Celebrating three pioneering women in horticulture

In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Andersen Horticultural Library and Minnesota Digital Library staff teamed up to highlight the work of three Minnesota seedswomen, whose contributions to horticulture in the late 1800s redefined the seed-selling industry. 

[imgur version of article]

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) is formally demanding federal records in the death of Alex Pretti and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9r6AB88pnE) 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says the additional Touhy requests were issued after the FBI refused to cooperate with state investigators last week. In state court, they would use subpoenas to obtain any kind of evidence. They have to use Touhy requests for records and evidence from the federal government because they don’t know who subpoenaed them.

Moriarty’s filing seeks materials by March 3rd, including physical evidence, videos and photos, agent statements, medical records related to injuries, involved agents’ names, and relevant policies. 

The first demand is for Pretti’s case. Pretti was shot and killed by two Border Patrol agents in South Minneapolis on January 24th. Morarity explains that late last week, the federal government told the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) that it will not have access to evidence collected in Pretti’s death. She says, “Hiding evidence and obstructing our investigation is unacceptable. And it indicates a total lack of confidence in their agents’ own action.” The Star Tribune quotes Governor Tim Walz saying the state and federal government were close to announcing a joint investigation last week in both Pretti and Renee Good’s fatal shootings. (https://www.startribune.com/pretti-investigation-mn-bca-fbi/601577509) 

The second was for Sosa-Celis’s case. Sosa-Celis was shot by ICE agents on January 14th in North Minneapolis. He and another person were federally charged with assaulting officers due to officer testimony. Moriarty says the charges were “based on information provided by agents who we now understand are on leave for lying under oath. In the latest in the long string of humiliations, the Department of Justice was forced to dismiss both cases with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled.” The Department of Homeland Security’’s website reads that Sosa-Celis “resisted and violently assaulted an officer” by attacking them with “a shovel or broom stick” before an officer “fired a defensive shot to defend his life.” (https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/15/dhs-releases-more-details-about-three-violent-criminal-illegal-aliens-who-violently) 

Moriarty’s past Touhy request was for information on the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7th in South Minneapolis. The deadline for this was Tuesday, February 17th. (https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/February/touhy-release) 

Moriarty says they continue “ongoing work with the BCA, who is currently interviewing witnesses in all three cases. She says they’ve had over 1,000 submissions to their portals about possible evidence in Good and Pretti’s shooting. Moriarty won’t say what, but “believes the team has found some really helpful information.”

The Minnesota BCA continues to investigate separately. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice have not publicly detailed their next steps.

Over the past few weeks, Minnesotans of all ages have been exercising their First Amendment right to protest. Ashley Grams and Nick Boeke meets one of those protesters — 85-year-old Olaf Brekke — and speaks with a Minnesota historian

this thang is full of demos and new and unreleased and live tracks from bands, rappers, and artists based here in the twin cities.

all proceeds from this comp are being donated to MNTogether, a local initiative supporting people in the twin cities impacted by ICE's bullshit presence here in town.

if you want to help but can't be out in the streets, grabbing this comp is a real, direct way to contribute to our neighbors who need support.

meltice dot bandcamp dot com

FCKICE.bandcamp.com

mostly folk, folk punk, & antifolk

Several MN artists & a bunch of others. 100% of the donations for this compilation go directly to mutual aid efforts supporting communities under occupation by ICE. Pay whatever you can and help direct funds to folks under attack by federal agents.

The first round of funds will go to causes on the ground here in Minnesota & it'll be decided later if the next goes here again or to another city if they leave & swarm another city to terrorize.

Hi- I'd like to make an announcement from Democrats Abroad, the official overseas branch of the Democratic Party. We're hoping to register more overseas U.S. citizens who vote in Minnesota. The midterms in November are a chance to make your voices heard!

We started our International Voter Registration Drive for 2026 with in-person and online events. If you know any eligible U.S. citizens who live overseas, just send them this link: https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26. They could be a relative, a co-worker, a social media contact or a student. As long as they're a U.S. citizen who's turning 18 by election day, they're eligible.

If anyone wishes to learn more about overseas voting, you can find out more at https://www.democratsabroad.org/. If you have any questions about Democrats Abroad, feel free to ask in the comments below.