Hello Thread readers, there has been a lot of news in Minnesota this week. As it is our job to keep you informed, here are the latest updates.
On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was shot and killed by a federal ICE agent in south Minneapolis, later identified as Jonathan Ross. Despite detailed video of the incident, federal officials stood firm that the agent was justified in shooting.
Thursday, the FBI decided they were taking over the case. This led Gov. Tim Walz to question whether the feds could be trusted to produce a fair and impartial review of Good’s killing.
Protests are growing across the state and the nation. Minneapolis schools didn't have classes for the rest of the week and now have the option to do e-learning for the rest of the month.
On Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked the public to send her office videos, photos and any other information around the shooting. But, without access to the vehicle, forensics or any interviews with officers, it would be unlikely the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office or Minnesota Attorney General’s Office would be in a position to consider charges.
Good's wife, Becca, released a statement to MPR News Friday morning. We will be keeping you up to date on the latest at mprnews.org, on the radio or on social media. If you have questions, email tell@mpr.org
Twenty four hours after Jen Hatmaker discovered, in her words, that her life wasn’t true – intuition led her to dissolution. Not restoration. And that intuition would be a powerful saving grace in the months to come.
She writes in an early chapter of her new book "Awake: A Memoir," “What instinct drove me to an attorney instead of back to a marriage therapist? I was acting purely on intuition, which I only figured out later was the most trustworthy character in the play.”
The Hatmakers had founded a church in Austin, Texas and starred in an HGTV series. Now, their celebrated marriage was imploding.
Hatmaker wrote, “We have lived somewhere between the whole truth and goodbye for four years and called it a marriage.”
Hatmaker’s arc from betrayal and grief to a more honest, more vital life is compelling and candid.
— Kerri Miller, MPR News
Mystery character of the week answer: Iago from Shakepeare’s “Othello”
Do you have an event you want included? Let me know sstroozas@mpr.org. The above events are still happening as of Friday afternoon but could change due to the recent breaking news in Minneapolis.
In her new memoir, Jen Hatmaker is unflinching about the end of her publicly celebrated marriage. But more than a story about dissolution, “Awake” is about new beginnings — especially Hatmaker’s relationship to herself.
Baker & Taylor is one of very few companies that handle book distribution for libraries — getting books from publishers into borrowers hands. But a few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down.
Want to learn something new in the new year? Check out these deep-dive books from 2025 — nonfiction that will lead you to fresh discoveries about big tech, true crime and the ground beneath our feet.
