WINONA, Minn. — Authorities who have been monitoring social media for chatter promoting pop-up beer busts have picked up nothing for this coming weekend, Sheriff Ron Ganrude said. There was a large gathering two weeks ago deep up a remote coulee in the northern tip of Winona County. It was the only such event so far this summer — unlike 2024 when the they were weekly with some drawing hundreds of roisters, almost all teenagers, from all over southeast Minnesota. There were fights, falls and medical emergencies. To get a handle on the situation, Ganrude organized fellow sheriffs to monitor social media for tip-offs and to share what they were picking up. Extra patrols were put on stand0by on likely party nights. Back-ups were pre-arranged with the State Patrol and other agencies.
