Star Tribune
At his memorial service, Tou Ger Xiong is remembered for his humor and spirit
As the lights dimmed and mourners’ voices hushed Saturday at the Legacy Funeral Home in St. Paul, Tou Ger Xiong’s voice played through the speakers.
The rap “Go Hmong Boy” by the popular Hmong comedian and activist, kidnapped and murdered last month in Colombia, played as a video created by his nephew ran through pictures of Xiong speaking in classrooms, traveling the world, and embracing family and friends.
His was a life that inspired people in Minnesota and across the United States, and one that attracted hundreds of mourners to the first day of his three-day memorial service.
Cars filled the parking lot and lined streets around the funeral home, forcing some mourners to park on the grass. Inside, the scent of white and pink flowers drifted from bouquets surrounding pictures of Xiong.
People shared memories of Tou Ger on pink and white papers that hung from a faux tree. Trophies and achievements Xiong collected were displayed, while across the room family and friends shared letters of remembrance on a photo wall.
“When you were just a baby, I was the one who took care of you,” read a letter penned by Mai See. “I cannot believe you are really gone … I hope that one day we will be brother and sister again.”
Many shared their memories of Xiong during Saturday’s service, including Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar did not attend the memorial, but a representative from her office read a letter she wrote for the service. Their stories drew laughter and tears from many of those gathered who found humor in Xiong’s spirit — and grief in his passing.
“He gave me the courage. He lifted my spirit. He gave me a sense of belonging. And, most importantly, he gave me a voice,” state Rep. Ethan Cha of Woodbury said. “Tou Ger is a North Star for us Hmong-Americans.”
Xiong, 50, was found dead in Medellín, Colombia, on Dec. 11 after being kidnapped by a group of men who demanded $2,000 from his family. He was killed before abductors collected the money. Xiong is among dozens who have been kidnapped in Colombia, marking a trend that authorities say is rising.
The Associated Press reported Jan. 19 that two men and a woman were in custody after being charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated homicide in Xiong’s death, and that a juvenile male also was charged in the case. The adult suspects denied the charges at a hearing.
Many said Saturday that Xiong’s death left a void in their life that couldn’t be filled. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter told mourners that the two had been friends for 20 years, and that he found it difficult to suppress the “mountain of anger” he felt after learning of his death. But he challenged those gathered to continue the work his late friend had started.
“It’s hard for me to push through this intense feeling that my friend Tou Ger gave so much more to the world than, in the end, he ended up getting from us,” Carter said.
“And if the story stops there, then it’s one of the most horrific injustices that I’ve heard. But the blessing for me, and the blessing for you, is that we still have [his] lessons.”
Star Tribune
Long Prairie, MN school board dismisses its superintendent, the latest controversy in this small town
LONG PRAIRIE, MINN. — The school district superintendent dressed up as the school mascot, Thor, on football nights. He read the graduation address in both English and Spanish. He even set up office hours in the cafeteria, granting easier approachability to students.
But now, two months into the school year, Daniel Ludvigson is gone. Or, rather, “on special assignment,” according to the terminology of the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle School Board, which voted 4-3 earlier this month to remove him as superintendent. The move came weeks after voting to not renew his contract, which expires at the end of the school year in June.
Four board members — two of whom voted to oust Ludvigson, including Board Chair Kelly Lemke — are up for re-election next week.
The dismissal is the latest blow in this central Minnesota community on the edge of the prairie. Over the last nine months, the town of 3,400 residents and seat of Todd County has lost its mayor, a city manager, two school board members, and now its superintendent.
Students walked out earlier this month in support of Ludvigson. Signs in support of Ludvigson can be seen across town on the lawns of apparent Democrats and Republicans alike. And last week, hundreds packed the American Legion off Hwy. 71 to eat beef sandwiches and sign support letters for Ludvigson, who only swung by to pick up his child for hockey practice.
In a time of great divide in America, this fight has nothing to do with politics.
“You’ve got Harris buttons and Trump hats side-by-side, arm-in-arm,” said Amanda Hinson, a former local newspaper reporter who is concerned the board is not being upfront about why they placed Ludvigson on special assignment. “We want transparency in our government.”
Lawn signs around Long Prairie, Minn., now include people weighing in on the dismissal of Superintendent Daniel Ludvigson by the school board. (Christopher Vondracek)
School board members say Ludvigson has repeatedly shown he is not ready for the prime time of a school district bigger than the one in central North Dakota he arrived from two years ago. They have twice disciplined Ludvigson, but did not state the reason for placing him on “special assignment,” beyond insinuating that staff are fearful to raise official complaints.
Rain and potentially heavy snow are on tap Thursday around the Twin Cities, just before families set out for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Temperatures were expected to drop throughout the day, creating conditions for flurries. A winter weather advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. covering the Twin Cities metro area and parts of south-central Minnesota. Steady rain drenched the Twin Cities on Thursday, making for a soggy morning commute.
“As colder air begins to move in this morning, the rain will transition to heavy snow from west to east with snowfall rates of an inch per hour at times into early afternoon,” the National Weather Service in Chanhassen said in a weather advisory.
The Twin Cities and surrounding areas could get between 2 and 4 inches of snow, according to the weather service. The winter weather advisory is expected to affect Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Le Sueur counties.
It’s unclear how much of the snow will actually stick, with warm surface temperatures likely leading to melting on contact in many areas.
“Exact totals will depend on snowfall rate, surface temperatures, and melting — which increases uncertainty with the snow forecast,” the weather service said in an early Thursday briefing.
“Thundersnow possible!” the weather service emphasized.
The good news for Halloween revelers is that the snow and rain are expected to wrap up in time for trick-or-treating, though temperatures will remain in the 30s with a sharp windchill.
An off-duty Washington County sheriff’s deputy caused a head-on crash while under the influence of alcohol and injured a couple in the other vehicle, officials said.
The crash occurred about 10:40 a.m. Sunday in Afton on Hwy. 95 at Scenic Lane, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
Campbell Johnston Blair, 58, of Hastings, was heading north in his Subaru Crosstrek, crossed into the opposite lane and collided with a southbound Ford Expedition, the patrol said.
Blair and the other vehicle’s occupants, 38-year-old Erik Robert Sward and 36-year-old Heather Lynn Sward, both of Lake Elmo, were taken to Regions Hospital with non-critical injuries, according to the patrol.
The patrol noted the alcohol use by Blair was involved in the crash.
Blair, who was driving a private vehicle at the time of the crash while off-duty, has been a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office since 2020 and is currently assigned to our Court Security Unit.
The Sheriff’s Office has been asked for reaction to the crash involving one of its deputies.
Suspect “led us to the evidence” in Montana camper’s brutal killing, initially thought to have been bear attack
Long Prairie, MN school board dismisses its superintendent, the latest controversy in this small town
Snow and rain on Halloween
Suspect “led us to the evidence” in Montana camper’s brutal killing, initially thought to have been bear attack
Long Prairie, MN school board dismisses its superintendent, the latest controversy in this small town