Feds: No investigation into Ilhan Omar marriages

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MinnPost photo by Ibrahim Hirsi

Ilhan Omar hugging her husband, Ahmed Hirsi, during the primary victory party.

UPDATE: MPR News reporter Laura Yuen has posted a tweet showing a letter from United States Attorney Andrew Luger, released by the Omar campaign, declaring his office is NOT investigating Omar’s immigration status:

Here is the @andrewluger letter released by the Omar campaign. pic.twitter.com/8p52mi345D

— Laura Yuen (@laura_yuen) August 22, 2016

Here’s the original story the letter was in response to: KMSP’s Tom Lyden reports: “She may be relatively new to politics, but Ilhan Omar has already mastered an invaluable skill: how to avoid a reporter’s question. … But we aren’t the only ones who still have questions about the two men the DFL-endorsed House candidate has called her husband, without divorcing either. Fox 9 has learned U.S. Attorney Andy Luger has asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to look into Ilhan Omar’s marriages, because she’s in ‘a position of public trust.’ ”

Are these those small-town values we keep hearing about? The Brainerd Dispatch’s Zach Keyser writes: “Although for years it wasn’t normal for encounters between local legislative candidates and the public to turn nasty, several incidents so far in 2016 have veered from that standard. … Meg Litts, a DFL candidate for House District 9A, was recently on the receiving end of vitriol she never expected. During a parade in Verndale on July 30, Litts had a group of people say rude things and refuse to shake her hand. Litts had seen the same behavior while campaigning at previous parades, but nothing of what happened next was familiar. As she was crossing the street away from the rude group of people, she felt a handful of pea-sized rocks hit her back. Then another.”

Honey Nut GMOs. Governing Magazine’s Donald F. Kettl writes: “Honey Nut Cheerios — America’s bestselling cereal — won’t be the same anymore. Thanks to an epic battle in Vermont, every box of the friendly oats from General Mills contains a new label confirming the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). … Outside Vermont, General Mills doesn’t have to include the GMO label. But Jeff Harmening, the company’s chief operating officer for U.S. retail, told a reporter that ‘having one system for Vermont and one for everywhere else is untenable.’ So, as Vermont goes, so goes the nation.”

A Philando Castile scholarship. The Pioneer Press’ Kristi Belcamino writes: “John Thompson wakes up every morning and remembers the last thing Philando Castile ever said to him: that he loved everybody. … Thompson, who worked with Castile in the St. Paul school district, was at the ‘Central Honors Philando’ event Sunday afternoon outside Central High School. The event, organized by the Central High School Foundation, was held to remember Castile and to raise money for the school’s new scholarship to honor Castile, a 2001 Central graduate. The scholarship will be available for students who intend to study child development or culinary arts. Castile worked as a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul.”

In other news…

It’s back: “Judge orders Minneapolis $15 minimum wage question to ballot” [Star Tribune]

Uncomfortably close: “South Dakota reports first case of Zika Virus” [Argus Leader]

Sick of hostas? “Wild marijuana is flourishing throughout the Twin Cities” [City Pages]

Dateline, Longville: “Dog becomes legendary for daily walks to town” [KARE]

Makes sense: “Exclusive: A Prince Museum Is Coming To Paisley Park” [Hip Hollywood]

Also the age of their youngest customer: “A long, winding journey: Best Buy turns 50” [MPR]

Your Midwest Basketball League news: “CourtKings win inaugural MBL championship” [Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier]

Appearing at the Woman’s Club this week: “Maria Bamford on coming home, ‘Lady Dynamite,’ & portrayals of mental illness” [The Growler]

R.I.P.: “Donna Wold, who inspired Charles Schulz’s ‘Little Red-Haired Girl’ in ‘Peanuts,’ dies” [Star Tribune]

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