Midwest
Walz waited until legislative session wrapped to demand resignation from Dem lawmaker accused of burglary
Vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz waited to call on an embattled Democratic state lawmaker charged with burglary to resign until after the Minnesota legislative session ended in May and her critical vote was no longer needed.
State Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury was arrested at her stepmother’s home on April 22 and is charged with felony first-degree burglary for allegedly breaking in to get her late father’s ashes and some of his personal belongings. Mitchell has denied the allegations and sought to have her charges dismissed.
The arrest prompted the Minnesota Senate to remove Mitchell from her committee assignments and caucus meetings. Republicans were quick to demand that she immediately resign, but Democratic leaders, including Walz, did not follow suit until after the legislative session ended nearly a month later, on May 19.
GOP leaders say the episode demonstrated how Walz did what was politically expedient as governor rather than what was right.
DEMOCRATIC MINNESOTA STATE SENATOR’S OWN PARTY CALLING FOR HER RESIGNATION AFTER BURGLARY CHARGE
Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 47, was booked into the Becker County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary. (Becker County Jail)
“Democrats in Minnesota turned a blind eye to the criminal actions of their colleagues for one simple reason: to maintain power,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Just like when he passed off blame for nearly a billion dollars of taxpayer money being lost to fraud, Tim Walz will pass the buck on doing what’s right unless it benefits him and his far-left agenda. He has no business being VP and will put his own agenda and reckless pursuit of power over the needs of Americans if he makes it to Washington.”
Democrats held a 34-33 majority at the time, making Mitchell’s vote crucial to enacting key legislation. Minnesota Democratic-Farmor-Labor Party Chairman acknowledged as much in his statement calling for Mitchell to resign, which noted her constituents “had full representation through the end of the legislative session.”
“The Minnesota DFL believes that all elected officials should be held accountable, including members of our own party. While Sen. Mitchell is entitled to her day in court, her continued refusal to take responsibility for her actions is beneath her office and has become a distraction for her district and the Legislature,” Martin said in a May 30 statement, ten days after the session closed.
“Now that her constituents have had full representation through the end of the legislative session, it is time for her to resign to focus on the personal and legal challenges she faces.”
911 CALL TRANSCRIPT DETAILS DEMOCRATIC MINNESOTA STATE SENATOR’S ALLEGED BURGLARY AT STEPMOTHER’S HOME
Mitchell was elected to represent Minnesota’s Senate District 47 in 2022. (Minnesota State Senate)
Walz told FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul he agreed with Martin’s statement and that Mitchell should resign.
In comments to MPR News, the governor called the allegations facing Mitchell “disturbing” and said that “public servants need to be held to a higher standard.”
Republicans slammed the delayed response from Democratic leaders at the time.
“Without new evidence or information in the accusations against Sen. Mitchell, this statement from DFL Chair Ken Martin is a clear admission Democrats were so desperate to pass their highly partisan agenda they were willing to use votes of an alleged burglar to do it,” Johnson said in response to Martin’s statement.
DEMOCRATIC MINNESOTA STATE SENATOR CLAIMS SHE WAS CHECKING IN ON ILL LOVED ONE DURING ALLEGED BURGLARY
Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Democrats abused their political majority and embraced Sen. Mitchell because it served their political purposes instead of working in a bipartisan way for Minnesotans. Anyone paying attention could see this coming – now that they no longer need her vote, they are ready to cast her aside.
“This shameless pursuit of political power is not what Minnesotans deserve from their elected leaders.”
The Harris-Walz campaign and the office of Gov. Walz did not respond to requests for comment.
According to a criminal complaint, Mitchell acknowledged that she entered through a window and told investigators she was trying to get her late father’s ashes, photos, a flannel shirt and other items of sentimental value, claiming her stepmother had stopped speaking to her after her father’s death and refused to give her the items.
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Mitchell appeared in front of an ethics panel on May 7, but invoked her Fifth Amendment rights and refused to speak.
Mitchell, of Woodbury, Minnesota, has represented District 47 since she was elected to the state Senate in 2022. She was previously a meteorologist for KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio and serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.
A hearing for Mitchell’s case has been delayed to Aug. 30 in Becker County District Court, the Detroit Lakes Tribune reported.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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Cleveland, OH
Cleveland’s Inaugural Afterburn Music Festival Announces Star-Studded Lineup for August 2026
Cleveland, OH, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Victory Entertainment announced the full lineup for the inaugural Afterburn Music Festival, a two-day outdoor rock event taking place August 14–15, 2026, at Victory Park in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Featuring a mix of pop punk, alternative, hard rock, and metal, the festival brings together multi-generational acts for what is expected to be one of the region’s most anticipated summer music events.
Third Eye Blind and Skillet will headline the Afterburn Music Festival in Cleveland, Ohio.
Headlining Friday, August 14, are Third Eye Blind, known for hits including Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, and Narcolepsy, alongside New Found Glory, the Florida pop-punk icons behind My Friends Over You and Hit or Miss.
Saturday, August 15, features Skillet, the multi-platinum rock powerhouse known for Monster, Feel Invincible, and Comatose, and Hoobastank, whose breakout single The Reason became one of the defining songs of the early 2000s.
The full line-up of artists performing across the two-day festival includes:
Friday, August 14
- Third Eye Blind
- New Found Glory
- The Maine
- Switchfoot
- lovelytheband
- Bayside
- Heart Attack Man
- Giveth
Saturday, August 15
- Skillet
- Hoobastank
- Set It Off
- Puddle of Mudd
- Drowning Pool
- Black Stone Cherry
- Small Town Titans
- Rusty
“The goal with Afterburn wasn’t to create just another festival—it was to build something that feels big without feeling out of reach,” said Joe Borkey, President of Victory Entertainment. “This is the kind of lineup you’d normally have to travel for. Now it’s happening right here in Northeast Ohio.”
Designed to appeal to fans across multiple eras of rock music, the Afterburn Music Festival blends legacy acts with modern favorites, offering a shared live experience for longtime fans and newer audiences alike. As demand for regional, drive-in festivals continues to grow, Afterburn provides an accessible alternative to destination events such as Lollapalooza and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival.
Borkey added, “We curated a lineup of bands to resonate with fans across multiple generations. Whether you came of age on 90s alternative, grew up on pop-punk, or found your faith through rock music, the Afterburn will have a selection of artists performing just for you.”
The festival will feature two full-production stages, an immersive VIP area, and a wide selection of Northeast Ohio food trucks and vendors. Gates open at noon each day, with performances beginning at 12:30 p.m. The event is expected to draw thousands of attendees from across Ohio and the surrounding Midwest region.
Tickets are on sale now at theafterburnmusicfestival.com, with the first tier of general admission tickets priced at $89.65 for a single day, and $159.30 for both days of the festival. VIP options are also available. Early ticket tiers and VIP tickets are limited and expected to sell quickly.
Located just outside Cleveland, Victory Park, a 60+ acre sports and entertainment facility, offers a natural outdoor setting with ample on-site parking, providing convenient access for fans throughout Northeast Ohio.
Additional scheduling details and festival information will be announced in the coming weeks.
For tickets, artist information, and updates, visit theafterburnmusicfestival.com or follow The Afterburn Music Festival on social media. Media inquiries and press credential requests should be directed to BMA Media at jjrborkey@bmamedia.com. High-resolution media assets are available upon request.
ABOUT VICTORY ENTERTAINMENT
Victory Entertainment is a Northeast Ohio-based live entertainment company dedicated to producing high-quality music festivals and concert experiences that connect nationally recognized artists with regional audiences.
The Afterburn Ohio Music Festival logo
About The Afterburn Music Festival
The Afterburn Music Festival is a two-day outdoor rock event held August 14–15, 2026, at Victory Park in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Featuring headliners Third Eye Blind, New Found Glory, Skillet, and Hoobastank, the festival delivers a multi-genre lineup spanning pop punk, alternative, and hard rock. Tickets and information are available at theafterburnmusicfestival.com.
Press Inquiries
Jerrod Borkey Jr.
jjrborkey [at] bmamedia.com
4409754262
https://theafterburnmusicfestival.com/
4091 Erie Street, Willoughby, OH 44094
The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 58.6 degrees, 6.4 degrees above the 1991–2020 normal, 7.1 degrees above the 20th Century average, 5.8 degrees above the most recent 30-year average, and the second warmest April on record statewide. The preliminary statewide total April precipitation was 6.37 inches, 2.13 inches above…
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Indiana
7 Indiana legislators face Trump-backed primary challengers after bucking him on redistricting
Seven Indiana Republican state senators are facing off Tuesday against primary challengers backed by President Donald Trump as he seeks to exact revenge over a failed redistricting plan.
Trump’s intervention in the typically quiet local primary races have brought a flood of money and national attention to the state. Roughly $12 million has been spent on advertising across the seven contests, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, most of which has come from Trump-allied outside groups opposing the incumbents.
The Republican-led state Senate dealt Trump a rare rebuke when it voted down a redrawn congressional map he backed that was designed to result in two additional seats for the GOP. It was part of a broader mid-decade redistricting battle playing out across the country ahead of this fall’s midterm elections, when control of the narrowly divided U.S. House will be up for grabs.
But ultimately, the heavy-handed pressure campaign from Trump and his allies backfired. Now, they are revisiting similar lines of attack in their bid to unseat the seven lawmakers, turning the contests into another test of Trump’s grip on the Republican Party.
The most expensive of the primaries is for the seat represented by state Sen. Spencer Deery, who’s facing a challenge from Paula Copenhaver, an aide to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith. More than $3 million has been poured into ads in a district of approximately 135,000 people. Deery served as an aide to former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels when he was the president of Purdue University.
State Sen. Greg Goode is running in a three-way primary against two unrelated candidates with the same surname: Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, who has Trump’s endorsement, and Alexandra Wilson, a network engineer.
As NBC News reported last month, White House officials and Trump allies aggressively sought to push Alexandra Wilson out of the race, fearing she’d act as a spoiler in the race and help Goode survive.
State Sen. Travis Holdman, who’s been in office since 2008, serves in leadership as the third-most powerful Republican in the chamber. He is facing challenge from Blake Fiechter, a real estate agent who is backed by Trump. Fiechter briefly left the race in February, telling local media he was overwhelmed, but changed his mind after a White House visit in March.
State Sen. Greg Walker was set to retire last year after 20 years in the chamber, but reversed course amid the redistricting fight, where he notably broke down in tears speaking about his fear for the future if his party caved to Trump’s intimidation. State Rep. Michelle Davis, who was already planning to run for his seat, stayed in the race after his reversal and won Trump’s support. Walker’s campaign has spent just $73,000 on ads, while outside groups have funneled more than 1.3 million in ads in support of Davis.
State Sen. Jim Buck, 80, has served in the state Legislature since 1994, first in the state House before heading to the state Senate in 2008. He’s facing his first primary since joining the state Senate from Tipton County Commissioner Tracey Powell. Powell has Trump’s endorsement, while Buck has the backing of former Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Elsewhere, state Sen. Linda Rogers, who owns and manages a golf course and a home building company, is running against Dr. Brian Schmutzler, an anesthesiologist who said on his campaign website that he opposes “government health mandates” and tax hikes. He’s also said he was motivated to run by the redistricting fight.
And state Sen. Dan Dernulc, who represents a district in the northern part of the state near Chicago, has faced far less outside spending in his fight against two challengers, Trump-endorsed Trevor De Vries, an insurance broker, and financial analyst Nader Liddawi. While the six other races have each seen more than $1 million in ad spending, Dernulc’s primary has only hit $346,000.
Trump also waded into one of the open primaries for the seat currently held by retiring state Sen. Eric Bassler, who voted against the redistricting effort. The president backed former state Rep. Jeff Ellington, who is facing two Republican opponents on Tuesday.
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