Stored hay self-combusts, destroys barn
WITOKA, Minn. — A barn full of hay and farm machinery was lost to fire south of Witoka on Nagle Ridge. Volunteer firefighters from Ridgeway and Wilson were claled about 4:40 p.m. but too late to save the structure. No animals were lost.
Driver to hospital for blood-alcohol check
WINONA, Minn. — An Altura driver who was stopped by a deputy sheriff for erratic driving and was then arrested as drunk. Gilberto Itehua-Macuixtle, age 22, was taken to the Winona hospital for medical evaluation and a blood draw. Charges will hinge on what tests show about the quantity of alcohol in his system. The traffic stop was on U.S. Highway 61 in Winona about 2:15 p.m.
Quirky moment at Republican state convention
DULUTH, Minn. — The second day of the Republican state convention began at 9 a.m. A Catholic priest from a Duluth parish, Richard Kunst, offered an opening prayer. Father Kunst called on holy guidance in developing a state party platform. The Pledge of Allegiance followed. A delegate then called for a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin. It was so agreed by acclamation. The convention chair, State Representative Danny Nadeau of Rogers, led a 10-second moment of silence. Chauvin is the Minneapolis police officer, a white man, now serving 40 years in prison for choking George Floyd, a black man, to death on a south Minneapolis street in 2020. The murder — with Chauvin’s knee pressed into Floyd’s neck until he died — was caught on a a passerby’s camera phone The painful -to-see asphyxiation of Floyd led to race riots and national outrage and reckoning.
Kwik Trip going global? No: Just Nebraska
LACROSSE, Wis. —The Wisconsin-based convenience store giant Kwik Trip, already with 870 locations in eight states, is scouting sites to establish a presence in Nebraska. A spokesperson would not confirm how many Nebraska stores are planned. Plans are in “early stages,” the spokesperson said. The company’s business model is a saturation distribution system mostly out of its kitchen, dairy and bakery complex in LaCrosse. Industry sources expect prime Nebraska locations as Omaha, population 400,000 and 300 miles from LaCrosse, and Lincoln, population 290,000 and 360 miles. Kwik Trip also locates in small towns along its distribution routes. The spokesperson said Nebraska locations would operate under the name Kwik Star for legal reasons, as are its stores in Iowa and North and South Dakota.
Nebraska shake-up ahead
The dominant Nebraska convenience chain is Casey’s General Store with 130 locations. In all, Casey’s has 2,900 locations in the Midwest and South. Currently Casey’s is acquiring the Buc-ee’s chin out of Texas with locations in10 states, including one being built in Nebraska in the Omaha suburb of Gretna. This means intensified competition for Kwik Trip’s Nebraska venture from the combined Casey’s-Buc-ee’s chain.
Already at Nebraska’s doorstep. Kwik Trip has current locations along the Nebeska border in Iowa and South Dakota. Next step: Across the Missouri River into Omaha.
GOP blessing to Navy Seal vet for U.S. Senate
DULUTH, Minn. — A divided if not confused Republican state convention endorsed Adam Schwarze, who never has held elected office, for the U.S. Senate. Only on a seventh ballot did Schwarze pass the 60% threshold for endorsement. The endorsement marked Schwarze’s rapid rise in Minnesota Republican politics. He was firm in addressing 1,800 convention delegates: “I will fight in D.C., and we will fight to take back our state together.” Schwarze campaigned energetically for the endorsement. He emphasized his military experience as a Navy SEAL officer and his subsequent Washington career in international affairs. On abortion, still a hot-button issue among Republicans, Schwarze underscored his pro-life position: “I will not compromise.” Although endorsements from party conventions are coveted, they don’t necessarily mean easy sledding to the August primary election. It’s in the primary that voters decide who will be on the November general election ballot. Two of Schwarze’s rivals fi]or the endorsement signaled they will continue campaigning: Television sportscaster Michele Tafoya and pro-basketball player Royce White. Both Tafoya and White made it to a fourth ballot in the endorsement battle.
Earlier: Tafoya gives up sports mike, runs for Senate
Earlier: White nasty over call to quit U.S. Senate bid
Earlier: GOP chief to troubled White candidacy : End It
Earlier: Royce White accused of beating wife, son
Schwarze. Born in St. Paul. He doesn’t shy from god-talk. As balloting became heated at the convention, Schwarze told the 1,800 delegates that the nation was watching Minnesota, then added: “You know who else is watching? God.”
Candidate profile
Schwarze is a decorated combat veteran with experience in international affairs with the U.S. State Department. He has been deployed nine times a a Navy Seal officer, His resume says he has traveled to more than 70 countries. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s from Harvard in international relations and a second master’s from Johns Hopkins in business administration. His campaign literature mentions experience with multiple federal agencies in conducting direct-action combat, intelligence, stability, peacekeeping, and global humanitarian missions.
MSP-bound plane diverts after hijack scare
MADISON, Wis — A Minneapolis -bound United Airlines pilot made an emergency in Madison when a passenger got out of hand and who at first appeared bent on hijacking. Flight 2005 from Chicago landed safely. Police entered the cabin and arrested the unruly passenger. The Airbuss 320-900ER was carrying 147 passengers and a crew of six. The incident occurred shortly after take-off. The pilot radioed 130 miles ahead to Madison: “We might have to close the airfield due to a potential hijack.” The man had made multiple attempts to breach the cockpit. Off-duty law officers, who happened to be on board, restrained the man as the crew prepared for the emergency landing. As this was going on, a cabin attendant asked on the intercom if anyone on board knew Russian. It was concluded later that the man, age 75, was in a mental crisis. As soon the man was removed, the other passengers were herded to a terminal waiting g area while the plane was scoured for weapons or explosive devices and for evidence to understand what happened. Once cleared, Flight 2005 departed for MSP and landed four late about 2 a.m.
Biker’s impact with deer; injuries serious
STEWARTVILLE, Minn. — A St. Charles biker was injured so seriously when he ran into a deer that first-responders called for a med-evac helicopter. Taken 12 miles to a Rochester hospital was Benjamin Kevin Burt, age 41. At the. hospital his injuries were described as sustainable. Burt was headed east toward St. Charles. This was about 8:15 p.m. on Interstate 90 between the Stewartville and Chatfield exit ramps. Olmsted County deputies said Burt was unhelmeted aboard a 2024 Indian motorcycle.
Klobuchar looks to Fergus Falls for ticket mate
ROCHESTER, Minn. — U.S, Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, named a former mayor of Fergus Falls, population 14,000, to be her running mate. If they win the November election, former Mayor Ben Schierer will be Klobuchar’s lieutenant governor. Klobuchar let her choice be known in Rochester as Democrats began their state endorsement convention. Although not widely known statewide, Schierer has current experience at a regional economic development nonprofit. Said Klobuchar: “Ben Schierer hasn’t just talked about how to create opportunities in Minnesota — he’s actually done it.” Earlier Schierer was in city government 16 years, including two terms as mayor. He also ran two mainstreet businesses in Fergus Falls. About running for statewide office, Schierer said:
“As a former mayor devoted to rural economic development, I know how important it is to elect a governor who will focus on expanding our economy and creating good jobs for Minnesotans across this state.”
Schierer filed papers earlier to run for state auditor, but that candidacy is now pre-empted. About Klobuchar’s gubernatorial ial candidac
“As a former mayor devoted to rural economic development, I know how important it is to elect a governor who will focus on expanding our economy and creating good jobs for Minnesotans across this state. Amy Klobuchar gets it — she shows up time and time again, in all 87 counties — and I am ready to partner with her to get things done for our families, our communities and our state.”
Schierer. A surprise if not obscure choice for lieutenant governor.
Candidate profile
Operated a café and pizzeria in Fergus Falls in northwest Minnesota and also held local elected office. His credits: Local and regional economic development. Recently he co-authored a book with Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant on an Iron Range dentist, Rudy Perpich, who was Minnesota governor from 1983 to 1991.
Biker in Buffalo County wreck dies at hospital
GILMANTON, Wis. —A South Dakota motorcyclist was injured fatally when he lost control on a gentle curve on U.S. Highway 37 west of Gilmanton in central Buffalo County. Sheriff Michael Osmond declined to release the victim’s name but said he was 56 years old and from Sioux Falls. The death was third in a motorcycling accident in Bufffalo County in this new biking season. The accident was about 5:55 p.m. near Steiner Road. The man was air-lifted to a hospital where he died. He was thrown off his 2024 Harley-Davidson as it rolled on its side. It was believed he was on a weekend ride from his Sioux Falls home 150 miles away.
Minnesota prep
Golf (boys): Stewartville Tigers 615, Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 616, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 618, Byron Bears 661
Craig skipping Democratic endorsement showdown
ROCHESTER, Minn. – When Minnesota Democrats convene this weekend in Rochester, one leading candidate for the U.S. Senate, Angie Craig, won’t be there. Thus Craig avoids a battle with rival Peggy Flanagan for the party’s endorsement. It was believed that Flanagan had sewed up a majority for the endorsement. Craig explained her decision this way:
“The DFL endorsement process just doesn’t reflect the full scope of the party that we are, and the purple state that we have become. The only way we save democracy is through democracy, where every voice is heard, not just a few.”
It was unclear whether the party-selected delegates to the state convention would take Craig’s decision as a snub. The consensus among political observers is that Craig and Flanagan are neck-to-neck overall among Democratic voters for the primary election in August. It is the primary that decides who will be on the November general election ballot. By some measures Craig has an advantage. Her March campaign finance report showed a war chest of $4.8 million, Flanagan was at $1.2 million.
Craig. In her fourth terms in the U.S. House from Minnesota’s Congressional District 2, which stretches from the south side of Minneapolis and St. Paul almost to Mankato.
Flanagan. In her second term as lieutenant governor. Earlier she was in the Minnesota Legislature from Minneapolis.
Searchers: Missing man hungry, weary — but safe
NEW HARTFORD, Minn. — A LaCrosse man missing in the Upper Pine Creek drainage was found safe based on a tip from a person living up remote Rose Creek. Searchers described Elijah McCumber as hungry and tired after almost a week in the rugged southeast Winona County forests. He was taken 16 miles by ambulance to a LaCrosse hospital for evaluation. The search began Sunday after his family reported him possibly in a crisis mode and confused. His car was found abandoned up the Echo Valley tributary to Pine Creek. It was believed he hadn’t wanted to be found and moved coulee to coulee and crossed dirt roads and trails after dark. First-responders from Nodine and Dakota were the first to Rose Creek after the sighting which was about 10 a.m.
Drone up there in search sortie. Fifteen agencies participated in the search. Thermal-imaging devices, both airborne and on the ground, had failed to locate McCumber. He also eluded K-9 sniffer teams.
Earlier: Missing man found safe in Winona County bluffs
Earlier: Worries mount for missing LaCrosse man
Earlier: Earlier: Crisis search expands in dense forests
Earlier: Crisis search expands in dense forestland
Minnesota prep
Baseball: Farmington Siberian Tigers 8, Rochester Century Panthers 4
Baseball: Cannon Falls Bombers 6, Randolph Rockets 5
Baseball: Byron Bears 4, Faribault Falcons 3
Softball: Winona Winhawks 10, Austin Packers 2
Softball: Byron Bears 5, Kasson-Mantorville Komets 0
Track and field (girls): Rushford-Peterson/Houston 90, La Crescent-Hokah Lancers 87, Grand Meadow-LeRoy-Ostrander Bulldogs 73, Cannon Falls Bomber 60.5, Kenyon-Wanamingo Chiefs Knights 59, Winona Cotter Ramblers 57, Lanesboro/Harmony Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton 49, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 47, St. Charles Saints 44, RochesterLourdes Eagles 39, Diodge Center Triton Cobras 36, Chatfield Gophers 34, Lake City Togers 34, Caledonia/Spring Grove 30, Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms 28, Dover-Eyota Eagles 25, Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars 22, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 18, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 17, Lyle/Austin Pacelli 16.5, Hayfield Vikings 14, Randolph Rockets 6, Rochester Race Ethnicity 6, Minnesota Deaf 4, Rochester Schaffer Lions 2
Police persuade suicidal woman off high bridge
WINONA, Minn. — Police intercepted a suicidal woman walking in a traffic lane on the Mississippi River bridge to Wisconsin. The woman age 63, had been reported to the police dispatcher as an endangerment to traffic and herself. This was about 9:15 p.m. When officers arrived, the woman said she wanted to end her life and kept walking. Officers caught up and persuaded her to come with them. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation. At their peak the bridge’s road surfaces are 60 to 70 feet above the main channel.
13 Winona cruise visits set for 2026
13 Winona cruise visits set for 2026
WINONA, Minn. — The river cruise company American Cruise Lines confirmed 13 Levee Park landings this season, The first landing will be at 1 p.m. on June 10. None will be true paddle-wheelers like the days of yore when arrivals of the 472-passenger Mississippi Queen were spectacles.
The Queen, whose crew numbered 57 and which featured a 44-whistle steam calliope was scrapped in 2009. The current fleet includes the 150-passenger American Heritage, which has what’s called “classic paddlewheel aesthetic” but which actually has diesel-powered propellers. The. red” paddles” on the stern are mere show. They are nonfunctional and turned off and on at flick of a toggle. The 2026 Winona landings allow passengers to roam ashore for five hours.
> June 10 : American Melody (180 passengers)
> July 12: American Serenade (180)
> July 16: American Serenade (180)
> July 30: American Serenade (180)
> August 13: American Serenade (180)
> August 20: American Melody (180)
> August 27: American Serenade (180)
> September 3: American Melody (180)
> September 10: American Heritage (150)
> September 17: American Melody (180)
> September 24: American Serenade(180)
> October 1:| American Melody (180)
> October 15: American Melody (180)
Eight days. From New Orleans to St. Paul. Or make it a round trip for double the fare. From $6,200 to $9,900. Dinng with white table cloths.
Alt ports: LaCrose, Red Wing
Swiss-owned Viking Cruise Lines again has skipped Winona as a port of call. Viking, however, will have five 2026 stops 30 mikes downriver in LaCrosse, which has extended its Lake Park wharf to accommodate two cruise ships simultaneously. Viking also has six 2026 stops 60 miles upriver at Red Wing with excursions to the Red Wing Marine Njuseun. American Cruise Lines has 12 at Red Wing stops..
Notable journalism
Brock Bergey (KTTC, May 19, 2026): “Who’s Retiring from the Minnesota Legislature?”
Dan Kraker (Minnesota Public Radio, May 21, 2025): “How a Caterpillar Native to Minnesota Made Its Forests Fuel for Wildfires”
Samantha Stetzer (Winna Daily News, November 5, 2017): “Lifelong Home: George Borzyskowski Remembers, Active in Winona History”
$5,000 missing from Homer Valley home
HOMER, Minn. — A rural man called the sheriff’s office that $5,000 cash had been stolen from a locked desk in his house up Homer Valley off Countv Road 15. The man said he just discovered the theft but it could have been as far back as mid-April. Deputies found no evidence forced entry.
Bad idea: Shopping drunk at Kwik Trip
WINONA, Minn. — Police booked a Winona driver into jail after discovering her blood-alcohol was almost three times what’s allowed. A Kwik Trip clerk had called police that Danielle Elizabeth Reese, age 37, was intoxicated at the Mankato Avenue store. This was about 11:40 a.m. When an officer arrived, Reese already had driven off. The ofifcer found the car in an alley with Reese in the driver’s seat. The officer said the Kwik Trip clerk had been right: Reese was drunk. The officer described her movements as slow and deliberate, she swayed as she spoke, her eyes were bloodshot and watery, and her speech slurred. Also, the officer said, she smelled drunk. At jail a breath test showed her blood contaminated with 0.22% alcohol.
In glorious pinks for our summer-like days
More beautiful with the years. It seems peonies live forever. Some planted by Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello home still bloom all these 250 years later. In Winona, in a West End backyard near the High School, this petite but full peony dates at least to the 1960s and a cutting from a Rushford garden. Visitors say it’s the color they had growing up and the color they have been trying to find. Image: Helen Nordby
Heavy forest canopy hinders McCumber search
NEW HARTFORD, Minn. —A man missing six days in rugged bluffs probably is alive and evading search parties, according to Ben Klinger, Winona County’s emergency management director. Klinger wasn’t specific about details on Elijah McCumber moving around the heavily canopied forest near the Houston County line east of New Hartford. His family has said McCumber, age 22, may be in a confused mental state. When last seen, McCumber had a backpack. Whether the backpack contained provisions has not been determined. Day and night shifts of sheriff’s deputies have been with searchers. Their tools have included trained, K-9s, drones, a State Patol helicopter, and thermal-imaging devices.
Missing man found safe in Winona County bluffs
NEW HARTFORD, Minn. — A LaCrosse man has been located safe after almost a week missing in dense forests and steep ravines on the rugged Far Far Backside of Apple Blossom Drive.
Forbidding forest. Search teams faced difficulties in dark forest with new-growth and knee-high bramble and underbrush.
Victim in fatal I-94 collision from Beloit
WARRENS, Wis. — The man killed in an Interstate 94 crash Monday night was from Beloit, Wisconsin, the State Patrol reported belatedly. Duane Zaugg, age 68, died when his pickup was struck from behind and rolled several times. He was unbelted, troopers said. The other driver was Lacey Georgeson, age 21, of Warrens. Georgeson was taken a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The second vehicle also rolled several times. Troopers believe alcohol was a factor.
Earlier: Driver killed in I-94 rear-end crash
News summary at mid-week: May 27, 2026
ENVIRONMENT: Pine Island data center: Judge insists on answers
POLICING: Police chief fired on charge he jiggered evidence
POLICING: Police honor their fallen Winona comrades
POLICING: Chatfield cop out of job after DWI arrest
SEARCH: Worries mount for missing LaCrosse man
CRIME: $1 million bail in horrific Eau Claire matricide
CRIME: Metro Surge aftermath: ICE agent surrenders
CRIME: Four-mile chase through town: Speeds to 125 mph
CRIME: Bail $20,000 for Buffalo City knife attack, fires
CRIME: Guns drawn against youth on West Side
CRIME: Woman details assault at her door, calls cops
CRIME: Mom arrested anew as impaired; kids in car
ARTS: Reflections from Masterpiece Hall’s grand staircase
ACCIDENT: Driver killed in I-94 rear-end crash
ACCIDENT: Driver smashes into house, trapped in vehicle
AVIATION: LSE pins hopes on vacation carrier Allegiant
HISTORY: No trains to Rushford anymore: Don’t matter
Minnesota prep
Baseball: Rochester Mayo Spartans 5, Farmington Siberian Tigers 1
Baseball: Owatonna Huskies 8, Rochester Marshall Rockets 2
Softball: Adams Southland Rebels 2, Houston Hurricanes 0
Golf (boys): Lakeville South Cougars 572, Northfield Raiders 578, Lakeville North Panthers 597, Farmington Siberian Tigers 599, Rochester Century Panthers 608, Albert Lea Tigers 618, Owatonna Huskies 643
Golf (boys): Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 305, Stewartville Tigers 310,Rochester Lourdes Eagles 314, Byron Bears 321, Lake City Tigers 328, Winona aWinhawks 329, Kasson-Mantorville Komets 334, Red Wing Wingers 337, Dodge Center Triton Cobras 338, La Crescent-Hokah Lancers 338, Winona Cotter Ramnblers 339, Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights 341, Chatfield Gophers 344, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 349, Dover-Eyota Eagles 361, St. Charles Saints 368, Caledonia Warriors 369
Jail for man displaying obnoxious anger
WINONA, Minn. — A Winona man with a history of public disturbances was arrested at Winona State University. Police were told that Dillon Joseph Hale, age 37, had been yelling and screaming at passersby on Johnson street: Asked if he needed help, Hale got in the person’s face and became even louder. This was about 11:05 a.m. Hale was jailed on a disorderly conduct charge.
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