Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Caledonia Warriors 3, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Medford Tigers 3, Rushford-Peterson Trojans 0
Wisconsin prep
Football: Bangor Cardinals 35, Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs 7
Football: LaCrosse Logan Rangers 22, Ellsworth Panthers 21
Football: Glenwood City Hilltoppers 14, Eleva-Strum Cardinals 6
Weary of Walz booze tale? It’s back again
WASHNGTON – The Trump campaign’s opposition research unit, looking for dirt on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has briefed its on-the-ground people about about a murky1995 traffic stop in which Walz may or may have been drunk but probably not. The story has cropped up every so often in Walz’s political career but never stuck. The story came out from Republicans in 2006 when Walz, a Democrat, ran for Congress the first time – and it resurfaced, although without less fervor, in Walz’s five later campaigns for Congress and in his two campaigns for governor. Minnesotans by and latrge have tired of the old tale. But in 2024, with Walz suddenly a rising in presidential politics, the Trump oppo-research have raised it anew.
The incident
Walz, age 31, was teaching high school in Nebraska in 1995. He was of some renown, having been named Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the state Junior Chamber of Commerce. On September 23 Walz was pulled over by a state trooper for going 96 mph in a 55 mph zone. The trooper smelled alcohol on Walz’s breath. According to the trooper, Walz failed a sobriety field sobriety. A test showed an blood-alcohol level of 0.12% about a fifth more than Nebraska’s legal definition of impairment at the time. He was booked in the county jail and charged with two counts — driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding.
Long ago in Chadron. Walz mugshot after traffic stop.
The murkiness
There seems no doubt that Walz had imbibing that night in 1995. But was he drunk?
> After the traffic stop the state trooper allowed Walz to drive himself to jail. This hardly would have been police protocol if the trooper believed was impaired.
> What about failing roadside sobriety tests for dexterity and acuity? Walz suffered a hearing loss from his years in the Army Guard, which requires annal rifle training. Soldiers are supposed to wear earplugs, but the plugs ere a hassle, Many soldiers don’t bother. Also, the one-size-fits-all plugs don’t provide a tight anatomical block for every individual. For the record: Walz underwent ear surgery in 2005 to remedy his hearing loss.
> In court six weeks after the speeding stop, when his case finally was heard in curt, the judge asked Walz why it was against the law to drive with a 0.12% blood alcohol level. Walz responded, “[t’s not just statutory. It’s just a dangerous situation, Your Honor, not just to myself, but to others who are — who aren’t even involved with it.” The response fell shirt if an admission.
Conclusions
In 2018, when running for Minnesota governor and the 1995 incident again came up, Walz called his arrest a “life-changing moment.” He said he never drank again. So what can be concluded about the 29-year-old case?
> Walz was driving too fast.
> Alcohol was in his system, but he probably wasn’t impaired.
> And he doesn’t drink at all anymore.
Earlier: Walz tightens grip as folksy yet capable hybrid
Earlier: GOP reckless to disparage Walz military record
Earlier: Public chatter: About Walz as vice president
Earlier: Earlier: It’s him: Minnesota governor for vice president
Canadian government orders end to rail shutdown
OTTAWA –The Canadian government ordered an end to the national railroad work stoppage by the managements of both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City. Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon ordered mandatory arbitration: “It is my duty and responsibility to invoke my authorities under the Canada Labour Code to secure industrial peace and deliver the short and long-term solutions that are in the national interest.” The railroads had ordered the shutdown a day earlier. They claimed a shutdown was better now than waiting for a Teamsters strike in the upcoming peak fall shipping season. The Teamsters union said, however, it would maintain picket lines while it reviews MacKinnon’s arbitration order.
Cops find child porn trove in Fountain City
FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — A Fountain City man was arrested after sheriff’s officers searched his home on North Street for child pornography. Staniel A. Neverdahl, 37, was taken the Buffalo County jail. Investigators said Neverdahl admitted to downloading images of children in compromising situations. A check of Wisconsin court records found Neverdahl involved earlier only in a 2007 theft case in Menomonie and a 2010 misdemeanor disorderly conduct case, also in Menomonie.
Neverdahl. Faces one count alleging possession of child pornography.
Puzzle: What is sheen floating down Mississippi?
COON RAPIDS, Minn. – A mysterious sheen was spotted floating down the Mississippi River 20 miles upstream from Minneapolis. A few hours later a second sheen flowed by. Authorities hesitated to call it an oil spill, but oil does float on water – and the source was unknown. “We continue to gather information about the extent of the sheen and estimated volume,” the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said. Water in Minneapolis and St. Paul is safe to drink, the agency said. As a precaution, crews deployed booms keep the sheen from water intakes for both cities. The state Health Department also sampled the sheens. Tests were negative for any threat to municipal drinking water systems, the agency said.
Stabbing sentence: Six months behind bars
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced for a near-fatal stabbing on Christmas Day in 2021. Trashun Lacameron Haywood, 22, was ordered to five years prison, although Judge Christa Daily waived 4-1/2 years because, she said, Haywood eventually had admitted to the stabbing and expressed remorse.
Dredging alternative possible on Mississippi?
GUTTENBERG, Iowa – The Army Corps has proposed an experimental system to use currents in the Mississippi River itself to catch sediment before it piles up in the navigation channel. The idea is to reduce some of the need for dredging. The Corps asked for public comments by September19 for possible environmental effects. Queries. The pilot study would be in Pool 10 behind the Corps’ Dam at Guttenberg, specifically at McMillan Island near Glen Haven on the Wisconsin side. The Corps wants to learn the feasibility of channel management through what’s called “passive bedload sediment collection.” Sediment would be intercepted as it passes over the system.
Notable journalism
Michael Goldberg (Associated Press, August 20, 2024: “Ex-Officer Convicted in George Floyd’s Killing Is Moved to New Prison Nine Months after Stabbing”
Caden Perry (Winona Daily News, August 16, 2024): “Keeping the Spirit: WSU Preserves Iconoic ‘Spirit of the Heartland’ Shows”
Megan Zemple (KTTC, August 16, 2024): “Residents Express Concern Over New Mobile Home Ownership in Stewartville”
Winona Health golf event raises $120,000
Volunteers at the ready. Bonnie Woodford and Bev Keiper greet participants at the Winona Health Foundation’s Ben and Adith Miller Classic.
Proceeds help needy patients with hospital bills
WINONA, Minn. – Winona Health Foundation’s annual golf tournament at the Cedar Valley course raised $120,000 for medical care for needy patients. The proceeds go into a fund that last year helped 364 patients with $565,000 in financial assistance. Since it began in 1986, the fund has helped 8,200 people with $15.7 million.
Todd Keirstead. The pro golfer providing tips and demonstrating trick shots at the Ben and Adith Miller Classic.
News junkie quiz /4
> Why won’t Adam Fravel be tried in Winona for the murder of Maddy Kingsbury that occurred in Winona? Clue
> What does State Representative Steve Jacob, R-Elba, see as evidence that Minnesota is being Californicated? Clue
> Where is Minneapolis killer-cop Derek Chauvin receiving mail these days? Clue
>What clues may help identify the vandal responsible for the K-A-Z-I graffiti at Farmers Park? Clue
> What likely caused the huge fire at destroyed a major employer in Caledonia and critically burned a man inside? Clue
Earlier: News junkie quiz /3
Analyst sees battleground Wisconsin in play
NEW YORK — The senior political editor at NBC News, Mark Murray, now expects the presidential election to be close in Wisconsin. The late entry of Democrat Kamala Harris, replacing incumbent Joe Biden, has tightened the campaign season and rattled the GOP’s Donald Trump. “So far, the short campaign seems to be benefitting Harris and the Democrats,” Murray said. Further, he said, Democrats can expect momentum from their just-completed national convention in Chicago. Even so, Murray added, the Harris course in Wisconsin won’t be a cake walk. “How Harris is able to withstand when the going starts getting tough, to me, is one of the bigger developments we will have seen. History doesn’t provide clear indicators, he said: “Wisconsin was the tipping point state in 2016, it was the tipping point state in 2020, and it very well could play that role again in 2024, being the decisive state that pushes either the Democratic nominee or the Republican nominee across those 270 Electoral College vote.”
Murray. Senior NBC political editor.
News summary at mid-week: August 21, 2024
POLITICS: Minnesota polls find Harris-Walz moving ahead
POLITICS: Expert: Party money-meisters see MN-1 flip unlikely
POLITICS: Senator tries labeling Walz a Commie Pinko
REMEMBANCE: R.I.P.: Vivian Fusillo
CRIME: Brazen: Pop-up revelers pour into Farmers Park
CRIME: Bail set in violent LaCrosse kidnapping
INFERNO: Huge Caledonia fire blamed on stray welder’s spark
DEFACEMENT: A persistent grafitti vandal at Arches
Walz says yes to formal Democratic nomination
CHICAGO — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president in a speech that drew on community values he learned from growing up in a small Nebraska town. It was a place where people, no matter their differences, pulled together, Walz said; “They may not think like you do. They may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do. But they’re your neighbors, and you look out for your neighbors.” It was a model for broader American evolution that, he said, contrasts with the divisiveness, indeed meanness, being espoused by Republican s under Donald Trump. A television audience of 21.9 million was tuned in live. Walz used imagery from his early career as a high school football coach to extoll the qualities he sees in Democratic candidates nationwide, as well as his teaming with Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential choice: “We’re driving down the field and, boy, do we have the right team.” A sea of blue and red “Coach Walz” signs bobbed in frenzied enthusiasm throughout the huge United Center coliseum. Political observers praised the animated Walz oratory as evocative Americana that mixed themes of football and freedom. About women’s issues, Walz repeated his stump-speech putdown against government intrusion in personal medical decisions. There’s a golden rule,” he said: “Mind your own damn business.”
Resonating on Midwest Americana themes: Football and freedom. Walz likens the America he sees as a macrocosm of the values from his upbringing in tiny Butte, population 400, in Nebraska — “neighbors looking out for neighbors.” One supporter told the national Democratic convention about Walz as a young teacher in Butte. He took on a second job himself to raise money for a boy who had run up a school lunch bill that his family couldn’t pay.
Fravel murder trial site chosen: Mankato
WINONA, Minn. – The murder trial of Adam Fravel will be in Mankato with a jury chosen from Blue Earth County. The choice of a new venue had been awaited since June, when Judge Nancy Buytendorp of Winona agreed with Fravel’s attorney that a fair trial would be difficult if not impossible Winona. Judge Buytendorp laid out this schedule:
> September 3: A pre-trial conference, without a jury, will be at the Winona County Courthouse. Buytendorp will caucus with attorneys to sort through lingering issues.
> October 7: Jury selection will begin in Mankato with Judge Buytendorp presiding. A courtroom has been scheduled at the Blue Earth County Justice Center. Three weeks have been set aside for the trial.
Adam Fravel, age 30, has been charged with killing Madeline Kingsbury at their Winona townhouse in March 2023 and concealing her corpse 40 miles away in in the woods near Mabel, where be grew up. He was arrested after the body was found 10 weeks later. Emotions against Fravel ran high in Winona. His attorneys asked that the trial be relocated to a less prejudiced place. The new trial venue, in Mankato, is 140 miles from Winona. Both counties are in the Third Judicial District of Minnesota and operate with common practices and procedures under the same supervising judge in Rochester. For the trial Fravel will be relocated from his Winona cell to Mankato ahead of the trial.
Verbatim
Judge Buytendorp: “After careful consideration, the Court finds that Blue Earth County is best positioned to ensure the impartiality required for a fair trial and is well-suited to accommodate this Winona County case. Pretrial shall be held at the Winona County Courthouse.”
Elba GOP lawwmaker on Walz: A “far leftist”
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The national Trump campaign implored local supporters in public office to seek local airtime to offset news out of the four-day national Democratic convention in Chicago. State Representative Steve Jacob, R-Elba, arranged a sit-down interview at television station KTTC in Rochester. The interviewer pretty much let Jacob carry on as he bashed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, as a raging leftist. Jacobs, new in the Legislature, said he’s seen “far-left” policies implemented in St. Paul that are moving Minnesota closer to states like California — and he blamed Walz. “If you compare us to California, you know, we’ve actually exceeded California on a quite a few fronts, including energy where they were 100% wind and solar by 2045. Minnesota’s in line by 2040. So those are pretty extreme policies taking us to the left and away from traditional energy.” Republicans, he said, have been disadvantaged by Walz and Democratic majorities in both the Minnesota Senate and House. This week in particular, he said, Republicans are in an uphill battle against the stream of news from the Democrats in Chicago. The convention provides Democrats with a lot of momentum, he said.
Earlier: Minnesota polls find Harris-Walz moving ahead
Jacob. Elected from House District 20-B, which laps into the extreme northwest corner of Winona County.
Mayo proceeds to raze Ozmun, Lourdes
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic confirmed plans to demolish its Ozmun Complex downtown and the neighboring old Lourdes High School for a new facility. Demolition will be in Octuber. The new structure will house patient-care facilities and “staff-centric medical practices,” a spokesperson said. The target for completion: Mid-2025. The new building is part of a $5 billion Mayo plan with 2.4 million square feet of space by 2030.
Minneapolis killer-cop Chauvin to different prison
BIG SPRINGS, Texas – Four years after choking George Floyd to death and setting off race riots in Minneapolis and other cities, former police officer Derek Chauvin, a white man, has been moved to a Texas prison. Chauvin, age 48, had been at an Arizona prison where a fellow inmate stabbed and critically wounded him. The prison stabbing was in November. Chauvin’s attorney urged earlier that he be segregated from other prisoners for his own safety, but he wasn’t. The stabbing was at the high-security 1,200-inmate federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin’s new home is 650 miles away at the low-security 1,000-inmate Big Springs prison. Chauvin is serving a 22-1/2 year sentence.
Expert: Party money-meisters see MN-1 flip unlikely
WINONA, Minn. – Nobody seems much to expect great fireworks in southern Minnesota’s Congressional district in coming weeks. Both the Cook Political Report and Split Ticket rate MN-1 as Republican territory. Political scientist Matt Bosworth at Winona State University doubts that either political party will invest significant money for ad buys in the race. “Based on prior election cycles, we may see only one or two polls of CD-1 specifically all cycle.,” Bosworth said. “I would be very surprised if there were any major party cash infusions.” Republican voters gave first-term incumbent Brad Finstad, an anti-abortion Trump supporter, an easy victory in the party’s primary August 13. Democrat Rachel Bohman, a Rochester lawyer, was unopposed in the GOP primary.
Bosworth. Political scientist at Winona State.
Emergency, fire crews make 50 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 35 emergency medical calls plus 15 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, August 20: 5 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
> Monday, August 19: 8 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Sunday, August 18: 6 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Saturday, August 17: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Friday, August 16: 2 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Thursday, August 15: 4 medical calls plus 4 fire call.
> Wednesday, August 14: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 57 calls
Canada rail lines idled over labor issues
OTTAWA – The vast Canadian real network ceased operating when the nation’s two major rail companies locked out 9,000 employees in an escalating dispute with the Teamsters union. Both railroads, the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City, have extensive lines in the United States, but those trains will keep running – albeit without cargoes from Canada. The CN has a trunk through Wisconsin to Chicago and the Gulf. The CPKC has a trunk through Minnesota and down the Misssissippi River to the Gulf. Even with U.S. routes operating, the lockout was expected to be a blow to the bubbling U.S. economy. Billions of dollars in U.S.-bound cargoes went into limbo. Approximately 20% of U.S. trade first arrives at Canadian ports on the Pacific. These cargoes include fertilizer, iron ore, grain, cement, salt, potash, coal, cars, timber and containers loaded with consumer goods and parts used in manufacturing.
Why the lockout
The railroads claimed they acted to protect supply chains that were threatened by a possible Teamsters strike. The lockout was pre-emptive to head off an even more consequential disruption during the peak fall shipping period, the companies said. Both railroads had sought arbitration to end the dispute, but the government said no. Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said it was a “shared responsibility” of railroads and the union to negotiate in good faith.
Cop: Driver admits to alcoholic beverages
WILSON, Minn. – A police officer who stopped a car for speeding found the driver had been drinking too much, which he said she admitted. Arrested was Katie Rose Block, 35, of Rushford. Two checks of her blood-alcohol content — one roadside, the other at jail — showed 0.09%. The Minnesota impairment threshold is 0.08%. The stop was about 9:40 p.m. on State Highway 43 and Braeburn Road downhill from Wilson.
Arrest: A single OxyCodone pill will do it
WINONA, Minn. – A Wisconsin man being arrested on a warrant was found to be carrying OxyCodone. Brandon Dean Ottum, 39, of Arcadia, was taken to jail not only on the the warrant but also for the single OxyContin pill on his person, police said. OxyCodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. is a potent pain-killer. It’s available only by prescription and controlled carefully because of its addictiveness. The arrest was about 6:50 p.m. at Second and Chatfield streets just beyond Mankato Avenue on the Far East End.
Ottum. The officer asked, “Why this pill?”
Car careens into ramp at historic Laird building
WINONA, Minn. – A driver collided with another vehicle and ran up a sidewalk on Fifth Street and into the handicapped ramp at the historic and elegant Laird Norton building. The building itself was not damaged. The Winona State University art, design and sculpture classes, which use the first floor, were not affected. Since 2014 the building has been on the National Register of Historic Places. In the accident the errant car was heavily damaged, but no one was injured. The ramp too was damaged heavily too. The other car also was damaged. Cited for failure to yield was Johanna Isabela Ortega Sorto, 25, of Winona. The accident was about 3:15 p.m.
Laird Norton. At 125 West Fifth Street. Built in 1920 as national headquarters the immensely successful Laird Norton lumber company. The company itself dated to the 1850s.
Flanagan debuts on national political stage
CHICAGO – The Minnesota lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, opened he 2024 Democratic national convention with enthusiasm for the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ticket. As convention co-chair, it was Flanagan’s highest profile moment. She portrayed Walz as always at her back and always, she said, he would be at the backs of the American people.
Verbatim
Flanagan: “Our theme tonight is ‘For the People.’ We will hear from union leaders, civil rights advocates, and our fellow citizens. And we’ll hear from our president, Joe Biden, who has been a champion for the people for his entire life.
“My name in the Ojibwe language is Geji Waudamukwe or in English ‘Speaks with a Clear and Loud Voice Woman.’ I am a member of the White Earth Nation, and my family is the Wolf clan, and the role of our clan is to ensure that we never leave anyone behind. That is why I am supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
“For almost six years I have worked side by side with Governor Walz. I’ve seen how hard he has worked for Minnesota to be the best place for kids to grow up. He does it all with a big heart, a buffalo plaid jacket and a bottomless bag of snacks — Nutter Butters, cheese curds and Diet Dew. Every time we meet he brings me something for me because he always got my back, and when he’s vice president, he will always have yours. He and Kamala Harris have spent their lives fighting for you, for your family, for your future.
“Four years ago the CoVid epidemic upended our lives. My brother Ron was the second person to die of CoVid in the state of Tennessee. We couldn’t see him. We couldn’t have a memorial. And millions of American families went through the same thing. Our communities were suffering. Our economy was struggling. And Donald Trump was playing games. Our country was bought to the brink by his failure to respond. But the Biden-Harris Administration stepped in with quick and decisive action. They contained the virus, created millions of jobs, and invested in our nation’s future. Under their leadership, America began to heal.
Flanagan. Minnesota lieutenant gpvernor in greetings as co-chair of the Democratic national convention.
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