Update: Wabasha city-Army Corps muck deal working
WABASHA, Minn. – Trucks have resumed seasonal hauling of dredged Mississippi River bottom sediment from a riverside Army Corps dump to a city-approved site across U.S. Highway 61. The process involves 2,000 cubic a day. The operation is part of a 2023 settlement between the Corps and the city to alleviate local protests about Corps trucking through the city. The city now controls the routes and chooses the final disposal site. The Corps dredges some 130,000 cubic yards of sand a year at Wabasha.
Earlier: Feud over: Army Corps cedes silt disposal to Wabasha
Emergency, fire crews make 51 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 37 emergency medical calls plus 14 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, October 1: 8 medical calls plus 2 fire call.
> Monday, September 30: 3 medical calls plus 1fire call.
> Sunday, September 29: 6 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Saturday, September 28: 6 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Friday, September 27: 7 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Thursday, September 26: 3 medical calls plus 1 fire calls.
> Wednesday, September 25: 4 medical calls plus 4 fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 47 calls
Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Winona Cotter Ramblers 3, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 0
Volleyball (girls): LaCrescent-Hokah Lancers 3, St Charles Saints 0
Volleyball (girls): Harmony Fillmore Central Falcons 3, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 0
Law says drunk driving starts at 0.08%; she higher
WINONA, Minn. – A Burnsville driver, Anna Lee Ali, 43, was charged with drunken driving by an officer who reported seeing her turning wide and proceeding down the middle of the street. Her bloold-alcohol was tested twice — roadside atv0.15% and 0.16% at the jailhouse. The a rest was about 8:10 p..m. at Sanborn and Chatfield streets on the Far East End.
Ali. Double-tested for level of blood-alcohol.
DirecTV, Dish go at it again to merge
NEW YORK – The major satellite delivery systems fortelevision, DirecTV and Dish, have agreed to merge. The deal is through DircTV assuming $9.8 billion in Dish debt. A similar meerger proposal in 2001 was rejected by federal regulators as monopolistic. Times have changed, said DirceTV, noting that streaming over the internet has created all kinds of new compeition, pointing to consumer options like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and iTunes .The merger, the company said, would enable a combined DirecTV and Dish to shift platforms to compete — and reduce what consumer pay through more competition.
Police: Hit-run driver had been boozing
WINONA, Minn. – Police arrested a Chisholm driver after a hit-and-run incident on Gilmore Avenue near the Winona Mall. An officer spotted Laurie Marie Gleason, 66, in the suspect car a mile away at Sarnia and Market streets and made a stop. This as about 5:10 p.m. Gleason admitted to being the hit-run driver, the officer said. She smelled of alcohol and tested twice for higher blood-alcohol content than allowed – 0.09% and 0.10%. She was charged with driving drunk and leaving an accident. No one was injured in the accident.
Injuries in two-vehicle pile-up at Jones Valley
STOCKTON, Minn – A two-vehicle crash at the Jones Valley turn-off west of Stocken injured one driver: Karen Rae Seeman, 65, of Rochester. She was taken 13 miles to the Winona hospital with sustainable injuries. The oter driver, Jamel Cornelius Harvey, 36, of Winona, was not seriously hurt. The accident was about 3:45 p.m. on U.S. 14 on a sweeping curve with a turn-off to County Road 20 up Jones Valley, a turn-off to Hickory Lane into the Stockton trailer court, and an entrance to a residential driveway. Deputies said the Forte was westbound on Highway 14 toward Lewiston and Rochester and the Suburban southbound on County Road 20. Airbags didn’t deploy, deputies said.
Kennel keepers: Not guilty of animal cruelty
PRESTON, Minn. –A rural LeRoy couple accused of mistreating dogs at their kennel will have a trial in February. Fillmore Cunty Judge Jeremy Clinefelter pproved the trial for Donald Anderson and Elham Alayyou after they pleaded not guilty to torturing animals, depriving animals of food and shelter, and animal cruelty. Fifteen German shepherds were seized from the couple’s property in February and relocated to a shelter in the Twin Cities. A Fillmore County sheriff’s investigator had visited the kennel and reported feeling ribs when he stroked the dogs. The kennel floors were bloody and soiled, the investigator said. A veterinarian called the puppies extremely unhealthy. On a healthiness scale of 1 to 9, they were at the low end at either 2 or 2-1/2, the vet said. The couple blamed a neighbor for poisoning the digs
Nine months jail for Arkansaw UTV death
DURAND, Wis. — An Arkansaw man accused of negligent homicide in a four-wheeler crash was sentenced to nine months in jail with work-release privileges. Bradley Holz, age 55, also will be on probation five years with no imbibing allowed. The sentence was part of a plea deal approved by Pepin County Judge Thomas Clark. The judge said he was impressed that leniency had been recommended by the family of Jessica Bignell, 45, also of Arkansaw, who died the accident. Holz was driving with Bignell as a passenger in a convoy of five UTVs last June. The convoy ignored several “road closed” signs on County Road Z. When deputies arrived, they found beer cans littering the road and also Bignell’s body. Two injured men were lying in the grass. Deputies said they believed smelled intoxicants on Holz’s breath.
Holz. UTV driver in closed construction zone.
Cheery days at WSU: Fall enrollment climbs
WINONA, Minn. – Enrollment at Winona State University is up a tick this fall after more than a decade of losses, according to a headcount on the 10th day of fall classes. The total was 6,188 compared with 6,025 a year earlier – roughly 2.4% growth. The headcount peaked in 2013at 8,735. Andrea Northam, a university spokesperson, noted hthe new data are preliminary. A new count scheduled for Friday, the 30th day of classes, will note any of the usual losses of freshman who drop out for homesickness. State funding is based on 30th-day numbers.
Earlier: WSU spring enrollment slips again
Earlier: Projection: WSU enrollment slump to stabilize
County Board ponders former car dealership
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona County Board has quietly told its staff to explore possibly expanding the county campus to the west across Huff Street. This would mean purchasing the building at Huff and Second streets. The building has been vacant since April when the local Chrysler car dealership relocated to Highway 61. For years the Board has talked about consolidating facilities now rents around town. These include:
> The public health offices at the Winona Health clinic on Mankato Avenue.
> The licensing office at the Winona Mall.
> The Dive Rescue Team boat and vehicle garage near the levee.
> Property record storage at a downtown office building.
The Huff Street building has housed Chrysler, Chevrolet and Toyota dealerships over the years. It has a cavernous auto servicing area and an underground garage. The showroom would lend itself to offices. Too, the building could be razed with a new structure compatible achutecturally with existing county facilities on the other side of Huff. The dealership property comprises a whole city block, which could accommodate parking for the for cramped county campus area.
Earlier: Chrysler dealership foresees doubling showroom
A Kwik Trip bid?
The convenience store chain Kwik Trip has wanted a downtown presence for years, especially near the high-traffic interstate bridge from Wisconsin. In 2016 the LaCrosse-based chain proposed a shop at Huff and Third Street to replace the old YMCA building, which was being torn down. The company deferred when citizens objected to the proximity to a historic residential district. Kwip Trip also was thwarted in 2020 when it proposed bigger store 12 blocks way at its Huff and Sarnia location. Recent rumors have persisted that Kwik Trip has been eyeing the former Chrysler dealership site — a block from the from the old YMCA and near the interstate bridge and on the Riverview Drive gateway to downtown. The company has declined to address news media questions about the possibility. The Chrysler building has been open for leaseing since spring with no takers.
Coffeehouse fire a spectacle for WSU dorm students
Ridgelands backside. Fire damaged Ridgelands coffeeshop and next-door Lutheran student center across Huff Street from Winona State University. Damage was described as moderate, mostly to an office and a rear patio. Firefighters were dispatched about 1:30 a.m. Image: Winona Fire Department
Fire rages at French Island rail-tie recycler
LACROSSE, Wis. – Fire erupted overnight at a scrap plant’s wood-chipper that was being fed by creosote-soaked and highly flammable old railroad ties. Thirty firefighters from LaCrosse, Onalaska and Campbell township struggled through the night to corral the persistent fire. Flames lit the sky, illuminating ominous plumes of acrid black smoke. Firefighters wore portable breathing gear to avoid toxic fumes. No injuries were reported. The fire was as reported about 1:30 a.m. at Omaha Track on Bainbridge Street. Workers had left for the day hours earlier. There was no night shift. The company accepts old railroad ties by the trainload for recycling.
Persistent fire. Old wooden railroad ties that were soaked decades ago in creosote to resist weathering also resist water and flame retardants and keep on burning. Creosote is a petroleum-based and toxic tar.
Similar 2015 fire
Omaha Track had a major fire in 2015 when a woodchipper also caught fire. People on French Iland were told to shelter in place due to toxins being released into the air. This time, with different winds and breezes, there were fewer concerns about toxic effects.
Omaha Track profile
Omaha Track was founded in 1983 as the Tie Yard of Omaha to repurpose used railroad ties to landscape ties. Since then, the company has expanded into a major supplier of services and recycled products to railroads, rail contractors, and other industries. The company based in Omaha, professes a commitment to environmental friendliness.
Minnesota prep
Soccer (girls): Pine Island-Zumbro-Mazeppa 4, Winona Cotter 0
Soccer (girls): Byron Bears 1, St. Charles Saints 0
Soccer (girls): Rochester Century 6, Faribault Falcons 0
Soccer (girls): Rochester Lourdes Eagles 2, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 0
Volleyball (girls): Byron Bears 3, Caledonia Warriors 1
Drought-struck farmers win sympathetic federal ear
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has relaxed the deadline for farmers to qualify for tax breaks for livestock losses due to drought. Most Minnesota counties meet the IRS drought criterion, including Fulmore, Houston, Olmsted Wabasha and Winona in the southeast. As a result, livestock lost or relaced through the end of the 2025 tax year are included – a one-year extension.
Teen cited for assault after Winona High fight
WINONA, Minn. – Two 15-year-old boys in an ongoing dispute about relationships got into a physical fight in the Kolter math-science wing at Winona High School. Staff broke it up. Police were called about 12:50 p.m. One boy suffered face injuries but was cleared medically on-site, police said. After reviewing surveillance tape, police ticketed one boy for assault.
Judge lays down rules for Fravel murder trial
WINONA, Minn. — The judge presiding over the Adam Fravel murder trial has banned courtroom spectators and witnesses from wearing clothing, ribbons, bracelets or buttons. Judge Nancy Buytendorp vowed not to allow anything that might elicit an emotional response from jurors. In a 23-page order, the judge also laid out other rules for proceedings in the pending trial for the 2023 slaying of of Maddi Kingsbury. Judge Buytendorp adopted most requests from Fravel’s attorney. These included excluding witnesses from the courtroom except for their testimony, lest they be influenced by other testimony. Judge Buytendorp said she will allow testimony about:
> Fravel not helping out around the house, taking care of their two children, or expenses.
> Kingsbury’s plans to end her relationship with Fravel.
> Kingsbury’s concerns about leaving him.
> Fravel threats to Kingsbury about the Gabby Petito murder case in Wyoming
> Incidents of domestic abuse.
These all are issues that have surfaced in months of news coverage of the case and in pre-trial hearings. The idea of moving the trial out of Winpna to Mankato, 140 miles away,, has been to empanel a distant jury that had not followed eh case closely.
Earlier: Fravel’s concern about decorum at murder trial
Earlier: Judge bars video of Fravel murder trial
Earlier: Fravel murder trial site chosen: Mankato
Buytendorp.Her biggest criminal case since being named a Winona County judge in 2008.
Plea in Amish hit-run case: Not guilty
PRESTON, Minn. – A Spring Valley woman pleaded not guilty in a hit-and-run case involving an Amish buggy with nine people aboard. Fillmore County Judge Jeremy Clinefeltett scheduled a pre-trial conference for Brittany Edgar, 32, in November with a trial in February. No one died in the crash, but four Amish children were hospitalized. When a deputy stopped Edgar shortly afterward, she claimed she had hit a deer. Days later, police said, she admitted to being the hit-run driver and to giving false information to the deputy. NOTE: This case is unrelated to a separate Amish buggy accident in September near Spring Valley with two fatalities and charges against twin sisters.
Earlier: Driver sees judge about crashing into Amish buggy
Earlier: Hit-run charges levied in February buggy wreck
Earlier: Loose ends still in car-buggy collision
Cops: Durand man drunk at wheel eighth time
DURAND, Wis. – A Durand man was charged formally with drunken driving – his eighth offense. Bail was set at $2,500. Danny Standifer, 57, had been speeding on State Highway 25 north of Durand about midnight Friday, according to the arrest document. The deputy reported that, approaching driver’s side window, he “could smell a strong odor of intoxicants emitting from inside.” The odor grew stronger when Standifer spoke, the deputy said. The man admitted to two beers around 4 in the afternoon. A breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol concentration those eight hours later as 0.13%.
Standifer. Claims unaware of restriction on blood-alcohol at anything than 0.08%.
Woman: He wielded knife, demanded wallet back
WINONA, Minn. – The man arrested in a knife incident at a West Side home Friday was Nicholas John Deppe, 27, of Winona, police reported at their Monday morning news briefing. Officrs found Deppe a few blocks from where the incident occurred, in the 550 block of Hamilton Street. The 57-year-old woman at the house told police that Deppe had banged at her backdoor about 8 in the morning and demanded his wallet, which he claimed he had left in an earlier visit. He kicked at the door, she told police and pointed to his boot mark. When she opened the door, she said, he barged in and reached for a knife on a kitchen able and waved it around. He then threw the knife to the floor, where it wedged, and left, she said. She told police she was scared.
Deppe. Found and jailed within 1-1/2 hours of 911 call.
Mayo Clinic shrinks Fairmont operation
FAIRMONT, Minn. – Not enough women use its birthing services in Fairmont to be profitable, so Rochester-based Mayo Clinic is closing its surgical and labor and delivery units. Patients will be directed to the Mayo outpost 50 miles north in Mankato, the company said. Fairmont, population 10,500, continues to have local birthing services at the United Health hospital.
Big Lots moves into smaller, smaller future
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Lots discount retail chain proceeded through bankruptcy by closing more stores, including Wisconsin locations in Eau Claire and LaCrosse. Closed earlier were stores in Fond Du Lac, La Menomonee Falls, Mount Pleasant, Neenah, Sheboygan and West Bend. In Minnesota only the Blaine store remains open. At its peak the Ohio-based based chain had 1,300 stores and 22,000 employes.
Verbatim
Bruce Thorn, chief executive: “We missed our sales goals due largely to a continued pullback in consumer spending by our core customers, particularly in high ticket discretionary items. We remain focused on managing through the current economic cycle by controlling the controllables.”
In Rochester. Store Number 1512 already closed.
Minnesota tourism still in post-CoVid doldrums
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The outdoor tourism boom created by the 2021 CoVid pandemic has worn off, and the Minnesota hospitality industry remains relatively stagnant. A new tourism survey of 266 businesses found fewer customers, lower revenue and growing expenses. Half the respondents said 2024 customer traffic continued to slip. Hardest hit were southeast counties and the Twin Cities. The survey was conducted by the Minneapolis Fed, Hospitality Minnesota, and Explore Minnesota. The decline was expected after devastating southeast Minnesota floods in the spring. Also, Angie Whitcomb, president of Hospitality Minnesota, told Minnesota Public Radio: “Families are just not going to be able to travel or go out to a restaurant and be comfortable paying $25 for a hamburger.” Bright spots June through August compared to a year earlier:
> Hotel occupancy was up 3% statewide in August, 7% in the metro area.
> Tourism employment grew 2% despite a worker shortage.
> Air passenger traffic at MSP was up 8%.
College scores
Soccer (women): Winona State 2, Northern State of South Dakota 1
Soccer (women): Saint Mary’s 1, UW-Stevens Point 1
Volleyball (women): Concordia of Moorhead 3, Saint Mary’s 1
Winona family losing hope for Yellowstone rescue
Beautiful faces. The National Park Service has issued a photograph of Winona Cotter graduate Austin Kng in athletic gear integrated into an image of seldom-scaled Eagle Peak on a quiet day.
Parents: Now a “recovery” mission, not a search
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Two weeks since anyone has heard from Winona mountaineer Austin King, his family is accepting that a rescue unlikely. “With a heavy heart we’re sharing that over the past few days, the search team has transitioned to a recovery operation,” Brian King-Henke and Pandy King said. Recent sunny days have aided searchers, but the weather is not so kind at higher elevations. King was last known to be alone at the summit of 11.300 Eagle Peak on September 17 with fog, snow and wind closing in. Even at lower park elevations, mostly about 7,700 feet, the nights have been below freezing. Even so, the National Park Service is continuing the search and is not using the family’s term “recovery,” which usually refers to seeking someone presumed to be dead. The Park Service said it has begun using a new digital data search system supplied through collaboration with another agency. Aiding in search have been personnel from neighboring Grand Teton National Park and Park and Teton counties in Wyoming
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