Minnesota
‘Let’s Go Crazy’: Minnesota Twins Pay Tribute To Prince In Stylish Home Run Celebration
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have a new home run celebration — and players and fans are going crazy over it.
The Twins unveiled a Prince-inspired celebration for the long ball, complete with a purple vest and an inflatable purple guitar to pay tribute to the late Minnesota musician and his song “Lets Go Crazy.”
The idea came from Twins starter Pablo Lopez, who has created a number of different ways to keep the long baseball season fresh. Lopez said this particular celebration has been in the works for a few months.
“The fact he goes out of his way to bring the team together means so much,” said Carlos Correa, who donned the Prince apparel after a home run Thursday. “You need guys that not only pitch well, but also bring the team together. He’s definitely one of those.”
Thursday was also “Prince Night” at Target Field, honoring the late musician who put Minnesota’s music scene on the map.
Lopez said the vest was custom made and added that it took a while to be shipped, but the wait was worth it.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s me, if it’s someone, but I’m all for doing activities for the team,” Lopez said. “I’m all for finding things sometimes not related to baseball that can bring us closer not only as players but also as people, as friends, as brothers.”
Brace Hemmelgarn via Getty Images
On Friday night, it was Max Kepler’s turn to don the vest and break out the guitar after his three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning tied the game at 4. With the homer, Kepler became the all-time home run leader at Target Field with his 81st blast. The echoes of “Let’s Go Crazy” rang through the ballpark after Kepler tied the game.
Kepler added a walk-off single in the 10th inning to give the Twins a 6-5 win over the Oakland Athletics.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Minnesota
Minnesota AG joins lawsuit to block $110B Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
(FOX 9) – Minnesota is joining a legal challenge targeting the largest media merger in history, arguing that it would ultimately be a bad deal for customers.
AG Ellison joins lawsuit to block Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 11 other attorneys general, filing a lawsuit to stop the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
The suit alleges the merger would violate antitrust laws by creating a media conglomerate that would control nearly one-third of all U.S.-based theatrical movies.
The combined company would control about 27% of the market for wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels. Only three distributors would control 75% of wide-release films, and four — including Disney, Universal, and Sony — would control 86%, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also points out that Warner Bros. is currently the second largest and Paramount the third largest in licensing basic cable channels, and together they would control 27% of that market. The merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies, eliminating competition and harming movie theaters, cable distributors and consumers.
What they’re saying:
“Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have,” AG Ellison said in a statement. “This would be the largest merger in media and entertainment history. It will raise prices, limit innovation, and reduce the variety of voices in media and entertainment. I’m taking action because this goes too far in consolidating power with a few at the expense of the public.”
What’s next:
The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If the companies refuse, the attorneys general plan to file a temporary restraining order to halt the deal.
The Source: Information provided in a statement from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
Minnesota
Minnesota pulls National Guard troops from DC as mission could last through 2029
WASHINGTON (7News) — The debate over the National Guard presence in the nation’s capital is intensifying after the Pentagon told 7News the Guard mission connected to President Donald Trump’s crime initiative could continue through Inauguration Day 2029 unless it is ended sooner by the president.
The development comes as one governor has decided to withdraw troops from Washington, while D.C. leaders are urging other states to do the same.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his state’s National Guard members out of the District earlier than originally planned.
Walz’s office says its mission to support America 250 celebrations has concluded. The decision follows concerns about whether some Guard members were being used beyond the security mission tied to those events.
RELATED | Pentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029
The D.C. Council is also pressing other states to reconsider their deployments.
All 13 councilmembers signed letters to the governors of Michigan and the U.S. Virgin Islands asking them to withdraw their National Guard troops from the District. Council leaders argue those service members were deployed to support the nation’s 250th anniversary events—not a broader federal public safety mission.
“They’re just doing their job, but it still hurts the city. It hurts our image. It creates resentment,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
SEE ALSO | 13-year-old boy shot and killed in Northeast DC home
“The letters were sent to two states that we were surprised when they decided to send the guard. Now, they sent the guard, as I understand it, to support the America 250 events. So it would be nice if they just kind of go back home,” Mendelson added.
According to the Joint Task Force overseeing the deployment, more than 5,100 National Guard members are currently assigned to the District, including troops supporting Freedom 250 events and other summer activities.
While Minnesota is ending its deployment, governors in states including Georgia and Mississippi have said their Guard members will remain in Washington to support the president’s mission.
Minnesota
Police seeking suspect in Eagan road rage shooting incident
A road rage-related shooting caused a southern Twin Cities metro highway to shut down for several hours Saturday evening.
The Minnesota State Patrol and the Eagan Police Department responded to a report of a road rage incident on northbound Interstate 35E near Deerwood Drive around 5:16 p.m., according to Eagan police.
Police say one of the drivers fired multiple rounds at another vehicle. While no one was injured, the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and sustained damage.
The Eagan Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect vehicle and driver involved. Investigators are looking for a white 2010-2014 Ford F-150. The truck is described as having four doors, black door handles, gray rocker panels, a black tonneau cover and visible rust around the driver’s side rear wheel well/fender. The suspect is described as a White man with long, dark hair.
Anyone with information about the incident or the driver is asked to contact the Eagan Police Department tip line at 651-675-5799 or email the department at eaganpd@eaganmn.gov.
I-35E reopened to traffic around 8:10 p.m. Saturday.
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