SPARTA, Wis. – A teenager accused of arson in a devastating fire at the Sparta Walmart store said she had a compulsive urge to set an artificial plant on fire in Aisles F25and F26. But why? Emma Smith, age 17, told investigators she has no idea. She acknowledged, however, that she was on meds and hadn’t taken her prescribed morning dosage. To her surprise, she said, the plant burst into flames. She walked on, checking out with the oatmeal and mayonnaise she had come to buy, and left the store. Within minutes, the 182,000-square foot store was filling with smoke. The store’s sprinkler system couldn’t keep up. Fire alarms sounded. Customers evacuated, all without injury.

Arrest and confession

From store video, police identified Smith as the arsonist. They tracked her home. She confessed. Authorities detailed her explanation in a criminal complaint. She said she was in the store to pick up a few grocery items. Ready to leave, she reached into a pocket for her telephone to call her mother to pick her up. In the pocket she felt a cigarette lighter and suddenly had  an impulse to light up a green leaf on a fake plant. Smith told investigators she had no reason.  She said he did not mean to start a fire and that the flames flared up faster than she expected.

Battling flames, smoke

Firefighters arrived at the store within one minute of the fjrst  call. They ran an attack line into the store and extinguished the fire. Once the flames were out, they began ventilating the building.  Firefighters remained pn scene 6-1/2 hours. Walmart said it can’t be sure when the store can be open again for business.

Earlier: Walmart fire was started in fabric section

Earlier: Walmart arson blamed on teen-ager

Earlier: Fire at Sparta Walmart: Smoke damage at $7 million

Smith. Bail set at $5,000. Charges: First-degree recklessly endangering safety, felony criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct.

SPARTA, Wis – The fire that caused an estimated $7 million damage at the Walmart superstore In Sparta was started in the fabric section, the store’s security video shows. A teenager has been charged with arson. The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the investigation, did not determine immediately how blaze was ignited or whether there was an accelerant. The store, Sparta’s largest retailer, said it would be closed indefinitely to ventilate the smoke that caused most of the damage. The fire was reported about 10:45 a.m., Tuesday. Less than a minute later when the first fire crew arrived, customers and employees were already streaming out into the parking lot.

A picture versus a thousand words. What better way to make the point  than with a Sherman tank. Image: Army Corps of Engineers

CHATFIELD, Minn. –A Dover man died from injuries in a rollover crash between Chatfield and Dover four days earlier.  Christian Wolte, 20, died at a Rochester hospital. He had been thrown 150 feet from his overturning car. The accident was about 3 a.m.

Earlier: Dover man gravely hurt when vehicle overturns

Stockton hillside alit. Perhaps with more holiday decorations per house than anywhere in Winona County is the Rollin Sunset Drive subdivision on the east Stockton bluff off U.S. Highway 14. Image: Steve Lunde

Earlier: Holiday gallery / 8

MINNEISKA, Minn. — The woman who died in a fall off a cliff at John Latsch State Park last week was Rachel Marie Gerhardt, 33, of Minneapolis, the regional medical examiner reported. Death was attributed to injuries in the 100-foot fall. The woman, who was suicidal, went over a railing about 10 p.m.  after two hours of negotiation No one saw her fall. A rescue team with a crisis negotiator had retreated a few yards when she fell. The team had been negotiating by flashlight at the blufftop but had backed off several when she appeared to grow agitated. They were out of visual contact in the dark when she disappeared over the side.

Earlier: Crisis negotiations preceded Latsch Park fatal fall

Earlier: Woman dies in night-time plunge at Latsch Park

Gerhardt. Avid about outdoors. A passion was visiting every state park in Minnesota with her children, 8 and 5.

emergency medical calls plus 13 fire calls in recent days:

> Tuesday, December 26: 5 medical calls plus 1 fire call

> Monday, December 25: 5 medical calls plus 1 fire calls.

> Sunday, December 24: 3: medical calls plus 3 fire calls.

> Saturday, December 23: 6 medical calls plus no fire calls.

> Friday, December 22: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.

> Thursday, December 21: 6 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.

> Wednesday, December 20: 5 medical calls plus 1 fire call.

Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 51 calls

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 2023 state Legislature was keen on a new state flag. But what will it look like? A commission established to explore possibilities has weighed in with a bold design featuring a stylized outline of Minnesota’s distinctive shape and an eight-point northern star. Whether to adopt this is on the Legislature’s agenda when it reconvenes in February. The final recommendaton from the state Emblems Redesign Commission has evolved through iterations that ended finally with a with a two-tone blue that’s a little drab withiut the green and yellow components  of other late variations..

Arizona

California

Colorado

New Mexico

Texas

Evocative designs. Not lost in a crowd.

Earlier: Minnesota flag: A bold new face to the world

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, who represented Wisconsin for 24 years, died at home at age 88 after a brief illness. In the Senate he was a watchdog on federal spending. He was a Democrat who earlier served as the party’s Wisconsin state chair. He immigrant parents operated a corner grocery store in Milwaukee. He and a brither together built a chain of 50 upscale groceries in Wisconsin. They followed up with the Kohls department stores, which eventually eclipsed JCPenney as the department store retailer in the nation. These enterprises were eventually sold. For sports fans Kohl was known for his $18 million purchase of  the Milwaukee Bucks basketball franchise and seeing the hometown team  financially through 29 years of mostly losing seasons.  In he Senate he was an advocate for working families, small-business owners, and the elderly.

Kohl. Legacy includes Kohls retail chain and Milwaukee Bucks.

WINONA, Minn. – An Indiana driver was arrested on suspicion of being drunk after a signal violation. Police reported this dialogue during the stop:

Officer: “Do you feel intoxicated?”

Driver: “A little bit.”

Police said that Erik Paul Franko, 53, of South Bend, couldn’t walk straight, had slurred speech and blood-shot eyes, and smelled drunk. He also failed field sobriety tests. Police said Franko didn’t resist arrest but  turned uncooperative at the police stain and refused a blood test for his state of impairment. He was charged with test refusal, which is akin to a nolo contendere plea in criminal cases. The stop was about 12:15 a.m at Second and  Lafayette streets.

Hockey (girls): New Richmond Western Wisconsin Stars 3, Winona Winhawks 0

Hockey (girls): Isanti Northern Tier Stars 4, Rochester Mayo Spartans 1

Hockey (girls): New Richmond Western Wisconsin Stars 3, Winona Winhawks 0

SPARTA Wis. – Police arrested a 17-year-old boy for a fire that forced dozens of shoppers out of the Walmart retail store on the West End. The teen, whose name was nkit released. was booked into the Monroe Cointy Jail in Sparta. He was booked on multiple charges, including arson and recklessly endangering pubic safety.

Earlier: Fire at Sparta Walmart: Smoke damage at $7 million

Fifth Street fire call. An explosion and fire damaged a second-floor rental unit of a large rooming house fronting on the sidewalk at 850 West Fifth Street. Five roomers, who all felt the building shake, escaped uninjured. A sixth roomer was not at home This was about 1:15 p.m. The fire was confined to a single room. Cause: Uncertain. Image: Winona Fire Department

SPARTA, Wis.   Fire forced hundreds of shoppers out of the giant Walmart retail superstore on the West End. Everyone evacuated, said Fire Chief Mike Arnold. The fire, about 10:45 a.m. overwhelmed the store’s sprinkler system. A store manager estimated damage at $7 million, mostly smoke danger to merchandise. The store won’t reopen soon, the manager said. It was not immediately clear where in the store ha the fire originated. Sources said the fire was deliberately set.

No injuries in evacuation. At 1600 West Wisconsin Street. Image: Sparta Fire Department

WINONA, Minn. – A vandal, perhaps several, attacked a car parked overnight on a Far West End street. Windows were smashed and the body dented. There was reason to believe the attack was targeted, police said. The damage was reported about 10:40 a.m. in the 1750 block of West Wabasha Street.

WINONA, Minn. – A home-owner reported the theft of $1,600 in tools from a storage garage in back of a Far East End house. The theft, the owner said, was as early as November 26 — the last he had checked the garage.  There were no signs of forced entry, police said. Taken: A two-wheel cart, a weed burner, a torch kit, a power hammer drill, and a saw. This was in the 1100 block of East Broadway.