Star Tribune
Satanic display joins holiday decorations at Minnesota State Capitol
He said a phoenix was chosen for the display for its typical interpretation as a symbol of rebirth, transformation and self-determination, especially with the new year approaching. The mythical bird is also surrounded by black cranes with crescent moons, which “reinforces the power of intention and renewal.”
“So we took all of that together and we found it pretty inspiring, and we wanted to share that with the great state of Minnesota,” he said.
When asked, Sion declined to say how many members are part of his congregation. But he said the group organizes a series of meetings to discuss current events “in the Satanic world, so to speak,” along with board game nights, craft days and charitable endeavors – “real dark stuff,” he joked.
“We do good in the world,” he said. “We do things like charity drives a couple times a year to benefit things like [homelessness].”
Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber is challenging the federal government’s plan to idle the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, a minimum-security facility that is among seven across the country slated to close due to aging infrastructure and staffing challenges.
Stauber, who represents northeastern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, on Wednesday called the move “quite misguided. The motives behind this decision do not appear to be reasonable or sound and I am disappointed by the way the announcement was rolled out.”
But many of the facility’s approximately 90 employees may find themselves without a job, since only 15 are expected to be transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, about 70 miles away from Duluth, according to a letter Stauber sent Tuesday to Colette Peters, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Stauber was quoting job estimates from union officials, who were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
It’s unclear when the Duluth prison’s operations will cease. “To inform the employees they would be out of the job through an impersonal letter right before Christmas is far too insensitive,” Stauber wrote, noting he will work with the incoming Trump Administration to reverse the decision.
More than 700 inmates currently incarcerated at the Duluth facility will be transferred to other prisons.
The all-male Duluth prison camp, located on a former U.S. Air Force base, has “aging and dilapidated infrastructure,” including several condemned buildings contaminated with asbestos and lead paint, according to Bureau of Prisons documents obtained by the Associated Press.
While the snowflakes, holiday lights and cold temps suggest otherwise, the season does not begin until the winter solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The winter solstice is the precise moment when the sun appears farthest south in the sky. This year’s solstice is at 3:21 a.m. CT in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.
It marks the shortest day of the year, with the fewest hours of possible sunlight and the most hours of darkness.
With days set to lengthen, the winter solstice is often seen as a time of renewal in different cultures.
In Minnesota, there are several winter festivals and wellness-related events taking place to help commemorate the season.
“Since pagan days, solstice has traditionally meant the ‘year as reborn,’ with ancient and modern Scandinavians fusing it into the longer ‘Jul’ or Yule season,” according to the American Swedish Institute, which holds a popular annual event each winter solstice.
Here are a handful of solstice events happening around the Twin Cities:
The Bell Museum: Celebrate the sun’s “rebirth,” and observe the sun through telescopes outside the museum from noon to 2 p.m. Other winter programming including a signs of the seasons exhibit and winter walk are ongoing.
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days.
The decision by the bipartisan committee was made earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the vote who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday. CNN first reported the vote.
It’s a stunning turnaround for the often secretive panel of five Republicans and five Democrats. Just last month, members voted along party lines to not release the findings of their nearly four-year investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with minors and use of illicit drugs while Gaetz was in office.
Democrats had pressing to make the report public even though Gaetz was no longer in Congress and had withdrew as Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department. A vote on the House floor this to force the report’s release failed; all but one Republican vote against it.
Gaetz lashed out Wedneday on social media against the latest development, again denying any wrongdoing. He criticized the committee for its move after he had left Congress, saying he would have ”no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”
”It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,” Gaetz posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. ”I live a different life now.”
Most Republicans have argued that any congressional investigation into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent.
While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare.
