Midwest
Minnesota missionary, a father of 5, killed in 'act of violence' in Angola
A Minnesota pastor who moved his family to Africa to spread Christianity was killed in an “act of violence” there on Friday, according to a notice from Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Beau Shroyer, 44, a former pastor with Lakes Area Vineyard Church, moved his wife and five children to Angola in 2021 as COVID-19 lockdowns eased to become missionaries with SIM USA, a North Carolina based organization tasked with telling others about the “good news of the gospel.”
But Lakes Area Vineyard Church Lead Pastor Troy Easton wrote in a notice Saturday that Shroyer had been killed “while serving Jesus” the day before. The exact circumstances surrounding his death are unclear.
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Pastor Beau Shroyer with his wife and children. (Lakes Area Vineyard Church)
“At this point, there are many details about what’s happened that are still unknown, however we have been in contact with his wife Jackie, and are doing what we can to come alongside them in this shocking and awful time,” Easton wrote. “Be assured that even in their shock and grief, they are strong in the Lord and his word and have wonderful support around them.”
“We are heartbroken for Jackie, their 5 children, and their families, but we also rejoice in the truth that Beau, now absent from the body is present with the Lord.”
Shroyer previously described the area that the family moved to as a “remote bush village” with no electricity, sewer or water systems, per the Detroit Lakes Tribune. Shroyer worked for the Detroit Lakes Police Department in 2013 before becoming a real estate agent in the area, according to the outlet.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Shroyer wrote that the Nyneka people they were serving “are among the most marginalized people groups in Angola,” after he came across a young person called “Mauricio” who was walking to school nearly two hours before class started.
ARKANSAS PREACHER WHO WAS SHOT WHILE SHARING GOSPEL FORGIVES GUNMAN: ‘WE CAN’T HOLD BITTERNESS AND ANGER’
Pastor Beau Shroyer getting a haircut in Africa in recent times. (Beau Shroyer via Facebook)
“They lack access to education. One of our ministry center[‘s] goals is to provide vocational training to young men like Mauricio [to] get training that will help them to get a job,” Shroyer wrote. “Mauricio is in 10th grade and probably 19 or 20 years old. He’s one of the few from this area who attend school past elementary level.”
Days earlier, Shroyer posted photos and videos of people spreading manure by hand over on an agricultural plot before he wrote he was going to repair the roof of their shelter. He also posted a picture of himself smiling getting a haircut from a local barber for 32 cents.
“Moments like these create so many unanswerable questions for us and it adds to the pain to know that we may never understand why our Father has allowed something like this to happen,” Easton’s statement continued.
“And yet, amidst the shock and grief, we must not forget the truths found in the scriptures that point to his wise, merciful, gracious, faithful, trustworthy, and always loving character as well as the truth that Beau was a man who, because of his love for the Lord, gave his life to pointing the lost, the hurting, the desperate and the broken to the God who rescued, saved and transformed his life.”
Pastor Beau Shroyer in an SUV with children sitting on the vehicle’s roof. (Beau Shroyer via Facebook)
Meanwhile, SIM USA president Randy Fairman said he is traveling to Angola to be with Shroyer’s family.
“They have brought a faithful, energetic, growing, loving aroma of Christ into our family,” Fairman wrote in a message shared by Lakes Area Vineyard Church.
“From our perspective and the perspective of Jackie and the kids, we now must trust Jesus in a season that we never imagined. We must trust him without requiring him to give us an understanding of why he allowed this. It is difficult and stretches our faith.”
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Missouri
Missouri consumers file class-action lawsuit against Good Day Farm
A marijuana dispensary chain with locations in Springfield and Columbia is again facing allegations of creating a monopoly to take advantage of the Missouri recreational marijuana market.
Damon Toussaint Frost Jr. filed a class-action lawsuit May 4 in Jackson County Circuit Court against Good Day Farm, Missouri’s largest dispensary chain.
Frost, who is identified in the court filing as a Missouri resident who has purchased recreational cannabis from GDF, alleges that the dispensary chain’s and its affiliates have conspired to monopolize recreational cannabis sales in Missouri, resulting in Missouri consumers paying significantly higher prices than they would have in a free market. Frost and other class members — defined in the suit as Missouri citizens who have purchased recreational cannabis products from Good Day Farm or its affiliates in Missouri — are seeking that the “illegal conspiracy” be dismantled and that they be compensated for damages.
Frost is represented by Michael Williams of Williams Dirks Dameron in Kansas City. Williams did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.
A spokesperson for GDF denied the allegations.
“The claims in this lawsuit are baseless and without merit. Our company operates in full compliance with all applicable Missouri state laws and regulations, and we will vigorously defend that record,” the spokesperson wrote in an email Friday, May 15, afternoon. “We will not allow aggressive legal tactics to distract us from what matters most: our mission to deliver uninterrupted service and exceptional products to the patients, customers and employees who rely on us.”
This isn’t the first class-action lawsuit filed against the dispensary chain. In April, two Missouri-licensed cultivators and manufacturers alleged that GDF violated the Missouri Constitution and created a “cartel.”
Like in the April lawsuit, Frost’s lawsuit alleges that the “GDF consortium” — which includes Good Day Farm Dispensaries, Codes Dispensaries, Greenlight, 3Fifteen Primo and Fresh Karma — has control of about 25% of dispensary licenses in Missouri. The Missouri Constitution mandates that entities are limited to owning, controlling or managing no more than 10% of the total dispensary licenses in Missouri.
In order to circumvent the 10% cap, GDF “arranged for investors to invest into limited liability companies” that would then acquire already-licensed entities from owners, court records said, and would then be operated by GDF. The lawsuit alleges that GDF created four limited liability companies.
It also alleges that GDF employees, including the compliance director, general counsel and former director of investor relations, were listed on paperwork for various Codes, Greenlight and Fresh Karma dispensaries.
“Defendants anticompetitive conduct (i) robs consumers of choice and selection of products, and (ii) leaves third parties to compete for a significantly (and increasingly) small sliver of shelf space in the overall Missouri market,” the petition said. “In addition, Defendants misconduct will likely result in fewer competitive brands on the market, substantially reduced diversity of products available and sold, and, ultimately, to fewer choices, lower quality, and higher prices for consumers.”
Nebraska
Cornfield Baptism Near Omaha, Nebraska
What the hell happened to my life?
My inner monologue was deafening in the stillness of the Nebraska morning. I hadn’t heard myself this clearly since high school five years ago, before I pushed off into life as an actress in New York City. I couldn’t be sure what made my thoughts so loud—maybe it was whiplash, my abrupt move from filming HBO’s High Maintenance to my childhood stomping grounds.
North Dakota
Cramer: ND-Norway defense partnership strong
Submitted Photo
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, spoke about the connection between North Dakota, the United States and Norway at the 12th annual Norwegian-American Defense Conference held April 17, where he delivered the congressional keynote address.
WASHINGTON – North Dakota’s deep Norwegian roots reflect the broad, long-standing relationship between the United States and Norway, one built on shared values, cultural ties and security cooperation.
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, spoke about the connection between the two countries at the 12th annual Norwegian-American Defense Conference held April 17, where he delivered the congressional keynote address.
He described the bond as historic and strategic, but also personal. His great-great-great grandfather, Erik Hjelden, fought in the Norwegian War of Independence prior to Norway adopting a constitution on May 17, 1814, Norway’s Independence Day known as Syttende Mai.
Starting in the 1870s, Scandinavian immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland settled across what is now North Dakota. Today, one-third of the state’s population is of Norwegian descent, and North Dakota has the highest percentage of citizens with Norwegian ancestry of any state in the nation.
“I love the theme of this year’s conference, ‘From Seabed to Space,’ because I do think the size of the country is not nearly as important as the dynamic that happens when one plus one equals more than two,” Cramer said. “At a time when there’s talent on the factory floor, and talent in the executive suites, and talent in the engineering room, that we may have one or the other, maybe all. But together the dynamic of it is so much greater.”
Cramer emphasized how this foundation now supports a modern defense partnership. He said the United States and Norway are working together on Arctic security, aiming to strengthen interoperability and improve readiness across multi-domain operations. This alliance plays a key role in addressing today’s international security challenges.
Cramer also recognized the U.S.-Norway partnership through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the history between the two countries.
“When you look at a globe, it illustrates why the Arctic is so important,” continued Cramer. “None of us can protect our silo without protecting our country, without protecting our continent, without protecting our hemisphere, without protecting ourselves. We protect one another by protecting ourselves, and we protect ourselves by protecting one another.”
Throughout his years in Congress, Cramer has been active in the House and Senate Friends of Norway caucuses. He hosted former Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Anniken Krutnes when she visited North Dakota in 2024, highlighting the state’s Norwegian heritage, economic strength and its role in advancing U.S.-Norway defense and national security cooperation. During the visit, Krutnes and Cramer emphasized the importance of strong alliances and the longstanding partnership between the two nations during various community stops, including events at the Sons of Norway Kringen Lodge and First Lutheran Church. The visit also focused on defense priorities, with a briefing at the North Dakota National Guard’s 119th Wing regarding the mission of the “Happy Hooligans,” before concluding with a public reception ahead of the Fargo premiere of the Norwegian film Songs of Earth.
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