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.
Driver admits driving 30 miles drunk to get home
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man who admitted driving 30 miles home from a LaCrescent bar was charged with driving under the influence. Police found Gary Joeph Thesing, 63, behind the wheel at his home in the 300 block of Elmherst Street. . On his arrival home about 6:30 p.m. his wife called police. Yes, he said, he was drunk and that he had navigated the 30 miles home on Interstate 90 and U.S. 61
Bail set in violent LaCrosse kidnapping
LACROSSE, Wis. — Bail was set at $50,000 each for two men in a 2023 kidnapping in which an 84-year-old man was held captive in his basement and tortured. Both men have Kentucky connections. So does a woman, who’s still at large. Caleb M, Crocker, 27, was arraigned on charges of kidnapping, physical abusing an elderly person and causing bodily harm, intimidating a victim, and false imprisonment. The judge said that Crocker could be released on bail only if strapped with a GPS tracking device. Crocker remained in the LaCrosse County jail. The second man, Kyle J. Wedekind, 40, who faces the same charges, already is at the Kettle Moraine medium-security state prison on unrelated charges. The criminal complaints against Crocker and Wedekind added detail to earlier accounts on the kidnapping:
> Someone attempted to use the victim’s credit card at a Walmart in LaCrosse for three transactions totaling $2,000 but not before he card was invalidated.
> Someone attempted to cash a check from the victim for $780 but not before the account was closed.
Crocker. At LaCrosse County jail.
Wedekind. At state prison near Sheboygan in eastern Wisconsin.
Truck entered at marina, items stolen
WINONA, Minn. – A man returning from fishing on the Mississippi River found his truck had been entered and things stolen. Missing were batteries, a hedge trimmer, a knife, beer, and a Social Security card. The theft occurred Friday between 10:30 p.m. and 12 midnight, but the man didn’t report it right away. He told police that the truck’s doors didn’t latch properly. The truck had been parked at Dick’s Marina on Latsch Island.
Senator tries labeling Walz a Commie Pinko
WASHNGTON – Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, came close to calling Minnesota Governor an enemy agent of the Chinese government. In a Fox News interview Johnson alleged that Walz has ties to China that are red flags to his being a “radical leftist.” The attack was the latest GOP attack on Walz, a Democrat, since became the running mate of Kamala Harris for the U.S. presidency. Johnson’s insinuation was widely ridiculed as an outlandish extrapolation from disparate evidence. It further branded him as easily duped by GOP colleagues to float things that would embarrass them to do themselves. Even so, Johnson promised Congressional hearings. “The House is going to investigate it now,” Johnson said. “It’s very strange. He got married on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square. He’s gone to China. He’s taught in China. He’s got deep connections to China.” Johnson didn’t say where he did his homework on Walz. Nor did he offer any evidence that Walz engaged in any political activity in China.
Wherein lies truth
FACT CHECK: Walz spent a year out of college and taught English and American history as part of the WorldTeach program.
FACT CHECK: Walz and Gwen Whipple married on June 4, 1994, as did 700,000 other Americans on U.S. soil on that date.
FACT CHECK: The marriage coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Tianamen Square massacre, but the massacre was such a black mark on Chinese government excesses that it’s a taboo subject in official circles , much less celebrated.
FACT CHECK: Although Walz has been to about 30 times to China, he has been consistently critical of the ruling Communist Party, as well as of China’s trade practices and growing aggression in the South China Sea.
The Harris campaign says the Walz’s knowledge and experience on China makes him an asset in charting intelligent paths for U.S. foreign policy.
Johnson. Again on outrageous fringe.
R.I.P.: Vivian Fusillo
WINONA, Minn. – Vivian Rosemary Fusillo, the grand dame of Winona theater, died peacefully at age 97. She is survived by her partner of 55 years, Winona aviator George Bolon. She joined the Winona State faculty in 1968. She directed more than 100 plays of every genre. Her children’s shows played to 5,000 school children annually. She pushed the boundaries of performance with her experimental Theatre of the Mind program that put students and townspeople into immersive experiences. She inspired generations of students. One student, Mark Steven Johnson, whose screenplay for the1993 movie “Grumpy Old Men,” was inspired by Fusillo for the character played by Ann-Margret and also the 1995 sequel. When s=Fusillo retired at Winona State in 1998, the university christened the Performing Arts Center main stage in her name. She documented her life in a memoir in 2022: “Stories Along the Yellow Brick Road.”
1927-2024
Her early years
Vivian Fusillo was born tiny Bogue, Kansas, and grew up during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Her father was the town barber. She played accordion and sang for city events. Her mother, who was musically inclined, encouraged her daughter to look beyond their rural life. At Marymount College she was the first student in the theater program and was the lead in most productions. Later she helped create costumes at the Shakespeare company in Stratford-upon-Avon. Among those who wore her work: Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Her love of fashion informed her signature clothes that she would design throughout her life. She always was flashy and bejeweled and in a hurry: “I cannot control how I am perceived; I can only control how I am presented.” She was remarkable for her beauty and endearing personality. She caught the eye of celebrity photographer Richard Avedon, who photographed her in New York City. From Elizabeth Taylor she received a necklace that still sits on a stuffed teddy bear in her bedroom.
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
A persistent grafitti vandal at Arches
LEWISTON, Minn. – A graffitist is taunting authorities with repeat performances at a highway underpass near Farmers Park and by expanding to historic stone railway bridge abutments nearby. Just days after a state highway crew painted over graffiti at Lady Slipper Drive underpass on U.S. Highway 14, the vandal was back. this time with fluorescent spray and just the letters “KAZI.” A few yards away “KAZI” also defaced a historic railroad bridge abutment that was hand-built in 1892 of coursed-ashlar limestone. Half a mile away the same “KAZI “was sprayed on the iconic stone-arch Arches landmark. The stone brudgeb also oisn the railroad and an important element in the early development of Winona County’s transportation system. The stone bridges are example of 19th-century bridge engineering. Apparently KAZI gives not a damn for heritage.
What K-A-Z-I means
Is a message hidden in the Arches graffiti? Perhaps the vandal’s initials? It’s a mystery. “Kazi” s a family name among Muslims in South Asia, coming from an Arabic word meaning “judge.” It also is a Slavic girl’s name that translates as “respect.”
Iconic bridge. Stone bridges at the Arches are example of 19th century bridge engineering. Although the same engineering was used on other Winona & St. Peter Railroad bridges between Winona and Rochester, none are are as massive or as visually striking as those at the Arches. Image: Steve Lunde
R.I.P.: Virginia Julian
CHATFIELD, Minn. — Virginia M. Julian, age 87, who lived in Chatfield most her life, died at Olmsted Community Hospital in Rochester. She was a 1955 graduate of Chatfield High School. She was a Cub Scout den mother, a Brownie troop leader, and a catechism teacher.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1937-2024
Car crash linked to Farmers Park beer bash?
DOVER, Minn. – A car driven by a juvenile crashed into the side of a house in Dover about 2:45 a.m. He was drunk, police said. The driver, age 17, from nearby Eyota, was taken 20 miles to a Rochester hospital. It was believed that nobody else was in the car. Nobody in the house, on West Center Street, was injured. It was not determined immediately whether the youth had been at large beer bash at Farmers Park near Lewiston, 17 miles away in Winona County. The bash, which broke up around midnight, drew a mostly underage crowd from far and wide, including, said deputies, some from Dover.
Brazen: Pop-up revelers pour into Farmers Park
A Winona County treasure. Historically a get-away community gatherings. Reservations required for pavilions but otherwise free. Images: Steve Lunde
Crowd size: 100-plus; many already gone
LEWISTON, Minn. – Another large drive-in beer bash in the woods, this one in Farmer Park, the third of the season in Winona County, was caught early by deputies. The revelers somehow had been forewarned tyat deputies were on their way. As drove in, the revelers were driving of the 38-acre fenced park on Garvin Brook. Deputies estimated 50 cars were still on-site. It was still early for these kinds of gathering — about 11:55 p.m. Deputies said nobody was belligerent. The party matched the description of Snapchat-arranged parties that have a law enforcement for moths in Fillmore, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties. This time, however, the event was in a public park, albeit after hours, and just off the major U.S. Highway14 thoroughfare – a brazen choice, unlike predecessor pop-up parties at secluded rural sites. Like eakier parties, many participants had driven quite a ways. Several were identied from Rochester and the Dover area in Olmsted County.There were no arrests.
The tip
The party missed the new early warning system that law enforcement units have patched together to intercept parties. In this case he first tip was about 11:55 p.n. A girl phoned from the Kwik Trip in Lewiston, three miles away, that she had been whacked across the face. There also were other assaults, she said. She declined to file a complaint or seek medical assistance
Office response
Three deputies were on duty in the county. One was already on another call. Two went Farmers Park. Because it was clear to the deputies that the party was self-dispersing, the deputies didn’t call for backup. There were no arrests.
Related incident?
At 4:05 a.m. deputies found a 41-yer-old Lanesboro woman drunk at the remote Dutchman’s Crossing on the railroad tracks two miles above Famers Park. She had an injury on her head, and was taken 16 miles to the Winona hospital. Deputies were unsure whether she had been at the Farmers Park party that had begun breaking up four hours earlier 1-1/2 miles down the tracks.
Earlier: New tactics for thwarting rural beer busts
Earlier: How cops pre-empted yet another rural beer bash
Earlier: Cops caucus on early alerts for beer blowouts
Historic rail bridge. At Farmers Park. Arches give neighborhood its name – The Arches. One arch spans a Garvin Brook tributary. The other arch spans the old, winding and former path of U.S. Highway 14.
Farmers Park profile
Farmers Park is a county-owned picnic and recreation place on Garvin Brook between Lewiston and Stockton. It’s heavily used for community gatherings and birthday, anniversary and graduation parties. Lodges and pavilions can be reserved. Playgrounds include a softball diamond. Horseshoes anyone?
C. Garvin and his wife Louise donated the tract in 1925 – 15 acres along Garvin Brook and 28 acres of forested hillside. The historic Winona & St. Peter Railroad built a rock-faced semicircular arch bridge in 1882. The bridge still marks the set. The nearby residential enclave s called The Arches. Trains still struggle on a 4% grade on a hillside above the park.
In 1976 the little governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, introduced himself picnicking Democrats at Farmers Park: “My name is Jimmy Carter, and I am running for President.” He went on to be the 39th president of the United States. Historically the park has hosted the county Democrats annual picnic and the summer Farm Bureau congregations. Parking is aplenty. The park is closed in winter and at dark in warm months. There is no resident caretaker.
Minnesota polls find Harris-Walz moving ahead
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the White House has widened its lead in Minnesota, according to recent polls. One of the published polls puts them ahead 10 points. Here are polls going back to mid-June, the most recent first:
> July 31-August 3: Harris 46%, Trump 41%. Sample 537 likely voters. By Redfield & Wilton Strategies. For the London Telegraph.
> July 23-July 5: Harris 50%, Trump 40%. 656 likely voters. By SurveyUSA. For television stations KSTP, KAAL and WDIO.
> July 22-July 24; Harris 44%, Trump 41%. 475 likely voters. By Redfield & Wilton, Telegraph.
> July 22-25: Harris 52%, Trump 46%. 1,071 registered voters. By Beacon Research / Shaw & Company Research. For Fox News.
> June 13-18: Trump 42%, Biden 41%. 1,000 registered voters. By Emerson College. For the newsletter The Hill.
> June 12-18; Biden 51%, Trump 48%. 1,000 registered voters. By Emerson College. For The Hill.
> June 12-June 17. Biden 47%, Trump 41%. 626 likely voters. By SurveyUSA. For KSTP, KAAL and WDIO.
Poll reliability
Polls are not predictive but rather snapshots at the moment. These all are trusted media-commissioned polls by survey companies. Most of the polls, going back to June, show Trump more than the usual three-point to four-point statistical margin of error.
Secret polling
Political parties, candidates and action committees conduct private polls for internal decision-making. These polls guide media buys and where to channel party funds. These polls are not published, but the polling companies are committed to public corrections of any inaccuracy or distortions by candidate or anyone else.
Huge Caledonia fire blamed on stray welder’s spark
Desperate drenching tactic. Firefighters on an aerial ladder aim into flames to slow the out-of-control fire at the Joe Rud trucking operation. The fire burned into the night.
Welder critically burned as paints exploded
As sun setting. Caledonia volunteer firefighters target remaining hot spots from heir aerial ladder truck.
Tallest rmainjng remnant. Heat-bent and twisted and at Joe Rud Trucking complex. Inside was a body shop where trucks eere repired and fixed.
Pulling, pushing, Firefighters not manning hoses struggle to save one vehicle at rime from inferno. Most were lost.
CALEDONIA, Minn. – Townspeople have a pretty good feel for what triggered the massive fire that wiped out the Joe Rud trucking facility over the weekend. It started from a welding spark next to the body and paint shop inside the sprawling structure. On his own tome, as was his habit, Joe Taylor, 40, of Caledonia, was working on a stock-car racer when a spark ignited a paint can. The flames exploded other paint and spread to fuel tanks on trucks and other vehicles, including a classic car collection. Stacks of tires caught fire. This was about 8 p.m. Hundreds of people leaving the nearby Houston County Fair witnessed the explosions, one after the other. Then they saw a med-evac helicppter drop down and fly Taylor to emergency medical care. Flames shot 80 feet and propelled thick black plumes of smoke upward. Volunteer fire crews scrambled to Caledonia, one of them from 20 miles away in New Albin, Iowa. From a telescoping ladder, two firefighters aimed water down into the fire. Other units worked from the ground to cool he fire. The neighboring Sno Pac plant, which processes local organic crops, was spared.
Cops: She offered us dope, we busted her
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona woman was charged with possessing a controlled substance after an odd confrontation with police. Responding to a citizen call about a suspicious person, officers found Amy Michelle Brown, 48. In the course of a conversation, officers said, Brown held up a folded sheet paper and said it didn’t look or smell right, It was from someone whose name was Shanna, she said. Then, according to the officers, she asked if they wanted some dope. They took Brown to jail. The substance tested as 0.05 grams of meth, officers said. This was about 12:20 a.m. in the 350 block of Front Street.
Brown. “Stuff looks, smells bad, but wanta try anyway.”
R.I.P.: Ronald James Schultz
LEWISTON, Minn. – Ronald James Schultz, 55 of Lewiston, who had retailing careers at Shopko and later at Target, died at a Mayo hospital in Rochester. He graduated from Onalaska High School and Winona State University. He was active with the Scouts.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1969-2024
Witnesses: Watching video? Only the half of it
WINONA, Minn. – A homeless Winona man, Brently Steven Johnson, 61, was arrested after passersby at Levee Park reported him self-pleasurizing carnally in public. It was Johnson’s second arrest in a month for indecent exposure. This was about12:45 a.m. When police arrived, they said Johnson’s hands were down inside hhis trousers. He explained he was playing a video game. Not so, according to four witnesses, who said they were 15 feet away and saw too much
]ohnson. Charge: Lewd public exposure.
News summary at week’s end: August 17, 2024
POLICING: New tactics for thwarting rural beer busts
POLICING: Minnesota crime frequency in dramatic drop
INFERNO: Over-road trucking complex explodes ”like volcano”
RIVER: Flooding hurt Winona’s June, July tourism
COLLEGES: Southeast State searches for student affairs exec
CRIME: Sex trial delayed for high school coach
CRIME: Trio named in November torture of LaCrosse man
CRIME: Police taser, halt fleeing man on Mankato Avenue
CRIME: Winona man accused of ongoing teen sex
CRIME: Random encounter: “Wanta share meth with me?”
ACCIDENT: Teen dies in crash into bridge abutment
Citation issued for borderline blood-alcohol level
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona driver, Andrew Jacob Bowers, age 34, was cited for drunken driving in a speeding stop downtown at Fifth and Winona streets. A breath test showed 0.08% blood-alcohol. Although barely into the legal impairment level, Bowers’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his speech slurred and his gait uneven, police said. Also he failed roadside sobriety exercises, police said. The stop was about 11:05 p.m.
Biker punches mower for cuttings on county road
LEWISTON, Minn. – A man mowing grass on a backroad reported being punched in the face by a motorcyclist who stopped, threw the punch, then drove off. The man told deputies that the biker had objected to grass being blown on the right-of-way and posing a hazard. This was about 11:30 a.m. on County Road 109 south of Fremont. The man told a deputy he didn’t want to pursue a criminal complaint.
Perdue recall: Chicken may have metal embeds
SALISBURY Md. – Frozen chicken nuggets and tenders shipped to grocery stores by Maryland-based Perdue Foods may contain thin strands of metal wire and have been recalled. It’s a huge recall: 167,000 pounds. Packages also may have been sold online, the company said. Jeff Shaw, a Perdue vice president, said that no ill effects have been reported from the “inadvertently introduced” stray meal in manufacturing. Recalled:
> 22-ounce packages of Perdue Simply Smart Organics breaded chicken breast nuggets.
> 29-ounce packages of Perdue chicken breast tenders.
> 22-ounce packages of Butcherbox Organic Chicken breast nuggets.
Chicken metallica. The suspect products carry a March 2025 best-if-used-by-date, which means that many consumers likely have it n home freezers.
Southeast State searches for student affairs exec
WINONA, Minn. – The search for a new student affairs president at State College Southeast has narrowed to three finalists. Open campus interviews begin next week:
> Rachel Erkkila. At the five-campus Des Moines Community College for 17years, currently dean of enrollment management. Has been registrar at Walden University in Minneapolis and at Dakota County Technical College. Holds degrees from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Augsburg University, Metropolitan State and Iowa State University. Her doctoral research centered on career decisions of women entering male-dominated technical fields. Experienced in fund-raising. Open interview: Friday at 10:30 a.m.
> Kristy Lisle. Earlier executive vice president of instruction at Foothill College, vice president of academic and student affairs at Kennedy-King College, and assistant dean at Fairfield University. Her experience includes academic leadership, enrollment management, budget oversight, and community outreach. Holds a doctorate in educational leadership. Has taught courses in education and visual art. Open interview: August 27 at 2:45 p.m.
> Amy Maxeiner. Vice president for instruction at Black Hawk College in Illinois since 2016. Earlier at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois. as taught physical therapy at Northern Illinois University and University of Illinois-Chicago. Holds degrees from Marquette University and Northern Illinois. Open interview: August 22 at 10:30 a.m.
The position has been vacant since mid-summer when Mark Johnson resignged to become academic dean at Hennepin County College in Brooklyn Park. Johnson had been at Southeast 10 months.
Minnesota crime frequency in dramatic drop
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Violent crime in Minnesota declined 6.9% in 2023, according to the latest annual compilation by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The breakdown for violent crimes:
> Murders: 181, roughly the same as 182 the year before.
> Aggravated assaults: 9,986, 3.4% fewer.
> Rapes: 2,052, almost 12% fewer.
Among other categories: Car thefts, down almost 7%; carjackings, down 38%. The number of larceny cases, 72,700, was the lowest in 55 years. There were 180 bias crimes. Officer-involved shootings totaled 16, two fewer. Assaults on police totaled 961, a 1% increase.
Detail: The 84-page report
State Fair’s food fare /18
August 22 to September 2
Turkey kristo. Texas toast, sliced turkey, white cheddar cheese, apple butter and spicy brown mustard mayo, dusted with powdered sugar. Vegetarian option available. At Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, on the north side of Dan Patch Avenue between Cooper & Cosgrove streets.
Walking shepherd’s pie. Two handmade hot pastries filled with braised ground beef, mashed potatoes and a blend of onions, carrots and peas tossed in herb gravy. At O’Gara’s at the Fair on the southwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue & Cosgrove Street.
Wrangler waffle burger. Fresh all-beef patty and signature Whataburger Patty Melt Sauce layered with American cheese and served in a caramelized onion-infused Nordic Waffle. At Wrangler Waffle Burger at Nordic Waffles at the West End Market, south section.
Earlier: State Fair’s food fare /17
Football: Can WSU avenge 2023’s Saginaw loss
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State Warriors football season begins against perennial nonconference rival Saginaw Valley State of Michigan. It’s a home game for the Warriors. Last year Saginaw won 34-24 and went on to a 6-5 record. Winona State finished 5-6. The schedule:
> Saginaw Valley State, September 5, at Winona. 7 p.m. (nonconference).
> Concordia, September 14, at St. Paul, 6:30 p.m.
Wayne State, of Nebraska, September 21, at Winona, 1 p.m.
> Northern State, September 28, at Aberdeen, 6 p.m.
> MSU-Moorhead, October 5, at Winona, 1 p.m.
> Mary, of Bismarck, October 12, at Winona, 2 p.m.
> Augustana, October 19, at Sioux Falls. 1 p.m.
> Bemidji State, October 26, at Winona, 1 p.m.
> UM-Duluth, November 3, at Winona, 1 p.m.
> Southwest Minnesota State, November 9, at Marshall, 11 a.m.
> Minot State. November 16, at Minot, 1 p.m.
Over-road trucking complex explodes ”like volcano”
Nothing much recognizable. Joe Rud Trucking 525 Enterprise Lane. Gone are service garages, offices, transfer stations.
Horribly burned man airlifted to Madison
CALEDONIA, Minn – Fire leveled the Joe Rud long-distance trucking complex south of town. One man was airlifted 130 miles to the burn trauma unit at University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison. It was not known immediately if others were injured. The fire erupted about 8 p.m. It “exploded like a volcano — one fireball after another,” said one witness. Employees and others drove as many vehicles as they could, including 18-wheelers, out of the inferno. The burned man, James Taylor, 40, of Caledonia, was believed to be an employee. The cause of fire was not determined immediately. Nothing was left of the structures, mostly metal building, hat comprised the complex.
Gruesome spectacle, Off-shift employees watch helplessly from afar. Image: Jim Reed
Company profile
Jue Rud Truckking has a fleet of 30 trucks and is licensed to haul non-hazardous cargo. Records show the company’s tucks travel 2.5 million miles a year. The company, in Caledonia, population 2,800, is one one largest employers in Houston County in southeast Minnesota. There are 70-some employees.
Steam sets off hotel alarms; guests evacuate
WINONA, Minn. – The Holiday Inn Express in the East End hotel district on U.S. Hghway 61 was evacuated after fire alarms sounded. Firefighters found the guests huddled outside. The fire crew checked the three-story 60-room building and determined that steam from a laundry room had set off the alarms. This was about 7 p.m.
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