Arrest after murder threats, possible mental crisis
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man with a history of violence was arrested after episodes in an East End alley and again at the Winona hospital. Matthew Ryan Nguyen, 39, had threatened to kill people first in a rage in the alley and then at the hospital. He was jailed on tentative charges of threats of violence and disorderly conduct. The first police call was Mondy about 5:15 p.m. behind Brickyard bar at 579 East Third Street. Nyugen was in the alley yelling and screaming and throwing personal items and papers around and threatening homicide, police said. Officers were unsure what triggered the outburst. Nguyen was taken to the hospital and placed on a 72-hour mental health hold. Twenty-three hours later, about 4:15 p.m., Nguyen went berserk and scared hospital staff members and patients, again threatening to kill people. This time police took Nguyen to jail. In neither incident was anyone injured.
Nguyen. In jail on previous occasions for violent behavior.
Tragedy update: Trucker knew his Wisconsin roads
MERRILLAN, Wis. – The driver of a milk-truck who died in a nine-fatality accident Friday was Daniel G. Liddicoat, 51, of Rewey, Wisconsin. Liddicoat was ejected from the truck when it entered a ditch and struck a driveway leading into a wooded area. This was about 7:50 a.m. Liddicoat was about 130 miles from his home near Platteville in extreme southwest Wisconsin. The names of other victims, in a van from Virginia, also were released albeit belatedly by Clark County Sheriff Scott Haines. Those names had been reported previously by news media. The sheriff did not explain his four-day delay.
Liddicoat. Had driven milk for family trucking business since high school.
Liddicoat profile
Dan Liddicoat haad been driving milk trucks for the family business for 34 years. He picked up and delivered milk in a tri-state area. He was the voice of Liddicoat Trucking, talking daily with dispatchers and drivers to get milk. Among survivors: His childhood sweetheart and two daughters. In high school he was a member of Future Famers and the swing choir and played basketball and football four years. On graduation in 1990 he went to work in the family farm and trucking business
Farewell to Hardt’s: Landmark music shop sold
WINONA, Minn. – Look for a new sign on a Third Street fixture downtown. Hardt’s Music is changing hands. After 111 years in business, the current proprietors — Cathy Ingvalson and Steve and Jeani Jorde — are retiring. They’ve sold the business to Mankato-based Music Mart, which has shops in Mankato, Faribault and Rochester. William Hardt founded the Winona business in 1913. Eventually his son Stan took over. In 1989 Stan sold to Steve Jorde and Cathy Ingvalson, both long-time employees. Over the years the store has moved locations but never left downtown.
Times change, signs too. In classic Cage building ot 115 East Street.
Music Mart profile
Martin Meidl, a school band director, opened his first music store in 1970 in Lamberton, population 800, in southwest Minnesota. The business hinged largely on partnerships with local schools and churches, on instrument repair, on retail instrument sales ad rentals, and on sheet-music sales. Martin and his son Joe opened a second location in Mankato, which Joe has overseen for 28 years. In 2016 came an additional location in Faribault and in 2018 a partnership with Wellhaven Music in Rochester. Music Mart works with 150 choirs, bands and orchestras, and private music teachers. Music Mart. is a franchise dealer for:
> Band Instruments: Buffet, Chateau, Conn-Selmer, Eastman, Getzen, Gemeinhardt,Jupiter/Mapex, Yamaha,
> String Instruments: Amati, Eastman, Roth, Scott Cao, Yamaha.
Desperate for undies: Shoplifting arrest
WINONA, Minn. – A Rochester woman, Jamie Lynn Jahnke, 36, was stopped on a report from Target surveillance personnel that a shop-lifter had taken were two multi-packs of underwear and driven off. Police stopped Jahnke, who they said admitted the theft.
New tick’s tricky bite triggers meat allergy
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Ticks are bad enough after being outdoors, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. A state epidemiologist, Elizabeth Schiffman, says a new strain, the Lone Star tick, is moving north through Iowa into Minnesota. A bite releases a toxin that causes Alpha Gal Syndrome — an allergy to lamb, pork and beef and organ meat and mammal products. In short, the human body reacts to red meat as if it were protein from a tick bite. The infection can be temporary or last a lifetime, Schiffman said. This news comes as he tick season is beginning.
Tick-borne disease risk. Dark orange counties are high risk. Not only for Lone Star ticks but all kinds. Image: Minnesota Health Department.
Fleet Farm thief nets $1,800 in tools
WINONA, Minn. – Store detectives at the Fleet Farm super-hardware called police about the theft of $1,800 in tools. Surveillance video about 5:15 p.m., Monday, showed the thief’s identity, police said. Arrest was pending The shop-lifting haul: A hammer drill. an impact drill, a grease gun, torque wrenches and at least two combination tool kits.
Petersen twin has attorneys in Amish buggy crash
Restovich Braun criminal defense team. Representing Sarah Beth Petersen are Daniel McIntosh, second from right, and Thomas Braun, next to him. Braun has another current client in a prominent case — Adam Fravel in the 2023 homicide of Maddi Kingsbury of Winona.
Also a client in a high-profile case: Adam Fravel
PRESTON, Minn. – One of the twin sisters involved in the 2023 fatal Amish buggy crash, Sarah Beth Petersen, is being represented by two Rochester attorneys who specialize in criminal defense. Thomas Braun and Daniel McIntosh of the firm Restovich Braun & Associates have signed on to her case. Her twin, Samantha Jo Petersen, is represented separately by a Minneapolis attorney. Sarah is facing 16 charges.
Braun profile
Holds a 2005 law degree with honors from University of Minnesota. Then a law clerk to Judge Pamela Alexander in Minneapolis. After admission to the Minnesota bar he moved to Rochester to begin his legal career with George F. Restovich & Associates. Now co-owner of Restovich Braun & Associates in Rochester. Litigation experience is mostly criminal defense, family law and personal injury matters. Recently named a Top 10 Attorney in Minnesota by National Academy of Family Law Attorneys.
McIntosh profile
Holds a 2001 law degree with honors from Hamline University. First courtroom experience was during a clerkship with the county attorney in Duluth. Elected in 2010 as county attorney in Owatonna. Has also served on the boards of the Owatonna Hospital, United Way of Steele County, and youth sports associations. Has litigated cases involving all degrees of murder, all degrees of criminal sexual conduct, all degrees of assault, weapons offenses, drug offenses, drunken driving. and domestic abuse cases.
Petersens. Sarah Beth and Samantha Jo. Accused of swapping roles as driver of a vehicle that struck an Amish buggy and killed two children on their way to school.
Cops: Winona visitor overimbibed by 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 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
Baseball: UW-LaCrosse 8, Bethel of Arden Hills 3
Softball: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, UW-LaCrosse 1
Softball: UW-LaCrosse 8, Webster 0
Senate: Yes to prone holds at school — with limits
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate voted 57-9 to advance a bill to exempt contracted school police officers from using prone holds on unruly students. The bill differs slightly from a version passed earlier by the House. The two bills now go to a joint Senate-House committee to reconcile differences. Both versions allow prone holds if a student poses serious self-risk or risk to others – and if officers have special police training. The goal to minimize risks of serious harm that impede a student’s ability to breathe or voice distress. The bill’s Senate author Bonnie Westlin, D-Plymouth, said the bill would create uniformity and clarity to the duties of school resource officers. “This,” she said, “is a child-focused, child-centered approach to the role of SROs within our schools, and it promotes a positive learning environment for all students.”
Westlin. Senator since 2023. Committees: Education, Public Safety.
Marine vet rescues lone Merrillan wreck survivor
MERRLLAN, Wis. – A Neillsville man rescued the only survivor of a nine-fatality collision near Merrillan on Friday. Nathaniel Jahn witnessed the crash. He ran to the wrecked van, which had eight people aboard, and pulled a 2-year-old boy from under the wreckage before the vehicle broke out in flames. The boy was aken 6iels to the Chippewa Falls hospital. Jahn, a Marine Corps veteran with two Iraq tours, said he never thought he would see such carnage s at home. “I think God put me there for a reason,” he said. Jahn, 36, a land surveyor, was starting his workday east of Merrillan when he saw the van, packed with an Amish group, pull out from a county road intomthe path of a milk truck on U.S. Highway 95.
Earlier: Townfolks grieve at Wisconsin wreck 900 miles away
Earlier: Nine die in truck-van crash on Wisconsin Highway 95
Burned-out hulk. Van in which eight died. Rescued just in time before the van burst into flames was one of the eight occupants — a biy. The driver of a second vehicle, a milk truck, was also killed.
College scores
Baseball: Winona State 12, Minot State 2
Softball: Rensselaer Poly 6, UW-LaCrosse 4
Softball: UW-LaCrosse 15, Dickinson 3
Acting Southeast nursing dean to post
WINONA, Minn. – A former Winona State University nursing professor, Carrie Travis. has been appointed dean of nursing at Minnesota State College Southeast. Travis has been the college’s interim nursing dean since May. She has 28 years experience as a nurse specializing in community health. Travis belogs to the National League for Nurses and to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She is also the founder and chief executive of Bright and Kind RN, a consulting firm on students with special needs. New salary: $113,200.
Travis. Earlier part-time on the Southeast nursing faculty, from 2006 to -2018.
Persistent fire hits plant’s matting inventory
MAPLETON, Minn. – Fire seriously damaged a Mapleton factory that produces eight-foot wide and 16-footwide mats to control soil erosion. The fire, at the Ero-Guard factor, was stubborn. It burned through the dry piles of straw, excelsior and cocoanut used to manufacture giant rolls of for groundcover. One firefighter from nearby Minnesota Lake was sent to a hospital for exertion. There were no other injuries. The fire was inside the Ero-Guard plant at 412 State Highway 22 on the south end of town A passerby reported the fire about 9:20 a.m. It burned through the afternoon. Fire crews responded from Amboy, 11 miles away; Easton, 15; Good Thunder, 11; Lake Crystal, 28; Minnesota Lake, 9; Pemberton, 14; St. Clair, 15; Vernon Center, 13; Winnebago, 10; and Wells, 18.
Unrelenting smolder. Six hours after Ero-Guard fire started. Image: Kyla Jackson
Mouthwash recall: Unsafe ethanol level for kids
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A hydrogen peroxide mouthwash manufactured by Nutraceutical Corporation of Salt Lake City has been recalled because of the ethanol concentration. The product is unsafe for children, lacks childproof caps, and doesn’t come with warnings, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. In all 102,00 bottles were recalled. Labels were under these brand names in retail stores:
> Fresh Thyme Farmers Market.
>Mom’s Organic Market.
> Mother’s Market & Kitchen.
> New Season’s Market.
> Whole Foods.
The product also was sold online through platforms including Amazon, iHerb and HeritageStore.
Bottles have white caps. Favored as wintergreen mint or eucalyptus mint.
Biden to bring jobs message to Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — President Joe Biden will travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday for a re-election campaign event. The White House didn’t detail the timing or where exactly the president would visit but said his message would be the turn-around in good-paying jobs. From Milwaukee he will fly to Saginaw, Michigan – another factory city in a battleground state with Republican challenger Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the President’s campaign announced a $30 million six-week advertising campaign to highlight key themes from Buden’s State of the Union address last week. The campaign is aiming at minority communities. Also: By next month Biden expects bulk up hus campaign staff in seven battleground states from 100 now to 350. More than 100 field offices will be opened. Surrogates too are on the circuit too: Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Madison last week, and First Lady Jill Biden visited Waukesha the weekend before.
Townfolks grieve at Wisconsin wreck 900 miles away
BURKE’S GARDEN, Va. – This remote Appalachia community was in mourning at the news that a van had crashed in Wisconsin and killed seven local Amish and their hired driver. The chief Tazewell County deputy, Harold Heatley, described the outpouring of sympathy as huge. His understanding, Heatley said, was that three generations of one family had been taken out by the accident. Tazwell Fire Chief John Thomas expected 1,000 people at a vigil. Amish themselves are from an area called Burke’s Garden, which has 300 people including 14 Amish families Thomas said several locals have volunteered to drive surviving family members to Wisconsin and bring the bodies home. Amish don’t drive motorized vehicles. Locally they use horse-drawn buggies. Around town they have foot scooters. For longer tris they have a roster of non-Amish drivers available to hire. Such was James McCoy, 45. of Pounding Mill, 26 miles away. He was driving the Burke’s Garden group to Minnesota when the accident occurred Friday near Merrillan, Wisconsin. Both McCoy and the driver of a ttuck in the accident also erpshisd. One Amish boy survived.
Earlier: Nine die in truck-van crash on Wisconsin Highway 95
Burke’s Garden. An isolated fertile bowl-shaped valley of abut 35 square miles. It’s carved out of the top of a mountain. Sometimes called “God’s Thumbprint.” From satellites the valley looks like large asteroid impact or a volcanic crater. Actually it’s a dome-shaped geologic up-warp that exposed erodible limestone millions of years ago. Three-thousand feet above sea level, the valley is the second-highest in Virginia.
Recall: Pre-cooked turkey kielbasa
DENMARK, Wis. – Giant sausage-maker Salm Partners recalled 35,000 pounds of its Johnsonville brand turkey kielbasa sausage after customers found pieces of rubber in the food. The recall was of 12-ounce packages distributed nationally. Salm said no serious health problems have been reported. The recalled product, a fully cooked sausage, has a “best by” date of May 17 and 18.
In your freezer or fridge? Look for “P-32009″ on the packaging.
News summary at week’s end: March 9, 2024
GOVERNANE: Opponents of new state flag hit legal snag
GOVERNANCE: Proposal: Minnesota insurers must cover wigs
TRAGEDY: Nine die in truck-van crash on Wisconsin Highway 95
CRIME: Attorney seeks all documents in fatal buggy crash
POLITICS: Minnesota election poll: Biden 42%, Trump 38%
FIRE: Investigators ready to probe Lutsen Lodge ashes
JOURNALISM: Big River magazine sees seamless flux ahead
RIVER: First barge of spring due perhaps next weekend
College scores
Baseball: Minot State 7, Winona State 2
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 4, Saint Joseph’s of Maine 2
Baseball: Saint Mary’s 11, Saint Joseph’s of Maine 3
Minnesota prep
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): Prescott Cardinals 63, Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau Red Hawks 48
Basketball (boys): LaCrosse Aquinas Blugolds 62, Cameron Comets 46
Most victims of nine-death wreck: Amish
MERRILLAN, Wis. – Seven members of an extended Amish family from Virginia were among fatal victims of a van and a milk truck collision Friday. In all, nine people died. These included both drivers. Without explanation Clark County Sheriff Scott Haines refused to release the names of the victims. However, the names circulated quickly among Amish people in western Virginia:
> James McCoy, about 45. of Pounding Mill, Virginia, who had been hired to drive the Amish group to Wisconsin
> Linda Byler, 44, of the Amish community near Burke’s Garden in Tazewell County, Virginia
> Lydia Byler, 24, a daughter of Linda Byler
> Ellen Schrock, 23, a second daughter of Linda. Byler.
> Orlah Schrock, 24, husband. of Ellen Schrock.
> Judy Rose Schrock, 6 months old, daughter of Ellen and Orlah Schrock.
> Delilah Schrock, 21, sister of Orlah Schrock.
> Suzanna Hertzler, 18.
The only survivor was an Amish by on the van. He was rescued before vehicle burst onto flames. He was taken to a hospital in Chippewa Falls. The Amish were from a religious community near Burke’s Garden in Tazewell County, Virginia. They were 900 miles into a trip to a religious gahering in Stillwater, Minnesota. The accident was about 7:50 a.m. Police said the van was on County Road J, east of Merrillan. The van crossed into the path of the truck pulling a semi-trailer of milk. The truck was east-bound on State Highway 95, the Amish van north-bound on J.
Earlier: Nine die in truck-van crash on Wisconsin Highway 95
Accident databank
With nine deaths the Merrillan accident was one of the worst in Wisconsin history.
2002: Ten people died in a 45-vehicle pileup in the fig in Sheboygan County.
1937: Nine people died in a crash in 1937 in Manitowoc County.
Feel tired today? Wait ’til tomorrow
WINONA, Minn. — Much of the nation, including Minnesota, switches to daylight savings time at 2 a.m. on Sunday. We lose an hour.
Update: Tomah High threat likely from abroad
TOMAH, Wis. – An email threat against Tomah High School staff and students sent police into high alert. Police with K-9 aides, backed up by State Patrol troopers, spent Saturday scouring the building. They found nothing suspicious. Mike Hanson, school district administrator, said later that classes would resume as usual Monday but with an extra police presence at all 12 Tomah district schools. The targeted high school has 870 students. Investigators from the state Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI said the email appears to have originated outside the United States. It was sent to 78 Tomah High School employee email addresses.
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