A petro-friendly Trump message
Along U.S. Highway 14. Near the Jones Valley intersection west of Stockton. Oddly this is in the neighborhood that led the crusade for Winona County’s 2016 ban on oil industry frac-sand mining. Image: Steve Lunde
Winona foundry scammed for $53,000
WINONA, Minn. – An accountant for Behrens Manufacturing sent $53,000 to one of the company’s regular suppliers before realizing it was a scam. The loss was the largest in Winona in memory. Police were told the employee received a message purporting to be from a regular vendor in Mexico to send further payments to a new bank account, including $53,000 presently due. A routing number was provided. The employee did so. Then came a follow-up request for a further payment. The Behrens employee noted this time that he email address on both messages had one errant character – different from the vendor’s usual address. Suspecting something amiss, the employee alerted management. Police were called about 2 p.m.
Behrens profile. Behrens is an old-line Winona company dating to 1911. It is known for galvanized steel buckets and containers. Offices at 1250 East Sanborn Street.
How did cop run over two men? “Poor lighting”
LACROSSE, Wis. – Police confirmed that an officer ran over a fellow officer and another man Friday at South Side playground. This was after dark. Because of poor lighting, an officer arriving in a backup squad car couldn’t see the men struggling on the ground, the Police Department said in a statement. The injured officer was treated at a hospital and released. The second injured man was treated for non-life threatening injuries. The Department statement gave this account:
> An officer on patrol observed a man near the playground parking lot about 8 p.m.
> The man declined to identify himself and became resistive.
> The officer called for backup and then lost radio contact.
> The officer and the man struggled, and both fell wrestling on the pavement.
> One backup officer did not know the original officer and suspect were on the ground due to poor lighting.
> The back-up officer drove toward the first officer’s car, not realizing that the the struggle was taking place between the two vehicles.
Mississippi rehab project tackles erosion
GUTTENBERG, Iowa — The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $7.5 million contract to Legacy Corporation of East Moline, Illinois, for habitat rehabilitation at South Ferry Slough upstream on the Mississippi River from Guttenberg. Many natural islands bordering the navigation channel have been eroded by floods, endangering aquatic vegetation and wildlife in the shallows. A future stage of the project will deal with North Ferry Slough and McMillan Island, the Corps said.
Slaggies fund Mayo’s cancer home-care project
WINONA Minn. – A Winona couple, Barbara and Steve Slaggie, donated $50 million to Mayo Clinic to expand chemotherapy treatment into home-care for cancer patients. Steve Slaggie, age 85, himself a cancer survivor, was a cofounder of the Winona industrial manufacturer Fastenal in 1967. “Being a cancer survivor, I know firsthand the anxiety of seeking prompt, exceptional care,” Slaggie said. “We’re honored to help people with cancer by providing treatment in their home without the time, expense and travel involved in accessing a clinic or hospital.” The donation will help fund further clinical trials of Mayo’s pilot project for blending in-facility, digital and home-based care to more patients. The Cancer Beyond Walls project already has had 140 chemotherapy infusions in patients’ homes out of Mayo’s facility in Florida. The project next decentralizes to Arizona, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Earlier Slaggie philanthropy
> $20 million to Winona Cotter schools.
> $10 million to Saint Mary’s mUniversity.
> $3.5 million to St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville.
> $3 million to Marquette University.
> $1 million to Mayo in LaCrosse.
> $300,00 the Great River Shakespeare Festival.
Slaggies. Their gift is to extend cancer care to patients in the healing environment of their homes.
Jewelweed shows off how it got its name
Rainwater beads. Like little jewels after an early morning rain up East Burns Valley. The ripe cigar-shaped seed pods explode at the slightest touch in late summer, earning the nickname “Touch-me-not.” The flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds and pollinators in moist ditches and along creek beds. If you are ever stung by nettles, the juice from the stem will provide quick relief. Image: Andy Frank
GOP goes sexist against Winona House candidate
The Barbi mailer. Despite bright pinks, District 26-A politics have taken a dark turn with this Republican attack on Democrat Sarah Kruger. The mailer arrived in Winona County mailboxes two months ahead of the November election to fill the State Housen vacancy created with the retirement of 19-term State Representative Gene Pelowski.
Kruger as target. The mailer encourages voters to infer that Democrat candidate Sarah Kruger had a role in the $550 million project to expand and modernize a state building for House offices. Kruger, however had no role in the project. She was neither in office nor a candidate at the time.
Republican mailer originated at state level
WINONA, Minn. – The state Republican Party launched a misogynistic attack against Sarah Kruger, the Democratic candidate for Winona County’s 26-A seat in the Legislature. The attack is on a two-sided, heavy-stock, slick paper mailer that likens Kruger to the easily lampooned Barbi doll character in pop culture. The mailer drips with Barbi pinks. One side has a Barbi caricature and a pink dollhouse. Opposite is a portrait of Kruger smiling with an architect’s rendering of a state office building that’s being expanded for the House offices and a few agencies. The message:
”Barbi Got Her Dream House … and Sarah Kruger Will Get a Dream House Too”
Besides the demeaning and diminutive sexist message, the mailer implies that Kruger somehow had a role in approving and funding the office project near the Capitol. Fact: Kruger was not a legislator – not even a candidate — when the project was authorized. Too, the mailer says the project is costing $770 million; It is a major project to be sure, but most projections are $550 million..
Parentage of mailer
Not clear is whether Winona City Council member Aaron Repinski, who also is seeking the 26-A seat, was involved in engineering the Barbi mailer .Also unclear was whether Jerry Papenfuss, Repinski’s campaign manager, had a role. The mailer itself echoes a GOP attack last winter on 19-term State Representative Gene Pelowski, a Winona Democrat. The anti-Pelowski mailer also tried to nail Pelowski for the offices project. Since then, Pelowski has retired as one of the most popular legislators in Minnesota history after 19 consecutive terms. The new mailer, aimed at Kruger, picks up the anti-Pelowski message regarding rhe state office project.
Sourcing disclaimer
Both the attacks on Pelowski and Kruger claim to be from the Republican Party of Minnesota and the House Republican Campaign Committee. The mailer went out in mass distribution through the U.S. Postal Service network from the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. In the mailer’s fine print: “This is an independent expenditure prepared and paid for by the Republican Party of Minnesota and the HRCC. It is not coordinated with or approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it.” Not known is how many mailers were distributed in House District 26-A. The District, comprising most of Winona County, has 87,000 people and an estimated 27,000 households. The mailing list appears to have skipped households that voted Democratic in recent elections.
College scores
Soccer (women): UW-Platteville 2, Saint Mary’s 0
Tennis (women): UW-LaCrosse 7, Carroll of Wisconsin 0
Fuel prices continue “torrid decline”
Time to fill ‘er up. Gasoline at Kwik Trip in Kellogg for regular unleaded has fallen has dropped below the psychologically important $3 a gallon. Too bad you can’t stockpile the stuff. Image: Steve Lunde
Multiple factors driving gas prices down
KELLOGG, Minn. – Motorists tooling into the busy Kwik Trip off U.S Highway 61 on Kellogg’s outskirts were filling up at $2.89 a gallon – the lowest in months. Search far enough in the region and you could prices as low at $2.79. Nationally the average was $3.23. The American Automobile described it as a “torrid pace of decline,” sinking six cents in a week. The national average was $3.85 a year ago. Why this is happening:
> The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is increasing oil production globally.
> U.S. refiners are switching to less costly winter bends and selling off more expensive summer supplies.
> The U.S. domestic demand typically falls off in the fall with less travel.
Minnesota sampler
> Lewiston: Kwik Trip, $2.95.
> Plainview; Kwik Trip, $3.08.
> St. Charles: Cenex, Kwik Triip, Love’s, $2.85.
> Wabasha: Handy Mart, Kwik Trip, $2.89
> Winona: Kwik Trip, $3.09.
Wisconsin sampler
Arcadia: Holiday, $2.89.
LaCrosse: Kwik Trip, $2.79 to $2.89.
Mondovi: Cenex, $2.74.
Skeletons waltzing jerkedly among the gravestones
Early start on Halloween. Fun to see along Second Avenue in Onalaska by the light of day. But after dark: Oh so scary. Image Steve Lunde
Notable journalism
Heather Armstrong (WXOW, September 13, 2024): “Three Women in the Same Family Share Hope, Inspired Breast Cancer Story”
Jim Salter (Associated Press, September 11, 2024): “The Mississippi Rive Running Low Again: It’s a Problem for Farmers Moving Beans and Grain”
Alex VandenHouten (Rochester Post Bulletin, September 15, 2024): “Family Upbringing Leads Century’s Mike Ruff to Winona State Baseball”
Hubbub jams Stockton bar’s weekend event
STOCXTON, Minn. — Anybody and everybody with a connection to Riser’s Bar showed up for the bar’s three-day Stockton Fest. So too did kids for outdoor events and a movie the first evening as well as a campfire, smores, hot dogs and popcorn. Foir food trucks were in and out over the three days. Indoor activity centered on the bar. Two drunken-driving arrests occurred over the weekend, but deputies were unsure whether they related to the merry-making and revelry at Riser’s. The Stockton town fathers were careful to point that Riser’s “Stockton Fest” had no connection to the traditional and relatively sedate community-sponsored “Stockton Days “celebration a few days earlier.
Riser’s, the only bar in town. Cars lined both sides of Main Street for 1-1/2 blocks each direction – a rarity for Stockton, population 800.
Wee hours drunk-driving stop outside Stockton
STOCKTON, Minn. – A Lewiston man speeding out of Stockton toward home and weaving all over the road was drunk, deputies said. Benjamin David Mueller, 44, admited to seven or eight drinks, deputies said. His blood-alcohol content tested at 0.15% –more triple the legal maximum. The arrest was about 2:40 a.m. on U.S. Highway 14 at the Hickory Lane trailer court on the lazy S curve west of Stockton. Deputies sad Mueller swerved across highway stripes twice even while slowing for the traffic stop. Deputies said the odor of alcohol from Mueller’s car was heavy, that his eyes were bloodshot and watery, that he couldn’t maintain eye contact.
Mueller. Admitted to seven or eight beverages, deputies say.
Wisconsin polls: Harris leading by a hair
MADISON, Wis. – Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been widening her lead among Wisconsin voters, according to recent polls. Although all polls were within statistical margins of error, Harris has gained two to six points ahead on Republican Donald Trump. Both candidates, however, still regard Wisconsin as winnable. Harris and running mate Tim Walz have several events scheduled in the state in the remaining 7-1/2 weeks of the campaign, as do Trump and running mate JD Vance. Recent polls, all by organizations that use generally accepted statistical sampling methodology
> September 11 to September 12: Harris 49%, Trump 47%. Sample: 800 likely voters. Conducted by Insider Advantage.
> September 6 to September 9: Harris 49%, Trump 46%. 626 likely voters. By Redfield & Wilton Strategiess. For the London Telegraph newspaper.
> August 30 to September 8: Harris 49%, Trump 46%. 638 likely voters. By Morning Consult.
> September 4 to September 6: Harris 47%, Trump 47% (tie). 917 likely voters. By Americans for In vitro Fertilization.
> September 3 to September 6: Harris 51%, Trump 49%. 946 likely voters. By YouGov. For CBS television network.
> August 28 to September 5. Harris 52%, Trump 48%. 738 likely voters. By Marquette Law School.
> August 28 to September 5. Harris 52%, Trump 48%. 822 registered voters. By Marquette Law School.
Discrepant polls
Why aren’t all poll results the same? Voter preferences are a moving target. No poll pretends to be more than a snapshot. It makes a difference when a survey was conducted. It also makes a difference who was surveyed. In political surveys the most used samples are either likely voters or registered voters. Knowing the preferences of each group can be valuable on campaign strategizing, mostly to plan messaging and to channel advertising buys. Sample size also influences results. A fundamental in probability sampling is that that 384 people, if chosen without favor, will yield 95% confidence that the findings are within five points of any population group, whether the whole U.S. population, or a state, or people who buy laundry detergent. The larger the sample, the greater the confidence level and the narrower the margin of error.
Candidate claims: How trustworthy?
Political parties, interest and candidates need surveys to tap public opinion. They spend millions of dollars to contract polling companies during major campaigns – and they need accurate results. The results are for internal use and understandably carefully guarded, and the survey companies are pledged to confidentiality — with an important exception. If a candidate goes public with poll results and misrepresents them, the polling company will respond publicly to correct the misrepresentation no natter the embarrassment to the client candidate. This contractual exception to privacy is embedded in the polling industry’s code of ethics to protect then industry’s reputation. Candidates who make extravagant claims about polls usually are savvy enough mot to be vague and not to identify the polling company or identify methodology used or the dates or sample size or\other specifics.
News standards
Journalists are wary of polls paid for by candidates or interest groups. The release of poll results is often a campaign tactic or publicity ploy. This wariness has been codified by the Associated Press, the dominant global news-gathering agency.In reporting polls, the AP insists that reporters consider:
> Who did the poll and who paid for it?
> How many people were interviewed? How were they selected?
> Who was interviewed? A poll of business executives, for example, represents only the views of business executives.
> How was the poll conducted – by telephone or some other way? Polls in which computers conduct telephone interviews with a recorded voice are especially problematic.
> When was the poll taken? Opinion can change quickly, especially in response to events.
> What are the sampling error margins for the poll and for subgroups?
> What questions were asked and in what order?
Trumpian claims
Last week at a news conference in Califonia, Donald Trump, for example, made sweeping claims about leading in “all the polls” and “everyone knows that.” He threw ouy margins like 60%, 70% and even 90%. Had Trump been specific – for example, hypothetically — that a Gallup poll gave hm a 92% advantage in Michigan, Gallup immediately would gone on record that Trump was lying. As is frequent with Trump, he avoided anchoring his California claims to any source. The claims unverifiable and made of whole cloth and nothing more than hot air on the stump.
Cops: Four drinks evidently put driver in limbo
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man who smelled of alcohol during a traffic stop was tested twice for his alcohol-to-blood ratio. One test found 0.12%. A later test was 11.0%. Both were roughly 1-1/2 times the legal impairment level. Luis Fernando Papilla Fajarzdo, 25, was ticketed and released to a sober friend to take home. The arrest was about 1:12 a.m. at Fourth and Franklin streets. Fajarzdo admitted to four alcoholic beverages, police said
News summary at week’s end: September 14, 2024
RIVER: Low water slows Mississippi barge shipping
POLITICS: Klobuchar consistently leads White for U.S. Senate
COLLEGES: New on WSU inclusivity agenda: Better learning
RECREATION: Oberton bluff bike trail dedicated
ACCIDENT: Biker hits debris on road, crashes; injuries fatal
ACCIDENT: Man dies after overcome by sewer gas
SCHOOLS: School bus rammed off road; one injury life-threatening
SCHOOLS: Smooth busing start for new Winona school year
SCHOOLS: Threat of violence disrupts Elgin, Plainview schools
GOOD DEEDS: Volunteers mark 9/11 packing meals for food banks
POLICING: Rural policing in Goodhue County: Cost up, up, up
CRIME: Cop runs over fellow officer, also a suspect
CRIME: Rash of overnight Valley Oaks car tampering cases
College scores
Football: Winona State 31, Concordia of St. Paul 14
Soccer (men): Dubuque 1, Saint Mary’s 0
Volleyball (women): Winona State 3, Missouri Science 0
Volleyball (women): Winona State 3, Maryville 0
Volleyball (women): Saint Mary’s 3, Maranatha 0
Volleyball (women): Saint Mary’s 3, Ripon 2
Minnesota prep
Football: Cannon Falls Bombers 49, St. Charles Saints 20
Volleyball (girls): Andover Huskies 2, St. Charles Saints 0
Volleyball (girls): Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers 4, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Andover Huskies 2, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): St. Michael-Albertville Knights 2, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Owatonna Huskies 2, St. Charles Saints 0
Volleyball (girls): Winona Winhawks 2, Medford Tigers 1
Volleyball (girls): Medford Tigers 2, St. Charles Saints 0
Volleyball (girls): Spring Lake Park Panthers 2, St. Charles Saints 1
Door banged up in trespass case; cocaine found
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was arrested after an ex-girlfriend called police that he was trying to kick open her apartment door and threatening to shoot her through the door. Arrested was 45-year-old Jamond Arcitus Means. He was booked for assault, instilling fear, violence, and ignoring a don’t-trespass order. Also, police said, they found two grams of cocaine in his wallet, which led to a drug possession charge. The arrest was about 10:55 p.m. in the 150 block of Pleasant Hill Drive. Means denied any threat with a gun, police said. He said he had wanted to collect money he was owed.
Means. Never obtained entry.
Cops: Beers preceded show-off, reckless driving
STOCKTON, Minn. – A Winona driver was arrested for squealing his tires and over-revving his engine – and drunken driving — in mid-town Stockton. This was about 7:40 p.m. at Main and Broadway streets. Arrested was Joseph James Gunderson, 41. Deputies said that Gunderson he admitted to reckless driving. Also, they said, he admitted to a couple beers. His blood-alcohol, however, tested at 0.15% — almost double the legal limit.
Minivan misses sharp curve; four injured
HOUSTON, Minn. – Dour persons were injured when their minivan struck a guardrail and overturned into the ditch just across the Root River from Houston. Taken 22 miles to a LaCrosse hospital with non-life threatening injuries were:
> Candace Kay Lepley, 39, of Elko New Market, who was driving the 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager.
> Lorraine Kay Hanson, 72, of Northfield.
> Jennifer Lorraine Hanson, 43, of Northfield.
> Andrea Sue Hanson, 42, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Houston County deputies said the minivan was southbound on State Highway 76 into Houston and approaching County Road 9. This was about 8:20 a.m.
Veep hopefuls Vance, Walz target Wisconsin
WASHINGTON – Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance will return to Eau Claire on Tuesday the Trump campaign announced. Time: 4 p.m. at the Eau Claire Event Center. The announcement said that Vance will target the Biden administration on immigration. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, will campaign in Wausau on Friday and Superior on Saturday. Both Harris and Trump covet Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes as crucial in the November election. The latest closely watched Marquette Law School poll shows Harris ahead 52% to 48%, both statistically a within the margin of error.
Fatality in Zumbrota wreck; wrong-way driver involved
ZUMBROTA, Minn. – A Rochester woman was killed in a three-vehicle accident on Highway 52 south of Zumbrota. The woman age 60, died apparently onimpact. Her name was not released immediately. Deputies blamed the accident on aCalifornia driver, who, apparently lost and confused, was driving the wrong way on the divided highway. Alcohol was involved, they said. The accident was about 1:10 a.m.The drivers:
> The fatally injured Rochester woman, in a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox, driving south toward Pine Island and Rochester.
> Simona Montiel Vera, 35, of San Diego, California, in a 2023 Toyota Tacoma, heading north toward Zumbrota and Cannon Falls. Taken 22 miles to a Rochester hospital with life-threatening injuries.
> Marisa Emily-Taylor Johnson, 25, of Rochester, in a 2017 Jeep Compass, also heading south. Taken to Rochester hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The impact deployed airbags jn all three vehicles, deputies said.
Too young, too drunk: Too many fishbowls?
WINONA, Minn. – A bouncer at Gabby’s Bar called police for help with a belligerent customer about 1:10 a.m. Police arrived to escort the man out — and learned a couple things about Kimari Jatovion Jordan of Winona, besides that he been fighting. One: He was 20 years old, too young be served. Two: His blood-alcohol level was 0.15%, approaching twice the legal impairment level. Besides being issued a court date, Jordan was given papers not to to return to Gabby’s. The establishment is a college bar at 179 East Third street, which has been advertising 96-ounce fishbowls for “bad boys” at $15.
News quiz /6
> Who have polls identified as the run-away leader in he U.S. Senate race in Minnesota? Clue
> Whose gift made the new Winona mountain bike trail system possible? Clue
> How many meals were packed on the 9/11 anniversary at a large St. Paul event to aid Minnesota food banks? Clue
> Where was the drought that has created a shipping crisis on the Lower Mississippi River? Clue
> What was Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz’s message on abortion at a recent Democratic gathering in LaCrosse? Clue
Earlier: News junkie quiz /5
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