Midwest

Navy vet charged with hate crime for smashing satanic statue in Iowa Capitol gets support from conservatives

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

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Navy vet charged with hate crime for smashing satanic statue in Iowa Capitol gets support from conservatives

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Navy Reserve veteran Michael Cassidy received wide-spread support from conservatives and other notable figures after being charged with a hate crime for destroying a satanic statue that was erected at the Iowa state Capitol.

Notable figures like Elon Musk and Chaya Raichik, creator of Libs of TikTok, came to Cassidy’s defense after news of him being charged broke on Tuesday. Many who spoke out in support of Cassidy, lamented how left-wing protesters, who destroyed and vandalized statues of American historical figures, didn’t face the same stiff penalties that Cassidy now faces.

Local Iowa outlets reported that Polk County prosecutors accused Cassidy – who destroyed the statue in December – of violating the state’s hate crime statute and charged him.

NAVY VET DEFENDS BEHEADING IOWA CAPITOL’S SATANIC BAPHOMET STATUE: ‘CHRISTIAN CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’

The Christian man who destroyed a statue of Baphomet at the Iowa state Capitol in December was recently hit with a hate crime charge for the offense. (Rep. Jon Dunwell)

The statue, depicting the horned demon Baphomet, was erected in the Capitol building by the Satanic Temple of Iowa as a religious display and therefore allowed to be there during the holidays under state rules.

After destroying the statue, Cassidy was initially cited for criminal mischief in the fourth degree and released after he told security that he had destroyed the statue. The felony hate crime charge was added Tuesday because according to a spokesman for the Polk County Attorney’s Office, the evidence indicated that Cassidy destroyed the statue for religious reasons.

“Evidence shows the defendant made statements to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property because of the victim’s religion,” Polk County Attorney’s Office spokesperson Lynn Hicks said.

The new charge means that Cassidy faces up to five years in prison. One of his lawyers, R. David Younts, told Fox News Digital, “It is deeply disappointing that my client is being targeted with this type of charge. His nonviolent actions were motivated by his sincere and deeply held religious faith.

“Nothing he did was targeted at any specific individual or organization. I hope that as the DA’s office carefully reviews the facts of this case they will dismiss the charge,” Younts added.

THE RISE OF THE SATANIC TEMPLE IN 2023

The statue of Baphomet was erected in the Capitol building by the Satanic Temple of Iowa last December. (Getty Images)

The official Libs of TikTok X account came to Cassidy’s defense and called out a perceived double standard in the U.S. justice system.

Mentioning the Black Lives Matter rallies of 2020, it stated, “Violent activists tore down dozens of statues including Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. None were held accountable or charged with a hate crime. Michael Cassidy knocks over a Satan statue made out of household items and gets charged with a hate crime.

“Welcome to America’s 2-tier-justice system. The police state made it clear who they worship. Wokeness and Satanism is the new religion,” the account added.

Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk weighed in on Cassidy’s legal charge, asking, “What has become of America?”

“It’s okay to hate Satan,” The Blaze columnist Auron MacIntyre wrote.

Pro-Trump influencer “DC Draino” mentioned a double standard here as well, posting, “Under the Biden regime: Razor wire is good for stopping Americans but bad for stopping illegal aliens. Statues of US Presidents can be torn down but touching statues of Satan is a hate crime. Violent criminals aren’t arrested but defending yourself will get you locked up. Insane.”

Libertarian commentator “Sal the Agorist” noted, “Destroy a statue of Robert E. Lee & you’ll get political points on MSM. Behead a statue of Satan & you’ll get charged with hate crime.”

The Post Millennial editor-in-chief Libby Emmons made a similar point, writing, “Statues of Jefferson, Washington were both torn down bc of hatred of white men. But the guy who tears down a statue of Satan is charged with a hate crime.”

“It’s now a crime in America to hate Satan,” conservative digital strategist Greg Price said.

“It was never mentioned that the trans Nashville shooter who specifically targeted Christian children committed a hate crime, but knocking over a statue of Satan is. America has fallen and we’re left to pay the price,” former NCAA athlete and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines wrote.

“Hate crime?!?!? Are you kidding me. Satan has NO PLACE in our state capitol,” conservative commentator Graham Allen said.

Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.

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South Dakota

Former South Dakota AutoZone workers say they were bilked out of overtime pay

Published

20 minutes ago

April 7, 2026

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Former South Dakota AutoZone workers say they were bilked out of overtime pay

Two men who worked as managers at AutoZone stores in South Dakota have filed suit against the company, alleging the auto parts chain exploited them by not paying overtime.

Jay Grigsby was an employee of an AutoZone in Spearfish from 2021 to 2022, and Zakk Gill worked at the Rapid City AutoZone from 2013 to 2020. Both men had been plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit brought in Montana. That suit – Richter v. AutoZoners represented plaintiffs in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho.

AutoZone filed a motion to have that lawsuit decertified as a class action. Last month, a judge ruled against the company, but the judge did rule he lacked jurisdiction over non-Montana residents, and the case for them was dismissed, albeit without prejudice, which allows them to refile a new case.

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Wisconsin

John Blackwell’s Wisconsin teammates comment on his departure

Published

1 hour ago

April 7, 2026

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John Blackwell’s Wisconsin teammates comment on his departure

A pair of John Blackwell’s former teammates wasted no time expressing how they felt about his departure.

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball squad took a huge hit on April 6 when its star point guard announced he’d be entering the transfer portal.

Blackwell posted a farewell message that received mixed reactions, but both Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp expressed their gratitude for getting to play alongside the Michigan native.

“My brother!! Coming into college with you, it’s meant everything to do it by your side. Through all the ups and downs we went through, I won’t forget a second of any of it… go do what you do JB. For life,” Winter wrote.

Rapp added, “Gonna miss big bro, appreciate this year with you John Blackwell.”

Winter has been with the Badgers since the 2023-24 season, the same year Blackwell joined the program. Rapp, the Portland transfer, only was able to spend one year with Wisconsin’s guard who averaged just shy of 20 points per game.

Badgers fans are still awaiting decisions from Winter and Rapp, though neither has indicated they’ll be continuing their collegiate careers elsewhere.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Detroit, MI

NHL roundup: Zach Werenski says slumping Blue Jackets ‘still in it’

Published

7 hours ago

April 7, 2026

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NHL roundup: Zach Werenski says slumping Blue Jackets ‘still in it’

Detroit News staff and wires

A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams in desperate need of a win will square off at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday night.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost six straight games while the Detroit Red Wings have dropped six of their last eight. Both clubs are trying to revive their fading playoff hopes.

Columbus (38-27-12, 88 points) lost at home to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday. The frustrated Blue Jackets held a team meeting following the defeat.

“I’ll just keep our conversation in here because we’re a better team than what we’ve shown and just talked about it,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe) said. “We’re not eliminated. We’re still in it and I believe in this group. I believe we can get it done and it’s just doing it.

“I mean, we did it for two months. The last two weeks obviously haven’t gone our way, but it’s in the room and it’s on us to just pull it out and get it done.”

Columbus’ offense has stalled during the slide, scoring a total of 10 goals.

“We create the second most chances on the forecheck in the entire league,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working. And they’re not working. So, I have to get after them. They’ve got to change their mindset.”

Werenski believes the team needs a singular mindset on Tuesday.

“We can’t worry about what other teams do or whoever we have after Detroit,” he said. “Our focus just has to be on Detroit, and after that we’ll figure it out.”

The Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points) rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to tie Minnesota on Sunday. But Patrick Kane, who scored the tying goal, took a damaging tripping penalty which led to Kirill Kaprisov’s game-winner for the Wild with 1:51 remaining.

“We get the comeback and take a penalty 150 feet from our net not even in the play. It hurts,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said.

Detroit has five games remaining and might need to win them all to end a nine- year playoff drought.

“(We need to) play like we did in the third period more of the game,” Red Wings center J.T. Compher said. “We gave ourselves a chance. If we start better, it makes a little easier on us. The way we played in the third, we have to play for the rest of the games remaining.”

Detroit won its first meeting with Columbus this season on Alex DeBrincat’s overtime goal on Nov. 22. The Blue Jackets pulled out a 6-5 shootout victory in the second matchup on Dec. 4.

Draisaitl may not be ready for playoff opener

Out with a lower-body injury since March 15, Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl might miss the beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs, coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Monday.

“Leon is going to be on the ice this week and I don’t anticipate him playing any games in the regular season, and in the playoffs, sometime in the first round if things go well,” Knoblauch said.

“I’m not ruling that out (first game of the playoffs), but I would just anticipate sometime in the first (round). There’s a period of time we anticipated his return and we said it was going to be right around the end of the regular season, at the start of playoffs.”

Despite missing the last nine games, Draisaitl entered Monday as the NHL’s fifth-leading scorer this season, posting 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games.

With five games left in the regular season, the Oilers (39-29-9, 87 points) are tied atop the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks entering the week, and begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in Utah against the Mammoth. Edmonton closes the regular season on April 16, two days before the start of the postseason.

A three-time All-Star, Draisaitl has been a beast in the past two postseasons, helping Edmonton advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, losing to the Florida Panthers both times. In the 2025 playoffs, he compiled 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists), following a 31-point postseason (10 goals, 21 assists) the previous spring.

Fellow Oilers forward Zach Hyman, who is out with an undisclosed injury, will likely miss the road trip, which includes games at the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old has 51 points (31 goals, 20 assists) in 57 games this season.

“Hyman, I would think he’s going to play one if not two games before the end of this season,” Knoblauch said. “So, this week he’s out and not playing.”

Last season, Draisaitl missed the final seven games with an undisclosed injury, but returned for the opener of the postseason to help lead Edmonton back to the Cup Final.

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