Ex-Senator Eichorn’ wife wants out
GRAND RADIDS, Minn. – The wife of defrocked state Senator Justin Eichhorn petitioned the Itasca County Court for divorce. Brittany Eichorn filed the papers one week to the day after the senator was caught soliciting a minor for sex in a police sting in a Minneapolis suburb. The Eichorns, from nearby Benton, have four children, all under 18.
Earlier: Eichorn fallout: Walz to order special election
Now asunder. This was a happier moment for Justin and Brittany. At a hockey game.
Framing Masterpiece Hall’s grand entrance
54-foot girders. Steel beams outline the all-glass foyer for the 700-seat Masterpiece Hall due to open before the end of the year. The venue is next to the 1899 Winona library on Fifth Street. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: Composing a masterpiece: Topping the new concert hall
Winona police now with on-call trauma counsel
WINONA, Minn. — Police Chief Tom Williams said a chaplaincy agreement with Rochester-based Salt and Light Partnership keeps Winona in line with a growing policing practice to address the mental and emotional well-being of officers. He called it a “culture shift.”Officers once felt like they couldn’t show weakness or emotion. In seeking City Council approval of the agreement, Salt and Lights founder George beech made the same point: “Normal people might see or be present for a horrific event maybe two or three times in a lifetime. Law enforcement, first responders, paramedics and firefighters all receive 400 to 600 traumatic events over the course of a career.” The new $15,000-a-year agreement has chaplains on call 24/7 for emergencies and to counsel and support first responders, their families, and victims. The chaplaincy program expands the department’s officer wellness offerings. Sincen 2021 the department’s Checkup from the Neck Up program requires officers to meet once a year with a therapist. The department also is looking at a peer-to-peer support program. So far, Williams said, one chaplain has been designated for Winona by Salt and Light and another is being interviewed. The department also able to draw on the other chaplains associated with Salt and Light if the demand that is greater than two chaplains, Williams said.
Williams. With Winona police since 1987. Chief since 2020. The department has some 40 officers plus support staff.
Salt and Light profile
The Rochester-based Salt and Light was created in 2021. Itts motto: “Serving those who serve.” The organization dispatches chaplains o help fire, medical, and police first-responders through crises — and also their families and communities. Salt and Light clients inclde the Winona Area Ambulance Service, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rochester Police. The executive director, George Beech, is a Baptist pastor
Verbatim
Beech: “When someone has the fire department or the police department show up at their house, it’s usually the worst day of their life. While first responders did a very good job of making sure that people were OK, but essentially they dropped off an emotional cliff. What chaplains do then as part of the solution is to provide a segue from that moment where they receive this really terrible news, using triage counseling to help them on the worst day of their life.”
Finstad still avoiding risk with MN-1 crowds
NEW ULM, Minn. — Congressman Brad Finstad flew back to Washington from a weekend at his New Ulm home, again without any substantive meeting with his southern Minnesota constituents. Like almost every Republican who obediently and consistently sides with Trump in Congress, Finstad has been lying low to avoid the ooen and robust dialogue of a townhall. This follows advice from the Republican Congressional Re-election Committee. The committee has told members to avoid constituent meetings that could result in unwanted news coverage of growing public confusion and anger at Trump. Meanwhile Finstad’s Capitol office continues to issue news releases that suggest Finstad is in touch with MN-1 voters but the gatherings are small wth carefully screened participants. Finstad has been silent to news media requests for inteviews that might broach his unwavering Trump allegiance. Finstad has been a Trump acolyte since his loosely defined 217 appointment as Trump’s agriculural ambassador to Minnesota
Cozy, comfortable. A small breakfast chat.
Finstad. In U.S. House since 2022. Earlier with Minnesota Farm Bureau.
Verbatim
Finstad. On avoiding townhalls with an explanation tyat at suggests more than it seems : “Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to meet with folks from all corners of the First District. I’ve had many important conversations with farmers, mayors, county commissioners, regional development commissions, city council members, small businesses owners, university officials, financial advisors, healthcare leaders, broadcasters, conservation advocates, housing groups, credit unions, and members of the National Guard.”
Media mogul eyes buy-out that includes Winona
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Billionaire David Hoffmann, already a news media mogul, wants to buy the newspaper chain that owns the Winona Daily News. Hoffman didn’t say how much he would pay but suggested that Lee Enterprises was not in a good negotiating position to refuse. He noted that Lee listed a $16 million net loss in its latest quarterly report and continues to sell non-core assets to stay afloat, Hoffmann’s core asset is the Buffalo News, circulation 69,000. He also holds papers in 2o other locations. These include the Napa Valley Register on California, which he acquired recently from Lee. Hoffmann already is a Lee insider. He owns 10% of Lee’s stock. A bright spot with Lee, he said, is that its digital business generates more revenue than its print products.
Earlier: Stealthy price hike: Daily News suddenly $35
Earlier: Lee news chain resists hedge fund take-over
Earlier: Alden hedge fund moves in on Lee chain
Earlier: Almanac: Lee Enterprises
Hoffmann. His net worth: $2 billion. His newspapers combined with Lee’s would create the second largest U.S. newspaper chain.
Verbatim
Hoffmann: “Local news and journalism is important to me. It’s something that I’d like to invest in and preserve, and at the same time I think we’ll be successful from an investment point of view. We’re pretty good at getting advertisers to advertise in the hard copy, as well as the transformation into digital media. We think there’s a place for both.”
State asked for $394 million for Xcel arena rehab
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 18,300-seat Xcel Energy Center is nearing he end its “competitive lifespan” and needs major overhauling, Mayor Melvin Carter told legislators. The mayor asked the House Capital Investment Committee to borrow $394 million through the state’s bonding authority Separately the project has $216 million committed from the Minnesota Wild hockey team as well as $150 in city-generated and county-generated funds, Carter said. He claimed the renovations would boost the arena’s economic impact more than $100 million a year. The project also includes the River Centre convention facility, the Roy Wilkins auditorium and the Ordway performing arts center.
Minnesota on Trump “green” freeze: Not so fast
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a muti-state suit in against the Trump Administration for killing state grants for pollution-reducing projects. Cancelling the “gree grants,” Ellison said, was “yet one more illegal power grab by the Trump administration.” Co-plaintiffs with Mjnnesota were attorneys general from California, Illinois and Maine. The lawsuit accuses Trump’s reconfigured U.S. Environmental Protection of freezing funds that Congress had approved for pollution-reducing projects. The suit also blames Citibank for “improperly complying with the government’s campaign of intimidation and freezing funds that it is required by Congress to distribute.”
Verbatim
Ellison: “If the current president wants to ask Congress to repeal the act and the funding that goes along with it, he is free to do so, but no president or federal agency can single-handedly undo an act of Congress, much less in the improper and disgraceful way this president and EPA have tried to go about it.”
Iron Range jobs a casualty of tariff unknowns
HIBBING, Minn. – Two Iron Range mines will be closed and 630 employees furloughed until the impact of the Trump tariff war on Canada and Mexico settles out. The lay-offs are effective in 60 days, said Lourenco Goncalves, chief executive of the mines’ owner — the giant Cleveland-Cliff steel-maker in Ohio. Closed will be the Hibbing Taconite mine in Hibbing and the Minorca mine 25 miles away in Virginia. Goncalves called the lay-offs necessary “to rebalance working capital needs and consume excess pellet inventory.” Goncalves blamed “unnatural market factors” including elevated interest rates and competition from foreign producers. About the Trump tariff war, Goncalves said higher tariffs may be good in theory despite all the uncertainty for U.S. automakers – a major giant Cleveland-Cliff customer.
College scores
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 7, North Central of Illinois 6
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 6, Augustana of Illinois 3
Showroom rising: No shiny Jeeps here yet
Grand opening TBA. Building to house showroom for Chrysler productsas well as sales desks and offices. Repairs and services to be outsourced to adjoining Ford-Lincoln outlet. Image: Steve Lunde
Van Orden on townhalls: They’re all anti-GOP conspiracies
WASHINGTON – Western Wisconsin’s representative in Congress, Derrick Van Orden, said he has avoided townhall meetings as a vehicle to stay in touch with constituents because they’re booby trapped. About skipping a townhall with 400 people in Viroqua, Van Orden said it was rigged with disrupters. “Several different George Soros-funded agitator groups have spontaneously popped up around the country and are disrupting Republicans in town halls,” Van Orden said. “About 218-plus Republicans that have been trying to hold town halls to speak to their constituents and they’re being actively disrupted by these people that are being paid by George Soros.” Soros is a wealthy long-term donor to Democratic candidates and someone whom Republicans love to demonize. Van Orden, however, offered no evidence to support his claim that Soros has set up any Wisconsin townhalls with agitators. The organizer of the Viroqua townhall, Tanja Birke, said Van Orden was lying: “I’m not, I’ve never been paid to agitate or activate.” Meanwhile, Van Oden limits his WI-3 appearances to small and carefully culled friendly groups.
His comfort zone. Van Orden at a sparsely attended meeting in the Eau Claire City Council chamber.
Earlier: Van Orden follows GOP playbook, skips Viroqua townhall
Feedlot battle: Daley vows to fight on
LEWISTON, Minn. – The patron of the Daley dairy farm family, Ben Daley, says he’s not done yet. He told the Winona Post he will continue legal challenges against Winona County’s cap on feedlot size despite a setback before the state Supreme Court. Daley repeated his claim that the County Board purposefully put biased people from the Land Stewardship Project on a zoning board to deny his Lewiston operation a permit to quadruple its herd by 6,000 animal units. “We caught elected officials red-handed,” he said. The Supreme Court, he said, was setting “terrible precedent.” Daley was unspecific about his next step. His legal battle, going back to 2018, has had legal bills paid to an unknown extent by factory-scale Big Farma organizations. The County Board has defended itself consistently that its feedlot ordinance expresses the will of the people. This has been democracy at work, the Board has argued.
News summary at week’s end: March 22, 2025
POLITICS: Minnesota Senate expunges every Eichorn trace
POLITICS: Winona car dealer stuck with lone Tesla
SPORTS: SMU baseball grad’s remembrance: $5.5 million
ENVIRONMENT: Land Stewardship claims “final” feedlot victory
CRIME: Kwik Trip stab victim took 43 penetrations
CRIME: Arrest made in East End pellet gun incident
CRIME: Cops track muddled Kwik Trip customer, make arrest
RIVER: First 2025 tow pushes through Pepin ice
AVIATION: Study: Delta plane in sharp drop before Toronto crash
SEASONS: Footprints out to the mailbox
SEASONS: A robin’s nippy welcome to spring
Candidates line up for Eichorn vacancy
BRAINERD, Minn. — A Brainerd Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the Minnesota House in 2024 has declared her candidacy for the Senate seat vacated by Justin Eichorn. Emily LeClaire lost the 2024 House race 63% to 33% to Republican Josh Heintzeman. LeClaire, age 35, works with vulnerable adults and children with mental health issues. She was the first to announce for the Senate after Eichorn was pressured out in a sex scandal. Almost simultaneously the spouse of Josh Heintzeman, who defeated LeClaire in 2024, also announced for the vacant Senate seat. Kari Heintzeman, age 47, a Republican from Nisswa, was the district organizer for the 2024 Trump presidential campaign. She and her husband operate a vacation rental business. If elected, the pair would be an unusual if not unprecedented husband and wife simultaneously in the Legislature.
Electoral record
Eichorn, a Republican, was elected to the state Senate three times:
2022: Won with 63%.
2020: Won with 55%.
2016: Won with 51%.
Earlier House bid:
2014: Lost with 43%.
Problematic Sippi’s: Underage drinkers again
WINONA, Minn. – For the second time this month the police caught Sippi’s Pub &Grill serving kids too young to be drinking legally. Ticketed were:
> Mason Michael Anderson, 20, of Forest Lake in Washington County, whose blood-alcohol tested at 0.22%.
> Isaac Glenn Erding, 20, of Wykoff in Fillmore County, 0.22%
> Gavin Karin Gust, 20, of Farmington in Dakota County, 0.10%.
> Alexandra Madjun, 19, of Winona, 0.08%.
> Nick Thomas Taylor, 19, of Winona, 0.09%.
Sippi’s is on police radar as lax about checking for false IDs. Ten uder-age drinkers were caught March 1 at the 176 East Third Street establishment.
Earlier: Boozing kids caught in downtown bar check
Earlier: Too young to sip legally but were at Sippi’s anyway
Boozing kids caught in downtown bar check
WINONA, Minn. — Police made a random wall-through compliance check at Lucky’s on Third, a downtown drinking establishment, and found four under-age boozers having a good time. This was about 10:35 p.m. Ticketed for underage consumption:
> Charles Ryan Hoch, 20, Edina, whose blood-alcohol level tested at0.07%.
> Peterecca Anthony Joseph, 20, of Winona, 0.15%.
> Carter James Kunz, 19, of Northfield in Rice County, 0.07%.
> Cameron Michael Reuvers, 19, of Dundas in Rice Cunty, 0.05%.
Lucky’s is at 107 West Third Street,smack dab ihehe middle of the college bar district. Neither. bartenders, bouncers or servers were cted.
Earlier: Too young to sip legally but were at Sippi’s anyway
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 3, Mary 2
Baseball: Mary 4, Winona State 2
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 14, Calvin 9
Softball: Winona State 2, Sr. Cloud State 1
Softball: Sr. Cloud State 7, Winona State 6
Tennis (women): Winona State 5, UM-Duluth 2
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Breck Mustangs 98, Caledonia Warriors 79
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): LaCrosse Aquinas Blugolds 74, Bonduel Bears 45
Basketball (boys): Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 60, Sheboygan Lutheran Crusaders 54
SMU baseball grad’s remembrance: $5.5 million
WINONA, Minn. – A 1959 Saint Mary’s athlete and graduate, the professional baseball player Dave Thies, and his wife Marlys have donated $5.5 million to the university. The gift is the largest in Saint Mary’s University athletics history. Much of the money is designated for upgrading the campus gym. The gift also includes $1.8 million for scholarships and $1 million for general funding. The arena will be christened in the Thies name. The universuty said that cnstruction, beginnjng this spring, will include:
> New bleachers.
> A refurbished floor.
> A concessions and ticket booth in the Hall of Fame room.
> An air handler and chiller for air conditioning
> Saint Mary’s branding.
> Premium bleacher and floor seating for 100.
In college Thies olayed basketball and baseball. He signed with the Kanas City Athletics orgnization in 1959 as a pitcher. He spent six seasons with the organization. His bestvear was 1961 with a a15-7 record for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League. The seasin inclded two shut-outs. After retiring from baseball, he co-founded Thies & Talle Enterprises, which financied and developed apartment properties in five Midwest states.
Thies baseball card. In baseball prime 6-foot-4 205 pounds.
Marlys and David Thies. World travelers these days.
Land Stewardship claims “final” feedlot victory
LEWISTON, Minn. – The Land Stewardship Project, which puts the environment ahead of factory farming, says that the Daley dairy farm has reached the end of the line to build a massive feedlot outside Lewiston. Sean Carroll, the Project’s policy director, praised the state Supreme Court decision not to review a lower court decision against the people of Winona County. “It’s finally over,” Carroll said. The decision closes the door to further appeals.” Since 2018 the Daleys have fought Winona County enforcement of its maximum on feedlots. Daley also targeted the nongovernmental Land Stewardship with a claim that the Project had gamed the appeal process. Carroll cast the Court decision in broad terms:
“This isn’t the first time factory farm owners have attempted to overturn the democratic process through the courts. Unfortunately, it’s increasingly part of Big Ag’s playbook here in the Midwest. These lawsuits aren’t really about nuanced legal claims that courts need to figure out — there’s nothing illegal about a community standing up to address consolidation. Rather, such lawsuits are a strategy for draining the resources of individuals, organizations, and local units of government that dare to stand up for the land and people. Such a strategy can be intimidating and exhausting for local folks. However, in this case the people of Winona County have proven that tenacity and a belief in doing the right thing can win the day.”
The Daley expansion would have made its Lewiston farm larger than 99% of all livestock operations in the state, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The result of such expansion, Caroll said, pushes small and medium-size dairies out of business by a system that rewards expansion and consolidation, no matter what the impact is on local economies. Such consolidation not only decimates farm families but also local businesses and institutions like school and churches.”
Carroll. LSP motto: “Supporting Sustainaable Agriculture.”
Verbatim
Carroll: “Citizens, through their local units of government, have a right to determine what their communities will look like in the future. Outside forces that support an industrialized, large-scale system of livestock production saw the Daley Farm case as an opportunity to gut those rights and weaken local decision-making authority.
Long-missing canoe found; theft charge filed
WINONA, Minn. – A man hiking on Latsch Island called police after he spotted his canoe that had been stolen 3-l/2 years ago. The blue Wenonah Sundowner was at a boathouse. Police wrote up Drew Stephen Bawek, 36, of Winona, for theft. The canoe owner said it went missing from his home in the 400 block of East Fifth Street in 2021. He pegged the value at $300.
Pickup driver dead in Cresco roll-over
CRESCO, Iowa – Authorities haven’t ruled out a medical issue in the death of motorist whose pickup truck crashed near Cresco. The victim was identified as Tyler Johnson, age 38, of Cresco. He was alone in his vehicle, said Howard County deputies. The accident was about 5:30 p.m. on Valley Avenue north of 90th Street. The vehicle hit a guardrail and rolled on the driver’s side.
Deputy: Driver behavior suggested drugs
STOCKTON, Minn. – A Rochester driver showed balance issues when he was pulled over at the Stockton Hill summit, a deputy said. John Edward Ziemer, age 60, was taken to the Winona jail for a urine check. Pending the sample being tested at the state crime lab, Ziemer was charged with suspected impairment due to a controlled substance. The stop was about 4:55 p.m. at Pumpkin Road on U.S. Highway 14.
Kwik Trip stab victim took 43 penetrations
MANKATO, Minn. – The criminal complaint in a fatal Mankato stabbing this week is sordid. An autopsy showed that Dennis Vosika, the 34-year-old victim, was stabbed 43 times. This was at the Kwik Trip convenience store where he worked. Just as debased are other particulars listed in the criminal complaint: The man accused of the stabbing told police he was hearing voices to destroy and burn everything down: “I wasn’t gonna knife the guy at first. I was just gonna set the place on fire.” Surveillance video showed the assailant entering the store with a large knife, walking to the refrigerator section, and using the knife to open a package of meat. Then he went to the check-out counter, went behind the counter, threw Vosika to the floor, and began stabbing. At the hospital emergency room, where Vosika was pronounced, they counted 43 “sharp force injuries” in his head, back and leg. The assailant was identified on surveillance video as James Lee Miller, age 28, who lived in guardianship at a group a five-minute walk away. The Minnesota River Valley tactical response team swarmed the address. Miller was taken without resistance. He was quoted as asking a tactical team officer “if that guy survived.” Documents say that Miller suffered from brain and post-traumatic damage.
Vosika. Had worked several years at Kwik Trip. Had been battling kidney failure15 years. Friends called him positive, radiant, resilient — always smiling, caring, and kind. His nickname: The Social Butterfly. Born in the Philippines. Adopted into Minnesota family as an infant. An avid card collector and Timberwolves fan.
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