“Here’s cash to forget our fender-bender”
WINONA, Minn. – A driver bumped his car into another car in the Hy-Vee grocery store parking, then offered the other driver cash on the spot to forget it and not call the police. The other driver said, “You gotta be kidding.” The first driver hoofed off and disappeared. The second driver called police Police arrived, checked the registration of the first car, and sent a letter to the owner. Damage to both vehicles was superficial. This all was about 4:30 p.m. And this, dear reader, is Chapter One. You’ll have to wait for the next chapter.
Next for Jesse Ventura: A cannabis brand name
Ventura. Product’s launch date is April 20 – 4/20, 4:20, 420: Get it? Get it?
Ex-governor officially a pusher — of edibles, that is
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. — Former Governor Jesse Ventura announced online that he’s bringing out a national brand of cannabis products. This, he said, is in with partnership with Retro Bakery, a cannabis production house in the first-ring north Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights. He says the products will promoted as from Jesse Ventura Farms. a Ventura age 72, has long championed marijuana as a recreational drug. Now in retirement, he’s cashing in. Beginning April 20 he will have gift cards available online. ‘Why April 20?” you ask. It’s code. Ask any pothead. The cards range from $100 to $1,000, each with add-on incentives. With the $1,000 card you receive a one-on-one rub-shoulders audience with Ventura, a signed rolling tray, a hat, an enamel pin, a poster, free entry to all Retro Bakery hangouts, and 10% cash back for life on purchases.
In Columbia Heights. In strip mall t 4110 Central Avenue Northeast #103.
Verbatim
Ventura: “I can’t tell you how truly amazing this feels. To finally be able to legally share with you, products from a plant that has had such an amazing impact on my life. Not to mention the historical significance of being the first U.S. governor to officially put his name on a cannabis brand. Each step brings us closer to finally ending this tragic and dangerous war on drugs.”
Ventura profile
Jesse Ventura, a folk hero as a wrestling performer, ode a crest of youthful enthusiasm to be elected Minnesota’s governor in 1998. It was a rocky four years in office, and he chose nt to seek reelection. Earlier Ventura had been a highly rated Twin Citi es radio talk-show host and a small-town mayor. For the governorship he ran as a Reform Party candidate — the party’s only candidate to ever win a major office. In recent years Ventura has been retrement in Los Cabos in the Pacific interiorof Mexico. He summers in suburban White Bear Lake back in Minnesota. Last year he joined Governor Tim Walz at the Capitol for the sugning relaxed marijuana regulations into law.
In his wrestling heyday. About 1982. On cable television from what then was called the World Wrestling Federation. Kids loved the showmanship.
UW regents to ponder 3.7% tuition hike
MADISON, Wis. — A 3.7% tuition increase at University of Wisconsin campuses has been proposed by UW President Jay Rothman. The proposal goes to the Board of Regents next week. If approved, undergraduate tuition and fees at UW-Madison would be $11,600 in the fall. Branch campuses would be less. UW-La Crosse would be $9,900. UW-Milwaukee would be $10,400. The lowest would be UW-Parkside in Kenosha at $8,300. The increases would be the second in two years, following a 10-year tuition freeze imposed by the Legislature. Last year tuition averaged a 4.2% increase.
Verbatim
Rothman: Claims that even merely tracks inflation. Says UW is the most affordable in the Midwest. “Our universities are facing challenging economic realities, and students and parents should know that we plan to be good financial stewards.”
Good Friday: Faith and fish
End of Lent. Christians fit both worship and celebratory fish fries into their schedules. LightHouse Church at 469 Orrin Street in Winona. Image: Steve Lunde
Osseo school sex conviction on appeal
WHITEHALL, Wis. — A former Osseo-Fairchild High School teacher has appealed his conviction that he inappropriately touched a student. Nicholas Bergeron, 33, of Strum, went to prison on a complaint that incidents occurred in his classroom over five months beginning in September 2022. Bergeron’s appeal has been scheduled for Trempealeau County Court next week.
Winona factory closing; 120 jobs gone to China
BCS Automotive. Sprawling complex at 5727 Industrial Park Road adjacent to the Winona airport. Known to old-timers as TRW. Image: Steve Lunde
Auto parts manufacturer shifting wholly to imports
WINONA, Minn. – The BCS Automotive Interface Solutions factory is shutting down and shifting to Chinese suppliers. Some 120 hourly and salaried employees will be laid off starting in July. The company, based in Roseville, revealed the closing in a legally required notification to the state Employment and Economic Development Department. On the notification: On the the form the box: “Mass layoff” was checked. Separately the plant manager, Aaron MacLennan, sent a letter to employees that layoffs would be permanent. Some employees, represented by UAW Local 958. will have seniority rights and bumping rights, but it seemed this would be only in a six-month phase-down,
China transition
BCS contracts with automotive manufacturers to supply components through competitive bidding. Its parts have been a mix of domestic and imported products. Imports have been from China, mostly from Lelon Electronic in the highly industrialized Jiansu province. Imports have included sound and visual signaling products, brakes, and internal combustion piston parts.
Periodic Minnesota bridge inspections due soon
ROCHESTER, Minn. – State highway crews will begin their post-winter bridge safety inspections next week. Michael Dougherty, spokesperson for the Transportation Department, said 1,100 structures and bridges in southeast Minnesota will be checked. Some lanes will be closed briefly, he said. Although some inspections are creek-side and in dips, others use snooper trucks with booms that hang over the edge of a bridge to give inspectors an up-close look.
Snooper truck. Custom-built vehicles allow crews to inspect not otherwise visible undersides and external surfaces of bridges. The greatest danger, as this sticker, affixed to a yellow snooper warns: The boom can strike a powerline during maneuvering.
Any bagged milk lovers out there? Shed a tear
LACROSSE, Wis. – A staple in the lineup at Kwik Trip convenience stores for 40 years – bagged milk – is being phased out. People have come to prefer jugs, said Scott Zietlow, chief executive. The last bags probably will have disappeared from coolers at Kwik Trip’s 850 locations sometime in May.
Nature’s Touch brand name. Will continue with other Kwik Trip dairy products.
Cops: Lewiston driver impaired — but how much?
WINONA, Minn. – A Lewiston woman was arrested in a downtown traffic stop when, a deputy said, she exhibited signs of impairment. The car smelled of marijuana, the deputy said. Lyedi Alexys Bartsh, 18, had a blood-alcohol level of an acceptable 0.05% but something else seemed wrong, the deputy said. He cited watery and blood-shot eyes, dilated pupils, and not doing well in field sobriety tests. A blood sample was sent to the state crime lab for a fuller chemical analysis. The traffic stop was at Fourth and Winona streets about 11:40 p.m.
College scores
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 7, UW-Superior 0
Softball: Wartburg 4, UW-LaCrosse 3
Softball: UW-LaCrosse 33 Wartburg 5
Pedestrian dies from March 16 injuries
WINONA, Minn. – After 12 days hospitalized in critical condition, a Winona woman died from injuries suffered when she was struck by a SUV near the Mankato Avenue railroad crossing. Elizabeth Carol Ressie, 41, succumbed at Gundersen Hospital in LaCrosse. The accident was March 16. Meanwhile, police in Winona continued waiting for updates about the accident and the Winona woman who was driving:
> A reconstruction of the accident by a State Patrol team.
> An analysis the driver’s blood by the state crime lab.
A breathalyzer at the accident showed a blood-alcohol level 0.17%. A second blood-alcohol test was conducted at the jail with more precise and broader capabilities. That sample went to hen sent the state lab. Police said the driver smelled of alcohol and admitted to consuming marijuana albeit the day before. Police said the woman also told them she was on prescription medication.
Earlier: Pedestrian “still alive” after SUV hit
Earlier: Pedestrian struck unconscious, badly hurt
Early-warning system failed on Lansing bridge
Black Hawk Bridge pier. The piers date to 1931. They were becoming unmoored, apparently by vibrations from construction of a replacement bridge alongside.
The downside of solar-powered motion-sensors
LANSING, Iowa – Tremors in the Black Hawk Bridge over the Mississippi River went unnoticed for weeks because motion-sensors were solar-powered and the sun wasn’t shining. Television KCRG in Cedar Rapids unveiled the lapse. Asked about it, the lapse was confirmed byy Iowa highway department project engineer, Clayton Burke, confirmed the lapse.
The 93-year-old narrow and outdated bridge was closed finally on February 26 when a kink in the bridge decking was noticed y a citizen – who, by the way, ,had no engineering background. The citizen called the sheriff, who immediately blocked access ramps at both ends. A few days later: Iowa highway engineers examined the bridge, found. Indeed, they said, the bridge was dangerously in motion. The reason; Probably vibrations from piers being pounded into the river bottom for a replacement bridge being built a few yards away.
Who asleep at wheel
Burke, the project engineer, pointed a finger at a contractor — Wiss Janney Elstner Associates of Northbrook Illinois. The company had installed motion detectors on the old bridge’s piers and abutments to catch vibration, displacement and tilt. Alas, the sensors were powered by solar panels. On cloudy weather days, those sensors didn’t pick up enough rays. Without power, the sensors would shut off until Wiss Janney Elstner could send an agent to reset them. This happened at least once in January and went un reported to Iowa bridge authorities, Burke said:
“A couple of times when the system came back online, it showed a certain amount of movement in those displacement sensors, but that was interpreted as some type of error that occurred due to the loss of power and that they needed to be recalibrated when they were turned on. In reality there may have been actual movement that those sensors were indicating. If we would have received that notification, we would have stopped work on the contract and reevaluate how the construction on the new bridge was proceeding.”
Don’t tread here. The bridge, which rises 60 feet over the Mississippi River main channel, has been closed since February 26.
As soon as Sheriff Clark Mellick shut down traffic over the bridge, Burke said, the contractor started digging through the data. “They looked at the dates they had recalibrated the systems,” Burke said. “I believe they took those calibrations out and they showed us the data and what it was actually recorded as and then we could see those movements throughout time after they performed that data analysis.” Queries for an explanation at its offices in a Chicago suburb, Wiss Janney Elstner were not returned.
Timeline for repairs
Estimates are that repairs on the old bridge could be completed by the end of April. Meanwhile, traffic is detoured 60 miles to the Wisconsin side via LaCrosse or Prairie du Chien. Alternatively, local entrepreneurs have been contacted to haul people across the river a few at a time in small fishing and pleasure boats. When will this all end? The new bridge, due for completion in 2026, will replace the historic Black Hawk Bridge, which will be torn out.
Jewelry missing in what appears a home burglary
WINONA, Minn. – Jewelry was taken, apparently in a home burglary, while the homeowner was out for the afternoon and evening. This was on Lorrai Drive on the Far East End. Police were told by the homeowner that he returned home and found a gold necklace on a bedroom floor. The necklace had belonged to his late wife. At first, he said, he didn’t think much about it, but the next day he checked her jewelry box and realized two other gold pieces, worth $400, were missing. Police found no sign of forced entry. Hoping for clues, police began asking neighbors for outdoor surveillance tapes . The homeowner said he had no reason to suspect anyone he knew. He notified police about 4:15 p.m. He said he was unsure whether he had locked the house.
Winona graduation rate easily bests state average
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona High School recorded its highest graduation rate in six years, according to a new state report. The 2023 rate was 93%. The state average was average was 83%. “We are moving in the right direction, but there is still work to be done,” said Superintendent Brad Berzinski. He noted that the graduation rate fell short of a lofty goal of 95% adopted from the World’s Best Workforce Report. Berzinski acknowledged too that the graduation rate at the Winona Area Learning Center, designed for non-traditional students, dipped to 52% from 60%. He said he expects improvement as the Learning Center progresses on a three-year project with Regional Centers of Excellence.
Guilty to discarding child’s body in ditch
AUSTIN, Minn. – A man serving a life sentence for killing the mother of their 2-year-old daughter now has pleaded guilty also to killing the little girl. Dariaz Lewis Higgins, 40, was already in prison in Wisconsin for shooting and killing Sierra Robinson, the mother, five years ago Milwaukee. His daughter’s body was found in a ditch near Blooming Prairie, also in 2019, but Higgins already was in custody for the Milwaukee slaying. The Minnesota criminal complaint says that Higgins was staying at the Rodeway Inn in Austin with the little girl, Noelani Robinson, for six weeks or so in 2019 — until March 10 when he took girl’s body from the hotel and left it in a ditch north of Austin near Blooming Prairie. The next day, after the mother was murdered in Milwaukee, an Amber Alert was issued for Noelani. Her body was found five days later by a passerby. The body was wrapped in a blanket near Highway 218 and Highway 30. Austin authorities went to Milwaukee for a genetic sample from Higgins. He told them that the girl fell off the toilet and subsequently died. By his account he wrapped the body in a blanket and left her on the floor by the bed for a couple of days. Higgins said that he and a woman friend loaded up the car to drive for Minneapolis in a blizzard and left the body in the ditch. Higgins acknowledged that the girl already had been dead a few days. An autopsy determined Noelani died from blunt force trauma to the head. She also had blunt force injuries on her extremities. The woman who helped Higgins dispose of the bidy was not charged because, authorities said, she cooperated with investigators.
Higgins. Accused in child’s brutal 2019 death in Austin motel.
Noelani. Her body abandoned in a ditch durig a blizzard.
Second twin arraigned in fatal Amish crash
PRESTON, Minn. – The second Spring Valley twin charged in the traffic deaths of two Amish children was advised of the specific charges against her at an arraignment hearing. Judge Jeremy Clinefelter listed 16 charges:
> Four counts of criminal vehicular homicide.
> Eight counts of aiding an offender.
> Four counts of criminal vehicular operation.
Sarah Beth Petersen, 30, who now lives in Kellogg, responded that she understood the charges. Judge Clinefelter set bail at $10,000. Prosecutors had sought for a $50,000. Both Sarah Beth and her twin sister Samantha Jo both were involved in the wreck, but Judge Clinefelter had set bail for Samantha Jo at $50,000 four days earlier, He explained he set Sarah Beth’s bail lower because her sister was accused of being high on drugs but Sarah Beth wasn’t. Although Sara Beth was allowed to leave the Fillmore County Courthiuse on her own recognizance pending further proceedings, the judge noted that she will continue to be supervised by a probation officer because of previous federal drug conviction. Also: The judge noted too that she will be subjected to random drug testing.
Hearing details
Sarah Beth walked into the courthouse showing little emotion. With her was criminal defense attorney Thomas Braun of Rochester. Sarah Beth sat calmly in front of the judge for the 15-minute hearing. Samantha Jo, who lives with Sarah Beth, was not in attendance. Both sisters each are scheduled for further hearings on the same day in June. Pleas are expected then.
Parallel charges
Sarah Beth Petersen was not accused of driving he death vehicle but of conspiring with her twin sister Samantha Jo Petersen to take the fall for the wreck. Samantha Jo was high on meth at the time. Samantha Jo called Sarah Beth to leave work, come to the scene, and take the blame, rather facing stiffer charges herself for driving high. This all according to investigators. Neither sister has yet entered a plea.
Sarah Beth. Sisters are identical twins. Confusing people by swapping places has been a game since childhood.,
Post-Baltimore question: How safe our bridges?
WINONA, Minn. – The last notable collision into an Upper Mississippi bridge was at Winona in 2018. A barge broke loose and rammed a pier on the newer of the bridges that connect to Wisconsin. Damage was minor. Bridge impacts, however, are not uncommon. The U.S. Coast Guard, which tracks such things, has recorded 40 water vessels hitting locks, dams and bridges on the Upper Mississippi since October 2022, none catastrophic. These are the Minnesota spans to Wisconsin:
Red Wing: U.S. 63 to Hager City (River (Mile marker 791).
Wabasha: State 69 to Nelson (Marker 760).
Winona: State 43 to Bluff Sliding (Marker 725).
Dresbach: Interstate 90 to LaCrosse (Marker 701).
LaCrescent: U.S. 14 and 61 to LaCrosse (Marker 697).
There also are remnants of several railroad bridges, all dismantled wholly or partially — except the still operational Canadian Pacific swing-bridge between LaCrescent and LaCrosse.
Main channel crossing. Twin spans at Winona, built in 1942 and 2018.
2008 Winona ferries
Engineers found rusting gusset plates on the two-lane Highway 43 span at Winona in 2008. This was 10 ears before the companion two-lane concrete span was built. The older span, built in 1942, was closed 11 days for the gussets to be repaired. Travelers had to detour 60 miles to Wabasha or LaCrescent or park their cars and board improvised recreational boats and be ferried back and forth.
Alma man found dead in submerged pickup
MILLVILLE, Minn. – A Wisconsin man died inside his pickup truck when it flipped and went into the Zumbro River. Killed was James A. Steiner, 62, of Alma. The accident was three miles southwest of Millville on Wabasha County Road 11. Deputies received a 911 call about the submerged truck about 9:15 a.m.
Recovered from Zumbro. Victim from Alma, 35 miles away via the Wabasha bridge. Image: Wabasha County sheriff
Guessing game on: Who’s a Zumbro millionaire?
ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn. — Somebody bought a $1 million Minnesota Lottery ticket at the Zumbro Falls BP gas station – and everybody is trying to figure out who. The jackpot is big news in this Wabasha County village of 200 with a median income of $53,000. This much is known: The winning numbers in the draw were 10-17-20-39-44 and the Powerball was 16. Also: The proprietor of Fall’s Standard Service, at 225 U.S. Highway 63, has been awarded $5,000 for having sold the winning ticket. The guessing game may hinge on who declares “Next round’s on me” at the Buck Wild Bar on the main drag or or the Neptune Bar just diown the steet..
How it works
Until the winner presents the jackpot ticket at the state lottery office, nobody knows who. Even then, Lottery officials are forbidden by law from divulging the winner’s identity. It’s possible, of course, that the winner may not even possess the ticket anymore.
News summary at mid-week: March 27, 2024
GOVERNMENT: Walz: Kids shouldn’t be afraid to go to school
CRIME: First twin arraigned on fatal Amish buggy crash
CRIME: Hit-run charges levied in February buggy wreck
CRIME: Telephone crook dupes Qdoba out of $850
DISASTER: Sad glow: I-35W bridge in red, black and yellow
FIRE: Kitchen fire melts appliances; couple flees
ECONOMY: Uptick in Minnesota tax revenue
ACCIDENT: Ballooning terror: Like slamming into a lightning bolt
ACCIDENT: Repairman dies inside Blair town water tank
COLLEGES: New Southeast College logo hard to miss
CUISINE: Dining out: Our Galloping Gourmands at Outback
POLITICS: What next after Gallagher resigns from Congress?
Rural man charged with choking woman
TROY, Minn. – A southwest Winona County wan was arrested on a domestic abuse warrant based on a complaint two days earlier at a rural house near Troy. Christopher Thomas Florek, 28, was accused of grabbing ad choking a woman at the house in the 33000 block of County Road 43. Deputies said they observed red blotches on the woman’s neck and cheeks. Deputies said the woman reported the physical abuse occurred over several days of fighting and arguing. She didn’t seek medical attention.
Florek. Deputies were called initially to the house on Florek’s complaint that his landlord was evicting him. During the deputies’ visit, the woman came forward about the abuse issue.
Fetanyl powder found in school restroom
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis – A janitor found fentanyl powder in a zip-lock baggie in a restroom at the Chippewa Falls High School. Principal Donna Goodman called police, who scoured the building with a K-9 aide and found no more evidence of the dangerous drug. The baggie was in a hygiene trash receptacle in a restroom next to the school’s main office. “We are reviewing security footage and speaking with identified people,” Goodman said. She described the powder as “a minimal amount.” The school’s enrollment: 1,400.
Winona carny contractor fined for worker abuse
All not well amid the glitz. Carnival company was ordered to pay $209,000 for bad record-keeping and shortchanging foreign workers. These were federal labor law violations.
Guilty: Goldstar Amusements, Lee’s Concessions
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The carnival company that traverses Minnesota for summer festivals, including Winona’s Steamboat Days, has been caught hiring foreign workers and underpaying them. Federal Administrative Law Judge Steve Bell ordered Goldstar Amusements and a related company to pay $146,000 in back wages and also $63,000 in civil penalties. The companies, based in Faribault, Minnesota, were accused of of paying neither prevailing wages nor inbound and outbound transportation costs as required by the federal H-2B visa program. The program permits employers to hire nonimmigrant workers for seasonal jobs. The violations were in 2016 and 2027. Fined were Goldstar, owned by Michael Featherston, which provides amusement rides at carnivals and fairs, and Lee’s Concessions, owned by Michael’s spouse, Connie Featherston, which provides food and games. The companies share principal offices in Faribault. The companies also were faulted for failing to keep accurate earning statements for foreign workers.
SIDEBAR
Kristin Tout, U.S. Labor Department wage and hour director in Minneapolis: “The H-2B visa program includes very specific terms regarding wages, transportation and other requirements, which are clearly defined for employers when they apply to hire foreign workers. Employers such Goldstar and Lee’s are legally responsible for knowing and complying with federal wage laws.”
$100,000 bail in LaCrosse street shooting
LACROSSE, Wis. – Bail was set at set at $100,000 for an Onalaska man charged with a drug deal gone wrong and shooting into a fleeing car. Yanior E. Davila, 23, had been arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted homicide. Police said Davila was robbed at gun point while sell drugs. He fired a gun four times at what he thought was a get-away car, police said. One shot hit the vehicle. The driver, however, was not who he thought it was. She wasn’t hurt.
Davila. Police he was selling drugs, then sought revenge after being robbed.
Emergency, fire crews make 57 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 46 emergency medical calls plus 11 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, March 26: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Monday, March 25: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Sunday, March 24: 4 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Saturday, March 23: 7 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Friday, March 22: 2 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Thursday, March 21: 12 medical calls plus 3 fire call.
> Wednesday, March 20: 5 medical calls plus no fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews 57 calls
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