Homeowners to unwelcome guests: “Please leave”
WINONA, Minn. – Sheriff’s deputies dealt with two unrelated complaints from homeowners about unwanted house guests. Deputies removed a homeless person forcibly from one address. The person had been at a Good Samaritan’s place for two days and wouldn’t leave. This was on Pleasant Ridge Road between Winona and Witoka. In a second call, a homeowner said a guest had overstayed her welcome. Because the person had been “in residence” two months, deputies advised the homeowner about civil recourses for eviction.
What’s a blue shovel tell us about our Aprils?
Lots of thunder, lightning and 1.3 inches of rain overnight up East Burns Valley. But there’s still a snow shovel out on the deck. Image; Andy Frank
Rochester teacher out of gate after Finstad
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A veteran Rochester math teacher, Jake Johnson, declared his candidacy to replace Brad Finstad as Minnesota’s representative in Congress. Johnson was the first Democrat to announce. Finstad is a steadfast Trump Republican, whose record is notable only for unwavering Trump support. In announcing, Johnson said his candidacy is a response to unconstitutional Trump budget cuts and attacks on institutions at the core American culture and values. Johnson called it his duty “to step up as a normal concerned citizen.” Johnson has taught three years at Mayo High School. Earlier he taught across town at John Marshall High School for 16 years. He has also been active with the teachers’ union. He currently is the union’s governmental relations representative. Johnson acknowledged he’s early for the November 2026 election but noted that Finstad already has announced for a third term. In recent weeks Johnson has been crisscrossing the 13,000-square mile MN-1 district and talking eyeball-to-eyeball with constituents. About the Trump presidency and a complicit Congress, including Finstad, Johnson said that economic hardships for farmers and other working people need not be. He points out that he grew up poor in Stewartville. In a Rochester Post Bulletin interview he said his family relied on governmental safety nets: The institutions that Trump either has attacked or threatened has been “really personal to me,” he said.
Johnson. Sees Trump and acolyte Finstad as out of touch with the people.
Verbatim
Johnson: “There’s a lot of folks that I’ve talked to that say ‘my representative doesn’t listen to me, my representative won’t take my calls, my representative just answers my well-thought-out letters with a form email, They’re sick of it. People need a spirit of service that we’re not getting.”
MN-1 spans southern Minneita from South Dakota to Wisconsin. Primarily rural and agricultural but changing rapidly due to Rochester’s population growth Other population centers: Austin, Albert Lea, Lake City, Mankato, Owatonna, Red Wing, Wabasha, Winona, Worthington.
Earlier: Finstad still avoiding risk with MN-1 crowds
Third Eau Claire Democrat goes for Congress
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – A third Democratic has a hat in the ring to unseat western Wisconsin’s two-term Congress member Derrick Van Orden. Former Eau Claire City Council member Laura Benjamin announced her candidacy. Announcing earlier have been Emily Berge, the current City Council president, and Rebecca Cooke, who was unsuccessful against Van Orden 2024. In announcing, Benjamim called Van Orden a Trump lackey: “Derrick Van Orden has supported slashing the Department of Veterans Affairs, siding with corporate ag. over family farms, and standing by while the current administration illegally kidnaps thousands of people. Enough is enough.”
Earlier: Second WI-3 Democrat looks to oust Van Orden
Benjamin. Eau Claire small business owner.
October shooter admits guilt to lessened charges
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man accused of shooting another man in an apartment off Huff Street in October pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. The plea was part of an agreement in which the prosecution agreed to drop a first-degree assault charge and intentional discharge of a firearm charge. In exchange Cole Robert Cameron, age 27, agreed to accept a prison sentence of no more than three years. Meanwhile until sentencing, Cameron remains in jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Police hunt second man in Lake Park attack
WINONA, Minn. – Police have identified a man suspected as the second assailant in a brutal beating Tuesday at Lake Park. Officially he’s categorized as a “person of interest.” He’s been lying low and so far gas been impossible to find. In the beating, two masked men jumped an unsuspecting third man. They tied him up and beat him repeatedly with a metal pipe. The victim survived. The assailants, both wearing back, disappeared into the night. One man, Elias Thang Workman, 19, of Winona, was arrested a few hours later. Wang’s cell phone records helped police identify his contacts.
Earlier: Thugs hog-tie man at park, pound with him with pipe
Donors see Southeast scholarship as “golden bridge”
WINONA, Minn. – A California couple has created a $300,000 fund to help Minnesota State College Southeast students pursuing a two-year degree. Scott Carlson and Katharine Miller called it the Golden Gate Bridge Scholarship. Their hope, they said, was to create “a small step in bridging divides that have come to separate Americans from one another.” The college said the donors requested no further details be released about themselves except that he grew up in nearby Houston and she in Pennsylvania. Awards are $1,500 for each of the first year and second year of study.
Familiar face at Visit Winona now in charge
WINONA, Minn. – A 13-year veteran with the tourism agency Visit Winona, Kate Carlson, has been named executive director. Earlier she was the agency’s partnership director. In her new position Carlson succeeds Pat Mutter, who retired after 22 years. Carlson, who holds a journalism degree from Winona State University, said she sees opportunity in promoting Winona as a tourist destination with the new 700-seat Masterpiece concert hall and a growing inventory of hotel rooms.
Carlson. Foresees more promotions to set Winona apart. She’s especially fond of the quirky “Miami of Minnesota” campaign.
Common campus caper: Dangerous as always
WINONA, Minn. – Police spotted a 20-year-old man walking away from the downtown bar district with a traffic warning sign from the torn-up Second Street construction project. This was about 12:10 a.m. in the 350 block of West Second. Mason Davis Krage, 20, surrendered the sign and accepted a ticket for under-age consumption.
Vomit void: Drunk charges delayed for Winona driver
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona driver ran into the highway median approaching the Misisippi River bridge from Wisconsin. He smelled and looked drunk, police said. This was about 11:10 p.m. near Dick’s marina. Bradley James Van Horn, age 51, admitted having been drinking at the LA strip club down beyind Bluff Siding, the officer said. A breathalyzer test on the spot showed Van Horn’s blood-alcohol level at 0.15%, the officer said. Then the guy threw up, which voided the breath test as legal evidence. At the jailhouse in Winona, police took a blood draw and sent the sample to the state crime lab for testing. If anything more than 0.08% is confirmed, Van Horn will he be seeing the judge.
Van Horn. Admitted to a night of boozing with the naked ladies.
College scores
Tennis (men): UW-Eau Claire 4, UW-LaCrosse 3
Minnesota prep
Baseball: Dover-Eyota Eagles 11, Winona Cotter Ramblers 9
Baseball: St. Charles Saints 6, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 4
Baseball: Lake City Tigers 3, Zumbrota-Mazeppa
Softball: Dover-Eyota Eagles 13, Winona Cotter Ramblers 7
Softball: St. Charles Saints 12, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 2 (5 innings)
About those laws on illegal trash dumping
LEWISTON, Minn. – A caretaker at Farmers Park found a picnic trash container packed with somebody’s household garbage. Deputies looked for the usual clues – like mailing addresses on envelopes – to locate the illegal dumper. The deputies were summoned about 4 p.m.
Pedaling fast to beat the law: Didn’t work
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man fled on a bicycle after an officer recognized him as wanted on a property damage warrant. The officer said Zayne Thomas bowman, 24, pedaled as fast as he could to get away. This was at Fifth and Grand streets about 2:30 p.m. Six blocks later, the officer caught up. Bowman was charged with obstructing the legal process, as well as the earlier brawling charge.
Bowman. Wayward bicyclist.
Could this be called a friendly bolt of lightning?
MINNESOTA CITY, Minn. – Lightning struck a Minnesota City house during a mid-day storm but caused minimal damage. There were no injuries. The strike was about 12:10 p.m. in the 100 block of Harbor Drive.
Meth found in East Side police search
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was arrested in a search of his East Side house that police say yielded four grams of meth. Charles Daniel Smith, age 54, offered no resistance, police said. As part of an ongoing drug investigation, officers had a search warrant for the address in the 400 block of East Howard Street.
Smith. Booked for drug possession.
Thugs hog-tie man at park, pound him with pipe
WINONA, Minn. – Two masked men, dressed in all black, jumped and beat a third man at Lake Park, struck him with a metal pipe, bound his arms and feet with duct tape, and continued pounding him with the pipe. A teen-age girl, who was passing by, witnessed the attack and called police. Officers found the victim, age 19, conscious on the ground. They cut off the tape. He had bruises and cuts on his forehead, an elbow and a knee. He was taken to the hospital, where a doctor stitched up the knee. Police had arrived at the park about 10 minutes after the assailants fled, said the witness. This was about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police, however, went silent until a news briefing Thursday, explaining they needed to protect their evolving investigation.
Assault at bandshell playground
The assault was in the dimly lit playground near the Lake Park bandshell. The victim told police he had been waiting for a former girlfriend with whom he had agreed to meet at the playground swings. While waiting, he was jumped. Recounting what happened, he told police he was sure he had been “set up.” Police used the victim’s phone to locate the former girlfriend. She told officers that she had been sexually assaulted several months earlier by the man who was beaten. She said she had confided to a male friend about the sexual violation. The friend, she said, was angered and told her he would “take care of it.” She claimed to know nothing about the Lake Park attack.
Digital evidence
On the former girlfriend’s phone the police found communication with Elias Thang Workman, 19, of Winona. At his place officers found grass-stained black garb. Five hours after the attack, about 2:40 a.m, Workman was booked at the county jail for:
> Assault with a deadly weapon.
> False imprisonment.
> Threats of violence with reckless disregard for risk.
> Aggravated robbery.
Police said they were still looking for a second assailant.
By light of day. The playground swings in the shadow of the Lake Park bandshell.
Workman. Arrested after digital tracking.
New police tools
Winona police expedited their investigation with recently acquired equipment to track cell phone communication. Previously they needed to send devices to Rochester or other police agencies to dissect for content.
Franken is 14th Flanagan endorser for Senate
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Former U.S. Senator Al Franken endorsed Minnesota’s lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan to succeed Tina Smith in the Senate. Smith has been in the Senate since 2018 when Franken resigned. Franken is the 14th significant endorsement for Flanagan for the Democratic nomination for the 2026 election. Earlier endorsers included state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Auditor Julie Blaha.
Earlier: Flanagan campaigning for U.S. Senate
Billions at stake in slash-crazed Trump state projects
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota state government relies on federal agencies for 35% of its budget, much of which has been cancelled or delayed or appears in jeopardy. Blame President Trump’s aggressive constrictions on federal programs, said Governor Tim Walz. The cuts are broad, ranging from heating assistance and flood mitigation to tracking diseases. To help citizens track what’s happening, Walz announced a new online tool aimed to report funding cuts. Data will be updated weekly, the governor said. The first overview for the 2024-2025 fiscal biennium:
> State budget: $123 billion.
> State raised revenue: $79 billion.
> Federal grants: $42 billion.
Status of federal grants:
> Permanently cancelled: $282 million.
> Temporarily disrupted or at risk: $74 million.
Data for the site are collected weekly from state agencies and broken down by categories. Because most federal dollars are passed through the state government to localities, the site breaks down federal dollars county by county. For Winona County:
> State Highway 43 road construction: $13.7 million.
> Local road and bridge project: $4.8 million.
> Winona Airport operations and capital project: $2.3 million.
> Local road and bridge project: $900,000.
> Local road and bridge project: $686,000.
> Local road and bridge project: $353,000.
> Local road and bridge project: $341,000.
> State road construction project: $299,000.
> Winona Airport operations and capital project: $241,000.
> Winona Occupational Rehabilitation: $19,000.
News summary at mid-week: April 16, 2025
COMMERCE: Fastenal stock buoys a bit, still bobbling
POLICING: Gabby’ deeper into snubbing liquor license rules
POLICING: Cops check golf course bar, find no underage service
CRIME: Jury on Necedah murder: Guilty on 15 counts
CRIME: Charge: Online chatting factored in fatal Winona crash
CRIME: Austin woman posed as dead mom for pension money
CRIME: Baked beans an assault weapon at Levee Park
CRIME: Man arrested returning home evincing inebriation
CRIME: Antiaircraft fire OK against a roaming drone?
COLLEGES: New UW-Eau Claire major: Robotics engineering
COLLEGES: Schmidt’s Virginia college presidency pays $610,000
COLLEGES: WSU praised as tree-conscious
COLLEGES: WSU student reportedly eyed for Trump deportation
TRAFFIC: Head-on I-94 crash: Wrong-way driver dies
TRAFFIC: Pickup strikes buggy, Amish driver hurt
CONSTRUCTION: Winona levee hotel’s angled corner in place
AVIATION: Plane’s engine blamed in Rochester crash
SCHOOLS: LaCrose principal to lead LaCrescent schools
AESTHETICS: St. Stan’s Basilica now with space to breathe
College scores
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 9, St. Olaf 3
Softball: Saint Mary’s 10, Concordia of Moorhead 2
Softball: Saint Mary’s 8, Concordia of Moorhead 1
Softball: UW-LaCosse 4, UW-Eau Claire 3
Softball: UW-Eau Claire 2, UW-LaCosse 1
Lacrosse (women): UW-LaCrosse 24, Augsburg 0
Tennis (men): ): UW-LaCrosse and Luther of Decorah, postponed
Tennis (women): UW-LaCrosse 6, Luther of Decorah 1
Minnesota prep
Baseball: Owatonna Huskies 8, Rochester Century Panthers 5
Golf (girls): Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 329, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 359, Lanesboro Burros 382, Cannon Falls Bombers 394, Kasson-Mantorville Komets 400, Stewartville Tigers 414
Softball: Rochester Century Panthers 3, Owatonna Huskies 0
Softball: Grand Meadow/LeRoy/Ostrander 6, Harmony Fillmore Central/Lanesboro 2
Fire damages Dodge Center hardware
DODGE CENTER, Minn. — Firefighters confined a blaze at Johnson Hardware after smoke was reported at the rear of the building. Flames were roaring from theroof when fire crews arrived. This was about 7 p.m. No one was in was in the building. There were no injuries. The worst damage was in rear work area and the attic. Smoke damage was heavy throughout.
A peek inside. Stand-alone structure at 14 First Avenue Southwest.
Wisconsin family hurt at troubled Winona crossing
WINONA, Minn. – Four Wisconsin family members were injured in a two-car collision at a busy but poorly designed Highway 61 intersection on the West End. Treated for sustainable injuries for non-life threatening injuries:
> Thomas Falter, 55, of Westby, the driver.
> Diane Marie Falter, 57, of Westby.
> Agnes Katherina Falter, 22, of Westby.
> A girl, 15, from Westby.
The State Patrol says a 16-year-old girl was driving a 2016 Chevrolet Impala southbound on Highway 61. Falter was northbound in a 2008 Honda Pilot. This was about 6:40 p.m. near the Gilmore Avenue intersection that handles access to the Hy-Vee shopping center, Taco Bell, KFC, McDonad’s and Culver’s.
Driver hurt in crash near Stockton
STOCKTON, Minn. – A Winona driver was injured when her car left U.S. Hughway 14 on Stockton Hill and crashed. Theresa Marie Johnston, 57, was taken eight miles to the Winona hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Johnston was heading uphill on the Stockton side toward Winona in a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. This was about 4:20 p.m.
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