Minnesota
Pearl Harbor attack gun may leave Minnesota Capitol grounds for new museum home
For 66 years on the Minnesota Capitol grounds, a 50-caliber gun with a barrel mouth 4 inches wide has served as a reminder of the distant Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941 that drew the United States into World War II.
Minnesota’s connection to that event in history is that a St. Paul-based reservist crew helped man the gun on the USS Ward destroyer that day. They’re credited with firing the first shots in defense of Pearl Harbor, sinking a Japanese midget submarine.
The gun, which sits on the south end of the Capitol Mall near the Veterans Service Building, was installed as part of Minnesota’s centennial celebration. It includes a stone monument added in 2007 listing the names of those Minnesota sailors, the last of whom died in 2015.
Now, the naval artillery could be on the move again.
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A relocation petition that gets its initial airing on Dec. 19 seeks to transfer the USS Ward Gun Number Three to an under-construction military museum near Little Falls and Camp Ripley, the Minnesota National Guard training facility.
There, petitioners say, it would fit in with other military artifacts and get the care and preservation it deserves.
Navy photo of USS Ward’s number three gun and its crew. They were Minnesota reservists, credited with firing the first shot in defense of Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. The gun, displayed for decades on the Minnesota Capitol grounds, may move to a new museum near Little Falls, Minn.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command
“This new facility, dedicated to veterans of all service branches, will be a more appropriate location for this military artifact,” Randal Dietrich, executive director of the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, wrote in an application to the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board.
The museum isn’t slated to open on its new site outside Camp Ripley until 2026. The public review and comment period about the USS Ward gun relocation is part of an extensive process.
The surprise attack on the U.S. Navy’s Hawaii base at Pearl Harbor 83 years ago killed more than 2,400 service members and civilians and more were wounded. About two dozen people from Minnesota were killed or wounded.
Competing interests for Gun Number Three
Capitol planning board officials wrote in a memo this fall that there are competing interests that need to be sorted through. They acknowledged that the gun has fallen into disrepair. Peeling paint over the steel armament shows the rust forming underneath and other wear caused by exposure to the elements.
The Capitol architectural board has been upfront that it has no current plans or funding dedicated to future maintenance and cautions that “will inevitably result in continued degradation.”
But public access is also a consideration.
“In addition to information related to the history of the gun, its ownership and its siting here at the Capitol, CAAPB staff is aware of the particular importance of the gun to veterans groups and veterans families based in St. Paul, the long process of establishing the gun in its site on the Capitol Mall, and the process of maintaining the gun over the years,” the memo written in September says.
The USS Ward Gun Number Three which was manned by St. Paul reservists on a Navy warship during the Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack, now sits on the state Capitol Mall, showing visible rust and wear. An effort to move the monument is the subject of a public hearing on Dec. 19.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
The warship gun technically doesn’t belong to the state. Since 1958, the USS Ward Gun Number Three has been on loan from the U.S. Navy under an agreement that the state properly maintains it.
In May 2024, state lawmakers approved $275,000 in outdoor and legacy heritage funding for relocation and restoration of the USS Ward gun display. Additional legislation could be discussed in 2025 to help financially support the transfer, museum leaders have said.
The Navy League of the United States, Minnesota Council backs the effort to move the monument to an indoor location at the new museum.
Then-council president William James III wrote to Capitol planning officials in June 2022 to say a move “will preserve this important part of Minnesota’s Naval history.”
Plans currently call for the artifact to be the centerpiece of a World War II exhibit where “visitors will be immersed in the sights and sounds” of what sailors went through as Pearl Harbor was under siege in 1941, Dietrich’s application says.
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs also supports relocation. Commissioner Bradley Lindsay wrote in a January letter to an admiral in the Naval History and Heritage Command that he was eager to see a new chapter for the artifact at the 40,000-square foot military museum.
Lindsay asked that the loan agreement be therefore modified to allow its transfer.
“The prominent placement it will enjoy at the heart of the WWII Exhibition Gallery is befitting of the service of the Minnesota Naval Reservists who made history the morning of December 7, 1941,” Lindsay wrote.
If the move is ultimately made, it would be up to state Capitol grounds planners to decide what happens with the empty spot. One possibility on the table is to simply seed it with grass.
Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Minnesota
Reds Brandon Williamson beats Twins in first Minnesota homecoming
Reds’ Brandon Williamson talks Minnesota homecoming, beating Twins
Cincinnati Reds lefty Brandon Williamson pitched into the sixth inning to beat his home-state Minnesota Twins 2-1 in his first pro start in Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS – Brandon Williamson came to this ballpark as a kid, rooted for Joe Mauer and the Twins, maybe even dreamed a little of playing there one day.
“Oh, yeah. Joe Ma,” Williamson said. “That’s my guy.”
By the time that day came, Mauer had a statue outside the stadium, and Williamson had 29 career starts across three big-league seasons for the Cincinnati Reds.
And then the kid from tiny Trimont, Minnesota, came up big enough to beat the Twins in his first professional start in his home state – a 2-1 victory Friday in front of 200 or more personal friends and family from Trimont. And about 31,000 other people.
“It was awesome,” said Williamson, whose personal contingent at the game represented close to one-third of greater Trimont (pop. 705). “It was everything I thought it would be.”
The left-hander didn’t pitch especially deep into the game, getting two batters into the sixth. But on a night made for native Minnesotans, with a game-time temperature of 43 degrees, Williamson looked right at, well, home, pitching to the conditions and setting down the first six batters he faced – and eight of the first nine.
As one local press box wag quipped during the second inning, “These Minnesota boys know how to pitch in the cold.”
A pair of one-out runs in the fourth inning provided the scoring for a Reds team lineup still trying to break free from its early season woes – albeit with the twin obstacles of the weather and All-Star starter Joe Ryan’s presence on the mound for the Twins for the first six innings.
The only two hits off Ryan were doubles in the fourth by Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez, sandwiched around a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Kreidler. Suárez’s hit drove in two.
The only run against Williamson scored after he inexplicably followed four strong innings with three consecutive walks to open the fifth, including a four-pitch walk to No. 8 hitter Brooks Lee leading off the inning.
Austin Martin followed the three freebies with a sacrifice fly on a dying liner to the gap in right that Will Benson caught with a slide.
Williamson then rallied to get Luke Keaschall on an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play started by Suárez, who got the rare start at third base.
“I thought he handled himself really good,” manager Terry Francona said. “He looked like he was having fun pitching. I know he didn’t like walking the bases loaded. But he looked like he was enjoying himself out there. I like that when guys are enjoying competing; then we’re OK.”
Williamson also left the bases loaded in the third after a hit batter and two-out single followed by a walk. He struck out Keaschall on a called third strike that was confirmed after Keaschall challenged.
“I could have kissed whoever was running the ABS,” Williamson said.
The Reds improved to 12-8 and remained tied for first place in the National League Central after their third win in four games – the second in that stretch by a 2-1 score.“That was cool,” said closer Emilio Pagán, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save in his first outing since experiencing hamstring tightness Tuesday.
“I don’t have a team in my home state (of South Carolina),” Pagán said, “so I don’t know what that feels like. But to pitch against probably his favorite team growing up in front of that many friends and family had to be a surreal feeling. And he handled it great.”
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