Midwest

Elections official's challenge to North Dakota mail-in ballot law dismissed

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

Elections official's challenge to North Dakota mail-in ballot law dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor ruled Friday against Burleigh County, North Dakota Auditor Mark Splonskowski in a lawsuit brought by the latter over the Peace Garden State’s mail-in ballot-counting practices.
Splonskowski’s challenge specifically concerned the acceptance of mail-in ballots after Election Day, arguing it runs afoul of federal law.
The lawsuit, backed by a pro-Trump legal group, was discarded after Splonskowski failed to demonstrate that the law harmed him or violated his constitutional rights.

A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the acceptance of mail-in ballots after Election Day brought by a county election official and backed by a legal group aligned with former President Donald Trump.

In his Friday ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor said Burleigh County Auditor Mark Splonskowski lacks standing to bring the case, and failed to show he was harmed by the law or that his constitutional rights will be violated. The auditor alleged state and federal law conflict as to the counting of mail ballots received after Election Day.

“According to Splonskowski, following his understanding of federal law will inevitably result in criminal prosecution under North Dakota law because he will have to forego his duty to follow North Dakota election law,” Traynor wrote, adding later, “This is deeply concerning to the Court that an elected official openly advocates for violating the law he was elected to enforce because he has independently concluded it contradicts federal law.”

FORMER NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR TOM CAMPBELL LAUNCHES BID FOR STATE’S ONLY US HOUSE SEAT

The judge also said the reasoning in Splonskowski’s lawsuit, if successful, “could be utilized against” overseas and military voters’ rights to vote.

“This, indeed, is a concerning position for an elected official to take,” wrote Traynor, who also said Splonskowski should have asked the local state’s attorney for an opinion about the legal conflict he alleged.

“He may wish to do so before the next election as it may avoid his potential prosecution … or removal from office,” the judge said in a footnote citing state laws for those avenues.

North Dakota Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe welcomed the ruling as “a win for the rule of law in North Dakota and a win for our military and overseas voters.” About 29% of North Dakota voters cast their ballots by mail in the November 2022 general election.

Burleigh County Auditor Mark Splonskowski is photographed in front of the state Capitol in Bismarck, North Dakota, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Jack Dura, File)

In September, the judge had asked the parties whether he should dismiss the case because Splonskowski had no approval from the county commission to sue in his official capacity as auditor. He said he brought the lawsuit against the state’s election director as an individual and not in an official capacity. The judge found otherwise.

Splonskowski, backed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, filed the lawsuit against the state election director in July. He argued he “faces an impossibility in enforcing the law” around whether to accept mail-in ballots received after election day, alleging federal and state law conflict as to when those ballots must be turned in. He claimed he risks criminal penalties.

Foundation spokesperson Lauren Bowman Bis said, “We are disappointed in the Court’s ruling. We believe unresolved elections undermine confidence and that federal law should be followed.”

North Dakota law allows mailed ballots received after election day to be counted by county canvassing boards, which meet 13 days after the election, but those ballots must be postmarked before the date of the election.

In September, attorneys for the Voting Section of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a statement of interest in the case, saying North Dakota’s law is consistent with federal law, and ensures military and overseas voters have enough time for their ballots to be counted.

The foundation brought voting-related lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Arizona amid Trump’s claims of 2020 election fraud.

Splonskowski was elected in 2022 as the top election official in the county that is home to Bismarck, North Dakota’s capital city.

A similar lawsuit filed last week in Mississippi by Republican entities, including the Republican National Committee, also targets mail ballots received after election day.

Political observers say the efforts would disenfranchise or penalize voters, if successful.

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Detroit, MI

‘I could have died’: 14-year-old speaks out after surviving shooting during ‘teen takeover’ in Detroit

Published

3 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

‘I could have died’: 14-year-old speaks out after surviving shooting during ‘teen takeover’ in Detroit

DETROIT – A 14-year-old boy nearly died after a bullet passed through his chest, missing his heart by just a few centimeters during a teen takeover in Downtown Detroit last month.

Tavuan Clark is now back home recovering, and he wants other teenagers to hear his story.

“I want to say stop the violence and violence is not cool,” Tavuan said.

The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. on May 17 near the intersection of Farmer Street and Grand River Avenue. Police say an argument over an electric scooter escalated into a physical fight between two groups of teenagers and gunfire erupted.

Tavuan, a soon-to-be 9th grader, had been hanging out with friends downtown when the chaos broke out.

“Was going to fight again and then I just heard gunshots going off,” he said. “I just know I couldn’t breathe and I had to drop down.”

It took him about a minute to realize he had been shot.

He was rushed to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in critical condition. Doctors worked to stop the bleeding and discovered how close he came to not surviving.

“The bullet went right through his chest, missed his heart by just a few centimeters — and it could’ve been the difference between life and death for him,” said Dr. Scott Langenburg, chief of pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Langenburg says children too often don’t survive these situations. On Friday, he joined Detroit Medical Center’s “End Gun Violence” rally, where families and staff were taught how to “stop the bleed.”

He pointed to a deeper problem fueling the violence.

“People reacting, people not controlling their anger and just not being kind to one another,” Langenburg said.

Tavuan’s mother, Tracey Clark, is still processing what happened to her son.

“I’m just happy to have my son and to have him walking around,” she said.

Tavuan spent days in the hospital before returning home.

His recovery is ongoing, but he’s already back with friends and looking ahead to getting back on the football field. His mother has even bigger dreams for him.

“I want to see him succeed. I want to see him go a little further. I would love to see him on the Lions,” Tracey said.

Suspect charged as adult

A 17-year-old, identified as Ramon Javon Perez Smith, was charged as an adult in connection with the shooting.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with Assault with Intent to Murder, Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, Felonious Assault, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and three counts of Felony Firearm. His bond was set at $500,000.

A second suspect, a 16-year-old, was taken into custody at the scene and faces juvenile charges for carrying a concealed weapon.

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Milwaukee, WI

With Banana Ball coming to Milwaukee, here’s how it all got started

Published

4 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

With Banana Ball coming to Milwaukee, here’s how it all got started

It all started when the Savannah Sand Gnats announced in May 2015 that the team was leaving its home at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia, as the New York Mets Class A affiliate moved to Columbia, South Carolina.

That opened the door for Jesse Cole and his Fans First Entertainment company as the former Wofford College pitcher saw an opportunity to fill the baseball void in Savannah after the Sand Gnats departed.

The meteoric rise of the Savannah Bananas as one of the most successful sports and entertainment franchises in the world started in 2016 and continues to grow.

The Banana Ball League brings two of its teams – the Party Animals and the Loco Beach Coconuts – to American Family Field in Milwaukee for games Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7.

Here’s a look at the history of the Savannah Bananas and Banana Ball:

November 2015: Fans First Entertainment holds an event in Savannah to announce it’ll field an expansion team playing at Grayson Stadium in the Coastal Plain League, a summer college league that expanded to 16 teams.
February 2016: After input from fans in a Savannah Morning News poll, the name of the Savannah Bananas is revealed. The other finalists were the Ports, the Seagulls, the Anchors and the Party Animals, a choice that would come into play later.
June 2016: The Bananas host their first game at Grayson Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of 4,000 fans in a loss to the Lexington Blowfish.
August 2016: The Bananas go on the road to Hampton, Virginia, and beat Peninsula to take a best-of-three series, 2-1, and win the Coastal Plain League championship. The Bananas broke the CPL season attendance record with more than 90,000 fans attending games at Grayson Stadium. The team sold out 17 of 25 games in that first season and have sold out every game since.
2018 season: Tyler Gillum takes over as the manager of the Bananas.
June 2020: The first official game played under Banana Ball rules is played at Grayson Stadium. The concept had been developed with unofficial games dating to 2018.
March 2021: The Bananas Premier Team, a professional squad playing by Banana Ball rules, faces off against the new team on the block in the Party Animals, in games at Grayson Stadium.
August 2021: The Bananas win another CPL championship with a series win over Morehead City.
March-May 2022: The Bananas Premier Team, coached by former Major League star Eric Byrnes, takes a tour of seven cities, playing 14 Banana Ball games.
August 2022: The Bananas win their third Coastal Plain League title over the Wilson Tobs.
August 2022: The Bananas announce they’re leaving the Coastal Plain League to focus on expanding Banana Ball and hold games throughout the country.
August 2022: ESPN+ airs five-part documentary “Bananaland” and, in 2022, Banana Ball made its television debut with six games, one aired on ESPN2 and the others on ESPN+.
2023: The Bananas hold 80 games across the country, including stops in Cooperstown, N.Y., the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Another stop was at Franklin Field in Franklin to three sold-out crowds.
May 2024: A third team joins the Banana Ball fray as the Firefighters are added to the league, joining the Bananas and the Party Animals.
2024: The Bananas’ popularity continues to skyrocket with their “World Tour” as they sell out MLB venues like Fenway Park, where they played the Party Animals in front of a crowd of 37,000 on June 8. They also sold out games at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; Houston’s Minute Maid Park; Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park; and Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
March 2024: Former Major League star Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, pitches for the Bananas in a game at Minute Maid Park.
2025: The World Tour expands to NFL and college stadiums as the Bananas make trips to Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium and at Clemson Stadium, where a crowd of 81,000 came for an April game with the Party Animals. The Texas Tailgaters team also joined the Banana Ball League.
November 2025: Jackie Bradley Jr., a former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, is taken with the first pick of the Banana Ball Player Draft by the Indianapolis Clowns, a new team in the Banana Ball League. Bradley is the first former MLB player to take on a full-time role in Banana Ball.
2026: The Indianapolis Clowns and the Loco Beach Coconuts join the Banana Ball League with the Bananas, Party Animals, Texas Tailgaters and the Firefighters. They’re playing 190 games this season in a tour that’ll visit 45 states and 75 stadiums.

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

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Minneapolis, MN

Limited ministry to continue amid changes at St. Boniface in Minneapolis – Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Published

4 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

Limited ministry to continue amid changes at St. Boniface in Minneapolis – Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Source: The Catholic Spirit

Effective July 1, parishioners of St. Boniface in Minneapolis will continue to attend Mass and receive sacraments at the church, even as parish assets are transferred to another owner.

The St. Boniface parish corporation will be suppressed and all parish assets, such as the church building and land, will be transferred to the nearby St. Maron of the Maronite Catholic Church in Minneapolis — a parish that celebrates liturgies in the Maronite Rite, which has its roots in Lebanon. The Maronite Church is Catholic and in union with the Holy Father; it operates under its own set of laws and liturgical rubrics.

St. Maron will continue to provide limited sacramental ministry to St. Boniface parishioners for at least one year and beyond that time if it continues to be possible to maintain and safely use the church. The priests of St. Maron parish have bi-ritual faculties allowing them to offer Mass and the sacraments in the Latin and Maronite Catholic rites.

Read the full story in The Catholic Spirit.

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