Connect with us

Midwest

Potential Walz successor unleashes on state’s sanctuary policies: ‘The rule of law matters’

Published

on

Potential Walz successor unleashes on state’s sanctuary policies: ‘The rule of law matters’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Patrick Knight slammed Gov. Tim Walz and other leading Democrats, saying the state is “cratering” under their leadership as they treat the law like a “buffet.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Knight criticized the sanctuary policies in his state, saying, “The law is not a buffet table where you just pick and choose which laws you’re going to enforce today and which laws you’re going to ignore.”

“The rule of law matters,” he said.  

A Marine veteran of 20 years and a former manufacturing CEO, Knight is one of nearly a dozen candidates running for the Republican nomination to succeed Walz in the Minnesota governor’s mansion.

Advertisement

TIM WALZ ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘ORGANIZED BRUTALITY’ IN IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN, SAYS ICE TACTICS ARE ‘UN-AMERICAN’

Marine veteran and former manufacturing CEO Patrick Knight, who is running as a Republican for Minnesota governor, and Democratic Governor Tim Walz. (Courtesy of Patrick Knight for Governor Campaign: Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

His decision to run comes as the state is reeling from a recently exposed massive fraud scandal, involving state programs, that is believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. The fraud crisis, which saw heavy involvement from Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, prompted a federal immigration crackdown that has in turn sparked widespread unrest. Two anti-ICE activists, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, have been killed by federal officers during confrontations with law enforcement.

Addressing these deaths, Knight said, “The loss of any life is tragic, and there should be a full and transparent investigation with both the state and the federal government participating and let the facts drive the accountability.”

Knight went on to say that for too long the people of Minnesota have been “the ones picking up the pieces” left by irresponsible state and local leadership.

Advertisement

“Things could have been easier as they are in other states,” he said. “When the federal government, in a reasonable manner, enforces immigration law and the city and state cooperate, that’s when it works. It’s when egos get involved and political theatrics get involved where it spins out of control.”

DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, THREATENING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Knight served in the Marines for over 20 years, including time as a judge advocate and later as an infantry officer deployed to the Middle East. He retired in 2006 as a lieutenant colonel. (Patrick Knight for Governor Campaign)

“When Gov. Walz testified before Congress, he stated openly that he would, the state would cooperate with ICE. And then, two weeks later, he is at the University of Minnesota Law School graduation where he is calling ICE the ‘modern day Gestapo.’”

Connecting this to a broader pattern of Walz and other Minnesota politicians prioritizing politics over the people, saying, “Minnesota is cratering on the fundamentals.”

Advertisement

“We’re just going on the wrong way on every, not just some, every fundamental. Crime, education, economy, affordability, not to mention good governance,” he said. “For the past six years, we’ve just been the center of political theater. We just can’t escape it, and I think Minnesotans are tired of it, I certainly am, and we need to just focus on fixing the basics, the fundamentals.”

Knight frames his platform around a five-point plan he jokingly titled the “big, beautiful, basic, boring” plan that focuses on the economy, affordability, education, rule of law and building a smaller, more efficient state government.

LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP SPOKE TO WALZ, DEMANDS MINNESOTA ‘WORK TOGETHER PEACEFULLY’ WITH ICE: ‘LET COPS BE COPS’

A man walks in front of the Minnesota State Capitol building at sunset in St. Paul. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

His argument is that the North Star State has lost its way and now needs to move away from the excitement of the current political climate to focus on the basics and ending the fraud.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“It’s a cultural issue that needs to be changed and it starts at the top.”

“I say it’s a simple fix,” Knight concluded. “Get a strong, competent governor.”

Read the full article from Here

Wisconsin

See how much home prices rose in Manitowoc County recently

Published

on

See how much home prices rose in Manitowoc County recently


Newly released data from Realtor.com for November shows that potential buyers and sellers in Manitowoc County saw higher home sale prices than the previous month’s median of $211,000.

The median home sold for $222,000, an analysis of data from Realtor.com shows. That means November, the most recent month for which figures are available, was up 5.2% from October.

Compared to November 2024, the median home sales price was up 14.1% compared to $194,500.

Realtor.com sources sales data from real estate deeds, resulting in a few months’ delay in the data. The statistics don’t include homes currently listed for sale and aren’t directly comparable to listings data.

Advertisement

Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at data.jsonline.com.

Here is a breakdown on median sale prices:

  • Looking only at single-family homes, the $221,000 median selling price in Manitowoc County was up 4.7% in November from $211,000 the month prior. Since November 2024, the sales price of single-family homes was up 18.2% from a median of $187,000. No single-family homes sold for $1 million or more during the month.
  • Condominiums and townhomes increased by 1% in sales price during November to a median of $265,000 from $262,500 in October. Compared to November 2024, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes was down 12.4% from $302,450. No condominiums or townhomes sold for $1 million or more during November.

Home sales data for Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

In November, the number of recorded sales in Manitowoc County dropped by 5.2% since November 2024 — from 96 to 91. All residential home sales totaled $23.2 million.

Across Wisconsin, homes sold at a median of $300,000 during November, down 1.6% from $305,000 in October. There were 5,682 recorded sales across the state during November, down 10.7% from 6,364 recorded sales in November 2024. 

Here’s a breakdown for the full state:

Advertisement
  • The total value of recorded residential home sales in Wisconsin decreased by 17.8% from $3 billion in October to $2.5 billion this November. 
  • Out of all residential home sales in Wisconsin, 2.82% of homes sold for at least $1 million in November, up from 2.67% in November 2024.
  • Sales prices of single-family homes across Wisconsin decreased by 1.1% from a median of $309,098 in October to $305,580 in November. Since November 2024, the sales price of single-family homes across the state was up 6% from $288,303. 
  • Across the state, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes dropped 3.9% from a median of $285,000 in October to $273,750 during November. The median sales price of condominiums and townhomes is up 2.9% from the median of $266,000 in November 2024. 

The median home sales price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. The median offers a more accurate view of what’s happening in a market than the average sales price, which would mean taking the sum of all sales prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high sale.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Realtor.com. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.



Source link

Continue Reading

Midwest

Illinois bar owner killed in ‘execution-style’ shooting, suspect with decades-long criminal record in custody

Published

on

Illinois bar owner killed in ‘execution-style’ shooting, suspect with decades-long criminal record in custody

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A suspect described as a “monster” was arrested following a manhunt for the killer of an Illinois bar owner who authorities say was murdered in an “execution-style” shooting Monday.

Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with the murder of 30-year-old Courtney M. Drysdale, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department said.

Drysdale was killed just before noon Monday inside The Line, a local bar she owned in rural Momence near the Illinois-Indiana border, authorities said.

The 30-year-old mother was opening the bar when the suspect walked in, brandished a gun and demanded money, WGNTV reported, citing the sheriff’s office. Drysdale complied with the demands, but investigators said the suspect shot her two times “execution-style” anyway.

Advertisement

EX-CON CHARGED IN CHRISTMAS DAY CVS ROBBERY THAT LEFT CLERK FATALLY STABBED

Courtney M. Drysdale, 30, was opening The Line, a bar she owned, when the shooting happened Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, authorities said. (Jensen Memorial Chapel)

Detectives recovered surveillance images from the bar that showed a suspect wearing a bright yellow jacket, a hat and glasses, and driving a white BMW.

Authorities released surveillance photos of the suspect wearing a bright yellow jacket. Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was taken into custody, pictured right, on Tuesday in connection with the murder of Drysdale. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department )

The suspect tried to remove a video recording device from the bar before he fled to Indiana, according to authorities.

Advertisement

Authorities said the suspect was seen leaving the area in a white BMW. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department )

Burkes was apprehended as he was leaving his residence in Hammond, Indiana, about 26 hours after the murder, the sheriff’s office said.

COLORADO REPEAT OFFENDER FREED FROM JAIL LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE ALLEGEDLY KILLING MOTHER OF THREE: REPORT

Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey thanked the public for supplying numerous tips, along with federal, state and local law enforcement officers who worked together to capture the suspect.

“We hope that in some way the apprehension of this monster will bring some sort of peace to Courtney’s family, friends and community,” the sheriff’s office said.

Advertisement

Authorities said Courtney Drydale complied with the armed suspect’s demand for money, though the suspect shot her anyway. (Facebook/Courtney Marie Drysdale)

Court records obtained by WGNTV showed that Burkes has a criminal history spanning decades, including allegedly breaking into the home of an ex-girlfriend in December. He was reportedly out on bond for that case at the time of Drysdale’s murder.

The documents showed his criminal history included a 2014 battery case to which he pleaded guilty. He was placed on 12 months of supervised release, which he completed.

In 1995, he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder when he was just 15 years old, the outlet reported. He was sentenced to 37 years in that case, though the outlet noted his role in the crime was unclear as records detailing the incident were not immediately available.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

Burkes is being held in Indiana, where he awaits an extradition hearing back to Illinois.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Knicks’ winning streak ends with an offensive dud as Pistons send major message

Published

on

Knicks’ winning streak ends with an offensive dud as Pistons send major message


DETROIT — An eight-game winning streak didn’t just end Friday night. It was run out of the gym.

The Pistons reiterated their position atop the East with a 118-80 curb stomp of the short-handed Knicks, who were a disaster on offense while losing for the first time since Jan. 19.

Jalen Brunson lowlighted the evening while shooting just 4-for-20 with 12 points, appearing exhausted after carrying the Knicks in a double-overtime thriller two nights earlier.

Jalen Brunson drives during the Knicks’ 118-80 blowout loss to the Pistons on Feb. 6, 2026 in Detroit. Imagn Images

Brunson was locked down by Ausar Thompson and sat the entire fourth quarter alongside his fellow starters, with coach Mike Brown waving the white flag earlier than ever.

Advertisement

“They kicked our behind, starting with me,” Brown said. “We all got our behind kicked. The Pistons are a good defensive team.”

Overall, the Knicks shot just 35.8 percent — including 24.2 percent on 3s — with James Dolan making the trip to Detroit and watching the ugliness before leaving his courtside seat for the fourth quarter.

It was the fewest points scored by the Knicks this season, by far. Their previous low was 90 points — also in Detroit.

“Obviously, I missed a lot of shots,” Brunson said. “We missed shots as a team, as well.”

The Pistons (38-13), who are now 5 ½ games ahead of the Knicks (33-19) for first in the East, were faster, stronger and more motivated — just like their last matchup about a month ago.

Advertisement
Tobias Harris reacts after hitting a 3-pointer during the Knicks’ loss to the Pistons. Imagn Images

They clearly wanted to send another message after getting eliminated by New York in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Message received.

Detroit didn’t even need a big night from star Cade Cunningham (11 points, 22 minutes) to dominate.

Brunson wouldn’t use the excuse of facing the exhaustion of carrying an eight-game winning streak and playing not long after Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets.

Advertisement

“It’s not an excuse for what happened today. [The Pistons] played last night. We had a day off. Obviously. we traveled. But there’s no excuse what happens prior to the game,” Brunson said. “You got to come here, you got to be professional, you got to do your job. But we just didn’t do our job well enough tonight.”

The Knicks, meanwhile, carried the posture of punting this game. Jose Alvarado, the new acquisition, didn’t join the team in Detroit. He’ll likely meet the Knicks in Boston for Sunday’s game.

Karl-Anthony Towns sat because of an eye laceration. OG Anunoby was a late scratch because of toe soreness. Josh Hart started but limped off the court in the third quarter and never returned.



The Knicks said it was a right ankle injury, with no further update.

So the Knicks started rookie Mohamed Diawara and Mitchell Robinson and their offense fell off a cliff. Of course, the Pistons — a team that applies physicality and athleticism at levels above the Knicks — had a lot to do with the struggles.

Advertisement

In two games against the Pistons, the Knicks have averaged 85 points, with their total margin of defeat at 69.

Cade Cunningham attempts a shot during the Knicks’ loss to the Pistons. NBAE via Getty Images

It’s a potentially ominous sign considering the Knicks and Pistons could meet in the playoffs, whether in the second round or conference finals. But Brown doesn’t view it that way.

“I don’t look at regular-season games as a barometer because, come playoffs, it’s a different basketball game,” he said. “Especially when you talk about a seven-game series. I’ve been with different teams that went to the finals or played deep in the playoffs that lost the season series to teams and still won in the playoffs.

“I look at it as it’s our next game. It’s very important. These guys handed our lunch to us last time. And so, we need to come fighting. Those are things I’m looking for tonight.

Advertisement

“I don’t look at it like if we win, hey, we’re going to get them come playoff time. Or if they win, they’re going to get us come playoff time.”

The Knicks can fall back on history if we ever get to another playoff series against the Pistons. They were swept in the regular season by the Celtics last year but toppled them in the second round.

So there’s indeed hope no matter what happens in the regular season. But there’s no question the Knicks have looked utterly overmatched by Detroit in two ugly games.

On Friday, they managed just 17 points in the first quarter and 42 after the second. They trailed by 21 at the break, which ended, appropriately, with Brunson getting rejected at the buzzer by Paul Reed.

For the Knicks, it was awful to that point and didn’t get better.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending