STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Today, Minnesota honors state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. A man posing as a police officer killed them earlier this month. Now, one of the things NPR does is follow a story after the initial rush of news, and that's what we're doing today. We turn to one of the hundreds of NPR stations that cover local news in every state. Minnesota Public Radio reporter Dana Ferguson has covered the state legislature there for years and joins us now. Good morning.
DANA FERGUSON, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What is the honor that the state representative and her husband receive?
FERGUSON: The Hortmans will lie in state at the Capitol rotunda this afternoon under the grand Capitol dome. Steve, this will be the first time a woman has been given this honor. There have only been 19 other state leaders, like governors and U.S. senators, who've been honored in this way in Minnesota. As you noted, her husband Mark will lie there, too. His friends remember him as a fierce supporter of his wife. And something that's also got a lot of attention - their golden retriever, Gilbert, who was also killed in the attack, will be with them. A funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow morning in a basilica in Minneapolis, and the public can watch a video stream of that.
INSKEEP: And as people remember what appeared to be a politically motivated attack, how are people remembering Melissa and Mark Hortman?
FERGUSON: Well, both Democrats and Republicans are remembering Melissa Hortman as a political force. She served in the legislature for 20 years, rising to the role of house speaker. Her colleagues talked about her quiet, intentional leadership style. And she helped pass a raft of Democratic priorities. So that includes paid leave benefits, abortion protections, free school meals for students, restrictions on guns and clean energy standards. I asked Democratic state Senator Erin Maye Quade about her legacy. Here's what she said.
ERIN MAYE QUADE: Every time a kid learns to read, every time a kid gets food at school, every time we have a great event at a park, every time the trees grow in front of the Capitol, that will be Melissa.
FERGUSON: I covered Hortman for seven years and could always count on her to come up with a creative analogy or clever line to explain the politics going on. And she would say politics isn't about avoiding conflicts but about managing conflicts in a civil way.
INSKEEP: I guess I should say I'm sorry for your loss, too, if you knew Hortman. I want to ask something about this. We've had this flood of news. Every single event is quickly blotted out by another event. A lot has happened just since this assassination. Are people in Minnesota still talking about this all the time?
FERGUSON: Yeah, it's still very much top of mind here. And there are a lot of folks who are watching the criminal case of the alleged shooter. He's in jail facing state and federal murder charges. And as far as processing, I think for a lot of people, it still hasn't completely set in. At the Capitol, there's definitely a somber feeling. Some folks have come to pay respects. Talking to her colleagues, I think there's still just a sense of shock and trauma, too, around the way the Hortmans were killed and that other officials were targeted here. They've been getting some gestures of support, including in Washington. Members of Minnesota's congressional delegation penned a resolution memorializing the Hortmans and condemning political violence. It passed both the House and the Senate unanimously this week.
INSKEEP: Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson. Thanks for your reporting. We'll continue listening.
FERGUSON: You're welcome.
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