R.I.P.: LaVonne Wooten
WINONA, Minn. – LaVonne “Bonnie” Wooten, 90, who worked in food service in schools and rest homes, died at home in Frazee, Minnesota. She attended Winona High School. She cared for many foster children over the years.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1934-2024
R.I.P.: Kimberly Strain
WINONA, Minn. — Kimberly Dawn Strain, 49, of Winona, a Winona High School graduate, died at Sauer Health Care after four years with colon cancer. She had a deep love of music, especially her cassette and CD collection which, her family said, stayed with her till the end
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1974-2024
Countdown to this year’s early Easter
Holy Week. With Palm Sunday, Christians neared the end of their Lenten season and moved toward Easter itself. It’s a time for celebration and newborn joy with spring bunnies and chicks and flowers and treats. Image: Steve Lunde
College scores
Baseball: Saint Mary’s and Milwaukee Engineering, cancelled
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 13, Washington of Missouri 3
Tennis (men): Saint Mary’s and Macalester, postponed
Tennis (women): Saint Mary’s and Macalester, postponed
Grants totaling $13,000 to Winona historians
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona Historical Society received $9,800 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society to digitize a 20-year collection of reel-to-reel audio recordings beginning in 1955. A second grant, for $3,100, will add 38 rolls of microfilmed newspapers. Other southeast Minnesota grants:
> Wabasha: $10,000 to document oral history interviews with descendants of abolitionists.
> Rushford: $3,7500 to document oral history interviews the history of businesses.
> Plainview: $2,300 to add 29 rolls of microfilmed newspapers.
Guy parks his Coleman motorbike, then it’s gone
WINONA, Minn. – A man who marked his motorized bicycle at the Riverport Inn in he East End hotel district reported it stolen. He told police the Coleman bike was worth $500.
Uptick in Minnesota tax revenue
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tax revenue exceeded projections slightly in February, state economists reported. Collections were almost 2% more than expected — not a dramatic increase but a sign of continuing positive economic activity. The state Budget Office said collections totaled $1.4 billion — $25 million higher than forecast. The breakdown:
> Individual income tax: $548 million, lagging $26 million.
> Sales tax: $532 million, $15 million ahead.
> Corporate tax: $35 million $15 million ahead.
> Other revenue: $268 million $21 million ahead.
Since the fiscal year began in July, the revenue has totaled almost $18.5 billion.
Wintery storm creates travel havoc
WINONA, Minn. – Heavy wet snow fell five inches deep in places across much of Minnesota, northeast Iowa and western Wisconsin. At one point the Minnesota State Patrol reported 217 crashes – 13 with injuries and one fatality. The fatality was Elizabeth Marie Evans, 51, of Lakeville. Her Toyota RAV4 ran off Interstate 35E in Burnsville and struck a tree. The snow was expected gradually to turn to rain. The forecast for Monday afternoon: Lower 50s.
Ballooning terror: Like slamming into a lightning bolt
ROCHESTER, Minn. – One of three men who survived a hot-air balloon crash into a powerline described the sound of the electricity as “horrifying — like being in a lightning bolt.” In a sit-down KTTC interview, Mark Schafer said he braced himself and thought he was certain to die. Verbatim:
“I took my hands and made a hug I thought whatever was going to happen, I hope it ends quick because I knew I wasn’t going to live through it. There’s no way. I had a sense of peace, like you know, it’s OK.”
The crash was Wednesday on a busy highway south out of Rochester. The balloon pilot, Mike Lesmeister, was attempting to set down in a field when wind caught the balloon. Schafer said he saw the impact coming. Schafer’s stepson, TJ Sorquist, said he kept his eyes open as he braced for impact with the powerline. “A lot of thoughts went through my head,” he said. “I sat back and thought I wasn’t going to make it. But we did.” The impact severed the balloon’s basket carrying the three men. The basket dropped 30 feet to the ground. Schafer’s recollection of what happened next:
“After the fireworks went away, I thought, man, I made it through that. “Now, we’re going to fall. I knew that was coming. That was the worst part of it. My nose was bleeding, and I thought that’s a good thing because it means I’m alive.”
The basket hit the ground and started on fire. The men ran to Highway 63, from where 55 mph motorists had witnessed the crash. “Everyone was trying to talk to us. ‘Are you OK?’ I said, ‘Yea.’ I just wanna go home and take a hot shower.”
Schafer. Still bearing scabs from superficial injures. In the KTTC interview. he said his back and his tailbone were still sore.
Dining out: Our Galloping Gourmands at Outback
LACROSSE, Wis. – After three decades, the novelty of the Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse has grown hackneyed. The fare is like paint-by-numbers art – nothing creative in factory production-line kitchens. The help wanted message could well read: Chefs need not apply. Gone, sadly, is the once unique Outback practice of servers kneeling to take customer orders at eyeball level. Although calling itself a steakhouse, the quality of the steak in a recent visit was uneven and over-priced. Although our experience was hardly five star — or even four or three or two stars — there were bright spots:
> Chopped salad. Corporate menu planners have done well not to mess with the exciting linkage of cinnamon pecans and blue cheese crumbles in a blue cheese vinaigrette. The crunch of chopped greens, shredded carrots, red cabbage and green onions has weathered the years well. $8.
> Brown bread. With hearty crust and deep flavor. Served at seating. Complementary.
> Ribeye steak. Tough, really tough. Without marbling. Weak seasoning. A workout even with Outback’s impressively sturdy cutlery. Thirteen ounces. . $28.
> Desserts. Lots of cheesecakes. Pretty but plainly from a far-away central kitchen. $11.
Outback’s menu is massive, suggesting a factory-like obsession with quantity over quality. Not much here for gourmet palates. That said, the bottom line must be good at Outback’s corporate headquarters in Tampa. No, not Adelaide. The Outback political action committee is the U.S. restaurant industry’s second largest contributor to the Republican party – like $300,000-plus every election cycle. Not a shilling to Australian politics.
Our rotating band of reviewers, the Galloping Gourmands, roam the region for great places to dine. The panel pays full fare. To assure dispassionate reviews, the panelists don’t identify themselves.
Earlier: Nosh Scratch Kitchen
Earlier: Drugan’s supper club
Earlier: Dublin Square
Earlier: Little Miami
Earlier: Trempealeau Hotel
The LaCrosse station. Out back at 311 Hampton Court in Onalaska.
Telephone crook dupes Qdoba out of $850
WINONA, Minn. – An employee at the Qdoba fast-food restaurant on Frontenac Drive took a call from somene identifying himself as a supervisor. The employee was told to buy $850 on a e-gift card and call back with the card number. He did as he was told. Later the employee realized he had been duped. Police confirmed the fraud. A Qdoba spokesperson at corporate headquarters in San Diego, California, said that Qdoba doesn’t do business that way. The company has 750 franchise locations. The initial Winona police report didn’t identify whether the $850 e-card was purchased with cash from the til or with a company credit card.
Qdoba. Ahead of 2019 grand opening. At 950 Frontenac Drive in the Far East End commercial district.
What next after Gallagher resigns from Congress?
WASHINGTON – With the resignation of Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District seat will be vacant until the next Congress is seated in January. Under state law, a primary election in August will decide candidates for the November general election ballot. In the meantime, the northeast Wisconsin district will have no vote in Congress. Gallagher said, however, that his office will continue to operate and provide constituent services for the remainder of his term. Gallagher, a Republican, chose to date his resignation effective April 19. A day earlier, state law would have allowed Democratic Governor Tony Evers to appoint an interim replacement.
Battleground Wisconsin
The Gallagher midterm resignation leaves the Republican leadership in Congress with a slight majority: 217 to 213. Defections can be increasingly problematic for the oarty. A critical question is whether Gallagher’s successor in January is a Democrat or Republican. Historically the Wisconsin 8th leans Republican.
Wisconsin’s 8th. In purple. Green Bay, population 107,000 is the core of the 709,000-citizen district. Other population centers: Appleton, Oshkosh.
Cops: Driver drunk at wheel just after bars close
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man, Federico Cruz Hernandez, 37, was charged with drunken driving after a traffic stop in which his blood-alcohol tested at 0.15%, almost twice the legal max. Hernandez had been stopped about 1 a.m. at Third and Washington streets in the gritty after-hours tenderloin district. Police suspected that Hernandez was drunk from how he smelled, his slurred speech, and his bloodshot watery eyes.
News summary at mid-week: March 23, 2024
CRIME: Sheriff: Baby Angel evidence so far only inferential
CRIME: Winona coach denies guilt in sex cases
POLITICS: Winona Democrats split on 26-A candidates
POLICING: Prisoner starved for smearing shit in cell
ACCIDENT: Repairman dies inside Blair town water tank
GOVERNANCE: Frustrated at GOP, Gallagher quits Congress
GOVERNANCE: How they voted: On spending package /2
GOVERNNCE: How they voted: On spending package /1
GOVERNANCE: Leahy leaves judgeship after 3-1/2 terms
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 5, Bemidji State 4
Baseball: Winona State 19, Bemidji State 6
Baseball: Saint Mary’s and Milwaukee Engineering, cancelled (doubleheader)
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 16, Washington of St. Louis 10
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 8, Washington of St. Louis 4
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Golden Valley Breck Mustangs 76, Lake City Tigers 72
SMU Hall pf Fame inducts three athletes
WINONA, Minn. — Three Saint Mary’s graduates have been inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame:
> Jenny (Folgers) Baertsch, who held 10 indoor/outdoor school records, was the conference hurdles champion in 2004. and qualified for the NCAA national championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
> Jamie (Rattunde) Nelson, who helped guide the Cardinals to the conference post-season tournament each of her four years. including the semifinals in 2005.
> Marc Weisenburger, who was the starting catcher for the 1972 conference championship baseball; team and on the all-conference first team three years running.
From left: Nelson, Baertsch amd Weisenburger. Image: Chris Ebert
Repairman dies inside Blair town water tank
BLAIR, Wis. – A diver in scuba gear and an insulated rubber suit died deep inside the Blair municipal water tank while suctioning muck from the bottom. Tentatively the death was attributed to hypothermia, The day was cold, in the 30s. The name of the man was not released by Trempealeau County Sheriff Brett Semingson. The man was believed to be part of a team contracted by the city for periodic water system maintenance. Fellow workers said the man became stuck around 5:15 p.m. while cleaning sediment with a 90-foot suction tube. He had been in the tank about 45 minutes and reported being cold but kept working. The coworkers suspected he entered a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength. The coworkers were unable to get the man out because he was tangled in the suction tube. First-responders pulled the man from six feet of water. He was pronounced dead.
Hilltop tank. South of Blair above the high school on Elland Road. These metal municipal tanks for towns like Blair, population 1,300. typically have a 100,000-gallon capacity. Image: Steve Lunde
Winona Democrats split on 26-A candidates
WINONA, Minn. – Enthusiasm ran strong at the Winona County Democratic convention for both candidates seeking Winona’s seat in the Minnesota House. Alas, neither Sarah Kruger nor Dwayne Voegeli won he necessary 60% to be endorsed for the primary election on August 13. Both will be on the ballot. After four rounds of voting, Kruger had a high of 54%. Voegeli never reached 50%. Both made the rounds among delegates elected from precincts in February. Supporters made speeches on behalf of both. Going into the convention Kruger had the support of incumbent Gene Pelowski, whose pending retirement opened up the House District 26-A seat. Also at the convention was Rachel Bohman, a Rochester lawyer who is unchallenged for the Democratic nomination to unseat Republican Brad Finstad for southern Minnesota’s seat in Congress.
Earlier: Democrat declares for MN-1 Congressional seat
Earlier: Kruger starts Winona campaign for Minnesota Legislature
Earlier: Voegeli opens campaign for Minnesota House
GOP convenes soon
Winna County Republicans hold their endorsing convention April 20. The 26-A candidates are trucker Stephen Doerr and City Council member Aaron Repinski.
Driver disabled after chase at 88 mph in 35 zone
FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — A River Falls driver being chased by police was stopped finally north of Fountain City by a State Patrol spike strip. This was after roaring through Fountain City on North Shore Drive at 88 mph, a 35 zone, police said. Arrested was Brendan Maher, age 30, who was 80 miles from home. The chase began about 3 p.m. after police received calls about an erratic northbound driver on two-lane State Highway 35 near Marshland on the Trempealeau River.
Maher. Charges include fleeing an officer, driving while intoxicated, and having a revoked driving permit. Records shoe two prior drunken driving convictions.
Driver’s four times blood-alcohol limit
WINONA, Minn. – Police called to a minor noninjury traffic collision decided to check whether one of the drivers was drunk. A breathalyzer test on the spot showed the blood-alcohol ratio of Jeremy David Brickner, 39, of Winona, at 0.31% — almost quadruple what the law allows for driving. At the jailhouse, police wanted to double-check such a high blood-alcohol level with more precise equipment. Brickner refused, which meant a charge of test refusal was added to drunken driving. The situation had begun with the accident about 3 p.m. on Johnson Street in the downtown bar district.
Perennial anticipation of Minnesota gardeners
Early spring struggles. Call them what you will – the jonquil, narcissus, the daffodil – they’re sturdy even against what looks like cold if not impossible odds. Image: Steve Lunde
Cops: Winona visitor overimbibed 50%
WINONA, Minn. – A Wisconsin driver, Austin Ray Zastrow, 21, of Dodge, smelled of alcohol during a traffic stop so the officer put him through a field sobriety tests. He failed. There were other indicators of impairment, the officer said: Bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, and a blood-alcohol reading of 0.12%. Anything exceeding 0.08% is unacceptable under Minnesota law. The stop was about 1 a.m. at Broadway and Huff streets.
College scores
Softball:Winona State 7, St. Cloud State 2
Softball: Winona State 6, St. Cloud State 1
Tennis (women): Winona State 5, Sioux Falls 2
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Stewartville Tigers 90, Minneapolis South Tigers 48
Basketball (boys): Lake City Tigers 69, Albany Huskies 59
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