Canton teens hurt in Harmony rollover
HARMONY, Minn. – Two teenagers were hurt seriously when their car missed a curve and rolled east of Harmony. The victims, 19 and 17 years old, both from Canton, were taken 50 miles to a LaCrosse hospital. Without explanation, Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge declined to release names of the victims. The accident was about 8:30 p.m. on County Road at 115 at341st Avenue.
Another drunk-driving stop for Winona man
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona nan with a record of drunken-driving arrests was caught again. Police said Bradley James King, 38, was stopped after dark for driving without taillights. It turned out, officers said, that his blood was pumping with 0.12% alcohol – into the state-recognized impairment range by half. Because of previous DWI convictions, King was charged at an elevated level. The traffic stop was about 7:30 p.m. on the West Side near Fifth and Olmstead streets. Police said that King couldn’t walk straight or talk straight and had blood-shot and watery eyes and a tell-tale alcohol odor.
Port 507 bouncer misses under-age drinker
WINONA, Minn. – Police went into the Port 507 bar on Second Street and identified one under-age patron. The person was warning orally not to comeback until he’s 21 and can drink legally. The compliance check was about 12:10 a.m.
Mystery boom rocks Goodview trailer court
GOODVIEW, Minn.—An explosive boom jarred people out of their sleep at the Lake Village trailer cour on the Lake Goodview quarry – and far beyond. A deputy sheriff on patrol a half-mile away on U.S Highway 61 heard the boom. What was it? A train wreck? A meteor crash? A water heater blown berserk? A kitchen meth batch gone bad? Nobody seemed to know. Police found people staring out their windows in their pajamas and BVDs. It happened at 2:02 a.m.. – precisely. Ask anyone.
Speeding driver accused as high; drugs in car
LEWISTON, Minn. – A Wisconsin man was charged with drunken driving and possessing marijuana and meth after an officer clocked him speeding on Interstate 90 between the Lewiston and Rushford exits. Steven Bryan Sanchez. 53, of Stoddard, showed signs of intoxication and admitted to partaking of marijuana and meth earlier in rhe day, polce said. In his car officers seized an open container of cannabis and two baggies of meth weighing 15 grams. Sanchez was taken 15 miles to jail in Winona. He refused a blood draw regarding drunkenness, which led an additional charge besides the drugs.
Sanchez. Accused of a “perfect storm” of violations – impaired driving, possessing marijuana, and possessing meth, not to mention speeding.
Homeless refuge: Rusted-out truck’s sleeper cab
WINONA, Minn. – Police arrested a homeless man who was spending the sub-zero night in the sleeper cab of a stripped-down semi-truck rig. This was about 1:30 a.m. in a West Second Street storage yard behind the Winona ambulance station. Evicted was Brently Steve Johnson, 62, a regular overnight visitor on cold nights. The owner the trucks and trailers, which are scheduled for scrapping, has asked to police make regular patrols because squatters sometimes bring dangerous propane heaters with them. Most of the trucks and trailers are kept locked but are easy to jimmy. Johnson was evicted about 1:50 a.m. He as ticketed for trespassing and vehicle tampering.
Free-for-all erupts after-hours at pizza place
WINONA, Minn. – A melee broke out inside the Toppers pizza parlor downtown with brawling drunks exchanging blows and staff trying to intervene. This was about 1:50 a.m. as the Third Street bar district was shutting down. Toppers does not serve booze, just some of the best pizza in town. When police arrived, the melee had subsided. Officers were unable to ascertain who instigated the brawl or who to arrest or ticket. As best as police could figure out, as many as 10 people were banging on each other. Everybody was handed a standard from to describe their recollection and asked to drop the forms off at the police station in a day or two. Hardly anybody ever turns in the forms from these kinds of situations. Nobody appeared seriously bruised, police said.
Toppers. At 29 East Third Street. Popular stop after-hours.
College scores
Hockey (women): Saint Mary’s 3, Saint Benedict 1
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): St. Charles Saints 73, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 56
Basketball (boys): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 90, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 47
Basketball (boys): Caledonia Warriors 89, Winona Cotter Ramblers 47
Basketball (girls): Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 76, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 41
Basketball (girls): Caledonia Warriors 52, Winona Cotter Ramblers 37
Basketball (girls): St. Charles Saints 48, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 22
Wrestling: Goodhue Wildcats 41, Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson 29
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): Arcadia Raiders 75, Viroqua Blackhawks 52
Basketball (girls): Onalaska Luther Knights 66, Galesville Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Redhawks 27
Basketball (girls): Independence Indees 55, Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs 38
Basketball (girls): Blair-Taylor Wildcats 52, Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 33
Basketball (girls): Arcadia Raiders 54, Viroqua Blackhawks 32
How they voted: On Hegseth as U.S. defense chief
WASHINGTON — The 100-member U.S. Senate split 50-50 on President Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense – the most divided vote ever for the Cabinet position. Vice President JD Vance, presiding in the Senate, cast a deciding vote for Hegseth. Here’s how Minnesota and Wisconsin senators voted:
For Hegseth
> Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin.
Against
> Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin.
> Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.
> Tina Smith, D-Minnesota.
Wisconsin driver unstable at Walmart, arrested
WINONA, Minn. – A Fountain City man driving home from the Walmart store on the Far East End was arrested with a blood-alcohol level of 0.13%, police said. Norman Dean Pettis, 55, had failed to use a turn signal, which caught a police officer’s attention. During the stop the officer smelled alcohol inside the car and put Pettis through standard roadside exercises for impairment. He failed. This was about 8:05 p.m. The 0.13% blood-alcohol showed at the jailhouse on a breath-checking device. Anything mor than 0.08% is impairment under the law.
Court: House Democrats right on quorum
ST. PAUL, Minn. –The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the quorum needed for the House to do business is 68 members – not the 67 that Republicans had claimed. The decision was expected end a partisan feud over defining the word “quorum.” The feud had led to a Democratic boycott that rendered the House dysfunctional for two weeks. It was expected the Supreme Court ruling would motivate both parties to resume an earlier shared-power agreement.
Minnesota skydive enthusiast dies in descent
ELOY, Ariz. A Minnesota woman, herself a veteran skydiver, died in a freefall jump in the Arizona desert. First-responders were unable to revive Ann Wick, 55. Friends in Stillwater said Wick was a nurse with a passion for skydiving and who encouraged others to take up the adventure sport. She had completed 267 jumps. Police said witnesses reported the freefall phase of Wick’s dive appeared normal. Her parachute deployed as expected, witnesses said, although the canopy was turning. Wick took no corrective action nor did a reserve parachute open, the witnesses said. The accident was about 4 p.m. from a plane in the Skydive Arizona fleet out of Eloy, midway between Phoenix and Tucson.
Not all scammers call you: Works other way too
UTICA, Minn. – In a reversal of roles in the usual telephone scams, a Utica man was bilked by placing the call. To sheriff’s deputies, he explained what happened this way: Somebody hacked into his Facebook page. He went online to shop for software to block future hackers. He phoned a likely looking firm to inquire about its products. “Sure, we have just what you need,” said the person on the other end. The Utica man placed the order and paid $800. Only later did he learn the company was a fake. He notified the sheriff’s right way, this about 1:10 p.m.
Trial set for twin for in Amish buggy deaths
PRESTON, Minn – The trial of one twin charged in a fatal 2023 crash into an Amish buggy has been scheduled. Filmore County Judge Jeremy Clinefelter set Samantha Jo Peterson’s trial to begin July 14, A preliminary conference will be in late June for the county prosecutor and Samantha Jo’s attorney to sort out lingering details, the judge said. Peterson is charged with 17 criminal counts. Two Amish children died in the crash on their way to school. The case has been complicated because Samantha Jo Peterson and her twin Sarah Beth Peterson colluded to switch places to confuse police about who was driving the car that struck the buggy. The case against Sara Beth has proceeded on a separate track.
North Dakota court denies interim abortion ban
BISMARCK, N.D. – The state appeals court ruled that the North Dakota abortion ban must remain on a backburner – unenforced – until a full review by the state Supreme Court. Anti-abortionists had wanted the ban, passed by the 2023 Legislature, to be enforced while they pursued an appeal on constitutional grounds. The three-judge appellate said it was unwilling to reverse a lower court judge who had found the ban constitutionally flawed.
NoDak abortion status
Anticipating anti-abortion legislation, the only North Dakota abortion provider, Red River Women’s Clinic, moved out of Fargo in 2022 and relocated across the state line in friendlier Minnesota. Meanwhile, several North Dakota physicians joined with women’s health advocates and organized against the restrictive 2023 law. The law allows abortion only at a hospital and only for life-preserving or health-preserving reasons.
Bail at $50,000 in Caledonia drug raid
CALEDOPNIA, Minn – Bail was set at $50,000 for a woman arrested in a drg raid in which massive array of drugs were found. The criminal complaint against Alecia Lee Cadmus, age,23, was vague on the quantity drugs – specifying only “25 grams or more of cocaine or methamphetamine.” Judge Carmaine Sturino set ghe bail. The judge ordered Cadmus, if she posts bail, to wear drug-monitoring patch and submit to chemical testing. A second person arrested in the raid, Andrew Hanson, 40, was not immediately taken before the judge.
Six under-age boozers nicked at Gabby’s
WINONA, Minn. – Police raided the downtown bar Gabby’s – a “compliance check” they’re called these days – and found six under-age boozers. All tested for alcohol in their systems at the 0.08% legal definition of impairment – or higher: Cited for under-age consumption were:
> Colin Shay Cleary, age 20, of Winona, whose blood-alcohol tested at 0.13% in a breathalyzer.
> Frances Grace Freese, 20, of Mille Lacs, 0.08%.
> Alyssa Lynn Jakobson, 20, of Winona, 0.11%.
> Seth Ethan Nelson, 19, of Rochester 0.09%.
> Danielle Marie Schwartz, 19, of Winona, 0.10%.
> Jordan Michael Walker, 20, of Woodbury, 0.09%.
The raid was about 11:35 p.m.
Earlier: Perfect score on new police check on bar compliance
Earlier: Police sting catches more illegal booze service
Gabby’s Bar and Lounge. At 179 East Third Street.
Gabby’s profile
Gabby’s, a favorite of the college crowd, has a reputation for bouncers and bartenders who aren’t particularly attentive to to checking patrons’ identification for age. The place, however, survived a sting operation for staff compliance with age limits in December. The new check was aimed at customers. Officers entered the bar and asked individuals for identification cards to confirm whether they were the 21 legal age. Meanwhile, other police officers blocked exits. After a raid the Police Department issued a warning to the owner of the bar license about violations The usual routine for the Police Department is also to report violations to the City Council, which reviews compliance records before renewing liquor licenses. The Council also can revoke a license any time but never does.
Pedestrian killed on Rochester street was local
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A man who died after being hit by a car while crossing busy South Broadway Avenue on foot Thursday evening was Phillip Abbott, 64, of Rochester, police said. His identity had been withheld until authorities could notify his family. Police said the 40-year-old driver of the vehicle, also from Rochester, was not charged. Abbott was not in a crosswalk.
Truck stalls on Stockton Hill, belches smoke
STOCKTON, Minn. – A disabled semi-rig tractor erupted in black smoke from burning oil after blowing a cylinder near the crest of Stockton Hill. The driver was parked on the shoulder and got out in time, deputies said. This was about 5:45 a.m. on U.S. Highway 14 at Pumpkin Road.
River barge traffic in 2024 still slumping
Trempealeau lockages off 19%. From 10-year average. Only 6 million tons on 1,500 barges in 2024 lock-throughs. Image: Steve Lunde
Downstream dam a Winona economy indicator
TREMPEALEAU, Wis. — Everybody knows that floods and drought resulting from global warming have hurt commercial traffic on the Mississippi River, but how badly? New data from the Army Corps of Engineers, which controls navigation, said lockage around the Trempealeau dam in 2024 fell roughly 19% below the 10-year average. Data from the Trempealeau dam-keepers, downstream from Winona, provides a useful look at the river’s evolving role in the Winona economy. The good news, although not too sunny: The 2024 lockages were up slightly from 2023 although with far less tonnage.
> 2024: Commercial lock-throughs totaled 1,526 with 4,330 barges and 8.6 million tons of cargo.
> Ten-year average: 1,883 lock-throughs.
> 2023: 1,534 lock-throughs and 7.9 million tons.
The lock also handles recreation vessels, usually as many as can fit into the lock at a time. There were 924 such small-boat groupings in 2024.
Why fewer barges
In releasing the data, the Corps sidestepped the issue of global warming per the Trump administration’s revised orders to government agencies, including the Army Corps, never to mention the phenomenon nor even to use the term. The Corps, however, made this note in releasing the new data: “Navigation statistics fluctuate from year to year, depending on the weather, river flows and the length of the navigation season.”
WSU reports job placement rate close to 97%
WINONA, Minn. – The latest recruiting message from Winona State boasts to prospective students that almost 97% of the university’s recent graduates were employed in relevant occupations within a year. No other university in the seven-campus Minnesota State system has a stronger record, although Southwest State also was near 97%. The data were self-reported from 2023 graduates and compiled by the State System office:
> Winona State: 96.7%.
> Southwest Minnesota State; 96.7%.
> St. Cloud State: 95.2%.
> Minnesota State-Mankato: 93.5%.
> Minnesota State-Moorhead: 92.6%.
> Bemidji State: 86.5%.
> Metropolitan State: 67.3%.
Notable journalism
Brock Bergey (KTTC, January 21-22, 2025): “The Pulse of the Press”
Eric Min (KTTC, January 14, 2025): “Former Minnesota State Representative Reflects on His Public Service, Weighs in on Current Situation in St. Paul”
Lisa Rubin (MSNBC, January 23, 2025): “Hegseth’s Minnesota Divorce Agreement with His Second Wife Includes a Non-Disparagement Clause”
College scores
Hockey (men): Saint Mary’4, Saint John’s 1
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