Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, released a statement Thursday evening on the shooting last Saturday at their Champlin home that left them critically injured and hospitalized.

According to the statement, John Hoffman is in “critical but stable condition” and Yvette Hoffman is in “stable condition.”

Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in Brooklyn Park. Before that, authorities say, he also shot and wounded the Hoffmans, who live a few miles away.

Boelter surrendered Sunday night near his rural Sibley County home after what authorities have called the largest manhunt in the state’s history. Investigators say he also visited — fruitlessly — the homes of two other Democratic legislators as he embarked on his assassination spree.

On Wednesday night, Gov. Tim Walz, his wife, Gwen, and hundreds of other mourners attended a candlelight vigil for the Hortmans at the state Capitol.

“Because we have been hospitalized and receiving medical care, we have not been able to provide much information regarding the horrible circumstances of June 14th, but would now like to provide a statement offering more clarity of what happened,” reads the statement.

“After having attended the Humphrey Mondale dinner on Friday, June 13th, we returned to our home, joined there by our adult daughter, Hope. At approximately 2:00 a.m., we were all awakened by the sounds of pounding on the front door and shouts of someone seeking entry, identifying himself as a police officer. When the door was opened, all three of us were in the entryway. John initially lunged at the gunman as the weapon was pointed directly at him, getting struck nine times. As John fell, Yvette reached out to push the man and shut the door, succeeding before she was also hit eight times by gunfire. Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home.”

The couple said that their daughter Hope’s “brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway.”

In the statement, the couple also expressed gratitude to medical providers, first responders and law enforcement “who worked so quickly, professionally and selflessly to safeguard others and to apprehend the shooter, starting with our own officers in Champlin and Brooklyn Park.

“We are heartbroken to know that our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated. Our daughter Hope and Sophie Hortman went to school together, and we know that they — along with Colin Hortman — will have each other’s support as we all work through the devastating consequences of that horrific night. We want to thank all those at Fernbrook School behind the GoFundMe account — you will be helping us pick up the broken pieces of our lives. We are uplifted by the prayers and support from so many across the state of Minnesota and the country: thank you.”

In closing, they mention the threats to those in public service.

“Choosing to work in the public sector, even in as limited a way as John’s career as a senator, has always meant sacrificing a level of privacy. But now we are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like what you stand for. As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully. The future for our children depends on that. We will be praying for that work and appreciate all those who will join with us.”

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The architects designing a new Bayport City Hall in the early 1990s envisioned a building with two glass towers.

Bev Schultz, the former mayor of Bayport, died Sunday, June 15, 2025, of complications related to pneumonia, at the New Richmond, Wis., Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was 87. (Courtesy of the Schultz Family)

The towers could be lit at night, they said, to signal to the community that a meeting was being held there. Citizens of Bayport would see the light and know they could come, listen and speak their piece.

But Mayor Bev Schultz, who served from 1991 to 1996, had a problem with that design. The towers, she said, would be a maintenance headache.

“Just think of all the time and energy that would have to go into washing that glass,” Schultz told the Pioneer Press in 1991.

Schultz, 87, died Sunday of complications related to pneumonia. She had been in hospice care at the New Richmond, Wis., Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Schultz was a longtime volunteer and public servant in Bayport. She was a Girl Scout troop leader. She made quilts for fundraisers. She helped out at St. Charles Catholic Church. She worked at Croixdale, the senior-living facility. She was active in the Bayport Community Action League. She supported the Bayport Public Library. She drove the school bus. She took in ironing.

She also served for four years on the Bayport City Council and then ran successfully for mayor for two terms.

Some people questioned her qualifications for public office during her election campaign for mayor in 1990, Schultz told the Pioneer Press in 1991.

“They spread the word that I was `just a housewife’ and that that should be reason to vote for the other candidate,” she said. “Being `just a housewife’ shouldn’t be a barrier to being mayor. Spending 34 years as a housewife — all of it in Bayport — was a fantastic learning experience for me. Some housewives learn by mixing in the community. They do volunteer work for the Girl Scouts, the church, the local school and civic groups. In the process, they get a handle on the public pulse, and what better way to train for the mayor’s job?”

‘They believed in doing what … was right’

Her husband, Al, a longtime Bayport police officer, was elected mayor in 1996. He ran for the office after Bev had to bow out because of health issues, said the couple’s eldest son, Charlie Schultz, who lives in Lake Elmo.

Bev and Al Schultz.(Courtesy of the Schultz Family)

“There was so much reading involved, and she was having some trouble with her eyes and headaches,” Charlie Schultz said. “He said, ‘I’m not doing anything. We’ve got all the campaign signs. We’ll just change the ‘Bev’ to ‘Al,’ and put them out. He won by a landslide.”

Al Schultz, who died in 2015, served one term.

“They believed in doing what they thought was right for Bayport,” Charlie Schultz said. “They had kind of an old-school view on what should be and shouldn’t be.”

Bev Carlson grew up on a farm in Mahtomedi. When she was around 12, she nearly lost her right foot while playing in the hay near a sickle mower, Charlie Schultz said.

“Her foot was literally cut off and hanging from the skin,” he said. “A farmhand carried her to an Army surgeon that he knew who, luckily, was home on leave. The guy reattached her foot and was able to save it.”

‘Ma did everything’

Carlson graduated from Mahtomedi High School in 1956. That same year, she married Al Schultz, whom she had met while dancing with friends at the Withrow Ballroom.

“He was with friends, and she was with friends, and sparks flew,” Charlie Schultz said. “It was love at first sight.”

The couple settled in Bayport, where Al “Packey” Schultz had been born and raised. They had four children.

Bev Schultz loved her adopted hometown. “It’s a small town, and everybody knows everybody,” she told the Pioneer Press in a 1994 interview.

“Ma did everything,” Charlie Schultz said. “She made quilts, she baked coffee cakes, she was active in the church. She planned the Girl Scout trips to a ranch in Montana. She took the Girl Scouts on bike trips in Wisconsin. She didn’t do anything halfway. She just loved the kids, and she knew them all. She helped my dad with all of our sports and hockey and building a hockey rink. They would sharpen the skates for all the kids in the neighborhood.

“It was basically Mayberry, you know?” he said. “But I think Bayport had Mayberry beat.”

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Bev Schultz was an outdoor enthusiast who hiked many sections of the Appalachian Trail and backpacked on Isle Royale National Park. She often rode her bike to waitressing jobs at the Lake Elmo Inn, Afton House Inn and the White Bear Yacht Club, said her youngest daughter, Toni Kotz, of Rocky River, Ohio.

She also was a talented artist who specialized in pen-and-ink drawings of historic buildings in the area, including the Warden’s House Museum in Stillwater, the Bayport Public Library, all the churches in Bayport, Bayport Village Hall and the old post office. “The Church of St. Charles still uses the picture she drew of the church for their stationery and everything,” Charlie Schultz said.

Schultz served as the Girl Scout leader in Bayport for many years, including for her two daughters, Kotz said.

“She went all out,” she said. “She also did a lot of things behind the scenes, like, say we had a million spaghetti dinners and raffled the quilt and all that, but still maybe came short for our big trip that we had planned. She would go to the Andersen Foundation and places like that and get them to donate, so that we could all go. She went over and above a lot of times”

Schultz is survived by her four children, Debbie Dillard, Charlie Schultz, Toni Kotz and Andy Schultz; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Services have been held.

South Washington County schools are undergoing expansions and renovations. Some schools will receive updated spaces, as others make room for new areas to promote learning and connection.

Kraus-Anderson is leading the construction projects for six schools to be completed between 2026 and 2027. Here’s a look at the improvements, which voters approved:

High schools

East Ridge High School, 4200 Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, will add 87,145 square feet to its existing building, increasing its capacity to 2,300 students. The project, which is expected to be completed by August 2026, will create new classrooms for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) spaces.

The cafeteria will be expanded and renovations include special education and online learning spaces, along with outdoor spaces, such as the plaza, athletics and activities entrance, drive lanes and parking lots. To encourage the safety of students, storm shelters will also be added, according to Kraus-Anderson.

Park High School, 8040 80th Street S., Cottage Grove, is adding 38,877 square feet to its building. A new kitchen, cafeteria, storm shelter, entry to the north side of the building, CTE areas and STEM areas will be created. Administration and student services offices and science classrooms will also receive a 40,771 square-foot interior remodel.

Additional construction will create new parking spaces and enhance the roadway “to enhance traffic flow and safety for parent pickup and drop-off,” according to Kraus-Anderson. Both projects are expected to be completed summer of 2027, and a storm shelter will be created by August of 2026.

At Woodbury High School, 2665 Woodlane Drive, the 75,000 square-foot construction project will include an updated cafeteria and kitchen, along with remodeled science rooms, media center and classroom wings. A new front entryway will be added to double as a storm shelter, according to Kraus-Anderson. Outdoor renovations include new parking lots, bus drop off and landscape. The updates and renovations are expected to be completed by August 2027.

Middle Schools

Oltman Middle School, 6625 Goodview Avenue S., Cottage Grove, will add 43,674 square feet to accommodate close to 1,300 students. The project, which is expected to be completed by August 2026, will include new STEM and special education spaces and feature a new kitchen, according to Kraus-Anderson.

New classrooms will function as pods “around a shared flexible area with natural daylight to encourage collaboration,” according to Kraus-Anderson. The school’s existing cafeteria will also be expanded and incorporate seating options for various students’ sensory needs. Storm shelters will be added.

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Cottage Grove and Lake Middle School, 9775 Indian Blvd S., Cottage Grove, will feature a 19,6623 square-foot construction project expected to be completed by August 2026. It will include a new secure entry and office space, and renovate the existing offices to create collaboration spaces, according to Kraus-Anderson. New entryways will be added to the additions, along with updated parking options and new green spaces.

Woodbury Middle School, 1425 School Drive, Woodbury, will encompass a 28,303 square-foot project, expected to be completed by fall 2026. The addition of a new road added to the east side of the building will be created to connect with Upper Afton Rd on the North side of the school. The school’s existing pool will be reconfigured into a new multi-purpose space, according to Kraus-Anderson, and outdoor storage spaces will be added. Music spaces will also be renovated.

Designs for the projects are created by Wold Architects and Engineers or KOMA Architecture, Interior Design and Engineering.

Authorities have arrested a Minnesota lobbyist suspected of sending a text message that included a “threat of violence” at the state Capitol, Minnesota House Republicans said Thursday.

Jonathan Michael Bohn, 41, of Woodbury, remained in custody at the Carver County Jail in Chaska Thursday awaiting a court hearing for a pending threats of violence charge, according to Sgt. Chris Nelson with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

Rep. Jim Nash, who reported the threatening text to law enforcement on Wednesday, confirmed Bohn is a lobbyist with the Inter Faculty Organization, a union representing faculty at Minnesota state universities.

The organization didn’t immediately respond to a phone call late Thursday.

Nash notified the House Sergeant at Arms, State Patrol and Carver County Sheriff’s Office of a “personal text message to a constituent that was threatening in nature,” the Minnesota House GOP Caucus said in a news release.

“The threat was not aimed at any particular lawmaker but the message did include a threat of violence at the Capitol,” Republicans said.

The news release didn’t identify the suspect but said authorities questioned and arrested him on Wednesday.

Republicans said the Sergeant at Arms is not aware of any further threats to the Legislature or its staff.

Nelson said more details on the case would come in a Friday news release.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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