Midwest
Wife of Harris' VP pick sets social media ablaze with 'bizarre' admission about 2020 riots
The wife of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate set social media ablaze Tuesday after an unearthed clip of her describing her actions during the 2020 Minneapolis riots went viral.
Gwen Walz is Minnesota’s first lady and the wife of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was picked by Vice President Harris to be her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket.
A pivotal part of Walz’s gubernatorial record was his handling of the death of George Floyd in the state in 2020. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests about race and police brutality.
TIM WALZ, KAMALA HARRIS’ NEW RIGHT-HAND MAN, ECHOES LEFT-WING CRIME POLICIES
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz and an image of the 2020 riots in Minnesota. (Getty Images)
“Again we had more sleepless nights during the riots,” Walz’s wife told KSTP in July 2020. “I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.”
Conservative commentators expressed astonishment at Gwen Walz’s remarks after the clip started going viral on social media.
“What might you call this? Bizarre? Abnormal? Peculiar? Eccentric? Offbeat? Quirky?” Noah Rothman, a senior writer at the National Review Online, said. “Gotta be a word that describes reveling in the catharsis represented by the torching of other people’s property.”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk described the comments as “weird.”
“Profoundly disturbing,” journalist Abigail Shrier said. “We’re going to need to learn a lot more about the Walzes.”
Dustin Grage, the president of a conservative Minnesota-based consulting firm, said the comments were “bizarre,” adding, “Her [Walz’s] daughter also coordinated with rioters to let them know that the National Guard would not be activated one night.”
“Everything you need to know about leftist elites can be found in this short clip,” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh said on X. “Tim Walz’s wife sat by the window enjoying the smell of poor neighborhoods burning during the Floyd riots. She did everything but pull out a fiddle.”
Gov. Walz was criticized for his handling of the riots. Conservatives accused him of sitting on his hands as the state was engulfed by riots.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, applauds her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as he speaks at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the first day of their Battleground State Tour. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)
As a result of the delayed action, hundreds of businesses across Minneapolis and St. Paul were devastated by the destruction and had to ask their local government for help recovering on top of what they lost during pandemic-related closures.
First lady Walz said she was aware Minnesota was under national scrutiny at the time.
“With COVID-19, the entire state was watching what Tim did,” Ms. Walz said. “But with Mr. Floyd’s death, it was the entire country and the whole world looking at and watching what we did here in Minnesota in response to that.”
RIOTING, LOOTING LINKED TO GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS LEAVES TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS AMERICAN CITIES
That record is now again under scrutiny as Walz is catapulted into the national spotlight, with Republican critics taking aim at how both Walz and Harris handled the 2020 crisis.
“Minnesota was ground zero for the BLM riots of 2020,” Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “Harris egged it on, and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.”
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate and running mate of former President Trump, poked at Walz’s 2020 record on Tuesday, calling his addition to the Democratic ticket “an interesting tag team.”
“If we remember the rioting in the summer of 2020, Tim Walz was the guy who let rioters burn down Minneapolis,” he said of the riots that began in Minnesota in response to the death of Floyd while being arrested in Minneapolis. “And then Kamala Harris was the one who bailed the rioters out of jail.”
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Indianapolis, IN
Franklin Middle School’s ‘Welcome to Reality’ event prepares students for adulthood
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Franklin Community Middle School will host its annual Welcome to Reality event on Friday, offering eighth-grade students a hands-on, immersive experience designed to prepare them for the financial and personal responsibilities of adulthood.
Welcome to Reality is an interactive simulation that places students in the role of a 28-year-old working adult. Prior to the event, students select a career based on their grade point average and are assigned a corresponding salary.
During the event, students navigate through a series of stations including housing, transportation, utilities, and food. Students are required to make real-life financial decisions and manage a check registry to track expenses.
“This event is absolutely pivotal in the transition to high school for our students,” Monica Anderson, FCMS school counselor said. “The students experience, in real time, how their education can impact their future.”
Community members play a critical role in the simulation by facilitating transactions and serving as tour guides for students throughout the event.
The event is scheduled in groups throughout the school day:
- 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland’s Inaugural Afterburn Music Festival Announces Star-Studded Lineup for August 2026
Cleveland, OH, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Victory Entertainment announced the full lineup for the inaugural Afterburn Music Festival, a two-day outdoor rock event taking place August 14–15, 2026, at Victory Park in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Featuring a mix of pop punk, alternative, hard rock, and metal, the festival brings together multi-generational acts for what is expected to be one of the region’s most anticipated summer music events.
Third Eye Blind and Skillet will headline the Afterburn Music Festival in Cleveland, Ohio.
Headlining Friday, August 14, are Third Eye Blind, known for hits including Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, and Narcolepsy, alongside New Found Glory, the Florida pop-punk icons behind My Friends Over You and Hit or Miss.
Saturday, August 15, features Skillet, the multi-platinum rock powerhouse known for Monster, Feel Invincible, and Comatose, and Hoobastank, whose breakout single The Reason became one of the defining songs of the early 2000s.
The full line-up of artists performing across the two-day festival includes:
Friday, August 14
- Third Eye Blind
- New Found Glory
- The Maine
- Switchfoot
- lovelytheband
- Bayside
- Heart Attack Man
- Giveth
Saturday, August 15
- Skillet
- Hoobastank
- Set It Off
- Puddle of Mudd
- Drowning Pool
- Black Stone Cherry
- Small Town Titans
- Rusty
“The goal with Afterburn wasn’t to create just another festival—it was to build something that feels big without feeling out of reach,” said Joe Borkey, President of Victory Entertainment. “This is the kind of lineup you’d normally have to travel for. Now it’s happening right here in Northeast Ohio.”
Designed to appeal to fans across multiple eras of rock music, the Afterburn Music Festival blends legacy acts with modern favorites, offering a shared live experience for longtime fans and newer audiences alike. As demand for regional, drive-in festivals continues to grow, Afterburn provides an accessible alternative to destination events such as Lollapalooza and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival.
Borkey added, “We curated a lineup of bands to resonate with fans across multiple generations. Whether you came of age on 90s alternative, grew up on pop-punk, or found your faith through rock music, the Afterburn will have a selection of artists performing just for you.”
The festival will feature two full-production stages, an immersive VIP area, and a wide selection of Northeast Ohio food trucks and vendors. Gates open at noon each day, with performances beginning at 12:30 p.m. The event is expected to draw thousands of attendees from across Ohio and the surrounding Midwest region.
Tickets are on sale now at theafterburnmusicfestival.com, with the first tier of general admission tickets priced at $89.65 for a single day, and $159.30 for both days of the festival. VIP options are also available. Early ticket tiers and VIP tickets are limited and expected to sell quickly.
Located just outside Cleveland, Victory Park, a 60+ acre sports and entertainment facility, offers a natural outdoor setting with ample on-site parking, providing convenient access for fans throughout Northeast Ohio.
Additional scheduling details and festival information will be announced in the coming weeks.
For tickets, artist information, and updates, visit theafterburnmusicfestival.com or follow The Afterburn Music Festival on social media. Media inquiries and press credential requests should be directed to BMA Media at jjrborkey@bmamedia.com. High-resolution media assets are available upon request.
ABOUT VICTORY ENTERTAINMENT
Victory Entertainment is a Northeast Ohio-based live entertainment company dedicated to producing high-quality music festivals and concert experiences that connect nationally recognized artists with regional audiences.
The Afterburn Ohio Music Festival logo
About The Afterburn Music Festival
The Afterburn Music Festival is a two-day outdoor rock event held August 14–15, 2026, at Victory Park in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Featuring headliners Third Eye Blind, New Found Glory, Skillet, and Hoobastank, the festival delivers a multi-genre lineup spanning pop punk, alternative, and hard rock. Tickets and information are available at theafterburnmusicfestival.com.
Press Inquiries
Jerrod Borkey Jr.
jjrborkey [at] bmamedia.com
4409754262
https://theafterburnmusicfestival.com/
4091 Erie Street, Willoughby, OH 44094
The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 58.6 degrees, 6.4 degrees above the 1991–2020 normal, 7.1 degrees above the 20th Century average, 5.8 degrees above the most recent 30-year average, and the second warmest April on record statewide. The preliminary statewide total April precipitation was 6.37 inches, 2.13 inches above…
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