Laura Henriksen

[Pioneer Press @PioneerPress]

Pearson’s Candy to close longtime St. Paul factory, cutting about 80 jobs https://t.co/edOAI2gLGM

[TODAY @TODAYshow]

A steady friendship has blossomed in a place known for people passing through. On March 23, a man posted a short video showing his ongoing friendship with Catherine “Kathy” Hess, a bartender at Hudson Valley Wine Bar in the Albany International Airport. https://t.co/7VK95IOGQw

[Chris Egert @ChrisEgertKSTP]

Interviewed Chuck Norris in the 90’s. He was one of many noteworthy folks in Omaha for the Warren Buffet Birkshire Hathaway meetings. Pop culture portrays him as a larger than life tough guy, but he was about 5’10” with a gentle demeanor and couldn’t have been more gracious.

[ESPN Milwaukee @ESPNMilwaukee]

From a backyard pond 45 minutes from Milwaukee to the Olympic stage.

Greatness built on Wisconsin grit.

[TIME @TIME]

At the Olympic free dance competition, France narrowly edged out the U.S. to win gold. While there was certainly drama on the ice with the closeness of the results, there was an equally intense story building off the ice around the French team. TIME reporter Alice Park explains. Read more: https://t.co/cfmguOjmD7

[CBS News @CBSNews]

"Mama I thought we had time."

"Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin shared a heartbreaking tribute to Catherine O'Hara. The two starred together as mother and son in the 1990 Christmas classic and its 1992 sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

"I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much to say. I love you. I’ll see you later," he wrote.

O'Hara died at her Los Angeles home "following a brief illness," her agency said in a statement. She was 71.

[Alpha News @AlphaNews]

'NGOs really want to use you': A Somali American speaks out on fraud, facing threats

Somali American Abdi Nor Iftin is a naturalized U.S. citizen and the author of a memoir titled "Call Me American."

Iftin has also been outspoken about Somali fraud—and facing threats from the Somali community. He spoke with Liz Collin on her podcast about the consequences of telling the truth instead of taking sides.

Iftin admitted, “What's bothering me — it's just the fact that speaking up against fraud within my own community has become something that could get you in trouble, which is ridiculous."

[NFL @NFL]

🫡🫡🫡

[Zach Greenberg @ZachCPG]

Booze is coming back. For the bravest CPG entrepreneurs, it is one of the most interesting places to look in 2026 and beyond.

I firmly believe the “decline in drinking” among the early 20s crowd has way more to do with the cost of going out than not wanting to drink.

Surging Ubers, $18 dollar cocktails, etc.

I am not a long term believer in the mocktails category.

It does not make sense to serve what is basically $14 dollar exotic apple juice at a bar or an $8 ready to drink version in a store.

Sure, a handful of non alc brands will have great exits; most will not.

This GQ article is a home run in what many will experience going booze free and what I see as massive tailwinds for the alcohol category.

The author, a health journalist, lasted three months sober:

The lack of booze negatively impacted his mental health despite lower bar tabs and hangover free mornings.

He would pop into his local dive to see friends but would not stay long and soon realized his best bonding moments happened on those nights.

FOMO from the group chat peaked.

He shifted his friend group toward sober curious, health focused circles built around fitness studio grand openings.

When he asked if others felt the same void booze provided in their life, it was usually met with self righteousness.

(we all seen this performative behavior in real life on podcasts, on linkedin, etc.)

The article cites an anthropologist and social scientist with an expertise in drinking and culture.

His point is why I am long term bullish on booze:

From an evolutionary standpoint, drinking requires everyone to lower their guard and accept vulnerability.

When you do that together, trust is built.

Most sober social settings can not recreate this.

The author gives examples inside his marriage where dates without wine turned into shorter dinners, and no cocktail lounge pit stops.

Straight home to Netflix and being on their phones.

A massive decline in their carefree fun.

He ultimately concludes that going sober fixed nothing in his life and slowly became a detriment.

He had always been healthy, fit, and social.

I believe most consumers will reach the same conclusion.

Non Alc will go the way of Paleo. Consumers get bored.

I am optimistic about THC drinks for those who cannot drink.

(The regulation in that category is total bull shit and needs to change)

Long booze. Would love to see more builders step into this space this year while others are looking elsewhere!

[Laura Henriksen @lhenriksen01]

Again. What the h

[Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson]

BREAKING: Rioters have broken into a Minneapolis hotel and began wrecking the lobby.

[Megyn Kelly @megynkelly]

Where was the Minneapolis Star Tribune on the Somali mass fraud scandal? Too busy supporting Tim Walz’s radical trans agenda to bother doing what a 23-year-old took the time to do & break the biggest fraud story in the country?

[Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson]

Chevrolet has outdone themselves once again with their new profoundly emotional, pro-family Christmas commercial.

Chills from beginning to end.

This is what it’s all about. Be ready to cry.

[FOX 9 @FOX9]

Twelve-year-old Lydia Kaiser has been back home for more than a week after being released from Children's Minnesota following the Aug. 27 shooting at Annunciation School and Church. She underwent surgery to have a piece of her skull removed, a procedure necessary to allow her brain to swell and heal.

A recent update on her GoFundMe page detailed the small moments of normalcy Lydia has been able to enjoy. "Lydia has spent just over a week at home in relative normalcy," the update reads, highlighting time spent in her own bed, eating home-cooked meals, and "snuggles with her family pup, Millie."

However, the post also shared that Lydia's recovery journey is not over. "As her friends return to school this week, she returns to the hospital for her second surgery. Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it. Gotta go through it. She is brave. She is strong. And we will pray. Pray that the procedure goes well and pray for her fast and easy recovery."

[FOX 9 @FOX9]

The family of a girl injured in the Annunciation Catholic Church and School mass shooting has released a statement, saying the progress she's made is a "miracle."

Sophia Forchas, 12, was shot in the head on Aug. 27. She was one of 21 people injured in the shooting that killed two other children. Sophia was in critical condition until this week, when her condition was upgraded to serious.

Last week, Sophia's doctor said she was showing signs of "resilience," the family said in a statement posted to Sophia's GoFundMe page on Friday, adding: "Her progress to this point is being called miraculous. We are calling it a miracle."

[Robert Griffin III @RGIII]

The Charlie Kirk Shooting was disturbing, disgusting and wrong.

Praying for Charlie Kirk’s wife, kids and family.

It’s okay to disagree with someone’s political views, but celebrating his death makes you a despicable human.

No one deserves to be gunned down for their beliefs.

[JD Vance @JDVance]

I just left Minneapolis, where I was honored to meet with a number of grieving famlies and hear about their beautiful children--in particular Harper (10) and Fletcher (8), who died in the Annunciation school shooting. I also met another beautiful girl who is recovering well, thank God. We discussed a lot, but all the families had a couple of immediate requests:

First, to pray for Sophia, who continues to fight for her life every day. Pray for her health, pray for her swelling to be controlled, and pray for strength for her parents, doctors, and nurses.

Second, don't give the shooter the attention, but focus on the kids who were taken from us. I learned that Harper had a smile that could light up the room, that she loved visiting the national parks with her parents, and that she looked beautiful in her first communion gown. I learned that Fletcher was rambunctious and energetic, that he loved football and basketball, and that he had an amazing head of hair.

Yes, they were taken from their families far too soon. But in their short lives they made a big mark on the many people who loved them. Let's give them the attention they deserve.

[Alpha News @AlphaNews]

Vice President Vance on his visit to Minneapolis: "I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did."

[CrimeWatchMpls @CrimeWatchMpls]

Catholic school leaders warned Walz of ‘critical’ security needs two years before Minneapolis shooting

A letter from Catholic and independent school leaders cited an "urgent and critical" need for security funding; no action was taken.

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https://t.co/9QHv4jXsLr

[TODAY @TODAYshow]

"While you carried your shoes, you carried the weight of every parent who has ever whispered, ‘Please, not my baby.’" https://t.co/7oqcWwh1xZ

[Amy Klobuchar @amyklobuchar]

This is 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, killed in the horrific violence at the Annunciation Catholic Church. We must honor their memories and hold their families close as we come together to heal.