How they voted: On weapons, humanitarian aid /5
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate voted 79-18 for a $95 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The bill also included sanctions on Iran and a measure that could lead to a ban on the Chinese-owned social platform TikTok. President Joe Biden was expected to sign the bill. Here is how the Minnesota and Wisconsin delegations voted.
For war aid package
> Tammy Baldwin, D-WIs.
> Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
> Tina Smith, D-Minn.
Against
> Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Senator arraigned for burglary, released
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – For State Senator Nichole Mitchell, orange is the new black. The Woodbury Democrat made her first court appearance on a burglary charge in an orange jail jumpsuit – a day after being arrested, dressed head to toe all in black, after climbing through a back window in a Detroit Lake house during the night with a backpack. Yes, the backpack was black too. Mitchelllooked tense e during her brief court appearance before Becker County Judge Gretchen Thilmony. Mitchell acknowledged that she understoood the charge. Judge Thilmony released her pending a further hearing. Conditions for release included that she not contact her stepmother, in whose house she was arrested.
Winona inmate charged for jail disturbance
WINONA, Minn. – An assault charge was filed against a Winona man for a cellblock disturbance at the jail in December. The criminal complaint says that James Edwin Gordy, 51, had been uncooperative with a jailer taking him from a cell and then cocked an arm to strike a deputy. A second deputy took Gordy to the floor. He criminal complaint was delayed because the investigation was turned over to authorities in neighboring Fillmore County for an independent external review. The Fillmore County prosecutor recommended the assault charge.
Gordy. Charged with acting out displeasure at incarceration.
Firefighters find charred wire in Goodview fire
GOODVIEW, Minn. – Winona and Goodview fire crews put out an attic fire at a house in the 4300 block f West Sanborn Street. There were no injuries. The fire was about 1:30 p.m. Tentatively blamed was a ground wire running from a fuse paned to a water pipe.
Senator’s sentimental explanation for burglary
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — State Senator Nicole Mitchell, who has been charged with burglary, said she broke inti her stepmother’s house to retrieve her father’s cremated ashes, photographs, a flannel shirt and other personal items by which to remember him. Mitchell was arrested inside the house in the early hours Monday. Mitchell said she and her stepmother have a rocky relationship. Apparently Mitchell had entered the house through a propped-open basement window. The stepmother heard an intruder and called 911. An arresting officer quoted Mitchell telling her stepmother: “I was just trying to get a couple of my dad’s things because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.” Her father died a year ago at age 72. He and Mitchell’s stepmother had been married 40 years.
Black garb for the job
There seems no doubt that Mitchell was in the house surreptitiously. She was dressed all in black and wearing a black hat, She had a flashlight that was covered with a black sock, apparently modified to control the amount of light coming from it, police said. She also was carrying a black backpack. In an online post Mitchel implied she sought what was due her and not stealing., Even so, she added: “I know I did something bad.” Mitchell, 49, has bene charged with first-degre burglary. About beig caught, an officer quoted Mjtchell at the scene: “Clearly I’m not good at this.”
Mitchell. Known in Twin Cities as a broadcast meteorologist with KSTP, Minnesota Public Radio and the Weather Channel before being elected to the State Senate in 2022. Also a meteorology officer, a lieutenant colonel. with the Minnesota Air National Guard. In the Senate she represents District 47, which comprises Woodbury and other east St. Paul suburbs.
Stealth tracking leads to drug arrests
LACROSSE, Wis. – A Winona County sheriff’s narcotics investigator spotted two men, both suspected drug-dealers, engaged in what he said looked to be a transaction on the East End of Winona. The investigator followed the car 30 miles to LaCrosse and alerted LaCrosse police. The driver was arrested by LaCrosse officers and charged with possession of fentanyl.
Pedestrian death on Mankato still in limbo
WINONA, Minn. – Police still were awaiting reports from other agencies before proceeding with a possible case against the driver in a fatal accident at the Mankato Avenue railroad crossing 5-1/2 weeks ago. Also waiting, with anxiety, is the 41-year-old Winona driver who struck the pedestrian. The delay is due partly to toxicology tests being run by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. These complex tests can six weeks. Without a toxicology report, the regional medical examiner is reluctant to sign off on an autopsy. Meanwhile the State Patrol also is holding off on issuing its reconstruction of the accident. The victim,Elizabeth Carol Ressie, 41, of Winona, died in hospital 12 days after the accident.
Earlier: Pedestrian dies from March 16 injuries
Questions loom at state senator’s burglary arrest
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The State Capitol was abuzz that State Senator Nicole Mitchell was in jail in Detroit Lakes for house burglary. It was the same at the state National Guard headquarters. Mitchell was commander of the Air Guard’s meteorology wing. Nobody knew much except that Mitchell, 47, had been arrested early Monday. At the Capitol there was special concern among Democrats that their majority could be in jeopardy. Mitchell is a Democrat from Woodbury. Of 67 seats in the Senate, Democrat-Republican margin is 34-33. There many questions:
> What was Mitchell doing in Detroit Lakes in far western Minnesota.
> What possibly could explain the burglary charge.
> Would Mitchell be available for key Senate votes as the 2024 Legislature moves into its final weeks.
> Who has in interim command of the Air Guard’s 126th Weather Flight.
Mitchell, mother of three, was two years into her first Senate term.
Winona unit on high-security traffic control
DRESBACH, Minn. – A five-man Winona sheriff’s contingent assisted the State Patrol with traffic control for the LaCrosse visit of Vice President Kamala Harris. The mission: Block Interstate 90 at the Dresbach bridge over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin. This gave the Harris motorcade a clear path from the French Island airport across I-90 into LaCrosse. The uniformed Winona contingent, led by a deputy, included two volunteers from the sheriff’s mounted posse and two volunteers from the search and rescue unit. Harris was on the ground about two hours.
Vice President talks up women’s rights
Campaigning in LaCrosse. Harris made her third 2024 presidential campaign visit in Wisconsin – her first in LaCrosse. Her message was women’s health, including abortion rights, and also improved staffing in the healthcare industry.
Harris: Most Wisconsinites favor abortion reform
LACROSSE, Wis. – Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden Administration holds moral high ground on abortions as an issue in the 2024 election. Harris told a LaCrosse Center audience: “What I’m finding is that more and more people will openly agree that one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government shouldn’t tell her what to do with her body.” Harris has become the leading Biden campaign surrogate on abortion. Meanwhile in Washington. Biden announced a new rule to protect the privacy of people seeking reproductive health care.
Abortion poll
The most recent Marquette Poll shows a majority of Wisconsin voters disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had made abortion a woman’s human right. The Poll asked voters whether they support a 15-week national ban on abortion with certain exceptions and found 54% support. The Poll found that Wisconsin Democrats view abortion as their top issue.
Presidential race
The Marquette Poll is showing the presidential race a statistical dead-heat in Wisconsin between President Biden and ex-President Trump. Trump led 51% to 49% among registered and likely voters. The margin of error: 5 percentage points.
Sex charges pile up for Rochester jail officer
MINNEAPOLIS — An Olmsted County jail deputy pleaded not guilty to federal charges of producing distributing and possessing child pornography. Mathew Richard Adamson, 45, of Rochester, also pleaded not guilty to coercing and enticing a minor for sex. Court documents allege Adamson produced child pornography involving barely pubescent girls over eight years beginning in 2015. After entering his plea in federal court, Adamson was released pending a pretrial hearing in June. Meanwhile, Adamson also faces local charges in Rochester from a polices sting in November. He was accused of attempting to solicit sex from an undercover officer who he was led to believe believed was a minor.
Woman accused as Lake City ski-mask bandit
WABASHA, Minn. – A Zumbro Falls woman was arrested and arraigned for a home invasion in which a couple was threatened with a gun, knife and a billy club in Lake City. Polly Marie Calhoun, 41, was charged with first-degree burglary with a dangerous weapon. A woman in a ski mask had held the man and woman in their house for 3-1/2 hours and demanded money. Eventually the woman got away with $400. Calhoun was arrested 19 miles away at her rural home near Zumbro Falls. Wabasha County deputies had gone to the house and found a straight-blade knife and a box for a police-style billy club. They also found clothes matching the description of what the Lake City intruder was wearing. “What about a ski mask?” the deputies asked. They said Calhoun pointed them to her car. Sure enough: They found a ski mask.
Calhoun. A fringe player jn Democatic politics with a fervant distaste for ex-President Trump. Sometimes fancied herself as “SuperPolyGrip” and participated in Principles First party activities. On her social media site she shared several years ago being in a “a dark place.”
Hospital faults criticism over patient death
WINONA, Minn. — A State Health Department report that blamed nursing lapses and bad judgement for a patient’s death at Watkins Manor will be appealed. Winona Health, which operates Watkins Manor, said the state report findings were wrong: “We firmly disagree with this determination and are appealing.” The death, in July, was a patient in palliative care. Winona Health called the death “an extremely difficult and sad situation for all.”
Cops: State senator found burglarizing house
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – Police arrested State Senator Nicole Mitchell inside a Detroit Lake house before dawn and booked her for burglary. Police took a 911 call that a burglary was progress at a Granger Road address near the high school. Inside police found Mitchell, dressed in black. This as about 4:45 a.m. Mitchell, in her first term in the Senate, was 220 miles from home in the St. Paul east suburb of Woodbury. She has training as a meteorologist. In the Minnesota Air National Guard she commands the 126th Weather Flight. Mitchell, age 47, holds a law degree from Georgia State University.
Mitchell. A Democrat. On these Senate committees: Elections, Environment, Human Services, Veterans.
Spring emerges full color up a coulee
Gently trumpeting daffodils.With dainty-faced vincas at the foot of a river birch that patiently awaits its own time to bud. Image: Steve Lunde
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 11, Southwest Minnesota State 8
Baseball: UW-Whitewater 10, UW-LaCrosse 7
Baseball: UW-Whitewater 10, UW-LaCrosse 2
Softball: Winona State 11, Southwest Minnesota State 0
Softball: Winona State 0, Southwest Minnesota State 0
Occupant suffers smoke injuries in trailer fire
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A 70-year-old Rochester woman suffered smoke inhalation when her 1983-vintage motor home caught fire. She was hospitalized and expected to recover. The fire was about 7:30 p.m. in the southwest Marion area. A house 30 feet away was undamaged. Firefighters blamed the fire on an exterior outlet panel. Damage was estimated at $5,000.
Damage limited. In 5100 block of Highland Ridge Lane Southeast. Image: Rochester Fire Department
Digging begins for Levee hotel
Not much to look at now. From the mud will rise a $39 million hotel-apartment and convention complex. This is behind the Winona 7 movie house, which had been a municipal parking lot and a long-abandoned rail yard. For the duration of the construction the Center Street access to the Levee has been blocked off. Completion target: Late 2026. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: City OKs financial package for riverfront hotel
Earlier: Riverside hotel plan passes financing hurdle
Earlier: Developers offer peek at riverfront hotel
Earlier: City reclaiming blighted railyard at Levee Park
Earlier: City reclaiming blighted railyard at Levee Park
How they voted: On cannabis retailing
ST.PAUL, Minn.– The Minnesota House voted 68-54 to remove obstacles to vendors to sell legal cannabis. Here is how southern Minnesota representatives voted:
To facilitated retailing
Kim Hicks of Rochester (D-25A).
Tina Liebling of Rochester (D-24B).
Gene Pelowski of Winona (D-26A).
Andy Smith of Rochester (D-25B).
Against
Pam Altendorf of Red Wing (R-20A).
Greg Davids of Preston (R-26B).
Steve Jacob of Elba (R-20B).
Patricia Mueller of Oakdale (R-23B).
Duane Quam of Byron (R-24A).
Brian Pfarr of LeSueur (R-22B).
Composing a masterpiece: Topping the new concert hall
Crossbeams in place. Crews have installed ceiling beams that give structural strength to the $35 million Masterpiece Hall going up on West Fifth Street. For worker safety, temporary wooden railings top the perimeter. On the roof: Plastic-wrapped pallets of roofing materials. If all goes according to plan, the inaugural concert at the classy venue, a gift of industrialist Bob Kierlin and Mary Burrichter, is expected in May 2025. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: New Masterpiece venue taking form
News summary at week’s end: April 20, 2024
COMMERCE: Chrysler dealership foresees doubling showroom
COMMERCE: Craft brewery at Levee in new hands
HISTORY: Remember when: Houston County’s KKK hate-mongers
SCHOOLS: Winona School Board adjusts school boundary policy
REMEMBANCE: R.I.P.: Mike Delong
ARTS: A fresh convergence of art and politics
POLITICS: Shake-up in Mabel: GOP endorses Davids rival
CRIME: Armed home intruder holds couple hostage
CRIME: Cops turn to Fillmore County for porn trafficker
CRIME: Peeping Tom offers plea deal if judge goes easy
GOVERNANCE: House OKs fixes to cannabis sales rules
GOVERNANCE: How they voted: On weapons, humanitarian aid /4
TRANSPORTATION: Bridge at Lansing carrying traffic again
A fresh convergence of art and politics
A clever and fitting canvas. The Speltzes who farm near Altura, long active in politics for agricultural causes, are showing their colors. Their patriotic-themed plasti-wrapped rolls of hay, lined up end to end, are hard to miss at the County Road 128 and 27 junction between Rollingstone and Altura. Image: Steve Lunde
College scores
Baseball: Southwest Minnesota State 2, Winona State 1
Baseball: Southwest Minnesota State 11, Winona State 7
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 5, Saint John’s 2
Baseball: Saint John’s 13, Saint Mary’s 5,4
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 6, UW-Whitewater 1
Baseball: UW-Whitewater 23, UW-LaCrosse 1
Cool, cool weekend dampens April Flood Run
Hot coffee more than cold beer this year. Bikers, and all of them bundled up, in a pit stop at Culver’s in Winona. It was supposed to be the annual bar-sponsored charity biker April Flood Run from the Twin Cities and back with plenty of bar stops. But with temperatures in the 30s and threatenjg gray skies, there was hardly the traditional thunder on the road this year. Image: Steve Lunde
Bridge at Lansing carrying traffic again
LANSING, Iowa – Iowa highway authorities re-opened the Lansing bridge over the Mississippi River to Wisconsin after two months out of order. The bridge now sits on piers that were pounded 100 feet into river-bottom bedrock. The original piers – only 40 feet deep — had been shaken out of place by construction vubrations from a replacement bridge beubgbuilt a few yards away. The replacement bridge is due for completion in 2027.
Earlier: Early-warning system failed on Lansing bridge
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