Small town criminal case: Big time theft
ADRIAN, Wis. – Hard to believe: That the town treasurer in Adrian, population 840, could fiid $294,000 to embezzle. But that’s the charge against Kelly Schleusener. The criminal complaint is that thefts were over three years. Hard to believe too is that nobody figured anything was amiss for three years. Schleusener, age 50, was booked at the county jail in Sparta for criminal misconduct. Monroe County prosecutor Kevin Croninger said additional charges may be filed.
Schleusener. Allegation: Embezzlements averaged close to $100,000 a year:
Notable journalism
Mike Bunge (WXOW, February 23, 2025): “New Study Finds Good News on Nitrate Contamination in Driftless Area Groundwater”
Alex Dersier (St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 23, 2025): “Minnesota Republicans Push Fraud to Center Stage at State Capitol”
Maya Rao (Minnesota Star Tribune, February 23, 2025): “‘Immigrants Make Their Case in Court as ICE Detention Expands”
Judge to ICE: Free your Rochester detainees
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – An immigration judge ordered federal agents to release two Rochester brothers who were yanked off a parking lot in an ambush by federal agents outside a restaurant. Judge Ryan Wood stipulated that the brothers post $5,000 bail as assurance to the accuracy of their attorney’s claim that they have no criminal record. The brothers have been jailed in Austin as detainees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency since February 12.
UW-L student charged with hypnotic-drug rape
LACROSSE, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse student was charged with sexual assault after a fellow student told police she believed she was drugged at a house party and then raped in a dorm. Charged was Logan Zdanowicz, age 19. Bail was set at $5,000 by Judge Elliott Levine. The criminal complaint says that Zdanowicz was asked by police if he thought the woman was in the right state of mind to consent to sex. “Probably not, no. We were both pretty drunk,” he was quoted as saying. However, Zdanowicz denied putting any drugs in her drink. This is what the woman said happened on Saturday night as best as she could remember through the haze of her situation:
> She was drinking with a group at Tequilas Bar and Grill a few blocks from campus.
> She then went to a house party.
> She felt sick after a beer given to her by someone at the house party.
> Walking back to the dorms with Zdanowicz, he mentioned a game called “roofie roulette,” and she became concerned she was drugged.
> She was carried to a room in the Laux dorm where she vaguely remembers a friend and Zdanowicz talking.
> She passed out on a futon.
> Thirty minutes or so tater, the friend and Zdanowicz left.
> The dorm door was left unlocked, and Zdanowicz came back, took off her clothes, and assaulted her.
> Being drugged, she was not able to fight him off.
Zdanowicz. From southwest Wisconsin.
“Roofie” profile
“Roofie” is street talk for a powerful benzodiazepine sedative and hypnotic known also as the date-rape drug.. One band name is Rohypnol, hence the term “roofie.” It was patented in 1962 but was never licensed in the United Sates. Medical use is limited elsewhere to short-term application for chronic insomnia and also to assist with anesthesia. Illicit use includes pulveizig a pill into a powder. Results can be excessive sedation, impairment of balance and speech, respiratory depression, or coma. Excessive sedation can cause death. Since 1998 the global pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche has added a blue dye for easier detection in drinks.
“Spanish fly” profile
An date-rape drug, Spanish Fly, dates to ancient times. It was made bgy crushing blister beetles and adding the powder to a sweetened drnk. Side effects from excessive use included death, as Marquis de Sade discovered in 1772 after giving sweet aniseed balls laced to prostitutes who ended dying horrible deaths. Blister beedless ae so called because contact with undiluted amouts leads to cantharidin skin blisters. Spanish Fly still exists a marketing tool but generally bgus — merely sweetened water with no woozing or arousing effect.
UW-L student accused of illicit partying with teens
LACROSSE, Wis. – A freshman from Richland Center, Caden Atkinson, has been charged with sexual assault in a University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse dorm where he was hosting four pubescent girls. The criminal complaint said the girls had met Atkinsn online on Snapchat and asked if could get them booze. “Come on over,” he said. In his room in the Laux dorm they drank and also puffed marijuana, according to the complaint. This was a Saturday night 3-1/2 weeks ago. Atkinson, age 20, now has appeared court and been released by Judge Ramona Gonzalez on $5,000 bail. The girls, ages 14 to 16, told police that Atkinson attempted to touch them inappropriately and repeatedly commented on their appearances. One girl claims he tried to “make out” with her against her will. Although Atkinson admitted serving alcohol to the minors, he denied any assault, police said. Police were summoned to he dorm when one girl, age 16, went fetal on the floor. She was still breathing but heavily intoxicated, police said. An ambulance was called. She was taken to a hospital, All four girls were cited for underage drinking. Atkinson, who already was on probation for disorderly conduct and damage to property, was cited for:
> Underage drinking.
> Possession of marijuana.
> Possession of drug paraphernalia.
> Distribution of alcohol to underage individuals.
Laux dorm profile
Primarily freshmen are housed in Laux dorm on the northeast side of campus. It’s an old-style dorm built in 1964. Wkith central hallways and gang bathrooms down the hall. Has 210 beds stacked bunk-style. Students on the floors are mixed by gender but not within the same room. Each floor has a lounge. A kitchen and study, pool table and television areas are in the basement. Each floor an all-gender bathroom.
Atkinson. Charged includde answering teens’ call for alcohol. Also marijuana, sexual advances.
Collision south of Saratoga; injuries reported
TROY, Minn. – Rescuers extricated a driver from her wrecked car after a collision on icy County Road 43 in the extreme southwest corner of Winona County. Jennifer Jo Serio, 47, of Preston, was taken 30 miles to a Rochester hospital. She had back and leg issues, said first responders. The other driver, Sandra Ann Grell, 27, who lives near St. Charles, was not hurt seriously. This was about 8 a.m. at the complicated intersection with Crocker Drive. County 43 is two lanes and paved. The Serio vehicle slid on ice head-on into the Grell vehicle , deputies said. Serio was pinned inside. The accident was the third in a 10-mile radius within 1-1/2 hours. Roads were snowy and icy.
Pickup rolls in ditch; driver survives
CHATFIELD, Minn. – A Spring Valley man in a pickup truck was injured when he went intp a ditch. The vehicle rolled. Jerald Scott Martin, 52, was taken 24 miles to a Rochester hospital. His condition was listed as non-life threatening. The accident happened about 7:25 a.m. on a snow- and ice-covered section of U.S. Highway 52. Martin was southbound in a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche.
Minivan hits slick spot, rolls into ditch
FOUNTAIN, Minn. – A Preston man suffered sustainable injuries when his minivan hit a slick patch on U.S. Highway 52 and rolled into a ditch. Timothy Ray Brown, 27, was northbound toward Chatfield. He was taken by ambulance to a Rochester hospital 28 miles away. Brown was driving a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country. The accident was about 6:25 a.m.
Notable journalism
Gabriel Hathaway (Winona Post, February 19, 2025): “Winona County Homes Prices Up 30%”
Audrey Korte (Chippewa Falls Herald, February 22, 2025): “‘Uncertainty and Rear’: Tariffs, Funding Freezes Worry Wisconsin Farmers”
Kevin Kuehner, Anthony C. Runkel and John D Barry (Hydrogeology Journal, January 16, 2025): “Informing Nitrate Concentration Trends: Estimating Groundwater Residence in a Karstic, Multiacquifer System Using Anthropogenic Tracers”
Minnesota prep
Basketball (girls): Winona Cotter Ramblers 62, Dodge Center Triton Cobras 56
Basketball (girls): Rushford-Peterson Trojans 58, Adams Southland Rebels 39
Basketball (girls): Caledonia Warriors 66, Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars 25
Basketball (girls): Goodhue Wildcats 67, Harmony Fillmore Central Falcons 31
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 72, Osseo-Fairchild Thunder 57
Basketball (boys): Galesville Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Red Hawks 73, Altoona Railroaders 71
Basketball Basketball (boys): Blair-Taylor Wildcats 69, Independence Indees 49
(boys): Whitehall Norse 85, Augusta Beavers 60
Wisconsin pair hurt when Jeeps collide
EYOTA, Minn. – Two Wisconsin motorists were hurt in a two-vehicle collision just south of Eyota on State Highway 42. Rahn Christopher Molling, 52, and Wendy Judith Storandt, 47, of Mindoro, were taken 16 miles to a Rochester hospital with sustainable injuries. The other driver, Travis Lee Johnson, 36, of Austin, was unhurt. The accident was about 3:45 p.m. at the turn-off to the Gar-Lin farm, known mostly for the 2023 and 0222 Luke Bryan mega-concerts. Both vehicles, a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2013 Jeep Patriot, were northbound into Eyota.
State orders dairy cow tests for bird flu
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Intensive state inspections began of dairy farms statewide to detect H5N1 flu virus in raw milk. This come amid growing concern that the H5N1, commonly called “bird flu,” may be on the brink of crossing species and triggering a human pandemic. The immediate goal is to contain the pathogen by catching it in dairy herds and poultry flocks, said Nicole Neeser, the chief state dairy and meat inspector. There is no concern for now about the safety of pasteurized milk, Neeser said. Samples from every Minnesota dairy — 1,600 in all — will be tested at the state Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. Milk from infected dairies will be embargoed until three follow-up tests confirm the virus has cleared. Neeser the quarantined farms will be allowed sell milk but only if pasteurized.
H5N1 profile
H5N1 bird flu is a virus that has been detected in cows. Genetic sequences of the highly pathogenic virus have identified in a few farm workers.
Semi-rig rolls on I-90; Goodview driver OK
EYOTA, Minn. – A Goodview trucker escaped serious injury when his rig lost control and rolled on Interstate 90 between the Eyota and Chatfield exits. First-responders suggested that Clay Alan Rinn, 65, be taken at the nearest hospital, 16 miles away in Rochester, to be checked over. The accident was about 8:20 a.m. Rinn was driving a 2005 Peterbilt tractor and hauling a cargo trailer eastbound toward Winona.
Study finds receding nitrate poison in groundwater
ST. PAUL, Minn. – New scholarship has found the nitrate contamination in Winona County groundwater is receding. So too is ground water throughout the massive Driftless Region’s thick underground strata of porous limestone. How is this happening? Improved farming practices, said the University of Minnesota-based research team. Their work appears in a 25-page report the current issue of yhe scholarly and peer-reviewed Hydrology Journal. While the researchers found compelling evidence of less nitrate entering groundwater, it’s a persistent contaminant that’s still down there but moving deeper and below the range of and an increasing number of wells and springs. The researchers examined concentrations of a discontinued row-crop herbicide, popular in the 1970s and 1980s, in springs and wells. That data was then was checked against the historical use of the herbicide. They then cross-checked their data with:
> Groundwater from 10 to 40 years ago in shallower springs and wells.
> Water in deeper aquifers thousands of years old.
The more recent data were from nearly 1,200 wells, springs and streams between 2000 and 2021. The study found that most monitoring sites over the last 20 or so years with either decreasing or relatively steady nitrate levels. Besides improved agricultural practices, the researchers believed that record-setting precipitation has helped dilute nitrates at upper levels.
Driftless Region. The two major plateaus in the region’s southeast Minnesota counties.
Kevin Kuehner. University of Minnesota scholar. Lead author of study published in the Hydrology Journal. Co-authors: Anthony Runkel of the University of Minnesota and John Barry of the Minnesota Natural Resources Department.
Hydrology Journal. Volume 33 (February 2025), Pages 167-192.
Nitrates as poison
The elevation of groundwater nitrates has intensified with fertilizers contrived to boost crop output, mostly since World War II. Feedlots also produce lots of nitrates. While nitrates have enhanced farm yields, they also have endangered human health. Amongill effects is damaging the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.
College scores
Softball: Winona State 12, Purdue Northwest 3
Softball: Lewis 6, Winona State 0
His musical taste: Perhaps OK but oh so loud
WINONA, Minn. – As usual at 3:30 a.m. the 150 block of West Fifth Street didn’t have much traffic. Also as usual, people were trying to sleep. No wonder the cops got calls about blaring music from a parked car. Officers found Alejandro Zamora, 21, of Pine Island, in the vehicle. He dialed down the volume. Also, officers said, he displayed signs of inebriation: Alcohol-baited body odor, bloodshot and watery eyes, and slurred speech. At jail Zamora’s blood was tested with a breathalyzer and showed 0.08% alcohol. He had been legally drunk at the wheel. And was so charged.
R.I.P.: Nancy Hemker
WINONA, Minn. — Nancy Ann Hemker, age 73, of Winona, who kept books for family ventures in reality and also building dredges, died unexpectedly at home. She graduated from Winona High School in 1969. She played the stock market, worked the interest rates at the banks, and handled contracts for deed. Her passions included slot machine tournaments in Las Vegas and growing radishes and onions.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1952-2024
R.I.P.: Walken Ratajczyk
WINONA, Minn. — Walken Ratajczyk, a pillar in Winona arts, died at age 80. His parents named him Kenneth, but he legally changed it to Walken after spending a year in the 1970s walking and exploring the West Coast. He felt it suited him better and because, well, he liked walking. He had wanderlust. After Vietnam-era Army duty, he spent time in New York working the World’s Fair. He had aspirations of becoming a dancer there, but Winona kept calling him home. In Winona he was a carpenter whose projects included the Julius Wilkie steamboat activities center and the Shopko retail store. With friends he built a geodesic dome house. He served on the board that established the Bluffview Montessori School. He made art glass in a home sudio and traveled to art fairs across the country. He was a folk dancer; a spiritualist, although pnt religious; and an avid reader. Friends called him a free thinker wo didn’t fit in a box. They said he was a true conversationalist, always open minded and able to listen.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1944-2025
Winona driver inched at 0.15% blood-alcohol
WINONA, Minn. – After stopping a car without headlights about 1 a.m., a police officer smelled alcohol on the driver. One thing led to led to another. Looking into the driver’s eyes: Bloodshot, the officer said. Trying to understand what the driver was saying: His speech was slurred. Watching his balance and dexterity: Unsteady and awkward. Checking his breath for blood-alcohol level: The breathalyzer read 0.15%, almost twice what the law regards as inebriated impairment. Tanner Joseph Lozenski, 23, of Winona, was charged with drunken driving.
Band repair workshop planned at Red Wing
Sax gone bad? Kristoff Short and Josh Delashmutt are organizing an open house on musical instrument repair Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m at Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing. It’s free and also a swap meet. So bring that old guitar. The Red Wing instrument repair program is one of only three in the nation.
News summary at weeks end: February 22, 2025
IMMIGRATION: Report: Hearing set for one ICE detainee
GOVERNANCE: Update: Trump’s beef with birthright citizenship
GOVERNANCE: Rare crackdown on a bar: City yanks license
COLLEGES: Winona faculty leader: Put reset on Trump cuts
RIVER: No surprise: Lake Pepin ice still impenetrable
REALTY: Tight Winona housing market: Prices zoom
REALTY: Protecting Pill Hill: Preservationists prevail
CRIME: Judge sets calendar Mangione assassination case
CRIME: More arrests in depraved Nordquist slaying
CRIME: Car in near-vertical drop off Garvin Heights Road
CRIME: Cops: Strangling outweighs heaving a jar
CRIME: Irregularities galore emerge in traffic stop
CRIME: I-94 chase ends badly for Illinois driver
POLITICS: Flanagan campaigning for U.S. Senate
AVIATION: Delta: Crash pilots qualified, experienced
AVIATION: Litigators for Delta passengers reviewing crash
INFERNO: Mystery still: Origin of Minnesota City fire
JOURNALISM: What makes journalists tick?
New Winona auto showroom rising in snow
Facing Highway 61. Construction is proceeding on the relocated Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership. The site is on a former back parking lot at Winona Mall. Service facilities will be combined with those of Sugar Loaf Ford next door. Both dealerships are in the Puetz family. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: Chrysler dealership foresees doubling showroom
Earlier: Shopping around for cars? Soon a shorter drive
Earlier: Ford dealership to expand Winona acreage
College scores
Basketball (men): St. Cloud State 70, Winona State 66
Basketball (men): Macalester 84, Saint Mary’s 70
Basketball (women): St. Cloud State 80, Winona State 47
Basketball (women): Saint Mary’s 67, Macalester 58
Softball: Winona State 4, Grand Valley State 3
Softball: Winona State 10, Jewell 1
Softball: Saint Mary’s 25, Buena Vista 1
Softball: Saint Mary’s 6, UM-Morris 2
Hockey (men): Augsburg 5, Sant Mary’s 2
Hockey (women): Augsburg 3, Sant Mary’s 2
Minnesota prep
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