| Hundreds stood on a picture-perfect evening in front of a picture-perfect Capitol to honor Melissa and Mark Hortman, whose lives were cut short in an act of political violence. The candlelight vigil was situated just below the building’s front entrance — the first of what could be several public tributes to the Hortmans. There were people of political stature and everyday Minnesotans. Those who knew Melissa Hortman, the former speaker, and those who only knew of her. Fellow Democrats and Republicans were in attendance. A brass ensemble, Native American drum circle and a string quartet filled the air at various points. There were tears, smiles and lots of people swapping stories about the Hortmans. A blanket on the ground gave people a chance to leave messages in marker. Clay Masters has more on what happened and looks ahead to what other tributes there are to come.
The neighborhood where the Hortmans lived remains on edge, especially after a reported break-in Tuesday night at the family’s home in Brooklyn Park. City police say they are investigating. The residence has had the garage and other entrances boarded up. Authorities say plywood on one of the rear windows was pried off. An unknown individual gained entry and appeared to have searched the house. Nothing was known to be missing. Melissa Hortman’s parents, Harold and Linda Haluptzok, told MPR News they visited the home Wednesday morning after police notified them of the break-in, and were puzzled by what happened. We don’t know what they were looking for or wanted,” Harold Haluptzok said. “Thank God we’ve gone through two or three times to clean everything out.” Haluptzok said the home was damaged from the shooting. He said police fired tear gas into the home after initially confronting the shooting suspect.
We have official confirmation that the suspect who killed the Hortmans and shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife showed up at the home of state Rep. Kristin Bahner as well. She and her family were not there early Saturday. Federal authorities said Vance Boelter went to the homes of at least four state lawmakers ; state Sen. Ann Rest was another who confirmed she was targeted but not around when he appeared. Bahner issued a statement praising Hortman, sharing her sorrow and voicing alarm with being so close to a fearful situation herself. “The past several days have been surrounded by so much grief and fear. This senseless violence came to my door as well, placing me and my family in harm’s way. I do not know why this man was filled with such hatred that he would come to my door; divine intervention led my family to change our plans keeping us safe,” Bahner, a Maple Grove DFLer, said in a written statement. She said local police and neighbors have kept vigil over her home and family, which she said is dealing with “grief and worry.” She said her resolve to keep serving her state and community is steadfast and unwavering. Bahner added that she will meet the scare with “good trouble” – an homage to the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said members of her caucus are dealing with grief, questions about security and worries about lasting damage from this week’s shootings. A spree that left DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband, Mark, dead, also seriously wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and wife, Yvette. Since then, Murphy said Senate DFLers have received security briefings and discussed how to manage the trauma. Murphy said the tragedy is “heinous, unspeakable and yet it is our reality right now.” She told MPR’s Cathy Wurzer that “it will alter our DNA. It will alter the way we interact. And we have to be careful not to go so far that we fence off the voice of the people in our democracy.” These days and weeks ahead will no doubt challenge that balance. Murphy was asked about the loss of two strong leaders in her party in such a short time – Hortman and the late Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic in 2024. “It is striking to me that we have lost both our beloved Kari Dziedzic and now our treasured Melissa Hortman.” The Hoffmans are recovering.
An important first for Minnesota’s nascent legal cannabis market: an outdoor cultivator has been licensed. The Office of Cannabis Management said yesterday that Herb Quest LLC in Pine County was granted a license to operate. OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel held it up as a “major milestone” in getting a retail market up and running. “With our first licensed cultivator now able to begin growing plants, and more than 600 businesses within the final steps of completing their applications and securing approvals from local governments, we are now seeing the first pieces of Minnesota’s adult-use market fall into place.” Meanwhile, there will be additional application windows for social equity status verification and for cannabis testing facilities. Those will be important in assessing the supply chain. More about all of the license stages is here.
One of the story lines of the legislative session was what to do about Artificial Intelligence and whether the state has a role in regulating it. MPR News digital producer Anika Besst took a spin through what did and didn’t pass this year. Without stealing her thunder, most of the sweepy legislation didn’t go very far but some of the smaller proposals did get traction. And we’re keeping an eye on Washington, where federal lawmakers are considering ways to stop states from imposing their one regulations on AI.
It’s been a long week. I’m not going to have a Friday newsletter. We’ll aim for one on Monday. Until then, find all the latest at mprnews.org. | 
