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Minneapolis considers legalizing adult bathhouses and venues that allow sexual activity
The Minneapolis City Council is preparing to consider legalizing and regulating venues, such as bathhouses, where consenting adults can engage in sexual activity, possibly reversing the city’s 38-year ban.
The ordinances in question would remove “stigmatizing language” and add “new definitions to be inclusive of establishments where sexual activity between consenting adults may be facilitated,” according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. The outlet noted that bathhouses and sex clubs operated in the city until a 1988 ordinance banned businesses that facilitate “high-risk sexual conduct,” which was defined as fellatio, anal intercourse and vaginal intercourse for pay.
The language of the 1988 ordinance was changed in 2023 at the behest of activists with the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition, who argued that it targeted same-sex partnerships and individuals with HIV and AIDS, the Tribune reported. Additionally, the Safer Sex Spaces Coalition argued that the ban discouraged outreach to communities and drove sex-related gatherings to “unsafe and inaccessible spaces.”
“The Minneapolis Health Department and other public health organizations acknowledge this ordinance is no longer the tool needed to promote public health. Social science research tells us that commercial sex spaces, like gay saunas, are important for promoting safer sex practices, enhancing HIV prevention, and increasing access to testing and treatment. These spaces also enhance feelings of identity, camaraderie, authenticity, and belonging. They are spaces where people overcome isolation and develop a sense of community and pride,” the coalition said.
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The Safer Sex Spaces Coalition was formed in response to pushes against the 1988 ordinance, according to its website.
One proposed ordinance would add a new chapter to the city code specifically for adult sex venues, according to CBS News. The ordinance would establish licensing and business regulations for businesses that facilitate sexual activity between consenting adults. The outlet reported that a second ordinance would update definitions and standards in the city’s zoning code for sexually oriented uses.
The third ordinance, according to CBS News, would amend provisions in the city’s health and sanitation code related to contagious diseases. Additionally, the fourth ordinance would amend the city’s miscellaneous offenses code to create exceptions for licensed venues that are permitted to facilitate consensual sexual activity between adults.
A spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told Fox News Digital that the mayor is in favor of continuing to explore the issue.
While LGBTQ+ advocates are pushing for the 1988 ordinance to be reversed, the first openly gay member of the Minneapolis City Council, Brian Coyle, helped pass the law, the Tribune reported. The outlet noted that Coyle said at the time that many members of the LGBTQ+ community supported the ban. Coyle was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 but did not publicly acknowledge it until 1991, the same year that he died of AIDS-related complications at age 47, the Tribune reported.
The last adult bathhouse in Minneapolis, the 315 Health Club, closed in 1988 before the ban was passed, according to the Tribune, which said the club closed its so-called “orgy rooms” two years before shutting its doors. Additionally, prior to its closure, the club handed out free condoms and information on AIDS prevention, according to the outlet.
Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said that the plan to regulate bathhouses would be modeled after San Francisco, which has placed extensive regulations focused on safety and public health, such as requirements for condoms, staff training and more, the Tribune reported.
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Swalwell campaign rejects ‘outrageous’ allegations of sexual misconduct as Dem activists issue viral warning
California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., campaign broke their silence on allegations circulated by Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and a political media personality, fiercely denying any sexual misconduct towards former staffers or interns.
“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell, told the New York Post.
Hunt, who now runs a youth political engagement group called Gen-Z for Change, a left-leaning group, began highlighting accusations that Swalwell had a practice of making sexual advances with women on his staff last week.
“The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor’s race has a known history of being predatory towards women,” Hunt claimed in a post to social media.
Hunt showed the image of a message sent to her through a private message.
“You know, Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign [non-disclosure agreements] so they don’t speak up, right? And when I was 19, he tried hitting on me and sliding into my DMs,” the quote read.
Since posting her original video detailing Swalwell’s alleged advances, Hunt said she has been contacted by a number of other women sharing similar experiences.
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“I am personally working with a group of women who want to come forward and share their stories. I am also aware of a much larger group that is also in this process that I am not personally working with,” Hunt said.
Hunt has not provided names for the other women or indicated which other groups she is referring to. In addition to Hunt, multiple other Democratic operatives have posted about Swalwell, including Democratic strategist Bhavik Lathia, who told Democrats to take the allegations “seriously.”
“Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon. I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned,” Lathia said.
“Beasley challenged Hunt’s assertions, noting a lack of controversy surrounding Swalwell up to this point,” he continued.
“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever. In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever,” Beasley told the Post.
In a post to X, Hunt struck back at Swalwell’s framing of her allegations.
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“Smearing survivors with claims that they ‘teamed up with MAGA’ is morally repugnant,” Hunt said in a post to X.
“These women are brave and deserve to be heard. We are working with legal counsel and the investigative team of a highly reputable outlet to ensure that those stories are told the right way,” she added.
Mail-in voting for the primary begins on May 4, according to California’s Secretary of State. The gubernatorial primary is June 2.
Swalwell’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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American couple chasing retirement dream in Bahamas boating mystery were ‘inexperienced’: Friend
Tune in to Fox and Friends Wednesday morning to see more of Griff Jenkins’ interview with Lynette Hooker’s daughter.
HOPE TOWN, Bahamas —The American woman who went missing in the Bahamas after her husband said she fell off a small boat had been living out her retirement dream of sailing when tragedy struck, according to a friend. Along the way, the couple had been building a social media following and forging connections across the country.
Lynette Hooker, 55 and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, left Hope Town’s Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, four minutes after the sunset that night on a small boat headed to their yacht in Elbow Cay, according to Bahamian officials.
Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that while the couple were on the smaller boat, known as a dinghy, Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, causing the engine to shut off. The current carried her away, according to Brian, who paddled back to a marina at Marsh Harbor. He reported Lynette missing at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.
John Waters, who is friends with the couple, told Fox News Digital he met Lynette and at an oyster bar in Panama City Beach, Florida in 2023. He said the couple was on a journey around the Gulf of America.
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“Their new lifestyle was this boat that they picked up in Texas. They spent a year working on it,” Waters said.
He described the couple as both really nice and said they were going for their retirement dream of sailing. He said the couple “weren’t that experienced” in boating.
Three days into the search for Lynette, authorities have provided few answers.
Richard Cook, team leader with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, told PEOPLE foul play isn’t suspected.
“It was just a lot of bad decisions,” Cook said. “Night time, very windy, no moon out yet so it was pitch dark and very rough conditions for the small boat they were in.”
Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter, who isn’t related to Brian, told Fox News’ Griff Jenkins that Brian Hooker has a history of being violent towards her mother. She did several interviews with media outlets on Tuesday, including with Fox News’ Griff Jenkins.
“I do believe something might have happened to her,” she said. “There’s history of them choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Brian Hooker several times but has not received a response. He has not been charged with a crime.
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Aylesworth told Fox News Digital that Brian Hooker’s behavior would shift when drinking alcohol.
“He starts to act more smart-a—y and more picking at you and like ‘I know this will irritate you so I’m gonna do that'” type of attitude.
Aylesworth described her mother as a “very fit person” who wouldn’t lose her balance on a boat.
“I’m confused why she has the keys because she never drove the dinghy. It was always Brian. So the story just doesn’t add up right now,” Aylesworth said.
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Geoff Fahringer, former dive team member for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, told Fox News Digital that he doesn’t suspect foul play.
“Sadly, what I’ve seen in my experience is that this is unfortunately a somewhat common occurrence that seeing the circumstances of this entire accident, it’s something I’ve seen before,” Fahringer said.
Authorities haven’t said if Lynette Hooker was wearing a life jacket at the time she fell off the small boat.
The couple is very active on social media, largely showcasing their yacht. Their most recent Instagram post on Friday afternoon showed Lynette on a boat with the caption, “Not going anywhere for a while?!”
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The Royal Bahamas Police Force is investigating the woman’s disappearance along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and Hope Town Fire & Rescue.
The U.S. State Department currently says the Bahamas issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, is under a level 2 travel advisory and urges Americans to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet skis and boating dangers.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of reports regarding the missing American and is working with Bahamian authorities.
Boating in the Bahamas isn’t well regulated, and the State Department has said that “injuries and deaths have occurred.”
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Liberals tighten grip on battleground state Supreme Court in low-key but high-stakes election
Liberals expanded their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in an election Tuesday, strengthening control in a key battleground state, in a ballot box showdown that drew limited nation attention but had plenty riding on the results.
Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former democratic state representative, defeated Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, a conservative, the Associated Press reports.
Taylor will succeed a retiring conservative justice and with the victory, liberals will expand their majority on the state Supreme Court to 5-2.
While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin have become extremely partisan in recent election cycles.
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With the court’s majority on the line in last year’s contest, outside money poured in and out-of-state door knockers blanketed Wisconsin. One of the biggest spenders was Trump ally Elon Musk, who headlined a rally days before the election and donned a cheesehead hat worn by fans of the Green Bay Packers. Musk also personally handed out $1 million checks to voters.
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The liberal candidate won that election by a larger-than-expected margin to capture a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court.
Since the majority wasn’t at stake in this year’s showdown, the campaign battle wasn’t showered with national resources, money, or attention.
Liberals took control of the state Supreme Court in 2023, ending a decade and a half of conservative control. Since taking the majority, the liberals have reversed several election-related rulings by the prior conservative majority, including one that banned absentee ballot drop boxes.
This year’s campaign focused on abortion rights, congressional redistricting, and union rights cases that will likely come in front of the state Supreme Court.
The judicial ballot box showdown also came six months ahead of November’s elections, when Democrats in Wisconsin aim to keep control of the governor’s office and potentially flip the state legislature, which Republicans have controlled for 15 years.
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