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Minnesota Satanists display at State Capitol prompts pushback, discussion
The groups’ congregation leader says they’re allowed to have a difference of opinion and of how they express their religion, as it’s protected by the Constitution.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Inside the Minnesota State Capitol, there are many signs of the holidays. Inside the rotunda, a Christmas tree greets those entering the building.
Down the hallway, carolers made up of lawmakers, pastors and Christians sing their reason for the season.
Next to them, though, is what they say is an unwanted guest.
“We have not come here to honor that,” a speaker to the group said, pointing towards a display in the middle of the room.
“I think that the display is poorly timed, and it was done on purpose to be an offense to Christians,” State Representative Jim Nash, R-48A, said.
That display is of a phoenix rising from the ashes, surrounded by paper cranes, underneath an upside-down pentagram. The display was put up by the Minnesota Satanists, and according to the group, is their first holiday display.
“I can’t change the fact that that’s here, I can lend my voice to the fact that I’m not on board with the message behind it,” Nash, who spoke and prayed alongside others in the group of more than fifty, said.
“In a free country, the answer to one person’s speech is another person’s speech,” State Representative Harry Niska, R-31A, said. “If you disagree with it, then express yourself.”
“We celebrate as Minnesotans and Americans, that we’re allowed to have differences of opinion and of religious practice, and it’s all guaranteed and we can do it by the Constitution,” Minnesota Satanists Congregation Leader Asmodeus Sion said. “The reason we put it up was for representation. We wanted to bring joy and beauty to the community, and tertiary to that, we wanted to express our First Amendment rights,” Sion continued.
The group applied for a permit and was approved by the Minnesota Department of Administration, which handles the displays that go on inside the State Capitol building. The Minnesota Satanists display is set to run through next week.
The Department of Administration also said they approved a nativity scene as well.
That plurality of religions is key – and guaranteed by the First Amendment.
“The government cannot establish religion, it cannot discriminate against religion,” Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota, said.
“If they’re going to allow one display, then they have to allow others,” Kirtley said. “As long as they conform with whatever permanent process the government has established that has to be done in a neutral way.”
Kirtley says just like any other group, if they follow the rules, they have the right to display their religious symbols too.
“If there’s any place that something like that should not be damned, it’s got to be a public space where government operates, because our government is supposed to be the government of the people,” she said. “That’s all the people.”
“You’ll find your purpose,” Illona said. “No matter what, you’ll find your purpose.”
RED LAKE, Minn. — A Red Lake Anishinaabe family is making waves — literally and figuratively — through a story of bravery, heritage and the power of Girl Scouts.
For three generations of the Delaney family — grandmother Charlene, mother Erin and daughter Illona — each day is a lesson in courage and connection.
“We are three very intelligent women who are passionate,” said Charlene.
That passion came to life in a harrowing moment at Big Marine Lake in Scandia.
During a family outing, Charlene jumped into the water, only to realize she couldn’t swim back to the pontoon.
“I thought myself a fairly good swimmer,” Charlene said. “But the pontoon was getting further and further away. I didn’t think I was going to make it back.”
Erin quickly jumped into the water, determined to save her mother. But her panic put them both in danger.
“I remember yelling, ‘I’m drowning!’” Erin recalled. “Her face, I will never forget its color and how it looked and sounded like gurgling when the water was going across her face.”
It was Illona, then just 16 years old, who saved them both.
“I didn’t think — just do,” Illona said. “If you hesitate, you risk more of a chance they’re going to die.”
Illona dove into the water with precision, forming a chain to bring her mother and grandmother to safety. Her bravery earned her the Girl Scouts’ prestigious Bronze Cross, making her the first Indigenous recipient in the local council’s history.
“Thinking about it now, it wasn’t a miracle,” Erin said. “It was courage and determination.”
But Illona’s impact didn’t stop there. She created a lake safety program for tribal health, teaches youth swimming lessons at the YMCA, and is working on her Girl Scouts Gold Award to educate communities statewide about water safety.
“You’ll find your purpose,” Illona said. “No matter what, you’ll find your purpose.”
Once Illona achieves her Gold Award, she will join the ranks of her mother and grandmother, officially making her the third generation in Girl Scouting.
Her efforts have already inspired many. One young swimmer told her, “I want to be a lifeguard.”
“Water is life, and everything circles around water,” Illona said, reflecting on her heritage and mission.
The YMCA where Illona works received a grant to support swimming lessons for special needs and refugee families following recent drownings in those communities.
In a story of courage, connection and culture, this family’s journey serves as a powerful reminder: Even small ripples can create waves of impact.
According to the indictment, the 300 pints of promethazine with codeine that the men allegedly bought and sold, have an approximate street value of $750,000.
MINNEAPOLIS — Three Minnesota men are facing federal charges for allegedly hacking the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) practitioners and physicians’ system, known as RICS, and ordering at least 300 pints of promethazine with codeine.
The federal indictment charges Oscar Becerra-Ruiz, Jasper William Johnson, and Raujaun Keon Varner, all ages 19 to 23, with conspiracy to acquire and obtain controlled substances by fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, from December 2022 to August 2023, the three men stole physicians’ information to set up customer accounts in the physicians’ names with several online pharmaceutical wholesalers. Then, prosecutors say, they placed dozens of orders of promethazine with codeine, had them shipped to fake physicians’ offices across Minnesota and Wisconsin, and sold them here and across the U.S.
According to the indictment, the 300 pints have an approximate street value of $750,000.
A spokesperson for the DEA confirmed that no patient information was compromised in the security breach.
According to court records, all three men were previously convicted of various misdemeanors. KARE 11 reached out to the lead defense attorney on the case who declined to comment at this time.
The company is predicting lower profits in early 2025 as it aims to attract customers with better value.
MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills is promising more deals and promotions across several of its brands in the months ahead, as the company works to boost sales and hold onto price-conscious (and inflation-wary) customers.
“It’s clear that — from the beginning of the year until now… we’ve seen more prolonged value-seeking behavior (from consumers) than we anticipated back in June,” said General Mills CEO, Jeff Harmening, in a call with investors on Wednesday.
The company is now lowering its profit outlook for the rest of the fiscal year, expecting operating profits to fall 2% to 4%, as it expands short-term price cuts and promotions on items like Totino’s Pizza Rolls, fruit snacks and refrigerated baked goods.
“They’ve always done promotions, so I think what this means is that they’re gonna do promotions a little bit more broadly, but they’re still not prepared to actually uh drop the top line prices,” said professor George John, who is the General Mills-Gerot Chair in Marketing at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. “I may hold the General Mills Chair in marketing but I’ve never had any pressure from them to support them.”
John says he’s not sure the efforts announced by General Mills will be enough to combat a larger trend he’s seen play out for more than a decade.
“Our habits have changed,” John said. “That’s number one. Yes, this is a tactical move it’ll make some difference, but it’s not gonna solve the fundamental problem of the loss of prominence of breakfast cereal.”
Despite General Mills owning 45 different brands that cover everything from dog food to Dunkaroos, John says cereal is still central to the success or failure of the company and if you combine the general public’s changing views on taste and nutrition, with economic shifts like inflation and how we shop, he has deeper concerns.
George John: “I look at one thing in all these annual reports sales because everything else is subject to my competent brothers and sisters in accounting. Sales you can’t fiddle too much and sales have been just beating inflation, which means in real terms it’s stagnant. In organic volume, which means number of physical units shipped, it’s been going down. So that’s the basic picture. Which is not a pretty picture. “
Kent Erdahl: “Having said that, General Mills isn’t just a company behind the labels in the grocery store, it’s a major employer in our area. We’ve seen several of our big corporations cutting back recently (some announcing layoffs). Are you concerned about that?”
George: “Oh, terribly. I see this every semester. My students I teach are looking for internships and jobs. The anecdotal picture on jobs in our area is a lot grimmer than the the statistics show. I just see it in the faces of my students looking.
It’s tough and it’s toughest on people trying to enter the labor force. There are a bunch of different reasons for that, but when you slow down the growth, that’s what happens. You don’t need to hire, you’re mostly trying to do efficiency cuts and things like that. That’s not just General Mills. I’d say – generally speaking – our metro areas sort of, um, been caught in that rut.”
