Winona Journal – Home
25October 2024

Nelson Hill crash blocks U.S. 52

CHATFIELD, Minn. — A Harmony man and a 17-year-old girl were injured in a collision on Highway 52 south of Chatfield on Nelson Hill. William Harley Lark, 79, was transported 27 mules to a Rochester hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was a passenger in a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox driven by Jon Carl Haugan, 68, of Preston. Haugan was unhurt. The girl, driving a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage, was taken to a Rochester hospital with sustainable injuries. Her name was withheld by the State Patrol without explanation. The accident was about 7:20 a.m. on Highway 52 at 300th Street. Both vehicles were heading toward Chatfield. Traffic was detoured on backroads

25October 2024

Homeless and cold: Cops move squatters along

WINONA, Minn. – Four people, all homeless, were moved out of the lobby of the Post Office, on Fifth Street, where they had slept the night. One, Christopher Lee Cummings, age 31, was issued a ticket because he had trespassed before. A postal worker found the four persons about 6:40 a.m.  A block away, another homeless person was removed from King Koin laundry on Center Street. The day before a man was. removed from a shipping container in which he had established residency off First Street west of downtown. Overnight temperatures have been in the 30s. The downtown Winona warming shelter for homeless people overnight opens November 1.

25October 2024

R.I.P.: Dawn Goodwill

WINONA, Minn. – Dawn Goodwill, age 62, of Winona, who ran her own daycare many years, died at a Rochester hospital of cancer. She graduated from Winona High School in 1980. Her career included jobs at Menards, Merchants Bank, Enlighted Equipment, and Midtown Bakery,

Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home

GOODWILL dawn 1962 2024 - Winona Journal

1962-2024

24October 2024

College scores

Basketball (men): Rochester Community at Ellsworth Community

Volleyball (women): Winona State 3 Augustana 0

24October 2024

Minnesota prep

Volleyball (girls): Winona Cotter Ramblers 3, Lake City Tigers 0

Volleyball (girls): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 3, Randolph Rockets 0

Volleyball (girls): Chatfield Gophers 3, St. Charles Saints 0

(more…)

24October 2024

Target reports $1,400 shoplifting loss

WINONA, Minn. – The Target department store’s security chief reported discovering that a woman shopper the day before had absconded with $1,400 in electronic equipment. The store asked police to help locate the woman. Video showed the woman wheeling the equipment out of the store in a shopping cart.

24October 2024

Mother with babe relates scary chase to cops

WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was charged with terrorizing a woman fleeing from their place in the 450 block of West Fifth Street with a baby in her arms. A police dispatcher had heard the commotion in a 911 call that suddenly went dead. The woman and Airon Lamar Wiggins, 32, were still in the street in heated argument when police arrived. Wiggins was booked for domestic assault at an elevated felony level because of a prior conviction. He also was booked for interfering with an emergency communication. Wiggins, the woman said, grabbed her cellphone as she was attempting to get into a car to get away and simultaneously to call police while also holding the baby. Wiggins pocketed the phone, she said. Police were told there had been an argument over money. The woman said she fled with Wiggins chasing her and yelling and shouting and acting aggressively.

WIGGIINS airon kama DKM2024 - Winona Journal

Wiggins. This time a felony charge.

24October 2024

School janitor accused of accessing child porn

OWATONNA, Minn. – A high school janitor was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography. Jeremy Martin Alvarez, age 30, worked second shift at Owatonna High school. In a letter to parents, schools Superintendent Jeff Elstad said Alvarez had been banned from school property. No students at the 1,300-enrollment high school were involved: “The criminal activities were isolated to online behavior.” Investigator Kari Woltman said the videos involved children younger than 14. Woltman quoted Alvazez that he never met up with any child. The arrest followed a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children organization about downloads to anonymous accounts with Yahoo, Instagram, Kik and Telegram Alvarez voluntarily surrendered his online-access device and passwords, Woltman said. The arrest itself was two days earlier.

Drugs-porn link?

The criminal complaint said that Alvarez admitted using meth and cocaine about five years, which he said led to becoming “hooked on” child porn. The linkage was not explained in the court document. Alvarez told investigators that he had gone to therapy multiple times but quit because he couldn’t afford it.

ALVAREZ jeremy child porn 20224 OWAONNA A - Winona Journal

Alvarez. Arrested a week after authorities were tipped to untoward online activity.

24October 2024

Shame on you: Patriotic spirit gone awry at Altura

ALTURA, Minn.  – Miscreant vandals took their spray paint to a portable toilet at the new Veteran Memorial on a hilltop just east of Altura. The malicious graffiti, discovered the day before, was reported to the sheriff’s office about 7:40 a.m. The memorial had opened in June. It was the gift of the Wanek family, which had farmed several generations in the area, to honor war veterans, including MIAs and POWs.

Earlier: Altura readies hilltop veterans memorial

 

24October 2024

Lewiston driver hurt in Stockton T-bone

STOCKTON, Minn. –  A Lewiston driver was injured in a T-bone collision in front of the town gas station and taken nine miles to the Winona hospital. Sharon Marie Sherman, 73, was treated and released. Her passenger, Allen William Sherman, 79, of Lewiston, escaped injury. The second driver, Steven David Lunde, 62, of Lewiston, in a 224 Jeep Wagoneer, was on Stockton’s main drag and headed toward Winona. He was unhurt except for a bruised shin. Sherman, in a 2008 Lincoln MKX, was on the County 23 crossroad. The crash was about 7:30 a.m.

24October 2024

Fravel trial /25: His attorney warns about mistrial

MANKATO, Minn. – The attorney representing Adam Fravel at his murder trial asked the judge to order prosecution witnesses against using prejudicial language before the jury. It’s unfair to Fravel that there’s been repeated police testimony referring to the Winona duplex where Fravel and Madelline Kingsbury lived as a “crime scene.” It’s up to the jury to decide even if there was a crime, said Zach Bauer. Also it’s not been established where it was that Kingsbury died, Bauer said. He told Judge Nancy Buytendorp that he would ask for a mistrial if such presumptuous references continue.  Bauer also asked the judge to admonish witnesses against referring to Kingsbury as “Maddi,” a sympathy-evoking nickname from childhood that is misleading, irrelevant and improper in American jurisprudence that presumes innocence until a jury comes to a verdict.

Earlier: Fravel trial /6: Suspicious mud as evidence?

.

24October 2024

Grant to WSU to identify, ease campus hunger

WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University has been designated a “Hunger Free Campus,” for a project to reach food-insecure students. The designation came from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The designation included a $25,000 grant for promoting hunger awareness. Projects include a food drive and fundraiser at the football game Saturday to expand the Warrior Cupboard on-campus. The cupboard, which stocks canned and packaged foods, began operation in 2017.

24October 2024

Scary if you’re knee-high to a grasshopper

2024 10 2t halloween yard WNA - Winona Journal

Rug-rat hobgoblins. Halloween is creeping up on everyone on Winona’s East Second Street. Image: Steve Lunde

23October 2024

News summary at mid-week: October 23, 2024

23October 2024

College scores

Soccer (men): Macalester 1, Saint Mary’s 0

Soccer (women): UW-LaCrosse 4, UW-Stout 1

Volleyball (women): Rochester Community 3, Anoka-Ramsey Community 0

23October 2024

Minnesota prep

Volleyball (girls): Byron Bears 3, Winona Winhawks 0

(more…)

23October 2024

Southeast College enrollment double the state rise

WINONA, Minn. – Enrollment at the twin-campus Minnesota State College Southeast has grown 14% this fall to 2,294 students this fall. The headcount was up 4% in 2023 and 7% in 2022. Marsha Danielson, college president, credited the sustained growth to Winna and Red Wing philanthropists, businesses and industry that have made college tuition-free for many high schooL graUyates. “Programs like these reduce financial and psychological barriers for eligible students by increasing access to higher education and fostering high achievement,” said Danielson. “They strengthen the pathway from high school to college, provide educational opportunities to students of all backgrounds, support the workforce talent pipeline by providing more skilled workers, and boost enrollment at Southeast.”

Comparison

The Minnesota State college system reported that Southeast State was in the top five for increased enrollment among the 26 two-year colleges this fall. The state average was 7.7%.

23October 2024

Brownville crash injures two drivers

BROWNSVILLE, Minn. – Two motorists were injured in a collision at a Brownsville intersection.  Kelly Anne Dee, 39, of Harpers Ferry, Iowa, and Jeanette Mary Howes, 83, of Brownsville, were taken 17 miles to a LaCrosse hospital. Their injuries were sustainable, a Houston County deputy said. Dee’s 2015 Nissan Altima and Howes’ 2022 Buick Enclave were coming at each other from opposite directions on State Highway 26 through town. The crash was at South Third Street about 4:55 p.m.

23October 2024

Trucker nabbed in Tennessee for West Salem stabbing

DRESDEN, Tenn. – Deputies arrested a long-distance trucker for a stabbing at a Wisconsin truck stop the night before. He had put 660 miles on his truck after driving off from the truck stop at West Salem, east of LaCrosse off Interstate 90.  Paul Douglas Stokes, age 59, was taken without resistance. After the stabbing of a fellow trucker — a stranger — Stokes apparently headed south from LaCrosse on U.S. 35 to Genoa, 20 miles away. He had a scheduled delivery in Genoa but didn’t stop and kept on going. About 2 p.m. authorities spotted Stokes; red and white semi rig southbound on U.S. 45 near Hickory, Kentucky. He crossed the state line into Tennessee. a\An hour later Weakley County deputies apprehended Stokes southbound on State Highway 22 near Dresden. In Wisconsin the La Crosse County district attorney secured a extraditable arrest warrant on charges of recklessly endangering safety and battery.

Earlier: Stabbing suspect vanishes in red-white semi

Earlier: Trucker’s neck, chest slashed in knife attack

STOKES paul dogoas WSALEM STABBG 2024 - Winona Journal

Stokes. Held in  Weakley County jail in Dresden, Tennessee.

23October 2024

Body found in Fountain City trailer house

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — A 57-year-old woman was found dead inside a trailer house in Fountain City.  Sheriff Michael Osmond said there was no imminent threat to the public but that he was conducting “an active death investigation.” He called in the state Division of Criminal Investigation. An autopsy would be conducted, he said. The body was found during a welfare check at the trailer, at 26 Court Lane, an out of the way trailer park on a dead-end street on Fountain City’s South End.

23October 2024

Behrens doubles metalware factory capacity

WINONA, Minn. – The Winona manufacturer Behrens, which has a global reputation for its metal buckets and tubs, broke ground for a new 23,000 square-foot addition on East Sanborn Street. Dana Busch, the company president, said that demand for Behrens products necessitated more warehouse and office space. Manufacturing space will be doubled, he said. The company also is growing its sales staff, he said.

Behrens profile

Henry Behrens, born in Germany, arrived in Winona in 1867 and opened a hardware store at Third and Grand streets. His son Henry J, when about 14 years old, tinkered and played upstairs with metal and recognized a new way to make household chores easier. His major innovation he called the “Cyclone Spinner” for washing clothes. The Behrens soon were in the metalware manufacturing business. Factorv space was acquired. Demand for Behrens galvanized oroducts grew, mostly buckets in many sizes and variations. Eventually the company moved to 125 East Sanborn Street on Winona’s Far East End.

WNAbehrens factury - Winona Journal

Stamping metal into buckets. Always with the Behrens brand  name pressed into the gavanized netal . The company has round 113 years, always in Winona.

WNA behrens hrse wagin - Winona Journal

Durability the selling point then and now. Plastics  not in Behrens future. No way, says company President Dana Busch.

23October 2024

One guess: For whom did Walz vote?

ST.PAUL, Minn. – Governor Tim Walz and First Lady Gwin and son Gus trekked to their precinct voting place near their Summit Avenue home and cast early ballots. No surprise, said the governor, speaking for himself, he voted for Kamala Harris for president, for Amy Klobuchar for the U.S. Senate, and for Betty McCollum as Minnesota’s MN-4 representative in Congress. Like Walz, all are Democrats. For Gus Walz, 18, thus was his first time voting. He’s a senior at at Central High in St. Paul. The other Walz child, Hope, 23, is a social worker at a homeless shelter in Bozeman, Montana, and a ski instructor at Big Sky. She is a 2023 graduate of Montana State University-Bozeman in criminology and gender studies.

WALZ tim votig 2024 10 24 A - Winona Journal

Walz with son. Gus, age 18, was first time voting.

Verbatim

After voting, the governor, who is Kamala Harris’ running mate for vice president, addressed a recent statemen from rival Donald Trump that he’s adverse to using the military to eradidate his political opposition. Trump called them them “the enemy within.” Walz: “The absolute requirement of Americans is to understand that this rhetoric has not been used in this country, certainly not by a party’s presidential nominee. The opportunity here is to elect Kamala Harris. We’ve made it clear she stands with the people. She stands with the Constitution.”

23October 2024

Emergency, fire crews make 46 calls

WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 16 emergency medical calls plus 30 fire calls in recent days:

> Monday, October 21: 8 medical calls plus 2 fire call.

> Sunday, October 20: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.

> Saturday, October 19: 5 medical calls plus 1 fire calls.

> Friday, October 18: 7 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.

> Thursday, October 17: 3 medical calls plus 3 fire call.

> Wednesday, October 16: 6 medical calls plus 3 fire call.

Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 47 calls

23October 2024

Army Corps issues huge forest management plan

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Army Engineers corps has proposed a massive forest stewardship project for its lands along the entire Upper Mississippi and the Lower Illinois navigation systems. Public comments were invited by November 23. The project includes thinning, canopy reduction and prescribed burns. The project is detailed in a 139-page document for public perusal.

22October 2024

College scores

Soccer (women): Saint Mary’s 2, Macalester 0

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.

John Vivian, editor

VISITORS

Past 24 hours

926