Suspected insobriety leads to driving charge
WINONA, Minn. – A Wisconsin man was charged with suspicion of drunken driving on the Far East End after, according to the arresting officer, he was weaving all over the road. This was near Mankato and Mark streets about 12:50 a.m. Arrested was Kent Neal Davis, age 18, of West Salem. His pupils were dilated, his speech mumbled, and his balance problematic, the officer said. A urine sample was sent to the state crime lab for testing.
New promoter sees arts as downtown magnet
WINONA, Minn. – The business director of the Winona Chamber of Commerce, Travis Lybeck, is wearing a new hat. Lybeck has been put in charge of the Chamber’s Main Street Program to continue downtown retail revitalization. Lybeck, a recent Winona State graduate, sees opportunity for district as an arts and retail destination. Still on the agenda are events like Touch a Truck, Crazy Days, and Big Muddy Brew ‘n Que.
Lybeck. No surprise that he lives downtown.
News summary at week’s end: March 29, 2025
POLICING: Sheriff sticks to guns in settling Iowa showdown
GOVERNANCE: State sues Iowa county: No sanctuary here
GIVERNANCE: Trump immigration agents take UM student away
GOVERNANCE: Union faults Walz on cutting telework
COLLEGES: Profs may be exempted from Walz telework order
CRIME: Burglary seems attempted at vacant WSU dorm
AVIATION: Plane nose-dives into house; four killed
AVIATION: Near-miss for Minneapolis-bound airliner at Reagan
ENVIRONMENT: River muck dump site proposed in Goodview
SPORTS: Gleason leaving Winona High basketball role
SEASONS: Wooly bear caterpillars awakening
TRANSPORTATION: Borealis back on tracks, now odd-looking
College scores
Lacrosse (women): UW-LaCrosse 15, UW-Stout 4
Softball: Winona State 7, Northern State of South Dakota 2
Softball: Winona State 16, Northern State of South Dakota 1
Tennis (men): Hamline 7, Saint Mary’s 2
Tennis (women): Hamline 5, Saint Mary’s 4
Tennis (women): Winona State and Sioux Falls
Concert proceeds aid students in Japan outreach
A packed house. At the First Congregational Church’s Cafe Congo concert series. Raised funds for student ambassadors to visit Japan in April. It’s a project sponsored by the Winona International Friendship Association. Flautists Heidi Bryant and Rachel Haug performed with pianists Meredith and Hazel Mihm, clarinetist Frank Bures, and soprano Valeria Kishkunas. Image: Andy Frank
Plane nose-dives into house; four killed
First-responders unaware. The fire call at 12:20 p.m. was to a disastrous house fire. First-responders were unaware on arrival that the cause was a plane crash. The house was at 10792 Kyle Avenue near Great River Road and Noble Parkway. Image: Mike Deyo
Iowa plane on landing path to runway six miles away
BROOKYN PARK, Minn. – A small plane believed with four persons aboard crashed in a residential neighborhood in this northwest Minneapolis suburb. No one survived. The plane struck a house, which burst into flame. No one was home. This was about 12:20 p.m. Doorbell video showed the plane, a Socata TBM 700, nose-diving into the house. The plane was on a 260–mile flight from Des Moines. It was six miles short of a runway at the Blaine airport north of St. Paul. The names of those aboard were not available immediately. The pilot was in a gradual descent for the Blaine airfield. Aviation experts theorized the plane stalled after losing sufficient speed to remain airborne. The usual touchdown speed for a Socata TBM 700 is 92 mph.
Dropped like a rock from sky. Doorbell video shows the single-engine plane in vertical free fall into the house. Image: Curt Leitschuh
Socato TBM 700
The TBM is a high-performance single-engine turboprop. About 1,000 were built by the French company Socato beginning in1988. The design was based on an earlier plane built by Mooney Aircraft of Kerrville, Texas. The plane cruises at about 290 mph and as high as 31,000 feet. The range: 2,000 miles. With a full tank, the plane carries 290 gallons of fuel.
River muck dump site proposed in Goodview
WINONA, Minn. – The Army Corps proposed piling tons of river muck on vacant property near the airport where the industrial supply company Fastenal plans eventually to build a giant warehouse. The project would begin this spring. First, though, the Army Corps has asked for public responses that must be filed by April 27. Details. The plan is to unload dredged muck from barges at the fleeting harbor on Riverview Drive every spring for two or three weeks. This would continue through the year 2030. Trucks would haul the muck two miles to the Fastenal site on Industrial Park Drive across the Lake Village trailer court in Goodview. In all, 100,000 cubic yards of sediment would d be left to settle before Fastenal starts construction. The site is 13.6 acres of weedy land occupied mostly by rabbits and bats. Fastenal acquired the land from Badger Foundry for $1.6 million in 2022.
So much muck. A perennial problem for the Army Corps is where to dispose of river-bottom sediment it dredges to maintain the Mississippi River channel at nine feet. Other Winona site being considered: The Madison Silo gravel pit and shoreland or the fleeting harbor slough between the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and the Riverview Drive boathouses. Image: Army Corp
Map code
Yellow: Badger Foundry site.
Red: Sediment storage area.
Arrest caps Slow chase, bent stop sign
GOODVIEW, Minn. – A Goodview woman was arrested after driving a couple miles pursued by police and then turning into the Lake Village trailer court before finally stopping. She wasn’t pleased. “What do you want?” she shouted as she stepped out of her car, according to the arrestung officer, and became belligerent. The officer was convinced that Laurie Elizabeth Boehmke, age 46, was drunk — her odor, her bloodshot eyes, her imbalance. She refused, however, to have her breath or fluids tested for blood-alcohol. The charges:
> Driving drunk.
> Fleeing police.
> Refusing blood-alcohol testing.
> Violating terms of a harassment restraining order.
The chase began at Pelzer and Fifth streets on the Winona West End about 1:35 a.m. The officer said that Boehmke almost hit him head-on. The officer turned around and activated his siren. Boehmke, he said, looked at him in her rearview mirror but kept going. At Lake Village she turned into the trailer court and ran into a stop sign — and still kept going. Finally she stopped at a trailer in the 50 block of Michigan Lane.
Boehmke To jail after Goodview arrest at trailer court.
Motorcyclist dies after hitting deer
RICEVILLE, Iowa – A motorcyclist was injured fatally when he struck a deer north of this Minnesota border town. Jaime Lee Henry, age 47, of Riceville, died at the Riceville clinic. The accident was about 1:15 a.m.
Lee fixes digital wreck left by hackers
LACROSSE, Wis. – Fifty-five days after a cyberattack disabled the Lee Enterprises media empire, it’s up and running again. Todd Krysiak, publisher of the Lee sub-unit that operates the Winona Daily News, said the thrice-weekly print edition, circulation 1,900, and low-volume e-edition were the last products to be restored fully. To readers Krysiak said: “You’ve shown the patience and grace typically reserved for a friend. And for that, we thank you.” He did not offer subscription refunds for the 55 days of interrupted service.
Earlier: Hackers put Lee news outlets on the fritz
Burglary seems attempted at vacant WSU dorm
WINONA, Minn. – Police stopped four men, dressed all in black, after a break-in was reported at the abandoned Lourdes dorm owned by Winona State University at the old St. Teresa campus. The men, all 19 years old, were stopped nearby. They denied breaking in. Police, however, found a broken window that could have facilitated access to the giant 217,000 square foot structure. When police first received the burglary tip, they asked for sheriff’s officers to establish a perimeter. It was in the perimeter that the suspects were located — but not inside the building. There were no immediate arrests. The investigation will be ongoing, police said.
Gleason leaving Winona High basketball role
WINONA, Minn. — After 31 years coaching basketball at Winona High School, Tim Gleason is retiring his whistle — at least in part. Gleason, age 55, said he will be focusing on his teaching music and coaching track and field. Gleason has spent three-plus decades as a girls basketball coach and 19 years has head coach. He helped lead the program to back-to-back Class AAA state championship games in 2016 and 2017, as well as a Big 9 Conference title in 2017. He was named the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Class AAA state coach of the year in 2016. He was also an assistant on the 2003 state tournament team that placed third and the 1999-2000 conference title team.
Gleason. His record includes two state championships.
College scores
Baseball: Bemidji State 6, Winona State 1
Baseball: Winona State 12, Bemidji State 1
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 5, Concordia of Moorhead 0
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 10, Concordia of Moorhead 4
Softball: Winona State 10, MSU-Morehead 2
Softball: Winona State 11, MSU-Morehead 0
Softball: Saint Mary’s 16, St. Catherine 0
Softball: Saint Mary’s 13, St. Catherine 5
Minibike hits backing car; juvenile hurt
GALESVLLE, Wis. — A juvenile riding a minibike in a roadside ditch plowed into a car backing out of a driveway and was injured seriously. This was on County Road AA east of Galesville. An ambulance took the juvenile to a hospital. Trempealeau County Sheriff Brett Semingson decline to release details.
Wooly bear caterpillars awakening
An Isabella in the making. The first spring wooly bear caterpillars are emerging from their winter home under the leaf litter. A chemical in their body acts like antifreeze as they hibernate to survive cold weather. With the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, they wake up and will start eating again so they can form cocoons and become Isabella tiger moths later in the season. Image: Andy Frank
Near-miss for Minneapolis-bound airliner at Reagan
WASHINGTON – A Delta airliner taking off from Reagan National Airport with 136 people avoided a collision with an Air Force stunt plane. The Delta pilot abruptly pulled out of the danger zone and continued to Minneapolis. The Air Force plane, a T-38 Talon, was in a four-plane formation headed to nearby Arlington National Cemetery for a fly-over demonstration. Federal Aviation Administration authorities called it a close call that will be investigated. The incident was about 3:15 p.m. An alert sounded in the cockpit of the Delta Airbus 319 that a second plane was perilously close — like 500 feet. At the same time an air traffic controller at Reagan ordered “corrective instructions” to both the Delta Airbus and the T-38 pilots. The incident was two months after a collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter near Reagan. The death toll: 67 persons with no survivors.
.
Talon. The Air Force flies T-38 Talons for high-altitude training and aerobatics. The four-plane formation in the Reagan incident originated from 70 miles away at the Langley air base. Beginning in 1959 the Air Force purchased 1,100 Talons from manufacturer Northrop, of which 546 remain in service. Production ended in 1972. The plane has twin jet engines and can fly 800 mph.
Profs may be exempted from Walz telework order
WINONA, Minn. — Professors at Minnesota state universities, including Winona State, apparently are not included in the order by Governor Tim Walz to cut back on telework. Jenna Chernega president of the statewide professors’ union, said she had been told by the system’s vice chancellor for human resources, Eric Davis, that the system intends to continue with existing telework arrangements. Said Chernega: “We will continue discussions to ensure faculty voices are included in any decision-making.”
Notable journalism
Briana Bierschbach (Minesota Star Tribune, March 26, 2025): “Most Minnesota Government Workers Ordered to Return to the Office 50% of the Time”
Michelle Giffith (Minnesota Reformer, March 26, 2025): “Judge Finds Probable Cause Against Eichorn for Enticement of Minor Allows Release to Halfway House”
Rachel Mergen (Winona Daily News, March 27, 2025): “Galesville Pup Cooper and Handler Prepare for International Agility Competition”
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 12, Bemidji State 0
Baseball: Winona State 6, Bemidji State 4
Baseball: UW-LaCosse 16, UW-Stout 2
Baseball: UW-LaCosse 12, UW-Stout 7
Softball: Wartburg 3, UW-LaCrosse 2
Softball: Wartburg 3, UW-LaCrosse 2 (doubleheader)
Sheriff sticks to guns in settling Iowa showdown
DECORAH, Iowa – Sheriff Dan Marx complied with an ultimatum from the Iowa attorney general to take down a Facebook post that was critical of excesses by federal agents against immigrants. But the sheriff also had the last word, noting that he would assist ICE agents only with “tasks being carried out within the parameters of their legal responsibilities.” Through several weeks of threats from state-level Republicans, all dogged Trump supporters, Marx and his backers have consistently objected to gestapo-like ICE tactics to carry out massive Trump purges of immigrants. Governor Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird threatened heavy-duty retaliation on Marx for his Facebook post. This week Bird went to court to cut off state funds to Winneshiek County unless Marx recanted. At stake was $7.5 million – about one-third of the county budget. Not only did Bird seek to withhold funds, she demanded an apology from Marx and even dictated how she wanted it worded. Marx chose his own wording. In effect, the sheriff said he would assist federal immigration only if they were acting consistent with the principles of decency and fairness of the American judicial system. His supporters have accused Reynolds and Bird consistently of an absurd misreading of the sheriff’s original Facebook post and undue sensitivity to anybody who doesn’t buy lock, stock and barrel into Trumpism.
Marx. Sheriff since 2015. Won re-election in 2024 with 99% of vote.
Verbatim
Marx: “Obviously, I support ICE in their efforts to keep our country and community safe. They have a difficult, dangerous and important task before them. It remains my intent that our assistance be provided when those tasks are being carried out within the parameters of their legal responsibilities.”
Borealis back on tracks, now odd-looking
WINONA, Minn. –The Borealis day-train arrived from Chicago with an unusual consist of bi-level Superliner cars after service was halted a day earlier for safety reasons. The consist was patched together from whatever spare cars that Amtrak had at its Chicago yard or that could be ferried in for emergency service. The arrival of Amtrak 13333 was at 3:19 p.m., not an uncommon 34 minutes late. The train was expected to overnight in St. Paul and leave in the morning for a return run to Chicago. Because cars in the interim consists don’t have extra-legroom seating, passengers with business class tickets were refunded the difference.
Stirring snow. Across Wisconsin en route to La Crosse, Winona, Red Wing and St. Paul. Image: David Lassen
Union faults Walz on cutting telework
ST. PAUL, Minn. – State public employee unions are peeved with Governor Tim Walz for ordering state employees to spend more time in the office. Megan Dayton, president of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, said there was no consultation. Unions were not folded into the process at all: “Our members are really mad.” Litigation is likely, she said. She pointed to contract protections regarding telework. Employees have a right to meet with supervisor on telework, she said. About economic implications, Dayton said that some agencies will need more office space and parking, which will be costly at a time pf state budget shortfalls.
Dayton. State employees union president.
State sues Iowa county: No sanctuary here
DES MOINES, Iowa – Attorney General Brenna Bird sued Winneshiek County because the sheriff had objected to federal immigration agents presuming they could force him to take their detainees into his Decorah jail. The issue has become a showcase in growing public objections to Trump administration bullying of localities that don’t cooperate with his massive roundups of aliens for deportation. The specific issue in Winneshiek County, however, is an Iowa law, passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, to prohibit so-called “sanctuary cities.” In her lawsuit Attorney General Bird declares that Winneshiek County is ineligible to receive “any state funds” because Sheriff Dan Marx posted on Facebook hat he would not cooperate with federal immigration arrests — even though never had to act on his position. Marx supporters had seen Bird’s threats even before her suit as overreaction. The Winnesheik County Board responded earlier that Bird’s threat to pushbhe ciunty by withholdomg state funds would be unacceptable.
Earlier: Iowa GOP leaders double down on Decorah sheriff
Trump and Bird. She endorsed his candidacy. He speaks well of her.
Verbatim
Bird: “Sanctuary counties are illegal under Iowa law. Sheriff Marx was given the chance to retract his statement, follow the law, and honor ICE detainers, but he refused — even at a cost to his home county. He left us with no choice but to take the case to court to enforce our laws and ensure cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Trump deportation agents take UM student away
MINNEAPOLIS — A foreign student at the University of Minnesota was arrested by federal agents and hauled away without any explanation to university or local authorities or anyone in the house where he lived. Where the student was taken — and why — was unknown. The arrest followed a disturbing ambush two days earlier by masked agents on a street at Tufts University near Boston. That person was a Fulbright Scholar of Turkish citizenship who was studying for a doctoral degree. She was taken to a federal detention camp in Louisiana, apparently for immediate deportation without any due process. Such has been a Trump administration practice to rid the nation immigrants. There have been 32,800 alien arrests since Trump was inaugurated in January. Virtually all were dark-complicated individuals. Fewer than half had a court conviction, many on petty charges
Trump record
In the first two months of the Trump presidency, his agents have arrested a record 32,800 immigrants. The Homeland Security Department has issued these totals:
> 14,000 individuals with court convictions. No meaningful breakdown of the charges was offered: How many murders? How many parking tickets?
> 9,900 with pending court cases but not convicted. Again: No meaningful breakdown.
> 155 criminal gang members.
There has been no way to the Homeland Security authenticate data. The data suggest, however, that at least 6,000 arrests were for reasons not specified. Known is that immigration judges have excused some detainees as no threat whatsoever to public safety. Most detainees, however, are held secretly without legal counsel, no day in court, and no public accountability. It is known that at least 242 detainees have been sent to a hellhole prison in El Salvador. The 40,000-inmate facility known for brutal treatment of prisoners, operated by autocratic strongman Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally. A Trump spokesperson said all were gang members but refused to release a list of names or the evidence.
A precursor arrest at Tufts?
Rumeysa Ozturk was walking to meet up with friends to celebrate the end of the Ramadan. Suddenly Trump immigration agents descended on her unannounced, manhandled her, cuffed her, and took her away. Unbeknown to the agents, the arrest was videotaped: a plainclothes man in a hoodie and hat approached her and waved. “Hey, ma’am,” he said. Ozturk appeared confused and tried to walk around the man, but then he blocked her, grabbed her hands and handcuffed her. Ozturk screamed in confusion: “What’s going on?” The agent showed no badge. He had no uniform. Additional agents swarmed Ozturk. A female law agent said, “OK, it’s fine.” The male agent who initially approached her said, “OK, we’re the police. Relax.” Other agents keep repeating: “We are the police” as they dragged Ozurk to an unmarked black van.
It’s all on videotape
The person taking the video tried to intervene. “Is this a kidnapping? Can I see some faces here? How do I know this is the police?” One agent, in dark glasses quickly pulled a mask over his nose. The videographer later told news interviewer: “It’s clear that you cover your face when you’re doing immoral actions.” It was later determined that Ozturk had been taken immediately to the detention camp operated by the federal deportment agency 1,800 miles away in Basile, Louisiana. There was no notification of Tufts authorities or local police or friends. Had it not been for a witness who happened to video the arrest, nobody would know where Ozturk had disappeared.
Tufts student ambushed. A5 30 p.m. on quiet aresidential street near Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
Student’s profile
Ozturk is a student in a doctoral program for child study and human development. She has a master’s degree from Columbia University. As near as anybody can figure out, she was on a Trump watchlist for co-authoring an essay in the Tufts student newspaper, The essay criticized the university’s response to demands that it “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and “divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.”
Impairment suspected in speeding arrest
WINONA, Minn. – A Rochester driver suspected of impairment was arrested in in a West End speeding stop. The 17-year-old male failed roadside sobriety tests, the arresting deputy said. His bood was drawn for the state crime lab to pin down the cause of his unsteadiness. This was a about 1:20 a.m. in the 1800 block of Service Drive. A female passenger, Kali Jade DiSalvo, 18, also of Rochester, was ticketed for under-age consumption.
WELCOME
The worthiest goal of journalism is to promote intelligent citizen involvement. Such is our goal with Winona Journal. We focus on local issues so you can go about your daily activities with confidence that you can be a genuine and valued part of informed public dialogue on the kind of community we’re building.
Although Winona-centric, we are attentive also to regional issues. Our community doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
You will find opinion here. We quote and paraphrase with attribution so you know the source and can assess ideas and thoughts. Sometimes you will find our commentary but always clearly labeled.
As journalists we are committed to accuracy but not perfect. Please let us know if you spot an error, whether substantive or even just a dumb typo. We’ll get errors squared away promptly.
We’re glad you’re with us.