MPR reports: “Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Jennifer Carnahan faced growing calls to resign on Saturday, in the wake of a major GOP donor and activist being indicted on sex trafficking charges. At least five GOP state legislators have publicly called on Carnahan to step down after news of Thursday’s indictment of Anton ‘Tony’ Lazzaro. ‘We need a change in leadership. …’ four Republican lawmakers — state Reps. Steve Drazkowski, Tim Miller, Cal Bahr and Jeremy Munson — wrote in a letter posted Saturday. … The four are members of the New House Republican Caucus in the Minnesota Legislature. … On Friday night, GOP state Sen. Roger Chamberlain of Lino Lakes — the assistant majority leader — also called on Carnahan to resign.”
Related. WCCO-TV reports: “The newly elected chair of University of St. Thomas’ College Republicans was arrested in Florida on sex trafficking charges, according to FBI Minneapolis.…Minnesota College Republicans said in a statement that Castro Medina was arrested alongside Anton ‘Tony’ Lazzaro on Thursday. The organization said it is ‘absolutely disgusted by the actions of Ms. Medina, and have cut all ties with her effective immediately.’ The statement goes on to say that though she had been recently elected as chair of the University of St. Thomas’ chapter, Castro Medina was not an active member nor had she officially started working for MNCR.”
Christopher Magan reports for the Pioneer Press: “More Minnesota children are catching the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and state health officials say that’s yet another reason for those who can to get vaccinated. About 18 percent of new COVID-19 infections are under the age of 20, said Jan Malcolm, state health commissioner. That’s a bit higher than the national average of 14 percent. Cases among children 9 and younger have almost doubled in the last two months to just under 10 percent of all infections. Health officials say that’s likely due to the more contagious delta variant, which is now responsible for 95 percent of new infections.”
In the Star Tribune, Jean Hopfensperger writes: “Three pastors have abruptly resigned this summer from Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis, signaling ‘a painful and confusing moment’ at a megachurch that gained national prominence under longtime pastor John Piper. The pastors cited several reasons for resigning, including how the church’s leadership council has handled race and diversity issues, and what one labeled a “bullying” and “toxic” culture toward those who hold different opinions. At least one of the pastors said he was disturbed over the council’s refusal to distance the church from remarks about abused women by the incoming president of the church’s college and seminary.”
KSTP-TV reports: “A 3-year-old was tragically killed early Friday morning at a home in Bena. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a report of an accidental shooting at about 3:54 a.m. Authorities said a 3-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by a 5-year-old boy. Police did not specify if the children were related to each other.”
The AP reports: “MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell says he was aggressively poked by someone seeking a selfie in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this week, which led him to say he was attacked. Lindell, who hosted an election fraud symposium in the city this week, told the conservative talk show FlashPoint that he was approached by a man who wanted a photo on Wednesday night. … Lindell had told the crowd Thursday at the election fraud symposium that said he was still in pain and wanted everyone to know about the evil in the world, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.”
