Heat, humidity pose energy issues
RUSHFORD, Minn. — With energy demand expected to peak, the regional utility MiEnergy asked users to power down through 6 p.m. Afternoon highs were predicted for the afternoon with high humidity, which pushes up energy consumption for air-conditioning. Utilities like MiEnergy pay premium rates to wholesalers when usage passes agreed-upon thresholds. The surcharges eventually reflected with higher bills for consumers.
As expected, Boelter indicted for assassination
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury indicted Vance Boelter for the assassination of state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband and the wounding of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife. The indictment allows U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson to proceed with prosecution on six counts of stalking, firearm violations and murder. To be clear: A grand jury indictment is not a finding of guilt but a finding of sufficient evidence for a trial. If Boelter pleads not guilty, a separate federal jury would be impaneled to consider the charges. If convicted, Boelter could face execution under federal law. But there remains an unsettled jurisdiction question. Separately the State of Minnesota has charged Boelter for the crimes. His maximum sentence under Minnesota law would be life imprisonment. Not since 1911 has Minnesota had a death penalty.
Earlier: $5 million bail in Minnesota assassinations
Looking down, seeing nature’s glory
A ground spider’s web catches and reflects the morning dew in East Burns Valley. Image: Andy Frank
Flames engulf garaged Lewiston motorcycle
LEWISTON, Minn. — Fire destroyed a motorcycle parked in a garage in the 400 block of Main Street. The vehicle was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. The suspected cause: The motorcycle’s battery. There were no injuries. This was about 9:50 p.m
Arrest follows incident outside West Side church
WINONA, Minn. — A Winona man was arrested after a witness reported he slammed a woman companion into a brick wall outside St. Stan’s basilica. Arrested was Jason Paul Garfield, age 44, of Winona. The witness told police the woman screamed in pain. This was about 8:40 p.m. on the Carimona Street side of the basilica, which is on East Fourth Street. The witness said Garfield and the woman were arguing. The woman’s age: 42.
Garfield. Assault charged as felony because of prior convictions.
Lansing bridge’s finale sooner than expected
LANSING, Iowa — Structural engineers changed their minds about the safety of the old and wobbly bridge across the Mississippi at Lansing. For safety reasons they will rip it down in September. Anyone wanting to drive across into Wisconsin — or the other way — will need to go 40 miles upriver to Dresbach or 29 miles downriver to Prairie du Chein. Another option will be a passenger taxi ferry, no cars, from docks at the bridge site. Engineers have been off-and-on about whether the bridge could handle another winter. The bridge is vulnerable to tremors from an adjacent new bridge, which won’t be completed for another two years.
Scare: Possibly suicidal man with AK-47
ELBA, Minn. — A police shelter-in-place order for a half-mile radius Friday night resulted from concern that man feared to be suicidal had access to an AK-47 combat rifle. For three hours there was a stand-off with police, as the man sat on a residential front porch. In the end David Jerome Byrd surrendered peacefully. He was unarmed, it turned out, deputies said, although he had the AK-47 in his car parked outside. Byrd, age 27 ,who is from Winona, was booked at the Winona County jail within an hour of his arrest. The tentative charge: Assault that inflicted fear in a child. The incident was in the 1200 block of North Main Street in Elba. This is what happened, as pieced together from investigators and other sources:
Byrd. Situation escalated from what he described as playful horsing around with a friend’s children.
> Byrd was roughhousing with two children, both girls, at the home of a friend. This was at the north end of town.
> In the rough-housing a shoelace ended up around one of the girl’s neck, which frightened her. It isn’t clear how much the shoelace was tightened, although marks were left on the girl’s neck.
> Byrd and the woman in the house — either the girls’ mother or an aunt, it isn’t clear — fell to an argument about the roughhousing. The argument escalated.
> Byrd stormed out to his car to cool off.
> The woman called 911 about 6:30 p.m. that she was concerned that Byrd might be suicidal and that he had a military-style rifle in his car.
> As the first officers pulled up, Byrd left his car. There was no weapon visible. He went into sat on the front porch and sat down.
> Deputies kept their distance out of concern that Byrd might be armed.
> Back-up officers arrived from the State Patrol and the sheriff’s crisis-response team. In all, 15 officers responded.
Armored response. Winona County’s crisis response team’s behemoth armored vehicle was driven 22 miles to Elma from its Winona base.
“A textbook resolution”
Jeff Mueller, the deputy chief sheriff, described the operation as “textbook”:
> A show of force contained the crisis within a perimeter.
> Crisis negotiations established contact with the subject.
> A peaceful resolution resulted.
> A shelter-in-place order was issued for one mile through the community, which is hemmed in narrowly by bluffs. There are only four roads in and out.
> At the house: Officers kept their distance because of the woman’s call that he might have a weapon.
> Eventually the crisis-response team’s Lemco BearCat, a 17,000-pound vehicle umbered into Elba from its usual station 22 miles away in Winona. BearCats are a heavily armored police adaptation of mine-resistant vehicle used by the U.S. military in the Iraq war. In some configurations BearCats carry 12 fully equipped soldiers.
> An experienced negotiator with the sheriff’s crisis-response team established telephone communication with Byrd as he sat on the porch, Of ficers remained shielded behind the BearCat and the squad cars that circled the blocked North Main Street.
> Blocked nearby was the intersection of County 26, which links Altura and Plainfield, and State Highway 74, which follows the Whitewater River from St. Charles to Weaver on the Mississippi.
> During negotiations Byrd insisted repeatedly that he was not suicidal.
> The negotiator eventually gained Byrd’s confidence and coaxed him to surrender peacefully.The shelter-in-place order was rescinded. The team cleared the scene about 10:20 p.m.
> The only casualty was a sheriff’s squad car that drove over a fire ring in the rush to establish the perimeter. A tire was pierced.> Quiet resumed to Elba. A half mile up Main Stret the sode-by-side Tony’s Saloon and Mauer Brothers Tavern, weekend revelers had lots to talk about.
> Quiet resumed ub Elba. A half mile up Main Stret the side-by-side Tony’s Saloon and Mauer Brothers Tavern, thebweekend crowd had lots to talk about.
Earlier: Surrender ends Elba police stand-off
Trump budget wipes out 60 state nutrition jobs
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Trump budget, just approved by his Republican Congress, has forced the University Minnesota’s rural outreach program to lay off 60 nutritionists. The layoffs include a team of six Rochester-based nutrition educators assigned to southeast counties, including Fillmore, Houston Wabasha and Winona. The regional director, Susan Draves, told KTTC the layoffs leave a gap in vital services:
“We can do things that, for example, public health can’t do. We are on the ground, our teams are on the ground, boots on the ground, oftentimes speaking multiple languages. So, bringing a cultural approach, if needed, to our students in schools, or out in the community teaching nutrition education.”
The outreach roject has been run by the University of Minnesota Extension Service as part of the federal-state SNAP food stamp program. For 35 years, the nutritionists have offered lessons to SNAP recipients on how to budget for groceries, cook healthy meals, grow a garden, and stay physically healthy. On average, Dravie said, SNAP recipients receive $6 per person per day for meals. Statewide 57,000 people have been served in the past year.
Earlier: How they voted: Trump budget /7
Earlier: How they voted: Trump budget /6
Notable journalism
Matthew Blake (Minnesota Post, July 9, 2025): “What’s in a Nickname? Minnesota’s Replacement of American Indian Mascots Puts State at Odds with Trump”
Alexandra Retter (Winona Post, July 11, 2025: “When Clamming Was Big Business”
Devi Shastri (Associated Press, July 9, 2025): “U.S. Measles Cases Surpass 2019 Count, Including Cases in Minnesota and Neighboring States”
Fair fodder /3: So much, so good
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Among 33 new foods on the ever-growing menu at the Minnesota State Fair, which opens August 21:
Cherry bigfoot limeade gloat: Limeade juice topped with cherry Dole soft serve. Garnished with a lime slice and a cherry. Vegan. Gluten free. At Tasti Whip, on the northwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue and Underwood Street.
Chicken-fried bacon fries: Beef bacon strips double-breaded in tempura flour and fried. Garnished with fresh parsley. Served in a cup. Choice of two dipping sauces: A brown sugar Nashville-style hot sauce or barbecue sauce. At Soul Bowl in the Food Building, east wall.
Cinna-sugar crust tidbits: Fresh-baked flaky pie crust strips covered in cinnamon and sugar. Served with side of whiskey-flavored caramel dipping sauce. Vegetarian. Vegan upon request. At Sara’s Tipsy Pies, In the Food Building, northwest wall.
Earlier: Fair fodder /2: Belly-busters galore
Motorcyclist crashes, hurt near Lanesboro
LANESBORO, Minn. — A Hutchinson motorcyclist, 180 miles from home, was injured when she crashed on curvy two-lane State Highway 16. Kimberly Ann Karg, age 44, was taken 40 miles to a Rochester hospital. This was about 11:15 a.m. Her injuries appeared non-life threatening, Fillmore County deputies said. She was not wearing a helmet, deputies said. She was heading north on a 2016 Harley Davidson.
Bridge goes dark to discourage mayfly massing
Pre-emptive plan. The Minnesota Transportation Department has switched off the overhead night lights on the Winona interstate bridge for the duration of the mayfly hatching season. The flies swarm by the millions and can slicken pavement dangerously. The red and green bulbs on the bridge’s underside will remain in operation for Mississippi River navigation channel safety. Imaeg from December: Steve Lunde
News summary at week’s end: July 12, 2025
RESCUE: Hot-shot Minnesota rescuers to Guadalupe disaster
RESCUE: Blow by blow: The rescue at the Genoa dam
CRIME: Prosecutor: Meth in huge bust from Mexico
CRIME: Surrender ends Elba police stand-off
CRIME: Twin admits guilt in wreck that killed Amish kids
CRIME: Police follow blood trail, make assault arrest
CRIME: Court delay to October in Baby Angel case
POLITICS: Democrats on Wisconsin’s Van Orden: “Pants on fire”
POLITICS: First candidate announces for “Melissa’s seat”
POLITICS: About a third term, Walz “keeping powder dry”
INFERNO: Plastics factory fire fought inside, also from air
ENVIRONMENT: Canada wildfires degrading Minnesota air
COLLEGES: Wisconsin regents hike college tuition 5%
CUISINE: Fair fodder /1: Gastro delight or fright? You choose
Earlier: News summary at mid-week: July 9, 2025
What’s it they say about one man’s trash?
Looking for afternoon customers in the Beaver Creek dip on U.S. Highway 54-93 near Galesville. Image: Steve Lunde
Notable journalism
Brian Arola and Ama Radeat (Minnesota Post, July 8): “’Seismic’ Medicaid Changes Will Be Rough on Rural Hospitals”
Michelle Griffith (Minnesota Reformer, July 9. 2024): “Sorrow and Redemption: Minnesota Pardons Board Grants 33 Pardons”
Gabriel Hathaway (Winona Post, July 9, 2025): “Mankato Avenue Overpass Study on Hold”
Fair fodder /2: Belly-busters galore
Bison meatball sub: Bison and bacon meatballs. Topped with bison gravy, quick-pickled cucumbers, crispy fried onions, sour cream. Served on toasted wild rice hoagie bun. At Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, north side of Dan Patch Avenue. between Cooper and Cosgrove streets.
Cannoli Gelato: Cannoli chips. Topped with a scoop of cannoli-flavored gelato. Finished with chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry. Vegetarian. At Mancini’s al Fresco, north side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson and Underwood streets.
Caprese Curds: Mozzarella cheese curds breaded with Italian seasoning and deep fried. Served over bruschetta-flavored blend of tomatoes and basil. Drizzled with balsamic glaze. With side of crostini. At LuLu’s Public House, at West End Market, south of Schilling Amphitheater.
Surrender ends Elba police stand-off
ELBA, Minn. — After a three-hour stand-off, a police negotiator talked a man into surrendering from an Elba home where he was holed up. This was about 10:20 p.m. at an address on the State Highway 74 main drag through town. The family escaped the house safely, deputies said. The surrender was without incident. The man reportedly had access to a gun in the house, but it was not believed he armed himself. The man was taken 22 miles to the county jail in Winona.
Democrats on Wisconsin’s Van Orden: “Pants on fire”
WASHINGTON — Western Wisconsin’s representative in Congress, Derrick Van Orden, has been lying for weeks that Medicare is not in jeopardy under the Trump regime. Or, to be generous, say Democrats, Van Orden has twisted the facts. To Van Orden’s claim that Medicaid wasn’t in danger, Congressman Mark Pocan of Madison, said:
“I’ve never been so embarrassed by a political colleague. I really wanted to believe he was a liar as opposed to an incompetent. I guess maybe it’s a combination of the two.”
Van Orden is a Republican. Pocan is a Democrat. On a related issue Van Orden has been saying he “helped support” funding for rural hospitals whose future is in jeopardy with the Trump cuts. To that claim, Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, says balderdash. Evers responded being dumbfounded at Van Orden’s claim to having advocated fo rural hospital funding.
“You never personally advocated increasing the hospital assessment until it was already in the deal.”
Van Orden is two-term congressman who’s known for erratic behavior, has been targeted by Democrats as a top priority to flip in the 2026 election. Democrats have bristled at his claims as early as February that Democrats were lying that Medicare had been cut. He told voters not to worry. Look at the facts, he said: Medicaid was still operating. Literally that was true, but the issue was the dramatic slashes being proposed by Trump for the 2016 budget. His was an amateurish attempt to quiet public concern about Trump’s plan to scrap Medicaid in the 2026 budget.
Safe places. Van Orden has acknowledged political vulnerability in townhalls and public forums. He doesn’t do them. Instead he limits public appearances to safe photo opps like congratulating students on their artwork. His misleading claims about Medicaid included contextually favorable settings like factories albeit conveniently vacant. Just him and the camera.
Fact check
The Trump budget, as approved narrowly by Congress two weeks ago, eventually disqualifies 11.8 million people nationwide from Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The Office has noted that rural hospitals are financially vulnerable because they serve a higher proportion of Medicaid patients.
Verbatim
Donna Freidsam, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, says the safety net that’s disappearing under the Trump bill is “really quite dramatic,” She sees healthcare as Trump’s vehicle to offset revenue that will be lost with the tax cuts for already wealthy people. These cuts, she said, will be made by slashing healthcare for ordinary and impoverished people: “What this turns out to be is a healthcare system overhaul inside of this tax and spending bill.”
First candidate announces for “Melissa’s seat”
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Brooklyn Park City Council member Christian Eriksen declared his candidacy for the Legislature from House District 34-B. Eriksen called it “Melissa’s seat,” a reference to Melissa Hortman who died in an assassination in June. Eriksen said he has “great respect for Hortman’s legacy.” Like her, Eriksen is a Democrat. He is the first candidate to announce. The race is considered crucial politically because the House the been divided evenly 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans.
Eriksen. On Brooklyn Council sine 2022. Day job: Fellowship coordinator for addiction medicine and forensic psychiatry. Age 49. Holds a graduate degree from Bethel Seminary in nearby Arden Hills.
Police swarm Elma, issue shelter-in- place order
ELBA, Minn. — Deputies assisted by the State Patrol sealed off this Whitewater River tourist town after a report of a domestic disturbance. A shelter-in-place order was issued. This was about 7:25 a.m. Deputies were told a man with access to a gun had threatened the family in the house, although it was it not believed he wielded any weapon. A police negotiator was summoned.
Elba profile
Elba, population120, is at an important crossroads on the Whitewater River between Altura and Plainview. The town is a gateway to Whitewater State Park 10 miles north of St. Charles on the Winona-Olmsted county line. The main businesses in town are Tony’s Saloon and Mauer Brothers Tavern. Both are popular with bikers and often packed on weekends. In summer there are hundreds of campers at the nearby Lazy D dude ranch and other campgrounds along the river.
Bear attacks, injures Wisconsin woman
CUMBERLAND, Wis. — A rural woman was attacked by a black bear outside her home and seriously injured. Karen Frye, age, 69, managed to call 911. She was taken to the nearby Cumberland hospital, then transferred 80 miles to a St. Paul hospital in Minnesota. Although the her injuiries were serious, Frye’s condition was listed as stable. Derails of the attack were unclear other than Frye being outside with her dogs. This was about 2 p.m. Emergency responders found a blood trail and fired three shots at the presumed attack-bear, but it ran off. A bear cub was found up a nearby tree, which led to a tentative conclusion that the attack-bear may have been a mother in a protective maternal mode. Black bears are common in forested northwest Wisconsin. Attacks are rare. Bears and humans generally co-exist easily, but both avoid encounters.
Woodsy back lot. Although generally shy, bears do venture close to human habitat to forage for food scraps in trash. Image: Barron County sheriff
Wisconsin black bears
The Wisconsin wildlife agency estimates the state has 24,000 bears. They are not inherently aggressive and tend to avoid humans. Aggressive behavior sometimes occurs if a she-bear is protecting her cubs. European settlers mostly wiped out the region’s bear population, but re-colonization has been occurring over recent decades. The bear population has been moving steading south. Sightings have been as far south as Wisconsin and Minnesota’s Iowa border.
Black bear profile
The black bear is the smallest species of bars in North America. Adult males typically weigh 190 pounds, females 130 pounds. Some, however, are twice as heavy. They hibernate in in winter and emerge lighter — and hungry — in spring. They enjoy swimming and feed largely on fish. They also climb trees and eat foliage.
Tips for n a bear encounter
> Never approach a bear. Do not run. Bears are fast runners. Do not lie down or play dead.
> Talk to the bear. If it doesn’t leave, start shouting and raise your arms above your head and wave to appear larger than you are.
> Slowly back away. Don’t turn your back on the bear.
> Always leave an escape route for the bear.
> Fight back if attacked.
Hot-shot Minnesota rescuers to Guadalupe disaster
Five men, two dogs. During a break from training a few months ago. It’s Minnesota Task Force 1 K-9 Unit, one of two crack Minnesota units trained for catastrophic rescues and searches.
170 persons feared still buried in miles of muck
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz dispatched an elite K-9 unit to aid for search and recovery operations in the Texas Hill Country where the flooding Guadalupe River killed 129 people. Still missing seven days later: 170. About the Minnesota K-9 unit, Walz said: “Their heroic work will make a difference.” The team of five rescuers and two K-9s is equipped for 24-hour operations in disaster zones with little or no infrastructure. The unit left Minnesota in a convoy of vans and trailers loaded with gear for the 1,500-mile trip. The team is one of two units in a Minnesota task force trained to deal with structural collapses and natural disasters. Minnesota is a member of a 50-state mutual-aid pact
With gear unpacked for routine maintenance at task force garage. Images: Minnesota Public Safety Department
Trump at his knee-jerk defensive worst
President toured a section the devastated upper Guadalupe basin on Friday. Although he expressed condolences, Trump refused to acknowledge failure of his Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the flood. To a news reporter who asked about the lapse, Trump stated: “Only a very evil person would ask a question like that.” Fact: Trump’s appointed cabinet member in charge of the FEMA disaster relief agency, former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, took 72 hours to respond. Also: Trump has fired 20% of FEMA’s staff, roughly 1,000 people, since January. The goal, he has announced, is to eliminate the agency entirely to save costs.
New prison sentence for Eau Claire drug dealer
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — An Eau Claire man already in federal prison for drugs dealing now has been sentenced also on state-level charges. The new sentence for Hector A Jimenez-Sosa, age 42, is also 10 years. The sentences will be served concurrently. The criminal complaint alleged sales to undercover police agents:
> Multiple deliveries of fentanyl.
> Possession with intent to deliver fentanyl.
> Possession with intent to deliver cocaine.
Chipolte rising curbside on Winona West End
Rezoned residential area. You’ll have to wait a few more weeks for the warm, earthy scents of cumin, epozota and chili powder. So far only the outer walls are up for the city’s latest Mexican eatery — Chipolte at 1545 Gilmore Avenue. Across from an Altra Credit Union branch. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: Not a trailer house; being moved anyway
Lake Pepin highway crash injures motorcyclist
CAMP LACUPOLIS, Minn. — A motorcyclist was injured in a crash with a car on two-lane U.S. Highway 61 along Lake Pepin. The driver, Nathan John Cota, 40, of Inver Grove Heights, was taken 35 miles to a Rochester hospital with sustainable injuries. He was wearing a helmet, said Wabasha County deputies. The crash was about 11:40 a.m. Cota was driving south toward Wabasha on a Kawasaki ZX1000 Sport. The car, a 2006 Honda Accord, was northbound toward Lake City. The driver of the car, a 2006 Honda Accord, was Joseph Raymond Roche, 52, of Lake City. He was uninjured. He was northbound toward Lake City.
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