stillwater, Marc Heu Patisserie and others.

Some businesses are modifying their approach: Catzen Coffee, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, plans to pause its regular business model to open for the day as a community space with free drip coffee.

“A Day of Truth and Freedom” will culminate in a 2 p.m. rally and march through downtown Minneapolis. The rally will start at the Commons, at 425 Portland Ave. S., organizers say.

By TERESA MEDRANO

MADRID (AP) — Blanket draped over her shoulders and a bandage on her cheek, Ana García issued a desperate plea: she needed help finding her dog, Boro.

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Hours earlier, 26-year-old García and her pregnant sister had been traveling with Boro by high-speed train from Malaga, their hometown in southern Spain, to capital Madrid. The tail of their train car jumped the rails for reasons that remain unclear, then was smashed into by a train coming in the opposite direction and that tumbled down an adjacent slope.

At least 43 people died in the crash and more than 150 were injured, including some right in front of García. Rescue crews helped her and her sister out of the tilted train car.

García saw Boro briefly, then he bolted.

After receiving medical treatment, a limping García told reporters she was going back to find him.

“Please, if you can help, look for the animals,” she said, choked up and holding back tears. “We were coming back from a family weekend with the little dog, who’s family, too.”

In the aftermath of one of Spain’s worst railway disasters, Spaniards on social media rallied to find Boro and major Spanish media outlets have reported on the search for the missing mutt.

Thousands amplified García’s call, sharing video of her interview. Photos of Boro, a medium-sized black dog with white eyebrows and a tuft of white fur on his chest, went viral alongside phone numbers for García and her family. The Associated Press was not able to reach anyone through these numbers.

Television broadcaster TVE’s filming of the crash site Monday afternoon brought a jolt of hope: for a few short seconds, a dog resembling Boro could be seen running through a nearby field — an area fenced off while investigators and rescuers continue their search for victims and evidence. But no one managed to locate the elusive pup.

The search intensified on Wednesday when an animal rescue patrol coordinated by an animal rights political party was authorized to enter the accident perimeter. An environmental agent from the Civil Guard spotted Boro — alive and well — and then tried to catch him, but the dog fled into the woods, according to a statement to the AP.

Social media was already anticipating a much-desired happy ending, with dozens of posts declaring: “Boro has been located!”