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‘Always clutch’ trans softballer doubles, pitches complete game to send team to championship for first time

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‘Always clutch’ trans softballer doubles, pitches complete game to send team to championship for first time


A controversial high school softball team has made the Minnesota state championships for the first time after their star transgender pitcher smashed two doubles and pitched a complete game in a walk-off win.

Trans athlete Melissa Rothenberger’s performance helped her Champlin Park team beat White Bear Lake 3-2 on Wednesday, leading a girl on the losing team to cry and ask her father, “Why can’t you do something?” according to OutKick.

Rothenberger, a junior, went 2-3 at the plate for Champlin Park, sparking her team’s comeback victory after falling behind 2-0 and sending them to the Group 4A state championship Friday.

Marissa Rothenberger pitched a complete game and hit 2 doubles in Wednesday night’s win. SportsRecruits.com

“She’s always clutch,” Champlin Park coach Bryan Woodley told Twin Cities Pioneer Press after the semi-finals win. “I think she’s the best centerfielder in the state. She’s just a great all-around player.”

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Two fathers of girls on the White Bear Lake team told Outkick they were frustrated that their daughters were forced to compete against a biological male.

One said that players’ parents regretted voting for Minnesota Democrats who’ve allowed the youth athletic system to operate this way.

“You’re looking at a whole team of future Republicans,” one dad said.

The Minnesota State High School League [MSHSL] permits students to compete under gender identity, despite President Trump’s executive order barring all biological men from women’s sports.

The league has said that the inclusion of trans athletes is protected and “determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution,” Outkick reported.

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Champlin Park will play in its first ever state championship game Friday night.
Champlin Park will play in its first-ever state championship game Friday night. Amber Harding

While national governing sports organizations such as USA Softball and the NCAA have implemented female-only policies in women’s sports, state-level laws have created loopholes that allow trans athletes to participate.



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So Minnesota: Enchanted Fantasy Film Museum brings Hollywood magic to Twin Cities

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So Minnesota: Enchanted Fantasy Film Museum brings Hollywood magic to Twin Cities


So Minnesota: Enchanted Fantasy Film Museum brings Hollywood magic to Twin Cities

One museum in the Maplewood Mall brings a part of Hollywood glamour to the Twin Cities.

William Swift is the owner and curator of Enchanted Fantasy Film Museum.

“I own the largest display of film costumes in North America, which is crazy,” Swift said.

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There are more than 350 costumes and props on display from over 90 films and TV shows.

“I have stuff from Narnia, the Power Rangers, and have quite an extensive collection from Game of Thrones,” Swift said. “It’s just so cool and so fun to share with people such a grand collection. We never get anything like this in Minnesota or even really in the Midwest.”

Years ago, Swift, a longtime film buff, started collecting screen-used movie memorabilia in auctions. In 2024, he opened the museum with his massive collection.

“Eventually I ran out of room in my house, and I thought maybe it was time to take that leap of faith,” Swift said.

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MyPillow’s Mike Lindell announces he’s running for Minnesota governor as a Republican

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MyPillow’s Mike Lindell announces he’s running for Minnesota governor as a Republican


MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell has announced he will run for Minnesota governor in 2026 against incumbent Gov. Tim Walz.

Lindell, 64, last week filed the paperwork to potentially run, but at the time said he hadn’t yet 100% decided on a gubernatorial run. On Thursday, he made it official.

“After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, I’ve made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race,” Lindell posted on social media Thursday. “I’m still standing and I’ll stand for you.”

Lindell will run as a Republican and a noted ally of President Trump, and enters a crowded field of names who have already tossed their hats into the ring, as Walz, a Democrat, attempts to secure an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term as Minnesota’s governor.

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“We’ve seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America,” Walz said Thursday, responding to Lindell’s announcement. “We can’t let it happen here in Minnesota.”

In addition to Lindell, state House Republican speaker Lisa Demuth has already announced a run for governor, as well as Scott Jensen, the Republican candidate who lost to Walz in the 2022 midterms. Other Republican hopefuls include Minnesota Rep. Kristin RobbinsKendall Qualls and defense lawyer Chris Madel

Lindell launched a campaign website, listing his main campaign priorities as including stopping fraud, fixing “failing school systems,” stopping “exploding property taxes” and “send(ing) illegal immigrants back.” 

Lindell’s MyPillow has been at the center of a number of legal issues through the years, and earlier this year was ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to shipping company DHL.

Also, a judge this year ruled that Lindell defamed election technology company Smartmatic after he alleged their voting machines rigged the 2020 presidential election in favor of former President Joe Biden. Lindell made similar unfounded claims against Dominion Voting Systems.

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Minnesota has a history of political outsiders overperforming in statewide races, most notably former Gov. Jesse Ventura’s surprising win in 1998, but also it’s been two decades since a Republican won a statewide race in the increasingly blue-tilting state. 

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Minnesota leaders criticize Gov. Tim Walz over alleged fraud scheme oversight | Fox News Video

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Minnesota leaders criticize Gov. Tim Walz over alleged fraud scheme oversight  | Fox News Video


Gen Z influencer Isabel Brown and political consultant Michelle Backus consider the potential of the alleged Minnesota fraud scandal to snowball further and praise I.C.E. operations amidst criticism from religious leaders on ‘Fox News @ Night.’



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