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Minnesota House Democrats threaten to skip first two weeks of legislative session, preventing GOP quorum

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Minnesota House Democrats threaten to skip first two weeks of legislative session, preventing GOP quorum

House Democrats in Minnesota’s legislature are threatening to skip out on the first two weeks of the legislative session starting Jan. 14, deepening political discord, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

If the Democrats fail to show up, Republicans won’t have the quorum — meaning the minimum number of people required — that they need to legislate, the Star Tribune reported. At the same time, Republicans are weighing whether they should use their one-seat advantage in the House to refuse to seat a Democratic representative whose election victory is being challenged in court. 

Originally, the Minnesota House was set to be evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, but a judge in the state ruled in December that newly-elected Democrat, Curtis Johnson, wasn’t eligible for his seat because he didn’t live in his Roseville-area district. A special election to fill the seat will be held on Jan. 28, but Republicans will have the advantage until then. 

Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman (Brooklyn Park-36B) leads a session of the Minnesota State Legislature at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul.  (Getty Images)

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It is assumed that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party leaders would return to the legislative session if a Democrat were to win the special election, putting the House at a 67-67 tie. 

Republicans were hoping to elect a speaker with their advantage in order to control the House committees for the next two years, but House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman said the parties should govern with shared power since the chamber is likely to be tied again after the special election.

“If there is no power-sharing agreement, we will not be here,” Hortman said during a news conference at the State Capitol on Monday. 

But Republican leaders disagree, arguing there isn’t currently a tie and that they can reach a quorum on their own since there will be 144 chamber members until the special election in January. 

“It completely begs the question of whether or not a true power-sharing was going to work when we see that Democrats are refusing to potentially even come in to work,” State House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth said Monday at a Republican news conference.

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Secretary of State Steve Simon will preside over the House’s first day, where he will make the call about a quorum.

Republicans might also refuse to allow Democratic State Rep. Brad Tabke to take office, as his 14-vote election victory has been contested in court after county elections officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct, the Star Tribune reported. But, the GOP could also simply bar Tabke from taking office based on their own constitutional power regardless of what the judge rules, furthering the GOP advantage. 

Minnesota Legislature House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis. DFL leaders held a morning press conference to lay out the priorities of the DFL majority Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 St. Paul, Minn.

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“We’re waiting for that judge’s ruling. We will make our determination based on what the judge comes through with,” Demuth said in an interview before the news conference. “But we, of course, asked for a new election. That’s the only way to guarantee a solid election in that area.”

If House Democrats boycott next week’s session, Demuth suggested they could be subject to recall petitions.

“I will expect that they’ll be professional legislators and show up,” Demuth said.

Hortman, however, was optimistic that the parties would come to an agreement before the start of the session, the Star Tribune reported. 

“Things work themselves out. It’s early, it’s a full week before we need to convene,” Hortman said. “We have lots of time to come together and discuss how we can work together, and I’m confident that we will.”

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Nebraska

Nebraska driver hits 160 mph fleeing state troopers on Interstate 80

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Nebraska driver hits 160 mph fleeing state troopers on Interstate 80


LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A 20-year-old driver accused of reaching 160 mph while fleeing from state troopers in Lancaster County was arrested early Thursday.

The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) said the incident began around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when a trooper was patrolling on Interstate 80 in Lincoln, southeast of Lincoln Airport. A BMW sedan was reportedly seen speeding at more than 95 mph in a 65 mph zone.

The trooper attempted a traffic stop on the BMW, but the driver accelerated and fled eastbound, NSP said. A pursuit then began.

NSP said the BMW driver reached speeds of more than 160 mph on Interstate 80 before taking the exit at 56th Street and continuing south. The pursuit was discontinued out of concern for public safety.

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The suspect vehicle was found several minutes later by another trooper. It was traveling westbound on Cornhusker Highway between 70th and 65th streets.

NSP said the driver again fled from law enforcement, turning northbound onto 56th Street, where another trooper successfully deployed stop sticks. The driver continued before coming to a stop near Highway 77 and Agnew Road in northern Lancaster County and ran off.

Troopers, with help from several other agencies, later found the driver when he returned home around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

The driver, identified as Nathanael Campbell of Ceresco, was arrested on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, second-offense willful reckless driving, obstructing a peace officer and other traffic violations. He was lodged in the Lancaster County Jail.

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North Dakota

State Patrol identifies victim in fatal West Fargo pedestrian crash

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State Patrol identifies victim in fatal West Fargo pedestrian crash


WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Authorities have identified the man killed and the driver involved in a fatal overnight crash in West Fargo.

Jose Rodriguez, 38, of West Fargo, died after being struck by a vehicle early Wednesday morning, according to the North Dakota State Patrol.

The driver, Carly Vizenor, 25, of West Fargo, was not injured. Charges and restraint use remain under investigation.

The crash happened at approximately 2:46 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of 32nd Avenue South and 9th Street West.

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According to the State Patrol, a 2016 Ford Fusion was traveling westbound on 32nd Avenue South when it struck Rodriguez, who was crossing the street approximately 20 to 30 yards east of the 9th Street intersection.

The driver left the scene and returned approximately 10 minutes later.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.

The North Dakota State Patrol, West Fargo Police Department, and West Fargo Fire Department all responded to the crash.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Ohio

Former Ohio State football players to join a sexual abuse lawsuit against the school

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Former Ohio State football players to join a sexual abuse lawsuit against the school


Thirty former Ohio State football players, including some former NFL players, have agreed to join a federal lawsuit against the university over the sexual abuse of student athletes decades ago by a team doctor, a lawyer in the case said Thursday.

The lawyer, Rocky Ratliff, said in an interview that the men came forward some eight years after the first lawsuit was filed because they needed to overcome the shame of revealing that they’d been sexually abused by another man and the fear of taking on the university publicly.

They are “tearful and living with it,” Ratliff said. “But as this case progresses on, they see how Ohio State’s treating athletes from the university and I think they want people to know it’s OK, even if it is male to male (sexual abuse), to come forward.”

Ohio State has fought lawsuits in federal court since 2018 brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. He died in 2005.

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The men have signed letters of agreement to join a lawsuit filed by other student-athletes who say they are victims of Strauss, Ratliff said.

Of the 30, only three have agreed to make their identities public, Ratliff said. They are Al Washington, Ray Ellis and Keith Ferguson, he said. All were members of the 1980 Rose Bowl team and were recruited by and played for legendary coach Woody Hayes.

Some other former football players have settled with the school in sealed agreements that kept their names a secret, Ratliff said.

In a statement, Ohio State said it has “sincerely and persistently tried to reconcile with survivors, including former football student-athletes, through monetary and non-monetary means, including settlements, counseling services and other medical treatment.”

As of April 15, the university has settled with 317 survivors for more than $61 million, and is remains actively engaged in mediation, the school said.

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In an interview, Washington said it was hard to talk about the abuse he suffered and recalled being subjected to “unlawful” physical exams by Strauss when he was 18 or 19. He and the other players tried to make light of it with each other and joke about it.

“But it was really uncomfortable,” said Washington, now 67.

He didn’t discuss it with others over the decades, but watching the 2025 documentary film “Surviving Ohio State” put it back into his thoughts.

“As a matter of fact, I couldn’t make it through that movie,” Washington said. “The pain and anguish that I saw, I just couldn’t take it.”

Strauss was on the faculty and medical staff and Ohio State. He retired in 1998 with emeritus status. School trustees revoked that mark of honor three years ago.

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Washington was drafted in 1981 by the New York Jets and played one season for the team. Ellis, a former defensive back, had a seven-year NFL career from 1981 to 1987, playing with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Ferguson, a former defensive end, played in the NFL from 1981 to 1990, including stints with the San Diego Chargers and the Detroit Lions.



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