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Dog shot during Minnesota lawmaker's murder put down days after attack
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Only days after a gunman shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, the family’s rescue dog Gilbert had to be euthanized.
Vance Boelter allegedly shot Gilbert, the family’s golden retriever, during the attack at the Brooklyn Park home.
Fellow Minnesota House Rep. Erin Koegel commented on social media platform X that he was put down following the murder.
MINNESOTA SHOOTING SUSPECT VANCE BOELTER TO FACE FEDERAL CHARGES IN LAWMAKER ATTACKS
Only days after a gunman shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, the family’s rescue dog Gilbert had to be euthanized. (Facebook/Melissa Hortman)
“Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered. Gilbert wasn’t going to survive. Melissa loved that dog. She trained him as a service dog. He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay! She needed him in heaven with her,” Koegel said.
Helping Paws, a local non-profit in Eden Prairie, Minn, took to Facebook after hearing of Rep. Hortman’s death to share some kind words and a photo of Gilbert and Hortman together.
The group said they remembered Hortman for her kindness and compassion. They said she always strived to make the world a better place.
SUSPECTED MINNESOTA LAWMAKER ASSASSIN VANCE BOELTER CAPTURED
Vance Boelter allegedly shot Gilbert, the family’s golden retriever, during the attack at the Brooklyn Park home. (Facebook/Melissa Hortman)
“This morning, we learned of the tragic and senseless death of former Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark,” the post began.
“Melissa served her community in more ways than one. She was a Helping Paws Foster Home Trainer, a neighbor, and a friend. The Hortman family raised and trained Minnie, who is now a working service dog partnered with a Veteran. They also helped raise and train Gilbert, a service dog in training who was eventually career changed and became a cherished member of their family. At this time, we do not have confirmed information about Gilbert’s condition,” the nonprofit wrote Saturday, after Hortman’s death.
Koegel told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the House sergeant-at-arms informed members that Gilbert had to be put down. Hortman’s adult children released a statement Monday night, saying that one way to keep their parent’s memory alive would be to: “Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.”
Vance Boelter, 57, was hit with multiple federal charges after officials captured him Sunday in what police described as the “largest manhunt” in the state’s history.
A mugshot of Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect Vance Boelter in custody at Hennepin County Jail. (Hennepin County Jail)
Police found him after the massive two-day manhunt in the woods near his home.
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He is charged with two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of firearm-related crimes in federal court.
In addition to the federal charges, Boelter is facing second-degree murder charges filed in Hennepin County, where he is accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis, and of shooting State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack.
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Video: Snowstorm Causes 100-Vehicle Pileup in Michigan
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Snowstorm Causes 100-Vehicle Pileup in Michigan
More than 100 vehicles slipped and crashed into one another in a chain-reaction pileup on a Michigan interstate on Monday.
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“I seen it way ahead and I had to go. I had to go out. I went off the edge.” “This guy got hit too.”
By Jackeline Luna
January 19, 2026
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Top U.S. archbishops denounce American foreign policy
From right, U.S. Cardinals, Joseph Tobin of Newark, and Blase Cupich of Chicago, attend a press conference at the North American College in Rome on May 9, 2025. Along with Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington (not pictured), the men issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
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The three highest-ranking heads of Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy — without mentioning President Trump by name.
Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, and Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, say America’s actions raise moral questions.
“Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination,” the statement reads. “And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies.”

They continued, “We seek a foreign policy that respects and advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of human dignity throughout the world, especially through economic assistance.”
The senior leaders cited the recent events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland, which they said “have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”

The White House did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.
The statement by the American cardinals was inspired by a recent speech Pope Leo XIV gave to ambassadors to the Holy See. In it, he criticized the weakening of multilateralism.
“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo said in his Jan. 9 address. “Peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.”

Cupich said in a comment explaining the reasoning behind the archbishops’ statement, “As pastors entrusted with the teaching of our people, we cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence,” he said. “Pope Leo has given us clear direction and we must apply his teachings to the conduct of our nation and its leaders.”

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Woman died after riding Revenge of the Mummy coaster at Universal Orlando, report says
A 70-year-old woman died in November after riding the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster at Universal Studios in Orlando, according to a report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The woman became unresponsive while riding the attraction on Nov. 25, the state agency said in its latest quarterly report on injuries at theme parks, which covers the last three months of 2025. She later died at a hospital, it said. The report did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding her death.
CBS News has reached out to Universal Orlando.
Revenge of the Mummy is an elaborate-looking indoor ride that incorporates elements of a typical roller coaster, strapping riders into conjoined carts that whisk them along a dimly-lit track filled with jerks and jump scares, as promotional materials for the experience show.
According to a description of the ride published in a Universal Studios safety guide, Revenge of the Mummy “is a high-speed roller coaster ride that includes sudden and dramatic acceleration, climbing, tilting, and dropping.” At times, the ride reaches speeds of up to 45 mph, CBS affiliage WKMG reported.
The ride has a minimum height requirement of 4 feet tall and isn’t suitable for passengers with a variety of medical conditions, including those who are susceptible to motion sickness or dizziness, or who have histories of heart conditions, abnormal blood pressure, back issues, neck issues, medical sensitivities to strobe effects, medical sensitivities to fog effects and any “other conditions which may be aggravated” by the ride, the safety description says.
This was the second death linked to a Universal Studios ride last year, Florida’s previous theme park injury report showed. On Sept. 17, a 32-year-old man died after riding the park’s Stardust Racers roller coaster. Citing a medical examiner’s report, WKMG reported that the man’s cause of death was determined to be “multiple blunt impact injuries.”
Earlier, in August, a 32-year-old woman was injured on the Revenge of the Mummy ride, according to the report, which said she suffered neck pain and motion sickness.
Florida law requires theme parks in the state to report ride-related injuries that require hospital stays of at least 24 hours.
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