WINONA, Minn. (KTTC) – A new face has entered the race for Minnesota Senate District 26, which serves southeast Minnesota.

Cherie Johnson, a mother, teacher, coach, and foster mom, announced her candidacy Monday as a Republican.

“I love Minnesota and all of our neighbors who call this state home. I’m thrilled about the opportunity to run and serve them in the State Senate. Our parks, small businesses, farming communities, and lively towns make District 26 a great place to live and raise a family. I want this to be a place where we can afford to raise our families, where generations stay, and where farms and small businesses can thrive.”

Johnson has served on a number of boards, mentored youth groups at her church, and volunteered at area animal welfare organizations. She has lived in Winona for 13 years with her husband, Ben, a Winona native. Winona is where they raised their seven children.

“To forge a brighter path ahead for our beautiful state, we start with proven policies that will make life more affordable and reducing the tax burden for hardworking Minnesotans, deliver academic excellence in our classrooms for all children, and put a stop to the theft of taxpayer dollars that should be going toward critical services,” Johnson said.

Senate District 26 includes communities in Fillmore, Houston, Mower, and Winona Counties.

Minnesota State Senate District 26 is currently represented by Jeremy Miller (R). He is not seeking reelection in 2026.

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Donald E. Olsommer, Sr., 86, of Sterling, passed away peacefully on December 11, at the Hospice of the Sacred Heart Inpatient Unit in Dunmore, surrounded by his loving family.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Janet (Hinds) Olsommer.

Born in Scranton, he was the son of the late Felix C. Olsommer and Emily (Jones) Olsommer. He was a graduate of Greene-Dreher-Sterling High School, Class of 1958.

Prior to retirement, Don was the founder and owner of Olsommer-Clarke Insurance Group, established in 1972, with offices in Hamlin, Honesdale, and Moscow. He also owned and operated the Olsommer Tree Farm in Sterling. A man of deep faith, he served for 17 years as Pastor of Smith Hill United Methodist Church and was a lifelong member of Sterling United Methodist Church.

A United States Army Veteran, Don served with distinction for more than 30 years in the Pennsylvania National Guard, retiring with the rank of Major. He enlisted at age 18 in 1958 with the Honesdale National Guard and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He initially served with the 109th Infantry in Honesdale, later transferring to the New Jersey National Guard, where he served with the 53rd Tank Battalion and became a full-time supply sergeant.

After completing officer training at the New Jersey Military Academy in Sea Girt, New Jersey, and Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he advanced through the officer ranks. In 1971, he returned to Pennsylvania and served as company commander for National Guard units in Carbondale, Honesdale, Scranton, and Tobyhanna Reserve Unit.

Don dedicated much of his life to public service. He served the citizens of Wayne County as County Commissioner from 1980-1991 and again from 2004-2007. He also served as a Township Supervisor, Former Wayne County Republican Chairman, and was deeply involved in civic and charitable efforts throughout the community.

He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing, golf, and tending his tree farm. He was a gifted athlete in high school and remained a lifelong supporter of Delaware Valley and Penn State football. Don was passionate about youth sports, serving as a coach, and was a co-founder of Sterling Little League. He was inducted into the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame, was a member of American Legion Post 807 and a 50 year member of the Salem Masonic Lodge #330.

Most of all, Don cherished time spent with his family.

Surviving in addition to his wife are his three sons: Donald E. Olsommer, Jr. and his wife Alene of Sterling; Pennsylvania State Representative, the Honorable Jeff Olsommer, and his wife Kelli of Sterling; and Keith Olsommer and his wife Mary Ann of Sterling; a sister, Helen Leahey of Georgia; grandchildren Phoebe, Betsy, Garrett, Mackenzie, Logan, and Liam; great-grandchildren Charli, Daisy, and Genevieve; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his twin brother, Ronald F. Olsommer.

A Funeral Service will be held Friday, December 19th at 11:00 a.m. at Sterling United Methodist Church, 567 Sterling Road, Sterling, PA. The service will be live-streamed on the James Wilson Funeral Home Facebook page.

Friends may call Thursday, December 18th from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at the James Wilson Funeral Home, 143 Gravity Road, Lake Ariel, and Friday from 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the church.

Private interment will be held at Fairview Memorial Park, Elmhurst.

Memorial contributions in Don’s memory may be made to Sterling United Methodist Church, PO Box 25, Sterling, Pa 18463 or the Smith Hill United Methodist Church, 305 Sunrise Ave. Honesdale, Pa 18431.

For directions, to share a memory, or to leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.jamesfamilyfunerals.com

An MRI confirmed Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons tore his left anterior cruciate ligament, a person with knowledge of the test results told the Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the results, which will knock Parsons out for the remainder of the season. The Schultz Report first reported the MRI results.

The non-contact injury occurred Sunday during the third quarter of Green Bay’s 34-26 loss at Denver, which snapped the Packers’ four-game winning streak and knocked them out of first place in the NFC North. The Packers (9-4-1) visit the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears (10-4) on Saturday.

Parsons had gotten past right tackle Mike McGlinchey and was chasing Broncos quarterback Bo Nix when he pulled up and fell to the ground. Parsons clutched his knee as trainers and teammates came over to check on him.

“I may be sidelined, but I am not defeated,” Parsons said Monday in a social media post. “This injury is my greatest test — a moment God allowed to strengthen my testimony. I believe HE walks with me through this storm and chose me for this fight because He knew my heart could carry it. I’m deeply grateful to the Packers organization and my teammates for their unwavering support, love and belief in me during this season. I trust His timing, His plan and His purpose. I will rise again. I love y’all!”

The 26-year-old Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 14 games this year, becoming the first player to have at least 12 sacks in each of his first five NFL seasons since the league started measuring it as an official statistic in 1982.

This marked Parsons’ first season with the Packers, who sent their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks as well as veteran defensive lineman Kenny Clark to Dallas to acquire him. The Packers also gave Parsons a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed, making him the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback.

Parsons had spent four seasons with the Cowboys before a contract dispute caused him to request a trade.

The Packers now must figure out how to apply a consistent pass rush without Parsons. Ranking second on the team in sacks is Rashan Gary, who had 7 1/2 of them in Green Bay’s first seven games but has none in the Packers’ last seven contests.

“I told him to keep his head up and we’re going to finish strong for him,” Gary said after Sunday’s game. “That’s what I told him. I’m going to keep in contact with him throughout what he’s doing. That was my first message to him. It hurt. It hurt.”

State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) hosted an informal coffee chat with 11 attendees at the Edmonds Waterfront Center Sunday afternoon. 

Liias, who represents the 21st District, fielded a range of questions over coffee and cookies. One attendee addressed the lack of recycling requirements for apartment residents in Edmonds. “There are no recycling containers at apartment buildings,” she said. “Condos, yes. Private homes, yes. But apartment buildings, no. So my husband and I are anal about this, and we collect all our things in these separate containers and take them up to 212th Street (the location of Snohomish County’s Southwest Recycling and Transfer Facility).”

Liias said that Edmonds has a franchise agreement with Sound Disposal, and rates are regulated by the state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission. He noted that multi-family buildings are often treated as commercial customers, so they end up on a different service line than single-family homes. 

He added that Legislature recently passed the “Re-Wrap Act” (SB 5284) to improve recycling rates by:

• Increasing pickup from multi-family and commercial sites
• Encouraging producers to use less packaging
• Shifting packaging toward recyclable materials

“I think in terms of when we get recycled here, it’s probably going to be a couple years,” Liias said. “Right now, we ship a lot of our solid waste out to rural areas or Oregon and bury them in the ground. And that is not sustainable in the long term when we could be recycling.”

Two Washington initiatives

Another attendee asked about the state’s Parental Rights Initiative and the initiative on transgender people’s participation in girls youth sports. These two initiatives were proposed by Let’s Go Washington founder Bryan Heywood.

On parental rights, Liias said that the Legislature already passed a previous citizens’ initiative on parents’ rights in education because lawmakers agreed parents are a key constituency after students. Afterward, the Legislature heard concerns that some parts of that law did not fit well with other rules, especially around health records. Liias said the Legislature tried to “adjust and mesh” some of feedback they had heard, such as parents’ rights to special education services and to educational materials in their own language if the parents don’t speak English.

Liias said the original initiative sponsors disliked those changes and are now pushing a new initiative to roll the law back.

“I personally think that the amendments and changes we made are good, that they make the Parents Rights Initiative clearer,” he said. “They include things like the right to access specialists, the right to get materials in other languages, things like that. So I have not signed that initiative. I would encourage people not to sign it because I don’t think that it’s necessary.”

On girls’ youth sports and transgender participation, Liias said the issue involves a relatively small number of students – about a dozen statewide –  and is highly localized. Therefore, he said local school boards and communities should set their own approaches rather than a one‑size‑fits‑all statewide mandate.

Several attendees argued that allowing transgender girls to compete in girls sports and use girls locker rooms threatens women’s rights, and they questioned why Democrats support that position. One person framed it as “boys in girls’ locker rooms and sports,” and said this position is “driving people away like crazy” from Democrats, including feminists. Others questioned whether minors are mature enough to make life‑altering decisions relating to gender‑related policies.

“I mean, we don’t let them drink till they’re 21. We don’t let them vote till they’re 18,” one attendee said. “They can make decisions on their body when they’re like 13?”

Liias said students should receive the appropriate educational environment for them. “We should make sure that we’re meeting the needs of each of our students, regardless of what their background or circumstance is,” he said. “There was a gap in providing educational services for trans youth. We’ve worked to make sure that those particular issues that impact families are addressed. The school-based health centers are not about providing gender-affirming care. They’re about making sure if there is access to behavioral health for kids [and] primary care for kids.”

Liias also mentioned SB 5599, which focuses on housing and shelter for homeless youth, not authorizing gender reassignment procedures. SB 5599 allows homeless youths to stay in shelters longer than 72 hours and requires efforts at family reunification, he said.

“I don’t have an opinion on what medical treatments young people should receive, if they can, from their doctor,” he said. “The standards of care that exist for the health condition that they’re seeking treatment for, and their family, their support, their caring network. So if a young person is transgender and wants to receive support and care in that process, that is for their doctor, for their caring community, their family, their loved ones, and them to make those decisions.”

Liias said voters can weigh in through elections and any initiatives that reach the ballot next November.

Transportation and employment

Regarding transportation, Liias said that missed sailings in Washington ferries are down over 90%, and cancellations on the Edmonds-Kingston route are “dramatically down.” He said the state has ordered three new, hybrid ferries to refresh an aging fleet.

In addition, traffic fatalities are down. “We had record-high traffic fatalities in 2023 the last two years,” Liias said. “We’ve seen 10% reductions. We’re back down to where we would be before the pandemic, and we got to keep going to our target of zero traffic fatalities.”

Liias said he was also working on the need to create jobs locally and affordability in housing, health care and food. He gave an example of a constituent who was facing debt. 

“Because they don’t have good health insurance, they ended up in debt over their medical bills,” he said. “And wage garnishment laws in this state mean that you can only keep about $500 a week, about $2,000 a month, before your wage is garnished. They [the constituent] thought we should raise that limit. We looked and saw a couple of states have a higher limit. So I’m going to propose to go to the higher limit. Not that people shouldn’t necessarily pay their debt, but we should be sure that they’re able to afford their rent, to stay in their home and to take care of the family first, especially because it’s probably going to be more uninsured folks.”

Driver’s education expansion

Liias talked about a new driver’s education requirement that requires new drivers up to age 21 to take a driver’s education course before they earn their license. This is in response to increased traffic fatalities in 2021 to 2023 due to DUI and speeding.

Liias said the driver’s education requirement would include a scholarship for those from low-income families. He said for 22- to 25-year-olds, driver’s education is not required up front, but if they get into a serious crash, they will be required to complete driver’s education.

“In the late ’90s, there was this sense that our public schools weren’t focusing enough on reading, writing and math, and that they were being asked to do too many extra things,” Liias said. “It was sort of an education reform that led to the state also subsidizing schools to teach drivers so that they didn’t have to charge the student the whole cost. That subsidy went away, and the sense that this was not a good use of our schools. They should be focused on other stuff.”

Liias said that this change pushed driving instruction out of public schools and into private, for‑profit driving schools, which makes access harder and more expensive. “We talked to more schools about it. Would they take this on? The answer was still a ‘no’,” he said. “That’s why we’re working to provide scholarships.”

Despite the disagreement among the attendees, Liias said he appreciated having a “non-structure conversation” that showed “our democracy in action,” “We all have to live here together. We all have to make this work together. And, you know, we don’t all have to agree to make it all work together,” he said. “But I do think we need to be able to sit down and look each other in the eye and talk about these issues one on one, and that’s part of why I’m glad we…have this opportunity.”