State union keeps WSU prof in charge
WINONA, Minn. – The president of the state-wide Minnesota State university faculty union, Jenna Chernega of Winona State, was re-elected to a second two-year term. Chernega received 875 of 903 votes. As a collective bargaining agent, the IFO will be negotiating a new state-wide faculty contract Chernega’s second term.
Chernega. At WSU a sociology prof.
Pedestrian death update: Driver’s blood still in tests
WINONA, Minn. – Authorities have delayed criminal charges against the driver of a vehicle that struck and fatally injured a Winona woman walking across an East End street 2-1/2 weeks ago. The reason: The state crime lab hasn’t finished an evaluation of the driver’s blood for possible impairment factors. The driver, a 41-year-old Winona woman, told police at the accident that she was on medication. She also admitted to having had marijuana but how recently wasn’t clear, police said. The woman smelled of alcohol, police said, but a breath test showed a low a low 0.02%.
Earlier: Pedestrian dies of Mankato Avenue accident injuries
.Earlier: Pedestrian “still alive” after SUV hit
Lesson to driver: Intersection not a bedroom
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona driver was arrested asleep at the wheel in the middle of the intersection at Fourth and Winona streets. When shaken awake by an officer, the man said he was “very tired.” Michael Richard Zeller, 42, was taken into custody on suspicion of impaired driving. This was about 5:50 a.m. Officers said his eyes were bloodshot and his pupils dilated. Sobriety tests t didn’t go well, the officer said.
Roadside sideline: Linos Tequeria
Mexico on wheels. Rochester-based Carlo Ortiz has staked out regular sites in Stockton at Riser’s tavern and the town gas station, Ortiz has so many Mexican items on his menu that you could swing by every day for a month. Maybe more. Among his other regular stops: Fountain and Kasson. He’s been in business four years. He’s an upbeat kind of guy. See the sign on the trailer’s back door. Image: Steve Lunde
Prison for Pine Island teacher-coach in sex case
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A former Pine Island teacher and coach was ordered to prison for 12 yeas for sex with a 13-year-old student at her Rochester home. Lindsey Schneeberger, 25, earlier had pleaded in Olmsted County Court to sexual criminal conduct. Schneeberger was the victim’s volleyball coach in 2022 and then became the student’s physical education teacher in 2023. The incidents occurred in the spring of 2023.
Schneeberger. Eligible for release in 10 years.
Judge: Would-be plane high-jacker mentally ill
LACROSSE, Wis. – A man accused of trying to hijack a plane at the La Crosse Airport in a series of bizarre incidents in November has been ruled insane. Judge Scott Horne ordered Cody Anderson, 31, into further testing to determine whether he should be committed to a mental health facility or be released with stipulations. Anderson has pleaded no contest to:
> Possessing a weapon.
> Attempting armed robbery with threat of force.
> Making terrorist threats.
Earlier: Mental tests ahead in LaCrosse plane highjack case
Earlier: $500,000 bail for LaCrosse airplane knife, bomb threats
How cops nabbed George’s shooting suspect
WINONA, Minn. – The arrest of Winona man for a shooting at a Bluff Siding bar across the river in Wisconsin was made 10-1/2 hours later on a Winona residential street, police reported in a post-weekend news briefing. Damien Bryant Winn, 33, offered no resistance, police said. He was not armed. Meanwhile, the victim of the shooting was fighting for his life at the Winona hospital with a bullet in his abdomen. Witnesses to the shooting, outside George’s Bar and Lounge in Bluff Siding, identified Winn as the shooter and said he fled toward the interstate bridge toward Winona in a 2010 Buick SUV. It’s possible that Winona police, the first law agency at the scene, had passed the Buick while rushing the other direction to George’s. The Winona officers secured the scene until Buffalo County deputies arrived. This was about 2:20 a.m. Later in the morning, about 9 a.m., police spotted the reported get-away Buick near Sarnia and Franklin streets. Two women were in the Buick but not Winn. Police stepped up their patrols in the area to find Winn. Eight blocks away they found Winn on foot near Wabasha and Washington streets. The arrest was about 10:55 a.m. His booking at the Winona jail was completed less than an hour later as a fugitive from Wisconsin wanted firm serious assault. If extradition goes quickly, Winn could be delivered to Buffalo County authorities within the day.
Part-time firefighter quells garage fire
WINONA, Minn. – An off-duty Winona firefighter was the right guy in the right place at the right time. Driving down a West End street, he spotted a flames in an attached residential garage. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and kept the flames in check until an on-duty fire crew arrived. This was about 7:20 a.m. at 620 West Fifth. No one was injured.
This fire had no chance. In full gear, a fire crew controlled what was keft of the fire. Image: Winona Fire Department
Intruder reported at bluff-top seminary
STOCKTON, Minn. – Deputies were called up Stockton Hill for an intruder at St. Thomas Seminary. Probably scared off, the intruder was gone when deputies arrived. Seminarians suspected the intruder was intent on burglary.
Winona home sales in March 2024
WINONA, Minn. – Among residential property sales logged by Bob Bambenek, county recorder, in March:
2 Washington Avenue (Unit 403 and 1-G): Three Brothers Investments to Biesanz, $419,000.
25126 Silver Maple Road: Hammel to Heberlein/Fuller, $400,000.
1660 Valley View Drive: Wells to Cox/Pogue, $394,000.
720 36th Avenue: Sanford/Lambrecht to Strittmater, $345,000.
45 East Wabasha: LAX Properties to Centerline Properties, $315,000.
Earlier: Winona home sales in February 2024
Winona County home sales in March 2024
WINONA, Minn. – Among residential property sales outside Winona logged by Bob Bambenek, county recorder, in March:
Dresbach: 334876 Aerie Heights Lane: Buswell to Schmitz, $*827,000.
Goodview:1956 Sundown Lane (Unit C1): Sundown Investments to Greden, $353,000.
Minnesota City: 17488 County Road 23: Wright to Foster, $$400,000.
St. Charles: 403 Northern Hill Court: Mueller to Fuhrman, $$490,000.
St. Charles: 1148 Church Street: KBS Property Management to Elsing Properties, $485,000.
St. Charles: 900 13th Street East: Peterson Estate to Bennett, $320,000.
St. Charles: 1560 Wabasha Avenue and 1281 Oakview Drive: Cullen Trust to Penkrot, $320,000.
Winona County commercial property sales in March 2024
WINONA, Minn. – Among commercial property sales in Winona County logged by Bob Bambenek, county recorder, in March:
Goodview: 3950 and 4020 West Broadway (light manufacturing): Knitcraft to Saint Croix $2.7 million.
Winona: 27058 County Road 12 (freight terminal): ARC WempsMN001 to Midwest Motor Express, $2.5 million.
Winona: 420 Cottonwood Drive (hotel): International to K-1 Corporation $2.1 million.
These were the first exceeding $1 million since January
A Winona homecoming for emergency room doc
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona hospital has a new emergency room doctor — Jonathan Birdsall, whose father Scott Birdsall earlier had a career in Winona as an obstetrician and gynecologist. Jonathan Birdsall, age 32, recently completed his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. His medical degree is from the University of Iowa. He has a sideline as a freelance musician, mostly on the saxophone.
Birdsall. Also holds a degree in biology from the University of Iowa.
Notable journalism
JoAnn Funk (Big River Magazine, March-April 2024): “Creating a New Lake”
Olivia Prondinski (KTTC, March 1, 2024): “What Led Up to the Seizure of 15 Dogs in Fillmore County”
Rebekah Vaughan (KCRG, March 27, 2024): “Iowa DOT: Sensors on Lansing Brudge Lost Power Before Closure”
Pistol fired in West End street fight
WINONA, Minn. – Police arrested two men after a disturbance that included at least two gunshots in the Maplewood neighborhood on the Far West End. No one was injured. Surveillance video showed a fight that quickly turned into a spectator sport with 20 or so people watching the punches from their porches and also on the street. This was about 5:55 p.m. Police received several 911 calls, all anonymous, that shots were being fired. The crowd dispersed as police rolled up, and three vehicles sped off. Those in the crowd who lingered weren’t especially cooperative, police said, but officers pieced together what happened by screening surveillance video and by gathering bits of eyewitness observations. Arrested after searching were Derrell Lamont Walker, 25, and Jayden Michael Jessie, 20, both with Winna addresses.
Disputants vanish as cops arrive
Police launched a drone to survey Maplewood rooftops for one of the fighters. Officers went to one Maplewood unit for the guy, but he wasn’t there. Jessie eventually was found in another apartment, and Walker outside another. Neither resisted arrest. Both, police said, denied being combatants. Police didn’t find the weapon but said that video showed Walker handing the pistol to Jessie who then fired the weapon. One bullet was found embedded in a nearby building. A 9-millimter shell casing was found half buried in the dirt, apparently having been fired downward.
Booking charges
Both Walker and Jessie were known to police from previous encounters.
> Jessie was booked at 8:35 p.m., tentatively for assault with a dangerous weapon, with discharging a dangerous weapon, and being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm.
> Walker was booked at 9:40 p.m., tentatively for intentional discharge of a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, and furnishing a dangerous weapon.
Police response
The incident brough 11 officers to he Maplewood neighborhood, including some at least one county deputy and one police officer from nearby Goodview. For Winona police it was all hands on deck. Because the incident occurred during a shift change, eight city officers responded.
Police say video shows him handing the 9-millimeter pistol to Jessie during fight.
Jessie. Where’s the gun now? Police unable ot locate.
Just in time for Easter
Mama bunny. A Florida white mommy and her litter of eight little ones. In Leif Olson’s hutch in Taylor, Wisconsin.
Pelowski: Too much grand-standing in Legislature
WINONA, Minn. – Too many Minnesota legislators are clogging up the law-making process with proposals that have no chance of becoming law, says Gene Pelowski, D-Winona, a senior House member. In a KWNO interview, Pelowski noted that 10,00 hills had been introduced by the March 22 deadline – and most have died because committees couldn’t find time to hold hearings or just weren’t interested. Pelowski said an addiction has set in to glean publicity by calling news conferences to proclaim sponsorship of bills that in reality have no chance of going anywhere. “Lawmakers think if you introduce a bill and have a press conference, you’ve accomplished something — and you haven’t,” he said. Pelowski has been around the block. This is his 19th and final term in the House, and he has reputation as a serious legislator. With 10,000 bills in the current pipeline, that’s an average of 50 per member – way more than conceivably could be accommodated in the legislative process. Pelowski didn’t name names.
Pelowski. Retiring from House after 38 years. Former high school civics teacher and political scientist.
Prolifigate Drazkowski
Senator Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, has been among profligate sponsors of bills, 47 total. All took the energy of legislative-support office to cast in legal terms, some not even within state jurisdiction: These included:
> Five bills to squash updates to the state flag and seal.
> A bill denouncing “the horrors of socialism.”
> A bill to limit the “power and jurisdiction” and spending of the federal government, and to limit the terms of elected and appointed federal officials.
> A bill to send Minnesota National Guard troops to Texas to intercept immigrants from Mexico.
Drazkowski. In Senate since 2022. Earlier seven terms in House. From Mazeppa, Also a Winona shoe-shop owner.
Full house for Easter dinner
And tight parking. Among the few restaurants that lit the stove for Easter dinner was Beedle’s between Arcadia and Trempealeau. No mere buffet, the full menu was available. No tables available for walk-ins. Reservations were required. With mid-day temperatures only in the 50s, nobody ate outback on the patio. Image: Steve Lunde
News summary at week’s end: March 30, 2024
COMMERCE: Winona factory closing; 120 jobs gone to China
COMMERCE: Next for Jesse Ventura: A cannabis brand name
COMMERCE: Any bagged milk lovers out there? Shed a tear
CRIME: Winona man critically wounded at Bluff Siding bar
CRIME: Guilty to discarding child’s body in ditch
CRIME: Second twin arraigned in fatal Amish crash
ACCIDENT: Pedestrian dies from March 16 injuries
RIVER: Periodic Minnesota bridge inspections due soon
RIVER: Early-warning system failed on Lansing bridge
RIVER: Post-Baltimore question: How safe our bridges?
REMEMBRANCE: R.I.P.: George Richtman
SCHOOLS: Winona graduation rate easily bests state average
GOVERNANCE: Need a driver license? County OKs relocation
FIRE: Goodview apartment building up in flames
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 9, Mary 1
Baseball: Mary 9, Winona State 6
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 1, Hamline 0
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 7, Hamline 2
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 12, UW-Platteville 4
Baseball: UW- 14, UW-Platteville 0
Marijuana suspected in traffic stop
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona driver who police said admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking was arrested on suspicion of impairment. David Cornell Mitchell, 36, registered a legal 0.04% blood-alcohol level, but officers said he stumbled through field sobriety tests and had blood-shot eyes. Also, officers said, Mitchell’s car smelled of marijuana. He was taken to jail for an advanced test of impairment levels. Mitchell was released pending the return of the advanced test results from the state crime lab. The stop was at Third and Franklin streets about 9:40 p.m.
Winona man critically wounded at Bluff Siding bar
George’s. The first Wisconsin bar across the bridge from Winona. With a 2:30 a.m. closing time, George’s frequently fills up with a Winona drinking crowd after Minnesota’s 1 a.m. closing time. Image: Steve Lunde
Manhunt ends in 33-year-old felon’s arrest
BLUFF SIDING, Wis. – A Winona man was shot in the gut in the parking out at George’s bar and rushed five miles to the Winona hospital. The injuries were life-threatening, police said. The assailant fled. Several police agencies, including a K-9 unit from neighboring Trempealeau County, searched roads, bluffs and swamps around George’s to no avail. Later police in Winona arrested Damien Bryant Winn, 33, who was held on a probation violation. Winn, whose address is Winona, was booked at 11:30 a.m. Winn was held for Wisconsin authorities for assault intending substantial harm. The shooting was in Buffalo County on the Wisconsin side of the border. Buffalo County Sheriff Mike Osmond declined to release the victim’s name immediately. Sources, however, said victim was 33 years old and from Winona. After the arrest, police said there was no further threat to the public. Police had converged on George’s in response to a 2:17 a.m. emergency call about a disturbance. They found the victim bleeding in the parking lot, which is just off State Highway 35. Police taped off the area as a crime scene to scout for clues at dawn.
Winn. Convicted in 2019 for felony assault in Winona. To prison 15 months. As a felon, barred from possessing a firearm.
Really like Dairy Queen? Chance now to buy one
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The first Dairy Queen to press frozen custard into cones, in business in Rochester since 1947, is for sale. Listing price: $1.4 million. Tim Spratte, the third generation of his family to own the shop, wants to to retire and spend more time the grandkids. He’s 67. While the shop was established almost 80 years ago, it wasn’t the first Dairy Queen, The first was in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940.
On North Broadway in Rochester. Circa 1965. Options include taking on the franchise. Also possible to repurpose the property. Mayo seems always scouting for places to expand.
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 8, Mary 1
Baseball: Winona State 8, Mary 2
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 6, UW-Platteville 5
Baseball: UW-Platteville 11, UW-LaCrosse 4
Softball: Northern State of South Dakota 4, Winona State 1
Softball: Winona State 8, Northern State of South Dakota 2
Softball: Saint Mary’s 5, St. Catherine 3
Softball: Saint Mary’s 8, St. Catherine 0
Goodview apartment building up in flames
As if scalped. The mansard roof is gone. Remains still smoldering five hours after the initial fire call at 1:45 p.m. Address: On back street at 4815 West Fifth. Minimal damage to apartment building across street. Image: Steve Lunde
Tenants flee safely; Red Cross arranges temp housing
GOODVIEW Minn. – Fire destroyed a 2-1/2 story frame-construction apartment building in Goodview, sending seven tenants into the street. No one was injured. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from through the roof. The initial attack included aerial streams from a ladder truck, but it was too late to save the top floor. Water damage left lower floor uninhabitable. The walls of a look-alike companion apartment building were scorched. Fire crews responded from Goodview and neighboring Winona and Minnesota City. Ben Klinger, deputy Goodview fire chief, said the fire’s origins could not be determined immediately.
Image: Goodview Fire and Rescue
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