Mental tests ahead in LaCrosse plane highjack case
LACROSSE, Wis – A mental competency test has been ordered for a man accused of attempting to highjack a private jet at the La Crosse airport. Judge Scott Horne said he needs to know more about Cody Anderson, 31, before proceeding with a multitude of charges, including terroristic threats and attempted armed robbery.
Earlier: $500,000 bail for LaCrosse airplane knife, bomb threats
Anderson. Slouching during video court hearing.
Lake Marinuka claims suicide victim
GALESVILLE, Wis. – A man in a mental health crisis ignored pleas and intervention efforts and walked into the cold water of Lake Marinuka and drowned. This was about 8 a.m. The body was recovered two hours later by the Winona County volunteer dive and rescue team from Minnesota. Lake Marinuka, an old 117-acre millpond on Beaver Creek, is in the city of Galesville. The maximum depth is nine feet.
Winona dive team. Volunteers organized by the sheriff are on call 24 hours a day for emergencies. Members include scuba divers.
Daleys again lose bid to expand Lewiston dairy herd
RED WING, Minn. – In another setback for the expansion-minded Daley dairy farm of Lewiston, a judge upheld the ability of the Winona County Board to limit the size of large animal feedlots. Judge Douglas Bayley of Red Wing, who had been assigned to hear the appeal, wrote the decision. The Daleys have been frustrated since 2018 by the county’s refusal to grant an exception to the county lid of 1,500 animals on a feedlot. The Daleys have tried numerous legal and administrative avenues to, as they put it, “grow our business.” The latest Daley lawsuit argued that there was a conspiracy and conflict-of-interest between the Winona County Board and the independent environmentally conscious Land Stewardship Project. The Daleys point: The Count Board had stacked the membership of an advisory zoning agency with LSP people who favored the existing feedlot cap. The Daleys had no basis in facts or in the law for heir claim, Judge Bayley said in a 39-page opinion.
Earlier: Daley’s state lawsuit to expand herd still on
Earlier: LSP: Suit aimed to bully people into silence
Earlier: Daleys yield on suit against feedlot foes
Earlier: Daley dairy accused of stifling farm policy dialogue
Earlier: Daleys accused of spiteful political attack
Earlier: Daleys back in quest to grow herd exponentially
Earlier: County’s attorney: Dead-end ahead for new Daley suit
Verbatim
Bayley: “There simply is no evidence of bias that would justify overturning the Board’s legally and factually supported decision to deny Daley Farm’s variance request.”
Flock of sheep huddle lost on Quarry Hill
STOCKTON, Minn. – About 20 sheep congregated, bleating and and blahhing long after sunset at a house up Quarrv Hill Road, waking everybody up. “What’s going on?” They called the sheriff, whose deputies were mystified too. Nobody knew anybody in the neighborhood who kept sheep. The animals had no tags or markings. They were dirty, as if having been unloaded from a truck after a dusty ride. And they appeared also to have stumbled hrough the woods at night, judging from te burrs snagged their wool. The next morning, deputies posted an on online request for help. Then the sheep were gine. Had Little Bo-Peep found the lostvambs and nusheredt hem hime? The mystery was solved smewhat with this anonyous online response:
A porchlight beacon. Wayward herd showed up uninvited on a Quarry Hill doorstep a few hundred yards off U.S. Highway 14 over Stockton Hill. Baaaad behavior?
“The sheep are baaaaack home and tucked away, counting themselves. The head sheep said they just wanted to do some community service, by mowing (eating) and fertilizing the neighbors’ grass. They also wanted to help get the neighbor to sleep but didn’t realize it was already the middle of the night, since they can’t tell time. The neighbor’s dog got the surprise of a lifetime but is willing to forgive his fellow animals. We were able to get over this ‘herd-le’ and get everyone back to their rightful place. ”
Wildlife Refuge photo contest: “January Sunset”
Amy Cooper image. First place in the scenic view category in the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters centennial photo contest. In all there were 57 entries in four categories. Photos were from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which extends 260 miles from Wabasha to Rock Island in Illinois.
College scores
Basketball (women): UW-LaCrosse 78, Luther of Minnesota 42
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (girls): Cochrane-Fountain Cty Pirates 65, Eau Claire Immanuel 39
Basketball (girls): LaCrosse Central RiverHawks 59, Osseo-Fairchild Thunder 39
Fravel murder trial: Maddi’s boyfriend on court list
WINONA, Minn. – The prosecution’s witnesses in the murder trial of Adam Fravel in December may include Spencer Sullivan, 33, of Winona, who was a new man in the life of Madeline Kjngsbury when she disappeared in March and was later found murdered. Sullivan is listed in new court documents provided to Favel’s attorney in preparation for the trial. Unclear from the documents is whether Fravel knew Sullivan personally or even knew his name. Friends of Kingsbury have said in news interviews that she had confided that she had been seeing a new man and was planning to move out on Favel and had told him so. Kingsbury and Fravel shared a townhouse in Winona with their two pre-school children. They were not married. Fravel, Kingsbury and Sullivan all were Winona State University graduates, although in different years and different disciplines. Sullivan works in computers and is a 12-year Army veteran as a 68-L combat medic.
U.S. Supreme Court won’t take Chauvin appeal
WASHNGTON – he U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the 2020 death of George Floyd. The Court gave no explanation. Nor did it indicate whether any justices vote to heard the appeal. The usual practice is to take cases if four of the nine justices concur to do so. Chauvin, age 47, is in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, on a 21-year sentence.
A grand, grand day for a pair of Minnesota turkeys
Liberty and Bell. Guests of honor on arrival for a night’s stay at the historic Willard Hotel a couple blocks from the White House. These are big birds, Liberty at 42.5 pounds and Bell at 42.1.
President grants pardons, then homeward bound
WASHINGTON — A pair of Minnesota-born turkeys err, that’s “Minnesota-hatched” turkeys – received pardons from President Biden and will be spared being roasted for Thanksgiving. The ceremony marked a whirlwind week for Liberty and Bell from their home roost in Willmar, Minnesota. They went to Washington in a black stretch limousine. They received a red carpet welcome at the ritzy Willard Hotel in downtown Washington and spent the night. The ceremony was — well, ceremonial — on the White House south lawn. Biden’s German shepherds were kenneled far away. Once the ceremony was concluded, Liberty and Bell were on their way back to Minnesota. They will live out their days at the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences in St. Paul under the care of veterinary students and professionals. Domestic turkeys typically live eight years. Liberty and Bell were chosen for pardons by the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association from a Jennie-O farm near Willmar.
Rochester woman to jail for 2021 Capitol mob role
WASHNGTON – An energetic Rochester supporter of Donald Trump, Victoria Charity White, 41, was sentenced to eight days in prison for her role in the Capitol riot on January 6 of 2021. White had pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in obstruction of a law enforcement officer. It was a plea deal in which seven other counts were dropped. As part of her sentence, White will serve her eight days in prison on weekends. She then will be supervised release for two years.
Car wreck injuries on Winona-Rochester route
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A vehicle slowing to turn off U.S. Highway 14 was struck in the rear by another vehicle, injuring two people. This was about 7”50 a.m. at the 40th Avenue Southeast intersection on the heavily traveled Winona-Rochester route. The driver of the turning car, Megan Kristine Ellinghuysen, 26, of Rochester, was unhurt. She was in a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. A passenger, Jayden Randal Nyugen, 18, of Rochester, was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The other driver, Derek John Obrien, 28, of Pine Island, was also taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was in a 2007 Pontiac G5. The crash was just west of where two-lane U.S. 14 becomes four lanes.
Wisconsin leaders denounce Nazi hate-mongers
MADISON, Wis. – The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jennifer Mnookin, condemned he sudden and unexpected presences of a small neo-Nazi group Saturday in Madison “Utterly repugnant,” Mnookin, said. “Hatred and anti-Semitism are completely counter to the university’s values.” The Capitol area demonstration by the Blood Tribe, which based in Maine, didn’t approach the Madison campus. The Israel-Hamas war has led to unpleasant confrontations on some major campuses in recent weeks, notably Columbia and Cornell, but not Madison. Also among Wisconsin reactions:
> Tony Evers, governor: ““Let us be clear: neo-Nazis, anti-Semitism, and white supremacy have no home in Wisconsin. We will not accept or normalize this rhetoric and hate.” He called those ideologies “repulsive and disgusting,”
> Tammy Baldwin. U.S. senator: “This has no place in Wisconsin.” She added, “At a time when we are seeing disturbing spikes in anti-Semitism, it is more important than ever to denounce this hate in no uncertain terms.”
> Mark Pocan, U.S. House member: “These despicable extremists do not speak for the people of Madison, Wisconsin, or the United States. Our community stands resolute against such bigotry.”
R.I.P.: Paulette Yeske
WINONA, Minn. – Paulette Renee (Sobotta) Yeske, 78, of Winona, died at home. She attended elementary school in Arcadia and in 1966 graduated from Winona High School. At Winona Area Technical Institute she earned a diploma as a medical typist in 1977. She worked 30 years at Winona Industries. She then worked at Winona Manufacturing 10 years. She retired from Wincraft after 15 years in 2016. She had a passion for horses and in the early 1980s purchase land outside Witoka for a hobby farm.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1945-2023
Thanksgiving: $5 million boost for food banks
Emergency hunger relief. From warehouses like this, drivers, forklift operators and volunteers help meet nutritional needs of 813,000 people a year – one in six Minnesotans. Every $1 donated provides three meals.
Funds from the expiring American Rescue Plan
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz released $5 million for the state’s seven regional food shelves. The funds are from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. The seven regional food banks:
> Second Harvest Heartland, Brooklyn Park.
> The Food Group, New Hope
> Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, Duluth.
> Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Grand Rapids.
> Channel One Food Bank, Rochester.
> North Country Food Bank, East Grand Forks.
> Great Plains Food Bank, Fargo.
Borzyskowski on DWI: “I thought I was OK”
WINONA, Minn. – City Councilman George Borsyzkowski said he didn’t realize he was impaired while driving home early Friday. “I thought I was OK, but it happened, and I’ll pay the consequences,” told radio station KWNO. Borsyzkowski conceded to police that he had downed three drinks in the previous hour. The arrest was near Highway 43 and Homer Road. The officer said he had failed to maintain his lane and signaled twicc that he was turning right but didn’t turn. To KWNO Borsyzkowski said he routinely puts on his turn signal when going through roundabouts as a courtesy to other drivers.
Freezer full of birds for Thanksgiving roasting
Grocer’s tip. A 24-pound turkey will do for 24 guests – the old 1-to-1 rule. But there won’t be left-overs. Want left-overs? Trim your guest list to 14 and a 24-pounder will be enough. Image: Steve Lunde.
Madison cops shift gears when Nazis showed up
MADISON, Wis. – The Blood Tribe neo-Nazis who conducted a flash demonstration Saturday in Madison and then vanished were out-of-towners, said a Police Department spokesperson. “The group was dropped off in Madison,” said Stephanie Fryer. The Blood Tribe has headquarters near Springfield in remote eastern Maine. Frye said Madison city police force was already deployed at higher levels than usual for the Wisconsin-Nebraska football game. Officers were pulled from game-related duty to monitor the Nazis to guard against things from turning violent.
Search for Red Wing man now focused on Mississippi
HAGER CITY, Wis. — Searchers found the pickup truck of a missing Red Wing man submerged in the Mississippi River near a boat launch, shifting the search for Brad Nagel, 57, to the river. The search had begun two days after when Nagel failed to show up for a Red Wing Environmental Learning Center event. He had been a field instructor in the center’s youth programs for 35 years. Hundreds of volunteers had searched more than 1.000 square miles before his pickup was located, said Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly in Red Wing. Bagel’s pickup, a 2005 Chevrolet Colorado, was across the river in Wisconsin near Mr. Sippi Marina and Campground. Other vehicles have gone into the river from the same boat launch accidentally over the years. It was a phone ping that led searchers under water to the pickup, Sheriff Kelly said.
Nagel. Well-known to two generations of kids at the non-profit Red Wing Environmental Learning Center.
How much she been drinking? We may never know
WINONA, Minn. – “Not much,” the driver said when a police officer asked whether had she had been drinking. The evidence looked otherwise, said the officer: Bloodshot, watery eyes; slurred speech; and an alcoholic body odor. Nikita Janette Sumbry, 33, of Cochrane, Wisconsin, failed standardized field sobriety testing and was arrested. At the jail, she refused a \blood-alcohol test, which compounded the drunken-driving charge. Sumbry had been sopped about 2:40 a.m. at Mankato Avenue and Wabasha Street on the Fast East End. Why the stop? She had been drifted over the over centerline and ran a stop sign, the officer said.
Why weaving? Cops: His blood at 0.14% alcohol
WINONA, Minn. – A Rochester driver, Nicholas Houfea, 33, was arrested at Huff and King streets near Winona State University for driving drunk. Deputies said that Houfea was crossing the centerline, this about 1:30 a.m. When stopped, he showed signs of inebriation and failed field sobriety testing. Hs blood-alcohol tested at 0.14%, almost double the state-defined threshold for impairment.
Bad ratio: Three drinks equals 0.09% blood-alcohol?
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona driver who police said admitted to having downed just three drinks, was arrested about 120:5 a.m. and booked for drunken driving. Denise Marie Martin, 61, had been stopped for a signal violation at Huff and Sarnia streets. Police then saw signs of inebriation — bloodshot and watery eyes, odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person, and slurred speech. She failed standardized field sobriety testing. A certified breath test at the jail found 0 .09% of her blood was alcohol — roughly 12% higher than allowed for driving
News summary at week’s end: November 18, 2023
KAMIKAZE HATE: Nazis march in downtown Madison, taunt Jews
ECONOMY: Minnesota workforce reaches record 3 million
JUDGMENT: City Councilman Borzyskowski drunk at the wheel
GOVERNANCE: How they voted: On extending federal funding /2
CRIME: Craig’s attacker in apartment elevator to prison
College scores
Basketball (men): UW-LaCrosse 93, Bethel 81
Basketball (men): Saint Mary’s 76, UW-River Falls 73
Basketball (women): Maryville 62, Winona State 52
Basketball (women): Ripon 82, UW-LaCrosse 67
Football: UW-LaCrosse 62, U-M Morris 7
Hockey (men): Augsburg 4, Saint Mary’s 1
Hockey (women): Saint Mary’s 2, Augsburg 1
Soccer (women): UW-LaCrosse 4, Washington of Missouri
Minnesota prep
Football: Stewartville Tigers 28, Glyndon Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Rebels 7
Hockey (girls): Hudson Raiders 4, Winona Winhawks 2
Hockey (girls): Rochester Century Panthers 10, Princeton Tigers 6
Hockey (girls): Hastings Raiders 6, Rochester Mayo Spartans 0
Hockey (girls): Hutchinson Tigers 9, Red Wing Wingers 1
WELCOME
The worthiest goal of journalism is to promote intelligent citizen involvement. Such is our goal with Winona Journal. We focus on local issues so you can go about your daily activities with confidence that you can be a genuine and valued part of informed public dialogue on the kind of community we’re building.
Although Winona-centric, we are attentive also to regional issues. Our community doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
You will find opinion here. We quote and paraphrase with attribution so you know the source and can assess ideas and thoughts. Sometimes you will find our commentary but always clearly labeled.
As journalists we are committed to accuracy but not perfect. Please let us know if you spot an error, whether substantive or even just a dumb typo. We’ll get errors squared away promptly.
We’re glad you’re with us.