Winona High, Cotter hockey players recruit kids
School spirit swells young. Three days of events culminated with elementary students invited to play around on the ice with varsity players at Bud King Arena. It was billed as “Skate with the Winhawks.”
A weekend to remember for grade-gchool fans
WINONA, Minn. — Winona elementary students showed their stuff during breaks between periods in a varsity hockey game between the Winhawks and the St. Paul Academy Spartans. First was a Mite game between first and second periods for pucksters 8 and under. Between second and third periods was a huck a duck contest. There was face-painting by National Honor Society volunteers from high school, an autograph opportunity with varsity players, and a team photo session off the with the varsity team. This all was preceded Friday by Winona and Cotter high school players visiting Jefferson, Goodview, Washington-Kosciusko and St. Luke schools for pep rallies and, to be sure, the players going to classrooms and reading stories to the grade-schoolers. By the way, the big-boy Warriors defeated St. Paul Academy 3-0.
W&StP freighthouse’s new lease on life
Shortridge plan: A spill-over site for convention activities from the proposed levee hotel. Also a new home for the Heirloom Seasonal Bistro. The microbrew oub at the far, far end of the awkwardly narrow block-long building will stay. Image: Steve Lunde
Future linked to success of new levee hotel
WINONA, Minn. – Real estate developer and historic preservationist Peter Shortridge sees the old Winona & St. Peter Railroad freighthouse being reborn as a restaurant and also an event center for a proposed hotel across the street. In an interview with the Winona Post, Shortridge said the restaurant may be open by December. He listed these principals:
> Kristi and Gavin Keeling, who curently operate Heirloom Seasonal Bistro on East Third Street.
> Amy Jo Marks, owner of Blooming Grounds coffeehouses and the Muddled Thyme wine bar, who will coordinate events.
> Graham Kaczmarek and Brook Merkwan, who recently acquired Island City Brewing Company in the far end of the freighthouse and who are rebranding it as a taproom and entertainment venue.
Shortdge himself has been involved at various points in developing the proposed riverfront hotel on the levee between Center and Main streets. All along the hotel concept has had old 9,000-squar foot W&StP freighthouse as an auxiliary facility for conventions at the hotel.
Shortridge. His legacy has been downtown preservation. His showcase projects include 111 riverfront 102 Walnut, the Latsch Building, and the still in progress Exchange Building.
Historically significant
The Winona & St. Peter Railroad built the freighthouse in1882 for transferring merchandise from other railroads to its trains on its pioneer tracks up the bluffs and and west to the Minnesota River Valley. The freigthouse remained in a railroad facility until 1971. In 1984 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for spurring Winona’s industry and growth by developing markets along its rail lines across Minnesota into Dakota Territory.
Latter-day eatery site
The freighthouse has been home to restaurants in the past. Frank and Cindi Zacher moved their classy dining place Zachary’s from the old Schlitz Hotel at Second and Johnson streets to the freighthouse in 1983. Their renovation was the freighthouse’s first rebirth as a restaurant. They called it Zach’ s on the Tracks and maintained the railroad feel with a couple of rusty and truckless old box cars on the backside. The Zacher’s struggled to maintain the upscale restaurant in a town that leaned to blue plate specials. Zach’s closed in the mid-1990s. Mike Peeler bought the building and named it the Riverfront Restaurant. A year later Cindi’s brother Kent took it back and made it into Jefferson Pub and Grill as lunch place and with a mid-price evening menu mid-price albeit not elegan menu. Jefferson closed in 2020 when business collapsed due the CoVid pandemic. Real estate developer Chase Hoffman announced plans to convert the two-story section of the building short-stay apartments. Those plans fell through.
Democrats: Van Orden a disaster in Congress
LACROSSE, Wis. – Democrats lost no time responding to the announcement by Congressman Derrick Van Orden that he would run for a second term. “A disastrous first term,” said William Garcia, the LaCrosse County Democrauc chair. Garcia’s complete statement:
“Van Orden has proven over and over that he does not have the judgement, temperament or character to represent Western Wisconsin in Congress.
“From yelling at teenagers in the Capitol rotunda to abandoning his post to insert himself into the Israel/Gaza conflict, he has consistently made national headlines as a volatile and unpredictable member of Congress.
“As a member of the Republican majority in the House, he has been a part of the most unproductive legislative body in modern history. The last 10 Congressional session have passed an average of 391 bills a session. This year House Republicans passed only 27.”
Driver on cell phone smacks power pole
TROY, Minn. – A woman on her cell phone struck a power pole on rural Cocker Drive and knocked out electricity in the immediate area, deputies said. The driver, Sandra Ann Grell, 25, from the St. Charles area, was unhurt. This was about 1:05 p.m. She was cited for inattentive driving.
Cancer claims Minnesota Senator Dziedzic
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic died midway through her current and fourth term in the Senate. Dziedzic, age 62, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago but maintained her momentum as a Senate leader. In her last year she shepherded major public policy reforms through early stages of yhe the legislative process. These reforms included funding universal school meal, paid family and medical leave, legal protections for abortion and gender-affirming care, and legalized cannabis for recreational use. She stepped down from Senate leadership in February after the cancer recurred. Dziedzic held a degree in engineering but also had public service in her blood. Her father Walt was a Minneapolis City Council member and later served on the city parks board. She began her political career as a campaign volunteer and became a scheduling aide for U.S. Senator. Paul Wellstone. She first ran for the state Senate seat from District 60 in 2012.
Dziedzic.1962-2024.
Tributes
Tim Walz, governor: “A one-of-a-kind leader. Her legacy should inspire all of us in elected office to be better public servants.”
Ken Martin, state Democratic chair: “She devoted her life to making her fellow Minnesotans’ lives better, and she refused to allow cancer to get in her way. Her extraordinary legacy will outlast us all.”
Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, Senate minority Leader: “A passionate legislator, a respected leader, and a trusted colleague and friend. She will be remembered for her integrity and her compassion for Minnesotans, something that we all saw as she continued to serve even as she battled cancer.’
Erin Murphy, D-St. Paul, Senate majority leader: “As a consequential and thoughtful leader, she made us all better legislators, and her examples of kindness humor, and selflessness made us all better people.”
Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, House speaker: “One of the most skilled diplomats ever to serve in elected office.”
New UW-LaCrosse major: Environmental science
LACROSSE, Wis. – The University of -La Crosse has created a new degree in environmental science. Colin Belby, a geography professor, said students will gain skills at climate remediation. The program has been cobbled from existing courses, most already in the curriculum. Six other UW system schools have such a degree.
Crime study: Bemidji as state’s most dangerous city
DURHAM, N.C.. – A online data-mining site reported that Bemidji the most dangerous city in the state. The rankings are based on the frequency of two categories of crime – those against people and those against property – per 100,000 people. The site, Nrth Carolina-based RoadSnacks, says it provides a public service by posting information that local real estate agents don’t talk much about. Details:
1. Bemidji: People have a one in 12 chance a year of being a victim of property crime. Third highest violent crime rate in the state. An aggravated assault occurs at least once a week.
2. Minneapolis: Highest murder rate in the state. Residents have a 1 in 81 chance of being a victim of violent crime. State’s highest burglary rate.
3. St. Paul: Residents have a 1 in 130 chance of being a victim of a violent crime. Fifth highest murder rate in the state. A high rate of auto theft and arson.
4. Waite Park, a Sgt. Cloud suburb: Second highest crime rate in Minnesota. A 300% higher crime rate than the rest of the country. Second highest property crime rate in the state.
5. Fridley, a north Minneapolis suburb: Ninth most dangerous with violent crime in the state. Eighth most dangerous with property crimes. Robbery, car thefts and larceny are major problems.
6. St. Cloud: Residents have a one in 220 chance of being attacked. Sixth most dangerous with property crimes.
7. Brooklyn Center, a northwest Minneapolis suburb: Fourth most dangerous city with violent crime. Sixteenth most dangerous with property crime. Car thefts and robbery are problems.
8. Roseville, a north St. Paul suburb: Third most dangerous with property crimes, notably car thefts and burglaries.
9. West St. Paul: Seventh highest property crime rate. Theft an issue. Has 78th highest murder rate.
10. Brooklyn Park, a northwest Minneapolis suburb: Has a “concerning” level of crime growing in recent years.
Frontier launching new MSP air service
DENVER, Colo. – Budget-fare Frontier Airlines announced new flights in and out of Minneapolis this spring:
> Atlanta, four times a week starting April 10.
> Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, three times a week starting May 16.
> Cleveland, four times a week starting April 21.
> Dallas, four times a week starting April 21
> Philadelphia, daily starting May 21.
The Denver-based airline already five Minnapolis flights.
Berthed for winter: Harbor tugs at rest
Between seasons. The Winona fleeting harbor fleet has the season free until Mississippi River shipping resumes in April. The Suland, Gold Star and White Angel, all twin screws in the 800-horsepower range, are owned by American River Transportation. ARTcois a stevedoring subsidiary of the Chicago-based multi-national agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland. ARTco owns 2,000 barges and some towboats and harbor tugboats. This includes 20 fleeting boats, and a downriver shipyard with five dry docks. Image: Steve Lunde
R.I.P.: Lowell Bjoraker
WINONA, Minn. – Lowell J. Bjoraker, age 90, of Winona, who was employed with the Winona County Social Services Department and later as a supervisor with the state Public Welfare Department, died at Benedictine-St. Anne in Winona. He he held a degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota. He was in the U.S. Army three years. He belonged to the Sons of Norway. He enjoyed woodworking. He klatched daily with buddies for coffee at Hy-Vee.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1933-2024
News summary at week’s end January 27
HEALTH: Anonymous gift saves Winona kidney treatments
HEALTH: Report: Three Minnesota stillborns linked to syphilis
HEALTH: Essentia, Marshfield quit health-care merger plan
POLITICS: Voegeli opens campaign for Minnesota House
POLITICS: Van Orden makes it official: Wants second term
GOVERNANCE: House unit OKs physician-assisted suicide
CRIME: Sexploitation case detailed against Lewiston man
CRIME: Quick arrest inked to Coon Rapids slayings
CRIME: Pregnant woman battered at hotel; ammo found
CRIME: Cops: We found driver who fled
College scores
Basketball (men): Winona State 77, St. Cloud State 69
Basketball (men): Saint Mary’s 4, Bethel 3
Basketball (men): Winona State 77, St. Cloud State 69
Basketball (women): St. Cloud State 55, Winona State 41
Basketball (women): Bethel 73, Saint Mary’s 45
Hockey (men): Bethel 3, Saint Maty’s 2
Hockey (women): Saint Mary’s 4, Bethel 3
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Winona Cotter Ramblers 61, Blooming Prairie Amazing Bloomers 60
Basketball (boys): St. Charles Saints 94, Dodge Center Triton Cobras 84
Basketball (girls): Winona Cotter Ramblers 72, Blooming Prairie Amazing Bloomers 52
Basketball (girls): Grand Meadow Superlarks 57, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 45
Hockey (boys): Winona Winhawks 3, St. Paul Academy Spartans 0
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): Princeton River Sharks 61, Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs 50
A real gun? Cops check into Snapchat photo
WINONA, Minn. – Something wasn’t right about a Snapchat image of a teen-age boy holding a gun with the message: “No school tomorrow.” This was a Saturday. But police investigated anyway. The image had been posted on a 17-year-old Winona high school boy’s account. The kid with the gun was a 16-year-old buddy. Another tip-off to the threat being less than real was the orange end of the barrel. Toy manufacturers put orange tips on their make-believe guns to clarify they aren’t real. But, as police know, criminals are no strangers to orange paint. As it turned out, the weapon was an air gun. How to punish the teens? A police spokesperson said that there had been a stern lecture. But also, the spokesperson said, the case remained under review.
A toy. But nothing to kid around about.
Van Orden makes it official: Wants second term
LACROSSE, Wis. – Western Wisconsin’s representative in Congress, Republican Derrick Van Orden, officially announced his run for a second term. The announcement was at his campaign headquarters, rented for 11 months at the Village Shopping Center strip mall in La Crosse. To date no other Republican has announced for the seat, which would give Van Orden a clear shot at the November general election ballot. Several Democrats are mounting challenges. To supporters at the campaign office, Van Orden stressed his role on the House agricultural committee and the veterans committee even though as a freshmen member of Congress he has had little sway. About the House being deadlocked by internal Republican rivalries, squabbles and vendettas, Van Orden said that his ambitions of accomplishment at the Capitol have fallen short: “They’re not doing anything. The federal government can actually be helpful, but you’ve got to work together. Politics is about addition, not subtraction.”
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Van Orden storefront. His LaCrosse campaign office. Elected in 2022 after earlier filed bid for the WI-3 seat in Congress.
Mild days to continue, more dense fog
WINONA, Minn. – Temperatures peaked in the mid-30s, melting surface ice on lakes and leaving puddles on top. For overnight the National Weather Service issued a regional alert for dense fog. Visibility was expected at less than a quarter mile with temperatures in the mid-20s. The long-term: The month will end with highs in the mid-40s Wednesday.
Temptations of the ice: Even as melt begins
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Yeomans Pond. Anglers ventured out on barely thick enough ice on the Yeomans slough behind the Minnesota Marine Art Marine Art Museum. They had parked along Prairie Road and trekked a quarter out. At one point there were 29 vehicles, mostly pickups, parked along the road. Images: Steve Lunde
R.I.P.: Anita Lilla
GALESVILLE, Wis.. – Anita Ann Lilla, age 58, of Galesville, who most recently was a receptionist with the Bruce Nelson law office in Winona, died at home of cancer. She graduated from Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School and Winona State University. In 2019 became a member of the La Crosse Dragon Boat Team and traveled in 2023 to the International Breast Cancer Paddling Commission festival on Lake Karapiro in New Zealand. She voluntered in the Wisconsin Cattelmen steak trailer to raise money for non-profit organizations.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1965-2024
College scores
Basketball (men): Winona State 83, UM-Moorhead 72
Basketball (women): UM-Moorhead 75, Winona State 62
Hockey (men): Saint Mary’s 2, Bethel 1
Hockey (women): Saint Mary’s 2, Bethel 0
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Rochester Century Panthers 74, Winona Winhawks 49
Basketball (girls): Winona Winhawks 65, Rochester Century Panthers 41
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (boys): Onalaska Luther Knights 62, Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau Red Hawks 42
Basketball (boys): Westby Norsemen 54, Arcadia Raiders 44
Basketball (boys): Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 69, Alma Center Lincoln Hornets 37
Basketball (boys): Alma-Pepin Eagles 72, Independence Indees 41
Basketball (boys): Whitehall Norse 80, Eleva-Strum Cardinals 61
Quick arrest inked to Coon Rapids slayings
FRIDLEY, Minn. – Three hours after a grisly triple homicide in Coon Rapids, police arrested a man 10 miles away in a Fridley traffic stop. Police said Alonzo Pierre Mingo, 37, of Minneapolis, was driving a blue Nissan Altima sedan like one that video showed coming and going at the Coon Rapids crime scene. In the backseat, police found a UPS delivery uniform that matched what one of the Coon Rapids intruders was wearing. Police quoted Mingo that he worked for UPS, but UPS said that was weeks earlier and only part-time. Video had shown three men, two dressed in UPS uniforms, entering and leaving the Coon Rapids house. Except for Mingo, the other two suspects remained at large.
Mingo. Has prior felony convictions in Illinois for aggravated battery, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. In 2918 Mingo attempted to flee from St. Paul police and, when apprehended, was carrying a handgun in a pocket.
Mingo. Has prior felony convictions in Illinois for aggravated battery, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. In 2918 Mingo attempted to flee from St. Paul police and, when apprehended, was carrying a handgun in a pocket.
Bomb makings left in state Capitol toilet
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Fire Department haz-mat team retrieved an abandoned case packed with what looked to be home-made bombs at the state Capitol. The case had been left in a a first-floor restroom. There was no explosion. This was about 6:30 p.m. after the Capitol had been locked up for for the day. A spokesperson for the State Patrol, which is responsible for Capitol security, said the case contained seven Mason-brand canning jars with an inflammable liquid inside. The jars were wrapped in socks. Also in the case were three bags with a powder of some sort. The haz-mat team disposed of the materials
Apple Blossom Drive death a suicide
LACRESCENT, Minn. – A LaCrosse college student was found dead in a car at the Apple Blossom Drive overlook just inside the Winona County line. Death was by suicide through asphyxiation, a sheriff’s spokesperson said. The victim was a 22-year-old man from the Milwaukee area who was studying at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, the spokesperson said. The victim’s name was not released.
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