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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is comprised of a weekly 30-minute magazine-style newscast and daily, five-minute headlines segments that shine a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
INTRO: YOU ARE LISTENING TO NORTH STAR STORIES: VOICES FROM WHERE WE LIVE, A DAILY NEWSCAST ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN MINNESOTA.
XAN HOLSTON: WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP... ONE YEAR AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN... HER FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES REFLECT ON THE PERSON SHE WAS... AND THE WORK SHE LEFT BEHIND.
REP. KRISTIN BAHNER: WHAT WOULD MELISSA DO? AND WHAT I KNOW IS SHE WOULD NOT WANT US TO QUIT.
XAN HOLSTON: YESTERDAY MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE A GUNMAN MURDERED FORMER MINNESOTA HOUSE SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN, HER HUSBAND MARK, AND THEIR DOG GILBERT IN THEIR BROOKLYN PARK HOME.
THAT SAME MORNING ... STATE SENATOR JOHN HOFFMAN AND HIS WIFE YVETTE WERE SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES INSIDE THEIR CHAMPLIN HOME ... BUT SURVIVED.
LAST WEEK ... VANCE BOELTER OF GREEN ISLE PLEADED GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES TO THE MURDERS AND SHOOTINGS ... IN ORDER TO SPARE HIMSELF FROM THE DEATH PENALTY.
TODAY WE BEGIN … NOT WITH THE GUNMAN ... BUT WITH WHAT THE VIOLENCE COULD NOT TAKE.
GOVERNOR TIM WALZ PROCLAIMED JUNE “PUBLIC SERVICE MONTH” … WITH A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE 14th … ASKING MINNESOTANS TO HONOR THE HORTMANS’ LEGACY THROUGH SERVICE AND KINDNESS … VOLUNTEERING AND COMMITTING TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
FOR MANY LAWMAKERS AT THE CAPITOL .. LOSING HORTMAN WAS NOT ONLY THE LOSS OF A FORMER SPEAKER.. BUT THE LOSS OF A MENTOR AND FRIEND... AND THE PERSON MANY OF THEM STILL LOOK TO WHEN THEY ASK WHAT PUBLIC SERVICE IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
NORTH STAR STORIES SPOKE WITH THREE OF HER COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHO SHE WAS.. WHAT SHE BUILT... AND WHAT SHE LEAVES BEHIND...
REP. GINNY KLEVORN: THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS THAT MELISSA WAS A REAL PERSON. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE, SO. SO MUCH MORE SHE WOULD HAVE DONE, AND TO KNOW THAT HER BRIGHT LIGHT WAS EXTINGUISHED IN SUCH A VIOLENT WAY, TO THE DETRIMENT OF SO MANY PEOPLE — HER FAMILY, HER FRIENDS — BUT MOSTLY PEOPLE WHO NEVER MET HER THAT SHE WORKED FOR EVERY DAY. IT'S SUCH A TREMENDOUS LOSS FOR OUR STATE, SUCH A TREMENDOUS LOSS. BUT YOU KNOW, SHE WOULD SAY TO US, “DON'T DWELL — GET TO WORK,.” AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE — WE'VE GOTTEN TO WORK.
REP. KRISTIN BAHNER: I KNOW THAT HER FAMILY WAS SO, SO IMPORTANT TO HER.
SHE WAS SO PROUD OF SOPHIE AND COLIN ... THE WAY SHE SPOKE ABOUT THEM ... SHE WAS SO PROUD OF MARK.
AND SHE WOULD BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU THAT IT’S THE ROAD ISN’T ALWAYS EASY, BUT HOW GRATEFUL SHE WAS FOR HAVING HIM AS HER CHEERLEADER BY HER SIDE.
I’M JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS — THAT HER FAMILY , THAT GILBERT WAS BY HER —THAT SHE HAD GOOD FRIENDS AROUND HER. NOT EVERYBODY IN LIFE GETS THOSE BLESSINGS AND I’M GRATEFUL SHE HAD THEM.
REP. KELLY MOLLER: THE WAY SHE WAS ABLE TO ENCOURAGE US AND SEE LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN INDIVIDUALS IN WAYS THAT WE DIDN’T SEE IN OURSELVES … FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT, SHE WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR KIDS.
SHE LOVED CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING … MARGARITAS … CHEETOS … DISCO MUSIC, LIKE ABBA … TREES AND THE COLOR GREEN.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, SHE WAS A HUMAN BEING LIKE ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE … AND I GUESS I HOPE PEOPLE DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE HUMANITY OF THOSE WHO REPRESENT THEM
XAN HOLSTON: MELISSA AND MARK HORTMAN ARE SURVIVED BY THEIR CHILDREN … SOPHIE AND COLIN …
AFTER THEIR PARENTS WERE KILLED... SOPHIE AND COLIN SHARED A LIST OF SIMPLE WAYS PEOPLE COULD HONOR THEM.
THAT INCLUDES PLANTING A TREE … VISITING A PARK OR BIKE TRAIL … OR
PETTING A DOG — ESPECIALLY A GOLDEN RETRIEVER.
THEY ALSO SUGGEST BAKING SOMETHING TO SHARE … CAKE FOR MELISSA … AND BREAD FOR MARK.
THE LIST ALSO ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO TRY A NEW HOBBY … AND TO
STAND UP FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE
OUR SERIES ON HORTMAN’S LEGACY CONTINUES TOMORROW.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
OUTRO: NORTH STAR STORIES IS PRODUCED BY AMPERS, DIVERSE RADIO FOR MINNESOTA'S COMMUNITIES WITH SUPPORT FROM THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. ONLINE AT AMPERS DOT ORG.