Two unspeakable acts of evil — a political assassination and a school shooting — will haunt memories of 2025.

With that violence and the political turmoil that continues unabated, it was important for me to find quiet moments like Catherine Ayers reading the Bible or a young girl easing a lantern into a pond.

With all the grief and pain I was able to find moments of joy and triumph like an incarcerated man celebrating a chess move or a teacher thrilled to see a student again.

It was my privilege to photograph the moments I witnessed, to share those slices in time. This slideshow represents 20 of my favorite photos from 2025.

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TORONTO (AP) — Kendall Coyne Schofield scored her league-leading sixth and seventh goals, Nicole Hensley shined with a 31-save outing, and the Minnesota Frost topped the Toronto Sceptres 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Katy Knoll, Britta Curl-Salemme and Grace Zumwinkle also scored for Minnesota. Taylor Heise had three assists.

Daryl Watts had the lone goal for Toronto. Elaine Chuli made 14 saves, with Raygan Kirk turning away two shots in relief in the third period.

Watts opened the scoring 4:55 into the contest when she backhanded a puck over Hensley’s right shoulder on a pass into the slot from Renata Fast.

Curl-Salemme put Minnesota ahead at 12:59. With one skate behind the goal line, some feet away from the end boards, Curl-Salemme fired it in off Chuli’s shoulder, who seemed to have to duck her head to not get hit by the shot.

Coyne Schofield made it a three-goal game with 4.4 seconds left in the second when her low backhand shot trickled in five-hole on Chuli, who was replaced by Kirk after the period.

Coyne Schofield added an empty-netter with 3:17 left after Toronto pulled Kirk for an extra attacker with 5:45 remaining.

With her first-period goal, Watts became the second PWHL player to have 50 career points, joining Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin (55).

Up next

Frost: Visit Ottawa on Saturday.

Sceptres: Host Seattle at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour on Saturday.

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Assistant St. Paul Fire Chief Greg Duren, one of the longest-serving paramedics in the department’s history, will serve as the city’s interim fire chief, Mayor Melvin Carter announced Tuesday.

Chief Butch Inks retired Tuesday after serving 31 years as a St. Paul firefighter and Duren takes over on Wednesday.

Greg Duren (Courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department)

Inks and Duren joined the St. Paul Fire Department together in 1994.

Duren has served in every rank in the department. He was appointed deputy fire chief in spring 2024 and has served as assistant fire chief of Emergency Medical Services since August, supporting operations for the state’s busiest fire department-based EMS system.

Inks was fire chief since 2019 and Carter announced in July he’d appointed him to a second, six-year term.

Inks has said his decision to retire was not about the election of a new mayor, but about being able to continue doing the physical work of a firefighter after shoulder-replacement surgery in November.

He originally injured his shoulder while working at a major fire when he was a captain. Though Inks is no longer putting out fires, he said he believes St. Paul’s fire chief should be able to carry out all the duties of a firefighter.

New mayor to decide on next fire chief

Carter worked closely with Mayor-elect Kaohly Her when appointing Duren, according to Carter’s office. Her’s inauguration is Friday.

Duren will serve as interim chief as Her’s administration works to appoint a permanent fire chief. He said he doesn’t plan to apply for the job.

Her “is committed to a fair and transparent process for determining the next fire chief,” said Matt Wagenius, Her’s campaign and transition team spokesperson. She felt strongly that the interim chief shouldn’t be someone seeking the permanent position, according to Wagenius.

Duren comes from a St. Paul firefighting family. His father worked for the department for 20 years and retired as fire captain in 2000; his brother is a captain who’s worked for the department for 14 years.

“Interim Chief Duren leads with a people-first mindset, prioritizing both the residents of St. Paul and the members of this department,” Carter said in a statement. “I am confident he will guide the fire department with integrity, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to keeping our community safe during this transition.”

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Six months after surviving an assassination attempt, state Sen. John Hoffman announced on Monday that he is seeking reelection in 2026.

John Hoffman. (Courtesy of John Hoffman)

The Democrat from Champlin is seeking a fifth term in the Senate.

“Minnesotans are tired of the vitriol,” He wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “We have seen first hand where hate and dehumanization can lead. My family survived it. Leadership matters. Decency matters. Speaking up matters. If you believe in a Minnesota rooted in dignity, compassion, and courage and want to help push back against the noise, your donation makes a difference.”

On June 14, Hoffman was shot nine times in his home in Champlin, the same night Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot in what authorities say were politically motivated attacks.

Hoffman was discharged from the ICU on July 8 and made his first public appearance at the Democratic National Committee meeting on Aug. 25. His wife, Yvette, was also shot eight times and survived, and his daughter, Hope, was home and was not shot, though she has since spoken out about the emotional trauma she endured.

Sen. John Hoffman, right, and wife Yvette Hoffman. (Courtesy of the Hoffman family)

“Though I was not shot physically, I will now forever coexist with the PTSD of watching my parents be nearly shot dead in front of me and seeing my life flash before my eyes with a gun in my face,” Hope wrote in a statement in July.

The trial timeline for the man charged in the Minnesota lawmaker shootings, Vance Boelter, is still unclear. A status conference pushed deadlines a bit further into 2026, and also shed no light on whether the federal government would be seeking the death penalty. The next status conference for Boelter is Feb. 20.

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