Minnesota

Minnesota woman leads charge on new law requiring adult changing tables in U.S. airports

Published

2 years ago

May 27, 2024

Minnesota woman leads charge on new law requiring adult changing tables in U.S. airports

MINNEAPOLIS — Linda Hood is always on the move. She’s a marathoner who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

In 2018, quadriplegia changed her body, but her will is the same — especially after she realized the basic task of using a public restroom was now alarmingingly complicated.

“We got on the floor and it was wet. It was cold. It was filthy,” Hood said. “It was awful and I looked at my husband and thought, this is disgusting.”

Babies have changing tables — why don’t kids and adults, she wondered.

So Hood got to work, getting the first adult changing table in U.S. Bank Stadium, helping push for the first one at the Minnesota State Fair and now it’s law in Minnesota for changing tables to be in large, public new builds.

This month, Hood set her sights on Washington to talk specifically about airport bathrooms.

“All I could do is say, ‘When are they gonna listen? I need someone to hear me,’” she said.

And they did. Hood says she was warmly greeted by Minnesota congressmembers Betty McCollum and Dean Philips, where she explained the experiences of friends like Prince Cole, a Minnesotan and native Liberian who wants badly to visit home more often.

“Every time I go to the airport, I get huge anxiety. My anxiety is around the bathroom” Philips said. “You have to get changed and get changed on the floor so some people would rather stay at home than go through that, a humiliating experience.”

So Hood fought back against the norm and the Senate passed the bill. It’s soon to be law to have adult changing tables in U.S. airports.

“I got results and if I could have jumped out of this chair and jumped to the moon, I would have done it,” Hood said. “I had that much energy and that much joy. I was elated. It made me feel so good and I Just wanted to hug everyone in Washington and say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants.’”

“When I found out the change was coming, I was like, ‘Thank God for Linda,’” Philips said.

Because there’s no mountain Hood can’t climb.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport already has two adult changing tables — one in Concourse D and the other near baggage claim.

Hood’s next mission is to broaden federal law and she is prompting the Olympic Committee to have adult changing tables at their venues.

Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield loves sharing the good news. She hosts a show on Sunday mornings based on local “positivity and empowerment,” leading right into CBS Sunday Morning.

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Minnesota

Tragedy in Minnesota, vaccine news, Snoop’s game call: Week in review

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tragedy in Minnesota, vaccine news, Snoop’s game call: Week in review

Childhood vaccine schedule gets lighter

Kids in the United States will now have four fewer recommended vaccines on their childhood vaccine schedule, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The four vaccines are for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A, which will now be considered a shared decision between parents and doctors. Insurers will continue covering the vaccines regardless of the category, the HHS said. The administration says the move aligns the U.S. vaccine schedule with that of other developed nations; public health experts say the decision puts children’s health at risk.

Fraud scandal drags down Tim Walz

A bare-knuckles 2026 campaign season has barely begun, and it has already knocked out one high-profile candidate. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, dogged by a scandal that saw hundreds of millions of dollars in state Medicaid payouts exposed as possibly fraudulent, says he will not seek reelection. “I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election,” Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign, said in a statement. Dozens of people in Minnesota have been charged with stealing taxpayer dollars in what the Justice Department called the “largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.”

I’ll have a sniff and a slice

Candle shoppers are still melting down over some of the offerings in Bath & Body Works’ “Perfect Pairings” collection − in particular, the Pizza & Ranch candle, which promises notes of “gooey cheese, crispy pepperonis and ranch.” The fragrance, released in December as one of the “fun and unexpected” fragrances for Candle Day 2025, brought reactions that border on the unprintable, including one that referenced a Diaper Genie pail. Other scents were Coffee & Donuts, Chips & Salsa and Popcorn & Slushie. As of Jan. 5, only the Chips & Salsa candle was available on the company’s website, and alas, there was no word on restocking.

The great Oscars countdown has begun

Roll out the red carpets and chill the champagne: Hollywood’s race for the Oscars kicked off Jan. 4 with the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, where “Sinners” and “Frankenstein” led the field with four wins each. “One Battle After Another” won best picture; for best actor and actress, Timothée Chalamet of “Marty Supreme” and Jessie Buckley of “Hamnet” took home the trophies. Next up on the watch list: the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11. Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, comes March 15.

Snoop goes unleashed in his NBA game call

Coaches clashing with officials is nothing new, but this brouhaha came with a Snoop Dogg play-by-play – and a rebuke from the coach’s mom. The coach was the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, who had to be restrained after he was ejected from the game in a dispute over a missed goaltending call against the LA Clippers. “Steve’s raining fire on them. Woo-hoo!” barked Snoop, a guest analyst for Peacock. “The Arizona Wildcat came out. … Rawr, rawr!” Later, Kerr said he was amused by Snoop’s call, but his mother, who was at the game, was “terribly disappointed in me.” − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol

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Minnesota

Protests continue in the Triangle over ICE actions after Minnesota shooting incident

Published

23 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Protests continue in the Triangle over ICE actions after Minnesota shooting incident

Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the Triangle this week, fueled by anger and fear after a woman was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday in Minnesota.

Adali Abeldanez, owner of Moroleon Supermarket in Durham, said fear is impacting daily life and local businesses, including his own.

“People are still stressed and worried,” he said.

Abeldanez said he has seen a noticeable change in customer behavior since ICE operations intensified. While his store has offered delivery services for years, he noticed requests surged in November, when ICE was in the state, and have remained high.

“That uptick in delivery – do you believe that’s directly tied to people’s fear about ICE?” WRAL asked Abeldanez.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.

He said some store clients are afraid to leave their homes and are relying on organized deliveries instead. Abeldanez said his wife is undocumented and frightened, a feeling he said is widely shared in the immigrant community.

>> Q&A: NC lawyers warn immigrant communities to stay home amid enforcement sweeps in Raleigh

>> Do ICE agents have absolute immunity? No, experts say, but it’s not easy for a state to prosecute

Abeldanez believes ICE agents need more training and greater accountability.

“They’re dealing with people — human beings. It’s life,” he said. “The law should be enforced, but obviously with due process and taking into consideration humanity, being humane.”

He also criticized what he described as racial profiling; he said agents approach people in public spaces based on appearance rather than targeted investigations.

“They should have some kind of plan to know where to go, who to look for, and not just randomly pick people,” Abeldanez said.

Despite his concerns, Abeldanez said he felt encouraged by this week’s protests, as long as they remain peaceful.

“As long as it’s something peaceful, I feel proud,” he said. “Seeing people protest in favor of protecting the immigrant community — I think that’s awesome.”

But while both sides believe peaceful protesting is important, the divide is regarding ICE’s actions.

Matt Mercer, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, said the Minnesota shooting involved an agent acting in self-defense, citing video evidence and injuries the agent sustained.

“There’s a human element where someone loses their life, which you never want to see,” Mercer said. “But the video speaks for itself.”

Mercer said recent confrontations with ICE agents are not peaceful protests but attempts to obstruct federal law enforcement.

“If you wish to protest, do that in ways you can traditionally protest,” Mercer said. “Surrounding agents, obstructing vehicles or creating chaos is not legitimate protest.”

The Minnesota incident remains under investigation. Meanwhile, protests in the Triangle are expected to continue, including one Friday night in Durham.

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Minnesota

Rifts widen as Minnesota, feds face off over ICE shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Rifts widen as Minnesota, feds face off over ICE shooting

Federal authorities froze out state investigators. Gov. Tim Walz questioned whether the FBI could be fair on its own. Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t let Walz and “a bunch of radicals” pursue a case against an ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis.

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