R.I.P.: Susan Zeller
PICKWICK, Minn. – Susan M. Zeller, age 77, of Pickwick, who was employed many years at Riverside Electronics, died at home. Sue was born in Winona.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1946-2024
August 2024 primary: House District 26-A
WINONA, Minn. – In her second bid for public office, Sarah Kruger won the Democratic slot on the November general election ballot over County Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli. On the Republican Republican side, City Council member Aaron Repinski led Wisconsin school teacher Stephen James Doerr.
> Sarah Kruger (Democrat): 2,162 (51%), 38 of 38 precincts.
> Dwight Voegeli (Democrat): 1,998 (48%),
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> Aaron Repinski (Republican): 2,247 (86%).
> Stephen James Doerr (Republican): 345 (13%).
August 2024 primary: Congressional District MN-1
WINONA, Minn. – New Ulm farmer Brad Finstad, in his first term in the U.S. House from southern Minnesota, won the Republican place on the November election ballot. Democrat Rachel Bohman, of Rochester, was unopposed..
> Brad Finstad (Republican): 19,218 (90%), 695 of 748 precincts.
> GregoryTweten (Republican): 1,684 (5%).
> Gregory Goetzman (Republican): 1,498 (4%)
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> Rachel Bohman (Democrat): 26,153 (100%).
August 2024 primary: U.S. Senate from Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Incumbent Amy Klobuchar in the U.S. Senate since 2007, won the Democratic spot on the November general election ballot. Among Republicans, former pro football player Royce White defeated Joe Fraser, a retired Navy intelligence officer.
> Amy Klobuchar (Democrat): 288,707 (94%), 85 of 87 counties.
> Steve Cason (Democrat): 9.332 (3%).
> Ahmad R. Hassan (Democrat): 4,813 (1%).
< Ole Savior (Democrat), 2,434 (0%).
> George H. Kalberer (Democrat):: 1,563 (0%).
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> Royce White (Republican): 70,233 (38%).
> Joe Fraser (Republican): 53,351 (29%).
> Raymond D. Peterson (Republican): 15,207(8%).
> Alycia R. Gruenhagen (Republican): 13,995 (7%).
> John Berman (Republican): 13,293 (7%).
> Patrick D.Munro (Republican): 8,843 (4%).
> Christopher Seymore (Republican): 4,742 (2%).
> Loner Blue (Republican): 2,592 (1%)
August 2024 primary: Congressional District MN-5
MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. House member Ilhan Omar once again staved off a primary challenge from Don Samuels in the MN-5 Congressional District primary election. Omar, 41, the first Somali-American ever elected to Congress, has represented the district since 2019 from the deeply Democratic inner ring of Minneapolis suburbs. With 99% of votes counted, Omar had. received 56% to Samuels’ 42%. Two years ago Omar defeated Samuels by only 2,500 votes. In this November’s upcoiming general election, Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi.
August 2024 primary: U.S. Senate for Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Republican businessman Eric Hovde easily won Wisconsin’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate and will face the two-term Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin in November. Baldwin was unopposed in the primary. Hovde won 437,000 votes for 86% in a three-way contest. Hovde had been endorsed by ex-President Donald Trump. The race is critical for control of the U.S. Senate. The Democratic and Republican national parties are expected to channel major resources into the upcoming campaigns. Baldwin has begun her attacks on Hovde as a carpet-begging millionaire California banker. Hovde has called Baldwin too liberal for Wisconsin. For Hovde it’s a second time around. He ran for the Senate in 2012 but lost in the primary.
August 2024 primary: Congressional District WI-3
MADISON, Wis. – Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a former small business owner and political fundraiser in Eau Claire. won the party’s western Wisconsin’s Thirdd Congressional District primary. Cooke, who is 36, will face one-term Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du. Hien in November. Cooke defeated state legislator Katrina Shankland and political newcomer Eric Wilson. Cooke ran for the WI-3 seat in 2022 but lost in the primary. VanOrden, a Trump supporter, advances to the November ballot by default because he had no intra-party challenger. The national Democratic Party sees Van Orden as vulnerable and is expected to target major resources against him. Until Van Oeden, WI-3 had been represented by a Democrat for 26 years, He flipped it. The Democratic primary totals with 93% of the votes counted:
> Rebecca Cooke, 38,600 (49%)
> Katrina Shankland, 33,200 (42%)
> Eric Wilson, 6,800 (8%)
Wisconsin governor to keep options with crisis funds
MADISON, Wis — Wisconsin voters rejected constitutional changes proposed by Republicans to limit the governor’s power to spend federal money for disaster relief. The rejection was a huge victoy for liberals in a state dominated by GOP office-holders and going for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, opposed the constitution change on grounds that the governor needs flexibiility in a crisis. With 80% of the vote reported, 58% of voters went with Evers.
August 2024 primary election: District 26-B
PRESTON, Minn. – One of he senior-most members of the Minnesota House, Republican Greg Davids, fended off an upstart challenger and will be on the November ballot from Fillmore and Houston counties. Davids defeated Gary Steuart of Mabel by 197 votes with 3,800 GOP vote cast. If re-elected in November, Davids, age 65, will be entering his 35th year in the House – not counting a one-term hiatus for the 2007-2008 term. Davids will be facing Allie Wolf, who defeated Eric Leitzen 1,551 to 421 in the Democratic primary.
Davids. A Preston insurance agent. Former mayor.
Cheese plant discharges bad chems but all OK
RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. – A chemical spill at the Foremost Farms cheese factory entered a tributary to the Pine River in southwest Wisconsin. Although hazardous, the chemicals diluted quickly and sufficiently and did not pose a threat the public, wildlife or the environment, said the county emergency management director. The chemicals were from a boiler in the 60-year-old plant. The chemicals entered a storm sewer but never reached the Pine River. The spill was about 2:30 p.m. The all-clear was issued 4-1/2 hours later.
Foremost Farms. A farmers’ co-op with plants in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Jury unanimous in Romskog Quarry executions
LACROSSE, Wis. – A man accused of three execution-style shootings at a remote quarry in 2021, all point-blank, was found guilty. The jury returned its verdicts against Nya Thao, after five hours of deliberation. Judge Elliott Levine ordered Thao be held at the LaCrosse jail until sentencing sometime in September or October. Besides three counts of first-degree murder, Thao was convicted of being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm. Thao showed no emotion as the verdicts were announced. The shootings were over a $600 debt. They occurred at the gate of the Romskog Quarry five miles up the bluffs from West Salem. Killed were Nemo Yang, Peng Lor and Trevor Maloney. They had been lined up late at night and shot.
Earlier: Bond at $1 million in quarry executions
Earlier: Eyewitness details horror at quarry executions
Earlier: Cuffed and shackled, murder suspects back to LaCrosse
Earlier: Role of Asian gangs in quarry executions?
Earlier: Second suspect arrested for quarry murders
Earlier: Cops catch one suspect in quarry murders
Earlier: Triple homicide victims all with LaCrosse links
Earlier: Sheriff shows photos of quarry murder victims
Earlier: Three men shot, killed at ridgetop quarry
Thao. Motionless as unanimous verdicts of guilty read by court clerk.
Earlier mistrial
Thao was tried in June 2023 but a mistrial was declared after jurors failed to come up with a unanimous verdict. Thao did not testify in the retrial. Nor did Khamthaneth Rattanasack, who earlier was convicted separately. Rattanasack was sentenced to prison for life in January with the possibility of release after 35 years. The sentence from Judge Levine, was nearly double sentencing guidelines.
Rattanasack. Already serving life term.
Truck, car collide; passenger hurt critically
ORONOCO, Minn. – A semi-truck driver and two people in a car were injured in a collision near the Zumbro River between Oronoco and Plainview. Taken i7 miles to a Rochester hospital were:
> Beverly Ruth Amlane, 73, of Rochester, a passenger a 2012 Toyota Prius, whose injuries appeared life-threatening.
> Charles Joseph Amlaner, 72, of Rochester, driver of the Prius, whose injuries appeared sustainable.
> Mohamed Mukhtar Abdi, 39, of Minneapolis, driver of a 2018 Freightliner Cascadia, whose injuries appeared sustainable.
Police said the Prius was northbound on U.S. Highway 63 and the Freightliner eastbound on Olmsted County Road 12. They collided in the intersection and ended up in the south ditch of State Highway 247. This was about 9:25 a.m.
How cops pre-empted yet another rural beer bash
Morning-after remnants. Beer cans and six-pack cardboard remained at the dead-end head of Beaver Creek Road after deputies routed 300 partiers north of ELba in the early early morning of August 4. Inexplicable is somebdy’s underwear atop a twig that survived the fire. The gate beyond this bonfire blocks off access to a state wildlife management area. There were, in fact, two bonfires at the turn-around. Image: Steve Lunde
Countermeasures foil Ridgeway beer-a-palooza
WINONA, Minn. – Score one for Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude. Ears to the ground, his agents picked up a tip that another massive drive-to beer bash was in the works near Ridgeway and headed it off. It was the first law-enforcement success to combat a series of large-scale parties at remote rural sites in recent months in Fillmore, Olmsted and Winona counties. The latest previous bash, on August 3 into the next morning, with 300 mostly drunk participants, was a mile up a narrow dirt hunters’ trail in the Beaver Creek coulee in far northwest Winona County. The Ridgeway bash would have been at another secluded site, this off Interstate 90 but hidden by woods. Ganrude said his staff planted messages online that cops would be watching. Also, a nearby property owner cooperated to thwart the gathering. A semi-truck was parked across the only access trail. Deputies patrolled the area, Ganrude said. Nobody showed. Even so, Ganrude said, the organizer of the bashes has proven impossible to identify. Clearly a party site was scouted beforehand, but the invitation spread through online webs that so far have prevented tracing the originator. There appears to be no commercial motive. Ganrude said the multi-county scope of the bashes had made interception difficult. At Beaver Creek, he noted, only a few partiers were from Winona County. Some had driven 70 miles to get there.
Ganrude. Sheriff since 2018. Thirty-eight years with deoartment. Earlier chief deputy. Grew up in neighboring Houston County.
Problematic parties
Participants follow social media directions to drive to the sites. Three or four hours later they doive out drunk on trails that are hard to navigate even in daylight. Also: The party bonfires put fields and woods at risk. There have been fights and injuries. Somebody at Beaver Creek brandished a gun, apparently in a drunken but nonetheless scary gesture.
Sunny skies encourage voting but not the calendar
WINONA, Minn. – Weather statewide began conducive for Minnesota voters to get to the polls for the August primary election. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and were to close at 8 p.m. Turnout was not expected to be high because, well, August is August, and many people are focused less on public affairs than on vacations, getting back to school, and weighing cuisine option at the upcoming state fair. In Winona County the most-watched match was between voter-reform activist Sarah Kruger and County Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli for the county’s Democratic slot for the Legislature on the general election ballot in November. Jeff Mueller, deputy chief sheriff, said officers have been briefed on responding to disturbances or irregularities at polls. No special or extra patrols have been assigned, Mueller said. Secretary of State Scott Simon’s has been posted for voters to find their polling place.
Winona ballots
Voters have choices to narrow the field of candidates for public offices. The choices are most striking for the U.S. Senate. Five Democrats are seeking their party’s place on November e ballot. These include incumbent Amy Klobuchar, who’s been in office since 2007 and has the state party’s endorsement. On the Republican side are eight contenders. These include former pro football player Royce White, who won the party’s endorsement at the state GOP convention 67% to 33% over retired Navy intelligence officer Joe Fraser.
U.S. Senate
> Steve Carlson, Democrat.
> Ahmad R. Hassan, Democrat
> George H, Kalberer, Democrat
> Amy Klobuchar, Democrat (incumbent)
> Ole Savior, Democrat
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> John Berman, Republican
> Loner Blue, Republican.
> Joe Fraser, Republican
> Alycia R. Gruenhagen, Republican
> Patrick D. Munro, Republican
> Raymond D. Petersen, Republican
> Christopher Seymore Sr., Republican
> Royce White, Republican
Congressional District MN-1
> Brad Finstad (Republican incumbent)
> Gregory Goetzman (Republican)
> Gregory Tweeten (Republican)
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> Rachel Bohman (Democrat)
State House District 26-A
> Sarah Kruger (Democrat)
> Dwayne Voegeli (Democrat)
—
> Stephen Doerr (Republican)
> Aaron Repinski (Republican)
Detailed campaign news: Link at Politics
If not drunk, why was driver so tipsy
WINONA, Minn. – Police who stopped a Winona driver were sure was high but a field sobriety test for blood-alcohol showed she was clean. Why then did she fail balance and dexterity tests and almost fall twice and had to be braced up by officers? Another officer, qualified as a drug recognition expert, was summoned. He suggested a judge be asked to sign a warrant for a blood draw. This was about 2 a.m. at U.S. Highway 61 and Orin Street. Meanwhile, officers found marijuana in one of the woman’s pockets. Kimberly Ann St. John 33, was charged with impaired driving.
WSU a 2024 football powerhouse? Probably not
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The preseason football coaches’ poll has placed Winna State University at seventh in the Northern Sun conference for the coming season. UM-Duluth led the poll with 134 weighted points. Next:
> Augustana, the defending league champion, 124.
> MSU-Mankato, 120.
> Wayne State of Nebraska, 116.
>Bemidji State, 112.
> MSU-Moorhead, 88.
> Winona State, 75.
Others: Sioux Falls, Northern State of South Dakota, Concordia of St. Paul, Southwest Monnesota State, Minot State, and Mary of Bismarck. The Winona State Bulldogs open September 5 with a nonconference game at home against Saginaw Valley State of Michigan.
Rattler lassoed in bluffs above Lock and Dam 5
MINNESOTA CITY, Minn. – The Winona police dispatcher continues to receive about a call a week for help with an unwanted rattlesnake. The most recent was about 7:40 p.m. in the 2300 block of Whitman Deering Drive north of Minnesota City. A trained snake-handler was summoned to corral the snake and take it far away from residential areas.
9mn handgun missing from glove box
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man reported a Sig Sauer P365 handgun missing from the glove box of his pickup. He told police he had last seen the handgun a week ago but hadn’t noticed it gone until Saturday. He’d been around town at several business stops in the meantime, he said. Police began a check of surveillance cameras at places the man had been. He said he wasn’t sure if he had locked he vehicle at his stops.
Brazen bicycle theft with bolt-cutter
WINONA, Minn. – Apparently oblivious to a security camera, couple drove up to the front of the Fleet Farm mega-hardware store. She took out a bolt cutter and a freed a bicycle chained to a post. The man loaded the bike into back of the SUV. They drove off. Alerted to the theft, police watched the sore security video and recognized thenthieves. Knock, knock. Officers went to the man’s place. He wouldn’t open but admitted his involvement through through the door. A few blocks away police found the woman. You giessed it, she was riding the stolen bicycle. Police confiscated bike. Ticketed were:
> Shonna Taneesha Booker, 34, with theft and damage to propery – the chain.
> Andrew Hansen Anderson, 34, abetting a theft.
Driver dies of injuries after two-car accident
WEST SALEM, Wis. – A Wisconsin man was injured fatally in a two-vehicle accident southwest of West Salem. David Helgesen, 75, died 16 miles away in a LaCrosse hospital. The accident was about 2:15 p.m. at the junction of of County Road M and County Road B. A passenger, Judy Bernett, 84, was injured. So too was the other driver, Joseph Northwood, 47, who was trapped in the wreckage and had to be cut out. Police said Helgesen had failed to yield the right of way.
Large Houston County day-care locks doors
SPRING GROVE, Minn. — The Little Gnome day-care center, licensed for 90 children, closed suddenly and without explanation — and left parents in a lurch. The center cared for children 6 weeks to 12 years. It was the largest not only in Spring Grove, population 1.200, bot for miles around. The closing was unexpected. Some employees had hunches there were financial troubles.
Privately owned. At 206 Second Avenue Northwest.
Fire chief: Take extra care tackling Sugar Loaf
WINONA, Minn. – After two emergencies with injured climbers in recent days at Sugar Loaf, Fire Chief Joel Corcoran issued a call for safety attentiveness. His message: Don’t rely entirely on even the best climbing gear. Corcoran said the climber in the latest fall, who suffered a ankle injury, was equipped with appropriate climbing gear. The climber. whose injuries included a broken ankle, was carried off the bluffs in a stokes basket and taken to the Winona hospital by an ambulance waiting at the trailhead.
Earlier: Twice now: Second serious fall at Sugar Loaf
Earlier: Hiker suffers multiple injuries in Sugar Loaf fall
News junkie quiz /2
> What tree-lined boulevard across Lake Winona is the formal gateway into downtown Winona? Clue (you may need to enlarge the map)
> What cruise line docked the only overnight river cruise boats at Winona this year? Clue
> What African animal is the namesake of the mussels that pose a growing environmental treat to Minnesota fisheries? Clue
> How recent was the Wisconsin Glacial Period that created the Driftfless region that spans southeast Minnesota? Clue
> What public office did Tim Walz hold before being eletced governor in 2018? Clue
Earlier: News junkie quiz /1
Late splash for Voegeli in 26-A campaign
WINONA, Minn. – The Minnesota AFL-CIO labor organization, which claims 300,00 members, made a late push for Winona legislative candidate Dwayne Voegeli. An oversize postal mailer arrived at most addresses the day ahead of the primary election. The message was aimed at working people: “Your Vote Matters.” The mailer bore a stock portrait of Voegeli and identified him as a teacher union member. “Let’s build on our historic progress by sending more DFL labor-endorsed lawmakers like Dwayne Voegeli to the State Capitol. Labor-endorsed candidates can be counted on to stand with working Minnesotans and not corporate lobbyists.” The same mailer went out statewide, each each customized with the local candidate’s photo and a blurb. The AFL-CIO said it paid for the mailers, which were “not coordinated with or approved by any candidate.”
No pro-worker monopoly. Voegeli’s primary ballot opponent, fellow Democrat Sarah Kruger, also has campaigned as friendly to the cause of working people. Kruger’s employment history, however, doesn’t include jobs with union representation. Even so, Kruger has support of the Inter-Faculty Organization, the collective bargaining agent for Minnesota State college profs. The IFO: “As a member of the Minnesota House, we are confident that Sarah will continue the leadership of Representative Gene Pelowski as a powerful advocate for policies that ensure that our institutions can continue to provide all students with an affordable, accessible, and excellent education. Her commitment to organized labor, her vision for a more equitable and inclusive educational system, and her willingness to do what it will take to win a close election make her the right candidate for our endorsement.”
Other AFL-CIO endorsements
AFL-CIO endorsements statewide include Amy Klobuchar for the U.S. Senate, Rachel Bohman for the MN-1 seat in Congress, and Dempcrats in almost all state House races including Voegeli in 26-A. Others included Michael Hutchinson in 20-B (Goodhue and Wabasha counties). There was no AFL-CIO endorsement in 20-A (Olmsted and Wabasha counties) or 26-B (Houston and Fillmore counties).
News in Winona can be costly — or free
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona Daily News, already with one of most expensive online subscription rates in the nation, announced a new and optional $10 add-on charge for ad-free access. To skip the ads will cost $36.99 a month. With ad comparisons:
> Winona Daily News: $26.99.
> Minneapolis Star Tribune: $12.99.
> St. Paul Pioneer Press: $14.
> Rochester Post Bulletin: $9.99
> New York Times: $3.99.
> Winona Post: Free.
> Television and radio in region: Free.
Earlier: Winona Daily News further downsizes
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