Tom Emmer

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Wagon wheels lining the sanctuary? String lights? Bolos and boots? Baptisms in stock tanks? Yes to all of that at the Cowboy Church off Hwy. 65 in Ham Lake. The church bills itself as a place where everyone belongs regardless of whether they wear “a cowboy hat, baseball cap, or no hat at all.” Horseshoes, chandeliers and ropes are among the accoutrements that transformed the former grocery store into a Christian sanctuary with a whole lot of fun. The nondenominational suburban church started 15 years ago with the hope of attracting those who had fallen away from organized religion. Some initially showed up for line dancing then returned for a sermon. No cowboy experience is required. “I don’t wear a cowboy hat, you know, except maybe sometimes just for fun,” said senior pastor Rick Peterson. “But I told them I do love Jesus and helping people get introduced to him. And they said, ‘That’s what this church is about.’” Whatever it takes.

Just west of Lake Vermilion, this Minnesota school has earned the dubious distinction of becoming the book-banning champion of the Upper Midwest. This school banned 80 books last year, more than all other schools in Minnesota and the four neighboring states combined, according to the literary nonprofit PEN America. The banned list here includes such subversive texts as “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. The yanked books had been added at the request of library assistant Quinn Krebsbach, who said he has since been fired. New St. Louis County Schools Superintendent Brian Masterson said the books were pulled pending further review, not banned. But the books remain off the shelves. The students and Krebsbach deserve better.

The group endorsed Sharon El-Amin in the race for the District 2 seat on the Hennepin County Board. The incumbent Irene Fernando is the board chair and has been in office since 2019. The group’s campaign literature calls Fernando “unfit, unserious and out of touch.” That’s not a stretch. Fernando’s most significant initiative was a proposed 49% raise in 2024 for herself and fellow board members. The proposal was rejected. The district includes the North Loop downtown, north Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, St. Anthony Village and part of Plymouth. El-Amin is a native North Sider and a member of the Minneapolis school board. Her candidacy has been endorsed by Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Golden Valley Mayor Roslyn Harmon, among others. She also has the backing of three Minneapolis City Council members: Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw and Pearll Warren.

But cheers to former Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for calling out the House majority whip. Christie said Emmer’s support for Trump’s diesel-fuel deal will give Russia the money to “kill free Ukrainians.” Christie also strongly criticized the GOP midterm election strategy, championed by Emmer, that includes support for a televised federal execution, a monstrous idea that Trump reversed after bipartisan backlash, and denial of consumer pain at the pump and grocery store. “This is malpractice, and the fact is Tom is smarter than that. He knows better than that. But what you heard throughout it is this absolute requirement that you must stand by everything Donald Trump says and does,” Christie said on ABC This Week after an Emmer interview. Voters in Minnesota’s suburban Sixth District have an alternative who would stand with Ukraine: Democrat Doug Chapin.

Gienger, of Anoka, won the Half Moon Bay World Championship pumpkin weigh-off contest this week for the fifth time. He’s a horticulture teacher who grows pumpkins in his backyard patch. He and his family then haul the massive gourds to Half Moon, which is just south of San Francisco. This year’s pumpkin, which he named Rocky, weighed 2,389 pounds and won Gienger $21,501. His win with Rocky was a comeback as Gienger missed last year’s event when his gourd split while growing. In 2023, Gienger’s winning pumpkin at Half Moon Bay set a world record at 2,749. That record was unofficially broken last week by a Rhode Island grower. Gienger can try again next year.

The GOP gubernatorial candidate continues to suggest lenient district court judges are responsible for crime. Minnesota’s criminal sentencing guidelines are complex, and they give judges leeway in some cases and limitations in others. But the reality is that by the time a defendant is standing in front of a judge for sentencing, they’ve often been on the wrong track for a long time. Demuth claims she’ll appoint new judges who “put victims over criminals and uphold the rule of law.” It sounds like an easy fix, but it’s ridiculously simplistic. A judge’s role is to ensure a fair trial for the accused, but it’s absurd to claim they don’t also care deeply about victims. Anyone who thinks otherwise should spend a few weeks observing trials.

The Ward 7 representative voted against fomenting a legal battle with Mayor Jacob Frey’s office. Others on the council voted to explore the possibility of subpoenaing the mayor and city administrators. The council appears to want executives sitting through long public meetings, ready to answer questions. Shaffer said she has no trouble getting information from administrators and that city residents prefer to see cooperation at City Hall. Shaffer also said she doubts the council has subpoena authority and if she’s wrong, “then we’ll all be treated to the spectacle of watching the city sue itself if the council is unhappy with the mayor’s response to any particular council directive.” Nobody needs that.

“I believe that the hope of this world is not going to be found in any Republican, Democrat or independent,” said Cowboy Church senior pastor Rick Peterson. “The hope of this world is going to be found in real relationships with God.”

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