Opinion: From tragedy, words of wisdom
Sophie and Colin Hortman suffered a grievous loss last weekend. And this week, they gave words of grace to the world.
Their parents, former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were murdered in their home in the Minneapolis suburbs in the early morning hours, a week ago today. John Hoffman, a Minnesota state senator and his wife Yvette, who lived nearby, were also shot, but survived.
“They were the bright lights at the center of our lives,” Sophie and Colin Hortman, who are 28 and 30, said of their parents in a statement. “Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.”
The man who is in custody reportedly kept a notebook with what federal law enforcement say are dozens more names, including elected Democratic officials, civic leaders, and Planned Parenthood officers.
“We want everyone to know that we are both safe and with loved ones,” wrote the Hortman children.
“Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them.”
And then Sophie and Colin Hortman offered those who knew their parents, and those millions more who may now have heard of their deaths, and their valuable lives, some simple, practical, and even fun ways to honor them.
“Plant a tree,” they suggested. “Visit a local park… Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.”
The Hortman family dog was a golden. They called him Gilbert. He was injured in the shooting and euthanized.
The sister and brother continue:
“Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it.”
“Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.”
“Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.”
“Stand up for what you believe in,” they added, “especially if that thing is justice and peace.
“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear,” the children of Melissa and Mark Hortman wrote. “This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”
Gov. Kay Ivey urges delay on PBS decision by public TV board
The Republican governor sent a letter to the Alabama Educational Television Commission ahead of a Nov. 18 meeting in which commissioners were expected to discuss disaffiliation.
A proposed Bessemer data center faces new hurdles: a ‘road to nowhere’ and the Birmingham darter
With the City Council in Bessemer scheduled to vote Tuesday on a “hyperscale” data center, challenges from an environmental group and the Alabama Department of Transportation present potential obstacles for the wildly unpopular project.
Birmingham Museum of Art’s silver exhibit tells a dazzling global story
Silver and Ceremony is made up of more than 150 suites of silver, sourced from India, and some of their designs.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
