Whence will go Blooming Prairie’s mascot?
BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. — Sportscasters may lose their favorite team nickname — the Awesome Blossoms of Blooming Prairie. The school boards in Blooming Prairie and Hayfield voted to merge their football teams. Unsettled is whether the nickname Awesome Blossoms will survive. Or Hayfield’s Vikings. The enrollments:
> Blooming Prairie: 380 (Grades 7-12).
> Hayfield: 306 (Grades 6-12).
Toponymical origin. An Austin sportswriter called them “the awesome blossoms” 100 years ago. It stuck.
Amtrak eyes new one-level passenger fleet
WINONA, Minn — The national rail passenger service Amtrak unveiled drawings of new single-level cars to replace the Empire Builder’s double-deck Superliners through Winona. The Superliners, introduced almost 50 years ago, are nearing the end their useful life. The plan is 800 new cars to begin service in 2030. The Superliners have been limited to long-distance western routes out of Chicago, like the Empire Builder. At 16 foot-2, Superliners are too tall for eastern lines with low clearances. A single-level fleet will give Amtrak more flexibility in assembling consists. The new cars, each with fewer sseats than the double-deckers, will require extending depots at man stops.
Superliners Too tall. Too old. Sunsetting soon.
Preium seagug. Sme bonpsleepercars yibhave 2/1 seayubgPremium seating. Some coaches to have cushier 2-1 seating with more legroom. Club cars have more spacious feel.
Lindell not a Minnesota registered voter
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Responding to news media inquiries, the Secretary of State’s office reported no record of Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Linfell as a currently registered Minesota voter. The question arose after a Minneapolis Star Tribune investigation found Lindell registered to vote in Texas. The last few years Lindell has lived in Lufkin in east Texas. He left Minnesota after his MyPillow bedding business kn Chaska went belly-up due to managerial inattention as he roamed the country as conspiracist for Donald Trump. Lindell retrned to Minnesota last fall, which means he already has missed the one-year residency requirement to vote in the upcoming August primary. Meanwhile, he remains on Texas voter rolls. The Star Tribune also reported that Lindell has property in Lufkin valued at $600,000. Meanwhile in Minnesota he is delinquent i\on property taxes by 48,000.
News summary at week’s end: July 18, 2026
POLITICS: Ex-governor: Yea to Johnson, nay to Finstad
POLITICS: Musk guilty of Wisconsin vote bribery?
POLITICS: The Lindell saga
ACCIDENT: Airport Lake drowning victim from Cities
ACCIDENT: Two teens hurt in related ATV crashes
AVIATION: Rubber residue marks road after plane crash
ENVIRONMENT: Misery in the afternoon: Smoke, humidity, heat
ENVIRONMENT: Up North wildfires thickening our air
CRIME: Warrant out for Red Wing antiques caper
CRIME: These creeps must hate democracy
WILDLIFE: Rattler radar /2: Apple Blossom Drive
SPORTS: Cotter athlete to Big 10 coaching job
GOVERNMENT: How they voted: On daylight savings /1
These creeps must hate democracy
LEWISTON, Minn. — Yards signs for Winona County sheriff candidates were yanked up and hauled off overnight along U.S. Highway 14 between Lewiston and Stockton. Authorities began a door-to-door search for surveillance video to identify the miscreants. Of a dozen signs, most were for John Hazleton although at least one was for Charles Rolbiecki. Both are deputies in campaigns to replace Sheriff Ron Ganrude, who is retiring. Minnesota Statute 609.595 specifies as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for desecrating a political sign.
GOP chief foresees doom if Lindell doesn’t quit
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s Republican chair Alex Plechash, called Mike Lindell politically problematic on the state GOP landscape. Lindell, a.k.a the “MyPillow Guy,” risks dragging down the rest of the party’s ticket by persisting with a maverick candidacy for governor, Plechash said. Although Lindell failed to win the state party’s convention in May, he has not withdrawn as a candidate in the August primary election. Plechash predicted that Lindell will fizzle jnheborimary against Kendall Qualls, who is the party-endorsed candidate. In a written statement, Plechash questioned Lindell’s commitment to ijnnesota by noting that Lindell moved to Texas when his MyPillow bedding business collapsed. “When the going got tough, Mike Lindell left Minnesota for Texas,” Plechash said. “Now he wants Minnesota Republicans to overlook his serious financial baggage, public records showing tens of thousands of dollars in delinquent property taxes, significant electability concerns, and unanswered questions surrounding his running mate.”
Earlier: Qualls to Trump: Why not butt out
Earlier: Lindell: I earned, didn’t seek Trump support
Earlier: Trum Earlier: p to Minnesota Republicans: Vote Lindell
Plechash. Elected Minnesota GOP chair in 2024. Former City Council member in west Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata.
MiEnergy co-op’s 2006 projects; data center pending
RUSHFORD, Minn. — The MiEnergy utility co-op brought its 23,000 customers up-to-date with a list of current electrical projects:
> Kingsland and Wilder substation: Being retired for more efficient service through Spring Valley and Cherry Grove substations.
> Caledonia Substation Feeder 3: Upgrading 3.4 miles of line between Caledonia and Spring Grove substations.
> Saratoga substation Feeder 1: Rebuilding one-half mile of line.
> Lime Springs Substation Feeder 4: Rebuilding 1.5 miles of line to Upper Iowa Beef ‘s butchery.
In progress but not listed were negotiations for a small-edge data center outside Harmony.
Notable journalism
Briana Bierschbach (Minesota Star Tribune, July 17, 2026): “How a 2016 Meeting with Donald Tdump Launched Mike Lindell on His Political Journey”
Allison Kite and Sydney Kasiwagi (Minnesota Star Tribune, July 13, 2026): “Unknown Donors Pouring Millions into What Could Be Minnesota’s Most Expensive Senate Primary”
Bob Timmns and Kristoffer Tigue (Minnesota Star Tribune, June 14, 2026): “Boundary Waters Evacuation Plan: Eight Rangers. Four Canoes and 1 Million Acres to Paddle
Qualls to Trump: Why not butt out
MEDINA, Minn. — The gubernatorial candidate who won the state Republican convention’s endorsement for governor, Kendall Qualls, shrugged off President Trump’s intrusion into the primary election. Said Qualls:
“This race won’t be won by national endorsements. It will be decided by Minnesota Republicans.”
This week Trump threw his weight behind election conspiracist Mike Lindell of MyPillow fame. Trump called Lindell “one of America’s greatest and most hard-working patriots” but offered no supporting rationale to vote for him for governor. Lindell has no experience in public office. In business he drove MyPillow into bankruptcy. There is some irony that Qualls, like Lindell, has been consistent in supporting Trump. In responding to Trump’s decision, Qualls struck tones of betrayal. He said that Minnesota Republicans have spoken through their state convention and that Trump should respect their choice.
Earier: Lindell: I earned, didn’t seek Trump support
Qualls. Retired health insurance executive.
Warrant out for Red Wing antiques caper
RED WING, Minn. — Police began looking for a woman suspected of burglarizing coins, jewelry and sports cards from an antique shop. A criminal warrant claims Judie Lynn Kotek, age 55, hid in a furnace closet about closing time. She then roamed display cases and drawers and stuffed a sack with goodies, then leaving through a fire door, according tio the ciort docuent. This was July 9. With an arrest issued Friday, deputies went to Kotek’s apartment. She wasn’t home. The haul was valued at $2,600.
Kotek. Court record for thievery convictions going back to 2020..
Airport Lake drowning victim from Cities
GOODVIEW, Minn. — The man who drowned Thursday night at the Airport Lake quarry was Michael Oluwaseun Ogunbayo, age 22, of the east St. Paul suburb of Woodbury. The Winona County sheriff’s office released the name after the family was notified. Three women on a swimming outing with Ogunbayo called called 911 about 8 p.m. Thev said hat he had grabbed the rope hanging from an iconic tree and swung out over the water — a thrilling leap that hundreds of Airport Lake swimmers have experienced for decades. He resurfaced, then disappeared, the women told first-responders. The body was located by sonar within 20 mutes or so and retrieved. There was no visible trauma, first-responders said. A small puncture wound in an ankle was attributed to the recovery process. There was no indication of alcohol or drug involvement, deputies said.
Ex-governor: Yea to Johnson, nay to Finstad
MINNEAPOLIS — The Democratic challenger to southern Minnesota’s sitting congressman, Brad Finstad, received a surprrise endorsement — from a former Republican governor of Minnesota. Arne Carlson, who was governor from 1991 to 1999, encouraged voters to support Jake Johnsn, a Rochester Democrat, to in effect run Finstad out of office. Carlson’s endorsement aimed at Finstad’s unflinching allegiance to President Trump.
“Right now, over 80% of Americans do not trust their government and that must change, and change now. That is why I am endorsing Jake Johnson for Congress. I know he will go to bat for term limits, work towards a balanced budget, and represent the people and not just the wealthy interests.”
The influence of Carlson, now 91, is hard to assess. If nothing else, the significance is symbolic. Finstad has been a lock-step Trump toady. Finstad has voted consistently to support Trump on he Iran war, his global trade war, the faltering economy, and raids on federal health and nutritional funding.
Earlier: MN-1 Democrat OK Johnson to take on Finstad
Earlier: Finstad still avoiding news reporters, townhalls
Earlier: MN-1 Democrat OK Johnson to take on Finstad
Earlier: On all-out war on Iran: Finstad stands by Trump
Carlson. Although historically a Republican, he has gravitated to political independence in his retirement years
Winona’s treacherous Airport Lake claims life
GOODVIEW, Minn. — A man missing at the Airport Lake swimming hole was found after a 40-minute search. Attempts to resuscitate the 22 -year-old man were unsuccessful. Winona County deputies delayed releasing his name until kin were notified. The 911 call had been about 8 p.m. The lake is a 12-acre gravel-mining pit that’s been decommisioned for decades and has filled with spring water. At places it’s 100 feet deep with sudden drop-offs and dramatic and unpredictable shifts in temperature at various depths. Swimming is not recommended. Even so, the shielded isolation of one cove draws young people to cool off, ,especially in hot, steamy weather.
Airport Lake. Off Theurer Boulevard at entrance to the Winona airport and the Goodview industrial park.
Musk guilty of Wisconsin vote bribery?
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brown County prosecutor David Lasee has a choice: Whether to file criminal charges against billionaire Elon Musk for writing $1 million in checks to Wisconsin citizens to vote in a 2025 stare Supreme Court election. Like Musk, Lasee is a Republican. Last week the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 that Musk should be charged with vote bribery. Lasee has 40 days to decide. Musk, who has no Wisconsin roots, spent $20 million tota, mostly for advertising, on a Trump-backed candidate in what amounted to a showdown referendum on Trump. Trump’s candidate, Brad Schimel. lost by 10 percentage points.
Earlier: Wisconsin voters turn left on Supreme Court choice
Misery in the afternoon: Smoke, humidity, heat
Squint: Maybe you see Wisconsin. The smoky view at the Winona traffic circle looking toward the Wisconsin bluffs a little after 3 p.m. when the smoke pollution particles were at 215 — “unhealthy” for everyone. At the same time the EPA’s Duluth smoke particle sensors exceded 609 — “hazardous” for everyone. A good day for everyone here or there to stay indoors and bring out your old CoVid stockpiles of N95 masks if you absolutely need to go outside. Image: Andy Frank
Earlier: Up North wildfires thickening our air
Rattler radar /2: Apple Blossom Drive
DRESBACH Minn. — A snake wrangler removed a rattlesnake from a property just southwest of Dresbach on Oak Hill Drive up to Apple Vlossom Drive. It was the second 911 rattlesnake. call this season to the police dispatcher in Winona. The call was about 10:45 a.m.
Earlier: Rattler radar /1: Up Gilmore Creek
Cotter athlete to Big 10 coaching job
SEATTLE — A Cotter High School sports figure in Winona, Patrick Bowlin, has been named assistant women’s basketball coach at University of Washington. Bowlin, a 2008 Cotter grad, is a Minnesota High School Hall of Fame girls’ basketball coach. He ranks second in state history with 732 career victories. He graduated from St. John’s University in 2012. He has coached collegiate volleyball at Saint Benedict, Marquette, UW-Green Bay, and St. Thomas.
Lindell: I earned, didn’t seek Trump support
ROCHESTER, Minn. — At a 2020 Trump rally in Rochester, Mike Lindell let slip that he coveted the governorship of Minnesota. Trump picked up on it and encouraged Lindell. But as Trump proceeded with his presidential campaign — and as Lindell cozied up to him at every opportunity — Trump turned a cold shoulder. Lindell nonetheless persisted and campaigned enthusiastically for Trump. Even when Trump lost, Lindell didn’t slow down. With even more fervor than ever, he embraced whacky conspiracy theories that voting machines had been rigged to cheat Trump out of the presidency. During all this, Lindell’s MyPillow business, on which he had built a rags-to-riches fortune, collapsed. Retailers cancelled their pillow orders left and right to distance themselves from Lindell’s growing zaniness. Bankruptcy followed. Lindell found himself living out of a pickup truck. His dream of holding elected office persisted, however. Last December he announced he would run for governor. And although Trump was silent, Lindell kept name-dropping about Trump’s six-year-old aside of encouragement. Then out of blue this week, Trump endorsed Lindell’s bid to be Minnesota’s governor. Even Lindell was surprised. In a giddy rambling interview with MPR:
“I didn’t ask him for his endorsement. I wanted to get it based on merit, based on what I could do. And I’m really excited that he endorsed me, and it’s based on merit, and what I’ve done with my campaign so far.”
Lindell is in a large Republican field in the party’s August primary. Businessman Kendall Qualls has the party’s endorsement from the GOP state convention in May. House Speaker Lisa Demuth was runner-up. Lindell is among lesser candidacies. He sees Trump’s support as a break-through:
“Now I can concentrate. I’m not taking the primary for granted, but I want to concentrate now on getting out what I can do for Minnesota. This will raise a lot of funding. Right now we’re approaching $3 million but this should up that so we can really hit the advertising to the marketing that I have planned to go against Amy Klobuchar.”
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is the Democratic shoo-in for the August primary.
Lindell saga. Rags to riches to rags. Now to governor? Trump called him the “Pillow Guy” in announcing his endorsement.
So many running
Republicans still with active candidacies the August primary:
> Leaders: Kendall Qualls, Lisa Demuth, Mike Lindell.
> Longshots: Loner Blue, Raul J. Estrada, John Krhin, Ross Nova.
Does Trump matter?
Trump has intruded into state Republican gubernatorial processes so far this year in 12 states. His endorsed candidates prevailed in primaries in 10 states and lost in two. Impossible to measure is whether his thumb on the scale made a difference
How they voted: On daylight savings /1
WASHNGTON — The U.S. House voted 308-117 to abolish daylight savings time. Senate approval is still needed. The bill would put clocks on a uniform year-round standard: No more “fall back, spring ahead” confusion; Localities could opt out. Here is how the Minnesota and Wisconsin delegations voted:
For 12-month uniformity
> Angie Craig, D-Mn2 (south suburbs)
> Tom Emmer, R-Mn6 (north suburbs)
> Brad Finstad, R-MN1 (southern counties)
> Michelle Fischbach, R-Mn7 (rural west)
> Pete Stauber, R-Mn8 (Iron Range)
—
> Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wi8 (Clyman)
> Tom Tiffany, R-Wi7 (Hazelburst)
> Derrick Van Orden, R-Wi3 (Prairie du Chien)
> Tony Wied, R-Wi8 (DePere)
Against
> Betty McCollum, D-Mn4 (St. Paul)
> Kelly Morrison, D-Mn3 (west suburbs)
> Ilhan Omar, D-Mn5 (Minneapolis)
—
> Glen Grothman, R-Wi6 (Campbellsport)
> Gwen Moore, D-Wi4 (Milwaukee)
> Gwen Moore, D-Wi4 (Milwaukee)
> Mark Pocan, D-Wi2 (Madison)
Rubber residue marks road after plane crash
Talk about a thumpy landing. Tread marks on County Road 33 tell a story. Pilot guided disabled airplane onto the paved road and survived.
Federal inspectors yet to sign off on case
UTICA, Minn. — The pilot who crash-landed his light plane last week managed to line up with a rural road after his engine sputtered and he went by a 73-mph stall. Such is suggested by 100 feet jerky rubber marks on paved County Road 33 south of Utica. It was expected that the National Transportation Safety Board will credit the pilot, Glenn Edward Jackson, age 61, of Byron, with skilled airmanship. The Board’s inspectors, who visited the wreckage, are expected to report their conclusions by mid-August. A non-expert visual inspection suggests that Jackson managed to lower his landing gear before hitting the pavement. His nose gear may have crumbled by the impact, veering the craft 90 degrees into a roadside grassy patch. Although injured, Jackson climbed out. There was no fire. Uncertain is how much fuel was left in the Glasair 1RG’s 62-gallon tank. Jackson was flying out of Rochester, 30 miles away. He was alone.
Earlier: Downed plane near Utica under guard
Glasair 1RG. A tiny sports plane. Known for maneuverability. Popular with weekend fliers. “Fun to fly,” they say.
Up North wildfires thickening our air
WINONA, Minn. – People with breathing disorders will not find comfort from the weather rhe next few days Wifldres Up North jn in Minnesota and Ontario are contaminating the air quality. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an Air Quality Alert until 11 a.m. Friday for a large part of the state including southeastern Minnesota. There also was a similar alert in Wisconsin.
Health tip
People who have medical issues such as lung disease including asthma, or heart disease, should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.
News summary at mid-week: July 15, 2026
GOVERNANCE: Minnesota objects to scheme to tame CNN
GOVERNANCE: Plan progresses for homeless beds at St. Paul’s
ENVIRONMENT: National Guard to Boundary Waters for wildfires
HEALTH: Up North wildfires thickening our air
WILDLIFE: Rattler radar /1: Up Gilmore Creek
RIVER: Some names emerge in fatal Lake Pepin accident
REMEMBRANCE: R.I.P.: Fred Nass
POLITICS: Trump to Minnesota Republicans: Vote Lindell
COMMERCE: Bridgeview Plaza update: 200 apartments
CRIME: ICU patient turns mega-violent at hospital
CRIME: Cops: Meth on homeless man after stalking report
CRIME: 0.26% breath test alarms cops, who call medics
FARM: Knee high by the Fourth of July
ACCIDENT: Winona driver dead in dump truck collision
ACCIDENT: Two teens hurt in related ATV crashes
ACCIDENT: Man in horse-drawn buggy hurt in collision
Earlier: News summary at week’s end: Huly11, 2026
Two teens hurt in related ATV crashes
RIDGEWAY, Minn. — A youth was airlifted out of remote terrain after falling from the back of a four-heeler. This was off County Road 13 near the Houston County line. The youth, age 18, suffered face cuts, said Winona County deputies. The youth was out looking for a fellow teenager who was late coming home on her own four-wheeler. This was after dark, about 9:30 p.m. The missing teen, a girl, age 13, who had overturned, was found later by deputies and taken by ground ambulance to a hospital. Deputies said the youth with the face injuries was riding in t he back rack of a four-wheeler driven by family member. As he scanned for signs of the missing girl, the door of the rack flung open. He was struck in the face. Neither his injuries nor those of the missing girl appeared life-threatening, deputies said.
Trump to Minnesota Republicans: Vote Lindell
WASHINGTON — President Trump threw his support behind MyPillow pitchman Mike Lindell in the Minnesota race for governor. Political observers responded that Trump’s endorsement might sway some Republicans in the August primary. But, they added, the endorsement unlikely to influence who wins the GOP spot on the November general election ballot. Consider:
> Trump’s plummeting influence in Minnesota, even among Republicans, especially after his brutal Metro Surge military occupation of Minneapolis and St. Paul over the winter.
> Lindell’s failure to come close to winning the GOP endorsement for governor at the state Republican convention in May. At the convention Lindell pulled less than 21% on the fourth of 10 ballots. Businessman Kendall Qualls won the endorsement. Second behind Qualls was state House Speaker Lisa Demuth. Like Lindell, Demuth has continued her primary election campaign without the convention’s endorsement.
Trump announced his support for Lindell online. He called Lindell “one of America’s greatest and most hard-working patriots”:
“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!”
Trump used the announcement to continue his trash-talk about current Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat. Lindell, said Trump, would replace “one of the worst and most incompetent governors in the history of the U.S.A.”
Bridgeview Plaza update: 200 apartments
LACROSSE, Wis. – Developers have a green light to replace the atrophying Bridgeview Plaza strip mall with a four-story apartment complex of 200 units. Until seven years ago, the mall had been anchored by discount retailer ShopKo, which went out of business. Now the LaCrosse City has rezoned the northside location on Rose Street for a major overhaul. The ShopKo building, now occupied by Blue Zone pickleball courts, will reman. So too the Harbor Freight tool store. New will be two major apartment structures and several outlying buildings. The plan calls for relocating North Country Steak Buffet, now next door. The new apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. Concept drawings show 90 underground parking stalls.
Good-bye, Bridgeview. The LaCrosse City Council liked what it saw in concept sketches from the Madison-based architectural firm Knothe-Bruce. Pickleball courts, Harbor Freight to remain
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