New study: Minneapolis police violence unabated
LOS ANGELES – A new study found that Minneapolis police officers used physical force against suspects more than 1,000 times in 2022, one of the highest per-capita rates in the nation. The rate was about the same as in 2020 — the year that George Floyd was murdered by a four-officer squad led by led by now-imprisoned Derek Chauvin. The new study was from the California-based. nonprofit group Mapping Police Violence, which drew on records of urban police departments nationwide. The rate in St. Paul was slightly higher than Minneapolis.
Minneapolis reforms. Seem not to be working over the two-year post-George Floyd period. Image: Minnesota Reformer
College scores
Football: Saginaw State 38, Winona State 14
Football: UW-LaCrosse 35, Rensaelaer 0
Volleyball (women): Winona State 3, William Jewell 0
Minnesota prep
Swimming and diving (girls): Rochester Mayo Spartans 96, Winona Winhawks 81
Volleyball (girls): Rochester Century Panthers 3, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Winona Cotter Ramblers 3, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 0
Volleyball (girls): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 3, St. Charles Saints 1
Boater with bad motor stalled inside dam’s lock
DRESBACH, Minn. – A Colorado boater whose propeller got wrapped up in a rope was rescued while docking through the Dresbach dam on the Mississippi River – and arrested. He was drunk, said Winona County deputies, who reached the disabled boat by borrowing the police boat from nearby LaCrescent. Arrested was William Farrington Wilbur, 42, of Denver. Wilbur and others others in the boat were taken ashore unhurt. This was about 5:20 p.m. Deputies said that Wilbur’s blood-alcohol tested at 0.26% — three-plus times the legal limit. Deputies said he claimed not have drunk for three hours but admitted to eight beers earlier in the day. He was stumbling and didn’t do well on field sobriety tests, deputies said.
Wilbur. Blood-alcohol 0.26% on-site, 0.25% at jail.
Biden’s news in Westby: $7.3 billion for solar, wind
WESTBY, Wis. – President Joe Biden unveiled a $7.3 billion program to reduce greenhouse gases and provide cleaner energy options for rural America. The announcement was at a solar farm outside Westby. “This is the most significant, transformative investment in electricity and electrification and clean energy for rural America since FDR’s New Deal nearly 90 years ago,” Biden said. The LaCrosse-based Dairyland Power Co-operative will be among 16 U.S. energy suppliers receiving the first round of funding. The $573 million Dairyland grant will go toward a $2.1 billion solar and wind project to generate 1,080 megawatts of energy. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who accompanied Biden to Westby, predicted that Dairyland’s electric rates will drop 42% over 10 years. The announcement was at an outdoor ceremony at a solar array in a field just outside of town. The Vernon Electric Co-op in Westby buys much of its energy from Dairyland. Biden said the new program overall will create 16,000 construction job nationwide and 4,500 permanent jobs. Biden spoke from a platform improvised for the. event. There was no canopy in the warm and humid afternoon sun. In folding metal chairs on the grass was an attentive audience of co-op officials and employees and invited guests who had ben screen days earlier by the presidential security team. Huge bullet-proof see-through panels fkanked the stage at both ends. The tight security reflected tighter precautions since the assassination attempt on ex-President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania n July. The Westby event came across as apolitical. Even so, the underlying theme was the Biden commitment to environmentally friendly energy policies. Trump, meanwhile, has pooh-poohed solar, wind and new-generation energy sources and favors traditional oil and coal despite their deleterious pollution.
In signature aviator sunglasses. Biden spoke to an attentive crowd from an improvised platform. The event was devoid of overt political messaging either from the stage or the crowd.
Trooper fired for fatal Apache Mall crash
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed that trooper Shane Roper has been terminated for a fatal accident near Apache Mall in Rochester in May. Roper had been on paid leave during an investigation. He was accused of speeding and recklessness in an accident that killed an Owatonna teenager.
Earlier: Trooper charged in fatal Rochester wreck
Judge bars video of Fravel murder trial
WINONA, Minn. – Video coverage has been banned from the upcoming murder trial of Adam Fravel. Judge Nancy Buytendorp announce the ban. Byutendorp granted the request of the family of the Maddi Kingsbury. The family said that gruesome details of Maddi’s death were certain to be presented in testimony and that Maddi, although dead, deserved the dignity of privacy. Reporters will be allowed with pen and pencil but no cameras. Besides the video ban, audio recording will not be allowed. Several television stations and also the cable channel CourtTV had requested courtroom access for live streaming and also video for newscasts. In a concession to news media, Buytendorp will allow reporters to set up operations in a room near the trial chambers.
Camera ban rationale
After news photographers and reporters made an outrageous circus of the 1935 baby Lindbergh kidnapping trial, the American Bar Association amended its ethics code to forbid photographic coverage of trials. The ban was ensconced in the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure in 1946: “The court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.” Later there came photographic technology – no more flash bulbs, for example. These technical developments eased the need for the ban, Architects designing courthouses began adding media rooms with glass walls in the courtrooms allow unobtrusive television coverage. Over the years the ban was changed state by state in a patchwork of looser but different rules. In Minnesota, cameras eventually were allowed allowed but only if both sides in litigation agreed. That was changed in 2024 when judges were authority to decide even if the parties didn’t agree. There remain different rules in federal courts.
First Amendment
News coverage of the police and courts is guaranteed implicitly in the First Amendment guarantee of a free Press, albeit a few exceptions like cases involving juveniles. The idea is rooted in the concept of government transparency and accountability to the people. The courts, after all, are powerful units of government.
Small town prevails against turbine blade dump
100-plus blades. Rather than bear the expense transporting outdated wind turbine blades to a recycling site, NewEra Resources abandoned them. That was four years ago.
State agencies intervenes: Get rid of them or else
GRAND MEADOW, Minn. — Four years after 100 old wind turbine blades were abandoned on an industrial lot in Grand Meadow, the state Public Utilities Commission ordered Xcel Energy to get rid of them. The blades had been a sore point – an eyesore, in fact — in this town of 1,100 people. Townspeople complained and complained, and the PUC finally acted. Also, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said it too would intervene against Xcel if the blades aren’t gone by the end of the year. The blades became Xcel’s property in the acquisition of a wind farm owned by NextEra Energy Resources in 2020. NextEra had left blades, each about four tons, when ot replaced them with more efficient blades.
Army Corps sets up more dam look-sees
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Army Corps of Engineers is moving its boating safety exhibit up and down the Upper Mississippi River with an ongoing series of open houses. Visitors will be given a behind-the-scenes view of how the dams and locks work. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The latest open houses:
> Dresbach, Minnesota: Lock and Dam 7. September 21.
> Guttenberg, Iowa. Lock and Dam 20 September 21. Coincide with the annual GermanFest in Guttenberg.
> Lynxville, Wisconsin: Lock and Dam 9. September 28.
Mid-morning drunk-driving arrest in Lewiston
LEWISTON, Minn. – A Lewiston man was booked for drunken driving after complaints around town of speeding and erratic operation of a motor vehicle. Carlos Eduardo Castillo-Hernandez, 23, was arrested about 9:50 a.m. at Main and Fremont streets. His blood-alcohol was 0.18%, said deputies. That’s more than twice the legal limit.
Castillo-Hernandez. Displayed balance issues and smelled drunk, deputies said.
New levee hotel news: No rooftop sipping
WINONA, Minn. – Plans for a swanky rooftop bar at the riverfront hotel being built downtown have been scrapped. Hotelier Mike Rivers, an investor in the project, said the tightness of the site precludes using a crane to hoist construction materials to the roof. The alternative, to build a temporary six-story construction elevator, would be prohibitively expensive, about $250,000, he said. Rivers also noted in an interview with the Winona Post that a rooftop bar would be usable only a few months a year. “Financially, it’s just not even close to working,” he said, also noting that rooftop access by stairs from the fifth floor would mean cutting out as many as eight revenue-producing guest rooms. What’s this mean? No whisky sours or vodka martinis with a breezy rooftop experience overlooking the Mississippi River main channel. It also signals that the hotel’s financial break-even point is expected to be tight and also that the developers, Rivers included, are eager to recoup their investment as quickly as possible.
Earlier: Levee hotel regears for extended stay guests
Earlier: Developers, investors, execs and shovels
Earlier: Digging begins for Levee hotel
Earlier: City OKs financial package for riverfront hotel
Earlier: Riverside hotel plan passes financing hurdle
Rooftop hotel bars
Among Upper Midwest hotels withrooftop bars:
> Des Moines: The Republic.
> Duluth: Raddisson Harborview.
> LaCrosse: Charmant.
> Madison: Eno Vino.
> Milwaukee: Kimpton Journeyman.
> Minneapolis; Rand Tower.
> Rapid City: Historic Alex Johnson hotel.
> St. Paul: Hewing Hotel.
Biden in Westby: At Electric Co-op about 3 o’clock
WESTBY, Wis. – The red carpet is is, at least figuratively, for President Joe Biden’s visit to Westby on Thursday. It’s been confirmed that he will be at the Vernon Electric Co-op north of town. If all goes according schedule, Biden will be greeted at 3 p.m. and speak to an invited crowd at the Co-op headquarters. The location had not been announced originally, which set off assumptions around town that but a rally would be at the 500-seat high school auditorium. Since then, the White use has confirmed that te event will not be rally but a gathering of Co-op officials and staff and invited guests. For Westby, population 2,300, the visit is a big deal – and unexpected. Mayor Danny Helgerson said he learned of it from an e-mailed invitation: “Believe it or not I thought it was spam and ignored it.” Soon, however, an advance security team from Washington was all over town. At the Co-op, the President is expected to speak about his priority for investments in local communities. In Westby these include a major Main Street renovation project using Biden infrastructure funds.
Biden itinerary
Biden has been stumping the coutry for Kamala Haris as the Democratic nomiee for president. On Thursday his one campaign sto is Westby He will fly from Washingtin to LaCfosse, 26-miles from Westby, and return toWashjngton. On Friday he camaignsin Ann Arbor, Michigan. For the Westby visit, Biden will be in a motorcade from the LaCrosse airport. The most used iroute would be through LaCrossea and then U.S. Highway 61 to Coon Valley. A less complicated but slightly longer route would be Interstste 90 to State Highway 27 through Cashton. Both are mostly two-lane blacktop roads. There many backroad variations.
Vernon Electric Co-Op. In Westby at 110 Saugstad Road. The co-op serves 10,000 members in six southwest Wisconsin counties. The service territory is primarily rural.
Historical visit
It’s believed that Westby has never in its history had a visit from a sitting president. The town was founded in 1852 when James Polk was presifent an only four years after Wisconsin gained statehood.
Earlier: GOP leader slams Biden’s Westby trip
News summary at mid-week: September 4, 2024
POLITICS: Biden taking Harris’ campaign to Westby
POLITICS: Walz motorcade vans crash; no danger to governor
POLITICS: Most recent Wisconsin poll: Harris over Trump
POLITICS: Minnesota voters still favor Harris-Walz
WEATHER: 2024 Wisconsin tornados: 44 so far
CRIME: Cameras at Fravel murder trial? Decision pending
CRIME: Bare ass: Almost in invitation for arrest?
CRIME: Bloodied woman: Boyfriend beat, strangled me
ROWDYISM: Are those big weekend bashes in the woods over?
SCHOOLS: Ready, set, go: But who’s driving?
CUISINE: Our Galloping Gourmands: The fried chicken quest
COMMERCE: Winona home sales in August 2024
College scores
Soccer (women): Rochester Community 5, Anoka-Ramsey Community 1
Volleyball (women): Rochester Community 3, Western Tech of Wisconsin 2
Cops: Her phone record confirms annoying calls
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona woman was arrested on a complaint that she was harassing a man with calls and texts in violation of a court order not to bother him. Arrested was 33-year-old Tanile Marie Mathison. Police said that Mathison denied the calls and texts but that they found a record of them on her phone. The arrest was in the 300 block of East Sanborn Street about 9 p.m.
Mathison. Must not have read the restraining order.
Biker escapes fiery crash with his life
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A Rochester motorcyclist survived a fiery crash with a car on U.S. Highway 14 at Eastwood Park on Rochester’s eastern outskirts. Adam Nathan Rodriguez, 19, was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The motorcycle burst into flames on impact. This was about 7:40 p.m. at 36th Avenue Southeast. Police said Rodriguez was eastbound on U.S. 14, and a Honda Pilot driven by Katherine Ann Larson, 40, of Rochester, was southbound on 36th. Larson was unhurt. Police said Rodriguez was wearing a helmet. He was on a 2002 Kawasaki Sports Bike.
At Rochester’s Eastwood Park. On primary Winona route into Rochester. Image: Kamie Roesler
News junkie quiz /5
> Who was the only sitting U.S. president to set foot in the southwest Wisconsin town of Westby? Clue
> How thin is the Democratic majority that controls the Minnesota Senate? Clue
> Did the 2024 Minnesota State Fair set an attendance record? Clue
> How many alternate jurors will be empaneled for the Adam Fravel murder trial in Mankato? Clue
> How is theGalesville high school discouraging student use of cellphones during classes? Clue
Earlier: News junkie quiz /4
GOP leader slams Biden’s Westby trip
MADISON, Wis. – the chair of the Wisconsin Republican party, Brian Schimming, called President Biden’s pending visit to Westby “a comeback tour that no one wanted.” Biden is due Thursday in Westby to announce major rural infrastructure funding. Said Schiming: “For four years, the Biden-Harris Administration delivered nothing but runaway inflation and mayhem at the southern border. To make matters worse, Kamala Harris and White House officials deliberately misled the public about Biden’s rapid decline and inability to serve. This visit is not a celebration, but a somber reminder that a vote for Harris and Tim Walz this November is a vote for another four years of Joe Biden.”
Democrats will start 2025 Senate with 34-33 margin
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. – The burglary trial of State Senator Nicole Mitchell, has been scheduled for late January, which is after the start of the 2025 legislative session. This means that she will be already seated as part of the 34-33 Democratic majority in the Senate by the trial date. Mitchell is in her first term from the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury. She is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home in Alexandria to take items belonging to her late father.
Driver hurt when truck, tarm tractor collide
EYOTA, Minn. – An Eyota farmer was injured seriously when his tractor was struck by a truck towing a semi-trailer on State Highway 42 between Eyota and Viola. Charles Jay Sachs, 25, was airlifted 14 miles to a Rochester hospital. The accident was about 8:20 p.m., just after sunset, at Silver Creek Road. The driver of the truck, a Peterbilt semi, Bruce Alan Byer, 63, of Noble, Oklahoma, was unhurt. Both vehicles were southbound toward Eyota.
The Great Get Together: Strong numbers, no record
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – Fair-goers at the Minnesota State Fair this year totaled 1.9 million — the most since bef0re the C0Vid pandemic and the fifth most of all time. The record, in 2019, was 2.1 million. Compared with last year, the Fair hosted an average of 7,500 more people per day this year. These are the daily 2024 totals, as revised in the Fair’s final report:
September 2: 175,000
September 1: 256,000 (record)
August 31: 207,000
August 30: 124,000 (record)
August 29: 171,000 (record)
August 28: 145,500 (record)
August 27: 124,000
August 26: 81,000
August 25: 134,000
August 24: 184,000
August 23: 171,000(record)
August 22: 138,000 (record)
Earlier: State Fair’s food fare /18
Number 2 Iowa leader quits, lured into banking
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa’s lieutenant governor, Adam Gregg, resigned to go into banking for a lot more money. Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, will appoint a successor. Gregg, also a Republican, had been lieutenant governor since 2017. His government salary was $103,000. He is leaving to lead the Iowa Bankers Association. His predecessor at the association earned $640,000.
Emergency fire crews make 56 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 37 emergency medical calls plus 19 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, September 3: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Monday, September 2: 7 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Sunday, September 1: 4 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.
> Saturday, August 31: 5 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Friday, August 30: 7 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Thursday, August 29: 4 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.
> Wednesday, August 28: 6 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 55 calls
Biden taking Harris’ campaign to Westby
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will visit the southwest Wisconsin town of Westby on Thursday to support the Kamala Harris campaign to be his successor, the White House announced. The President will arrive at the LaCrosse Airport on Air Force One and be taken 26 miles by motorcade to Westby. The site was not announced. Local people said the likely venue was the Westby Performing Arts Center. The White House said the president will highlight how his Investing in America agenda is creating “a brighter, more prosperous future.” The visit was expected to attract statewide media coverage in the critical state of Wisconsin for Harris against Donald Trump, who won the state narrowly in 2020. Trump was in LaCrosse last week.
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498-seat auditorium. The pride of Westby. Operated by the School District. Built 2020.
Westby profile
The population is 2,300 in a mostly rural county with 3,100 people. The county seat, Viroqua, is 7-1/2 miles away. The county went for Trump over Biden 52% to 47% in 2020. Westby is known for creameries and cheese. With seven farmer-owned co-op plants, the town is known regionally as Co-op City. The town is the headwaters of the Bad Axe River, which enters the Mississsippi River five miles down a coulee. The town was settled by Norwegians from the Biri region. It bears the name of the Norwegian general store owner, Ole Westby, who was a Civil War veteran. Not much Norwegian is spoken these days, but a local gift shop is in the Uff Da Shoppe. A festival in May honors Syttende Mai, for the May 17 anniversary of Norwegian independence.
College scores
Soccer (men): Saint Mary’s 2, Bethany of Kansas 1
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