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U.K. rocker Frank Turner returns to Minneapolis after working a shift at Electric Fetus

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U.K. rocker Frank Turner returns to Minneapolis after working a shift at Electric Fetus


Leading into this month’s release of his new album, “Undefeated,” Frank Turner did what he’s always done: worked his British tail off.

The anthemic punk strummer pulled off another in a series of daredevil-ish gig marathons in early May, like the time he performed in all 50 of the United States in 50 days. This time, he did 15 different U.K. cities in 24 hours, setting a Guinness World Record.

“Nightmarish and fun,” quipped Turner, who performs in Minneapolis again Saturday at the Uptown Theater — one show only.

“The 24 hours part was fun. The 36 hours afterward was tough. I got home and just sort of sat there dazed with no idea what was going on.”

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The 42-year-old rocker — whose latest single is titled “Girl From the Record Shop” — also went to work supporting independent record shops last month by flying all the way to Middle America to man a shift at Minneapolis’ own Electric Fetus. He really came to work, too, according to staff there.

“He was up for whatever we threw at him,” raved the Fetus’ marketing manager Dawn Novak, who said Turner stayed 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. wrapping records, filling endcaps, signing LPs and posters and treating shoppers to an unannounced busker set.

“We’d hire him back in a minute.”

Talking via Zoom last week on the day his U.S. tour behind “Undefeated” kicked off in Harrisburg, Pa., Turner said he went to such great lengths (literally!) for reasons both altruistically punk and shrewdly commercial. Few musicians have balanced the DIY/indie spirit with the corporate world as effectively as Turner has in recent years.

“Yes, these were stunts to promote my record,” Turner bluntly conceded.

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“At the same time, I made a point of investing a lot of time and diverting about half of my record budget to supporting independent venues and running it through independent record companies. So I also see that as a valuable use of my time and resources.”

Turner and his band, the Sleeping Souls — who are out with him again this tour — recorded “Undefeated” coming out of the pandemic lull and following a period of both personal and professional contentment for the singer.

On the personal front, he got married, a big event he said should impact his music in at least one discernible way.

“That part of my life is settled and done and I’m very happy, and that gives me a certain strength and a creative freedom in that I don’t need to write any more [expletive] breakup songs,” he said, citing his fan-loved 2013 album “Tape Deck Heart.”

“I have some fans who want me to write nothing but breakup songs because of that album. While I appreciate that, it really is just one topic. I’m ready to tackle more topics.”

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On the career front, his 2022 album “FTHC” — the title stood for “Frank Turner Hard Core” — became his first record to top the U.K. charts.

“It just was nice to have the pressure taken off, because I’d had several No. 2′s and it was like, ‘This is getting annoying now,’” he recalled with a smirk.

On the other hand, he admitted, “The second I got the phone call from my manager saying we’d gotten No. 1, I immediately heard my 15-year-old self in my brain saying, ‘You [expletive] sellout.’ When I was a kid, my self-definition was I didn’t know or care who was on the charts.”

“Undefeated” wrestles with conversations like that with his younger self, pondering how far he’s gone in his career. In the U2-ish “Ceasefire,” for instance, Turner sings: “I know I’m not everything that you had hoped and imagined that I would be / But I did my best / And I have seen things that you don’t even know that you’ve never seen.”

Other songs, including the opener “Do One” and humorously titled “Never Mind the Back Problems,” reflect on Turner’s punk-rock roots and whether he’s stayed true to them. “Maybe punk’s a promise that was never fully kept,” Turner sings in the latter track. “Johnny Rotten’s been selling butter on telly while England slept.”

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Recounting a recent conversation with his British folk-punk mentor Billy Bragg, Turner said, “Punk has changed but it hasn’t died.

“One of the differences we came up with between his experiences with punk and mine is that in the ’70s punk really did have the ambitions of being important and changing youth culture per se, an ambition to affect the world. My experience is that it was consciously outsider/underground art. It didn’t expect or desire any regard from the mainstream. That’s not to say there wasn’t any ambition, but we were content to be not for everybody.’”

The title of “Undefeated” and song of the same name, Turner noted, is a nod to the fact that he’s achieved long-term success in his music career while mostly doing things his way.

“I like that the word doesn’t necessarily imply you’re the world champion and have knocked everybody over,” he explained. “It just means you haven’t been knocked over and are still in the game.

“That’s how I feel as an artist. I’m not the biggest artist in the world, but I’m still going.”

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Here’s more of what Turner had to say in last week’s interview:

On the Electric Fetus, where he has also performed over the years: “It’s a great store, and a good example of what a record store can be in the 2020s: It’s really a community hub, a bit of a guiding force and, of course, just a great place to buy records.”

On his many other Minnesota gigs and connections: “One of my favorite ones we ever did was the Lowertown Music Fest in St. Paul in 2010. That was the first time I encountered Koo Koo. They were playing right before me. As they walked on stage, I thought, ‘I’m gonna [expletive] hate this band.’ But by the end of the set I was texting my booking agent saying, ‘We need to take this band on tour.’

“And then I have fond memories of playing the Triple Rock. I was fortunate enough to catch some of that era and make friends with Erik and the D4 guys [club owner Erik Funk and his band Dillinger Four]. I’m slightly afraid to contact those guys when I’m in town and have stuff to do because chaos follows.”

On whether punk is alive and well: “I’m fiercely optimistic about punk rock at this point. Last summer, I did a lot of punk festivals in Europe, and it was immediately apparent to me there’s this new generation of punk bands that have little or nothing to do with my generation. Bands like Mannequin Pussy, Lambrini Girls, Gen & the Degenerates, the Meffs, the OBGMs. My favorite is NOBRO from Canada, absolutely brilliant. They’re everything I want a punk band to be: angry, funny, tight, energetic, effusive. And maybe best of all, it felt like their music wasn’t at all aimed for me.”

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Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls

When: 6:30 p.m. Sat.

With: Amigo the Devil, Micah Schnabel.

Where: Uptown Theater, 2900 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $50-$82, all ages, ticketmaster.com.

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Minneapolis, MN

A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit

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A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer’s vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.

“That day has changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”

Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.

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“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.

Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.

She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.

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She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom until she was released without being charged.

“I did not know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”

Savageford shared her story at a news conference where civil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, California, and other lawyers laid out how they’re paving the way for potential class-action lawsuits over alleged excessive force used against protesters and monitors.

Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.

He said he and his colleagues have filed complaints with federal agencies involved in the Minnesota enforcement surge on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as the first step in a process that’s likely to lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.

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“We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.



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Minneapolis, MN

Boy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor

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Boy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor


A fifth grader from Minneapolis received the Citizen Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Victor Greenawalt jumped in front of his friend during a mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Weston Halsne told local station KARE 11 that Greenawalt saved his life.

“It was really scary,” Halsne told KARE 11. “My friend Victor, like, saved me, though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit.”

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Two students were killed and several were injured after a shooter opened fire through the windows of the church last year. The shooter died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Congressional Medal Society said in a statement that Greenawalt showed “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 3: Flowers line a pathway to Annunciation Catholic Church as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance visit to pay their respects to victims of the shooting there on September 3, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shooting left two students dead and many more wounded. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty Images)

“Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack,” the society said in a written statement. “His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis.”

Greenawalt was hospitalized following the shooting, according to a verified GoFundMe page. His sister was also injured.

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He flew to Washington with his family on Wednesday to accept the award.

Greeenawalt met with Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., while on Capitol Hill. The ceremony also included a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery.

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He received the Young Hero award, which honors individuals age 17 or younger for their courage.

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Minneapolis, MN

Boy ‘leaped in front of gunfire’ to save a friend. Now, he’s being honored

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Boy ‘leaped in front of gunfire’ to save a friend. Now, he’s being honored


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A boy from Minneapolis received an award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society on Wednesday, March 25, for shielding a classmate with his body during a mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School last summer, officials said.

Victor Greenawalt was one of six honorees, including five people and a non-profit organization, for this year’s National Medal of Honor Day, according to the Medal of Honor Society. The six recipients were recognized with a Citizen Honor Award for their “extraordinary acts of heroism and service within their communities,” a news release states.

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The Medal of Honor Society named Victor as the 2026 Young Hero Honoree for demonstrating “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years” during the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting on Aug. 27, 2025. The award honors Americans 17 years old or younger “for their courage in a dire situation,” according to the Medal of Honor Society’s website.

“Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack,” the Medal of Honor Society said in the news release. “His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis.”

The award was presented by the Medal of Honor Society, a congressionally chartered, non-profit organization comprised of the 64 living Medal of Honor recipients, during a ceremony at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

‘Leaped in front of gunfire to protect his friend’

Victor and his sister were injured when a shooter fired through the windows of the Annunciation Catholic Church toward young students worshipping at Mass, according to a GoFundMe page. In a statement on social media, Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Victor “leaped in front of gunfire to protect his friend during the tragic mass shooting.”

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“Victor’s actions saved his friend’s life,” Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, of Minnesota, said in a statement on social media. “I am so proud of Victor, but this is just heartbreaking. Our kids shouldn’t have to live this way in America. We must do better for our kids and pass an assault weapons ban.”

Weston Halsne, who was 10 and a fifth grader at Annunciation Catholic School at the time of the attack, was sitting two seats away from the stained-glass windows when the bullets began to rain down, he told the local NBC-affiliate KARE 11.  

Like the other students around him, Weston dropped to the ground, the television station reported. A friend, who was later identified as Victor, tried to shield Weston and was shot in the back. 

“My friend Victor, like, saved me, though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit,” Weston said, calling his friend “brave.” He told the station he thought his friend went to the hospital and was doing all right.

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Victor and his family were facing a “long journey of recovery,” according to the GoFundMe page. In an Aug. 29, 2025, update, the GoFundMe page stated that Victor had been released from the hospital and was recovering with his family.

“We know that there is still a long road ahead of healing for our family and the community,” according to the GoFundMe page. “A sincere and deeply felt thank you from our entire family. We are trying to focus on the light – the incredible stories of people helping each other this week.”

What happened in the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting?

The deadly shooting occurred at the Church of the Annunciation, a Catholic church that also houses a private elementary school in Minneapolis with about 395 students. The attack occurred just before 8:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 27, 2025, authorities said.

According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the shooter approached the outside of the church building and fired inside toward the children sitting in pews. Two children, 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, were killed in the attack.

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Police initially reported that 18 other people were injured, including 15 students ages 6 to 18 and three parishioners in their 80s. Police later reported that 24 children and three adults were injured by gunfire, MPR News reported.

Of the injured, police said at least two were critically injured. All the injured had been expected to recover, though family members of some previously said they will have long roads to recovery from serious bullet wounds.

The shooting suspect, identified as Robin Westman, 23, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, according to O’Hara.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY



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