Week’s summary: Ending September 30, 2023
COLLEGES: WSU’s enrollment close to steadying itself
COLLEGES: WSU outcome data ranks high in region
POLITICS: Potomac chatter: Minnesota’s Emmer for top House job?
POLITICS: Klobuchar in chorus for Menendez resignation
GOVERNANCE: Budget crisis: Federal shutdown delayed 45 days
HONORS: Second-grader cited for heroism in dad’s rescue
HONORS: Winona emergency chief wins state honors
HONORS: Winona High senior a National Merit scholar
SCHOOLS: Winona Mall sale deal near ready to close
SCHOOLS: Expert: First Amendment supports gay flag at Gale High
COMMERCE: Kwik Trip marches west into South Dakota
REMEMBRANCE: Outpouring of love for Amish children in fatal wreck
REMEMBRANCE: R.I.P.: Gene Olstad
REMEMBRANCE: R.I.P.: Mark Zimmerman
TRIBAL: Minneapolis land transfer for Indian addiction therapy
ARTS: Reza illusion show set for 560-seat WSU venue
Crime thrill author at WSU for reading
WINONA, Minn. – Minnesota novelist Sheila O’Connor is doing a reading Monday in the Minne classroom building at Winona State University. Time: 5 p.m. Free. The reading will be from her 2019 work, “Evidence of V.” The novel, O’Conner’s sixth, uses flash forms, archival documents, a memoir, and historical research to reconstruct a buried history of incarcerated girls. O’Conner holds a Minnesota Book Award and a Marshall Project award for criminal justice books.
O’Conner. A professor of creative writing Pat Hamline University. Also fiction editor for Water~Stone Review.
College scores
Football: UM-Duluth 38, Winona State 14
Football: UW-LaCrosse 45, UW-Stout 20
Soccer (men): Saint Mary’s 1, Concordia of St. Paul 0
Soccer (women): Saint Mary’s 1, Concordia of St. Paul 0
Volleyball (women): Wesleyan of Nebraska 3, Saint Mary’s 0
Volleyball (women): UW-LaCrosse 3, Elmhurst 1
Volleyball (women): Millikin 3, UW-LaCrosse 0
Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Rochester Mayo Spartans 2, Osseo Orioles 1
Budget crisis: Federal shutdown delayed 45 days
WASHINGTON – Threats by Republican right-extemists in the U.S. House to shut down the government were averted when the House leader, Speaker Kevin McCarty, engineered a 45-day extension to keep federal agencies open. The vote waa 335-91. The bill was quickly endorsed 88-9 by the Senate and signed by President Biden. The bill suspends aid to Ukraine in the 45-day meantime, which had been a growing demand of House Republicans.
How Minnesota and Wisconsin members of House voted:
To extend funding 45 days
Angie Craig, D-Mn2 (south suburbs)
Tom Emmer, R-Mn6 (north suburbs)
Brad Finstad, R-Mn1 (south)
Michelle Fischbach, R-Mn7 (rural west)
Betty McCollum, D-Mn4 (St. Paul)
Ilhan Omar, D-Mn5 (Minneapolis)
Dean Phillips, D-Mn3 (west suburbs)
Pete Stauber, R-Mn 8 (Iron Range)
—
Mike Gallagher, R-Wi8 (Green Bay)
Glen Grothman, R-Wi6 (Campbellsport)
Gwen Moore, D-Wi4 (Milwaukee)
Mark Pocan, D-Wi2 (Madison)
Bryan Steil, R-Wi1 (Janesville)
Derrick Van Orden, R-Wi3 (Prairie du Chien)
Against
Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wi5 (Clyman)
Tom Tiffany, R-Wi7 (Hazelburst)
How Minnesota and Wisconsin senators voted:
To extend funding 45 days
Amy Klobubar, D-Minn.
Tina Smith, D-Minn.
—
Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Ron Johnson, D-Wis.
Ever thought of Kwik Trip as a jewelry shop?
NODINE, Minn. – A man was reported trying to sell jewelry at the Kwik Trip pumps on Interstate 90. Deputies were told that the man claimed he needed gas money. He was gone, reportedly in a rental truck, when deputies arrived. The intended “customer” characterized the jewelry as fake.
Biker crashes, hurt in lower Zumbro Valley
WEST ALBANY, Minn. – A motorcyclist suffered sustainable injuries when he left Minnesota Highway 60 on a gentle curve east of West Albany and crashed. Kyle Anthony Rombach, 23, of Blaine, was taken 36 mies to a Rochester hospital. The accident was at the County Road 11 intersection. Rombach was heading east toward Wabasha. Deputies said he was wearing a. helmet.
Plainview homecoming events axed: Why? Misbehavior
PLAINVIEW, Minn. – The Plainview school superintendent cancelled the high school homecoming parade and a pep rally after pranks escalated out of bounds over several days. Superintendent Darrin Strosahl, said “fun” had crossed a line and jeopardized student safety. Strosahl said that “a mob mentality” had taken hold, although he added that relatively few students were involved. The misbehavior, he said, had been growing over six days in the build-up to homecoming. The Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School has 455 students. The cancellation dampened remaining homecoming activities. The Plainview Bulldogs lost the homecoming football game 42-27 to the Pine Island Panthers.
Priest: Not right selling pumpkins in churchyard
WILSON, Minn. — The priest whose bailiwick includes the now-shuttered Immaculate Conception Church wasn’t pleased that a vendor had set up a stand to sell pumpkins in front of the church. “OK, OK,” said the priest. “You stay for this Halloween but never again.” The church was closed in 2022 and merged intiothe St. Rose of Lima parish 14 miles away in Lewiston. The site of the Wilson church has lots of traffic — and possible pumpkin purchasers — on busy Highway 43 that connects Winona and Houston County.
Flamingos wing their way west toward LaCrosse
NECEDAH, Wis. – A flock of lost flamingos that landed on the western shore of Lake Michigan a week ago flew off after their apparent rest spot. Their next stop: 150 miles west on Lake Petenwell on the Wisconsin River 70 miles from LaCrosse. Wildlife photographer Mark Korducki spotted the birds about 7 a.m. The birds, he said, were about 1,000 feet away. He took pictures rhrough a telescopic lens. Lake Petenwell is a 23,000-acre reservoir on the Wisconsin River. It is the second-largest inland lake in Wisconsin.
Earlier: No Wisconsin rescue planned for dislocated flamingos
R.I.P.: Jerry Wehrenberg
WINONA, Minn. – Gerald “Jerry” Wehrenberg, 91, of Winona, who managed Great Surplus stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa from 1957 to 1996, died at Beehive Homes in Maple Grove. He was a West Salem High School graduate. He was in the U.S. Army in the Korean war with an anti-aircraft artillery unit. He was a member of West Salem American Legion post for 58 years. In Winona he golfed at Westfield.
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
1931-2023
R.I.P.: Ronald Lewison
HOUSTON, Minn. — Ronald Joseph Lewison, 65, of Houston, died, of a rare non-hodgkins lymphoma. He graduated from Southland High School in Adams in 1976 and joined the U.S. Army. He worked 40 years in manufacturing, first at Sanborn in Springfield, then at Machine Products in Lacrosse, and then at Trane, also in LaCrosse. He was known for his “just relax” mentality.
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
1958-2023
R.I.P.: Irving Wiskow
ST. CHARLES, Minn. – Irving Everett Wiskow, 80, a heavy equipment mechanic for the state Transportation Department, died in Hugo, Minnesota. He also bad worked at the St. Charles Condensing Company and Patterson Quarries in St. Charles
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
1943-2023
Potomac chatter: Minnesota’s Emmer for top House job?
WASHINGTON – Ultraconservative Tom Emmer of Minnesota is on some fellow Congress members’ short list to replace Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. Could it happen? Emmer, of Delano, represents the MN-6 district, which spans the northern Twin Cities to St. Cloud. Emmer told the Minnesota Post that he hasn’t been approached about the speakership. McCarthy, of California, has been targeted for ouster by extreme right-wing members of Congress who see him as not aggressive enough on their priorities. Emmer is the third ranking member of House Republican leadership and a close McCarthy ally. Currently he is the Republican majority whip in the U.S. House. Among Emmer positions over the years:
> Opposed to legalized abortion.
> Opposed legislation to combat school bullying against gays.
> Derided the case for global warming as “climate porn” and favored coal and other biofuels.
> Favored shorter driver license revocations for drunken driving.
> Opposed the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
> Opposed legalizing gay marriage.
Emmer. Failed in a 2010 bid for the GOP nomination for Minnesota governor.
Emmer profile
Emmer, age 62, a lawyer, made a fortune with a family-owned lumber trading company. His first elected office was on city councils in Independence, Minnesota, and Delano, Minnesota. He was elected to the Minnesota House in 2004. In 2014 when Michelle Bachmann gave up the MN-6 seat in Congress amid a campaign finance ethics scandal, Emmer ran for the seat and won. He has elected every two years since. He ran for governor in 2010 but lost in the primary.
Festival opening mega-grocery in Chippewa Falls
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — The grocery supermarket chain Festival is opening its 41st store, in Chippewa Falls. The grand opening is scheduled for Friday. The store will have 160 employees. The store is on a seven-acre site at Seymour Cray Senior Boulevard and Chippewa Crossing Boulevard. Festival, headquartered in DePere, dates to 1946 when Paul and Jane Skogen oened a store in Onalaska. It’s gone through several name changes, including Skogen’s IGA and Red Owl. The company remins family-owned. Recent expansions have been in the Milwaukee suburbs, in Gfreenfield and Hales Corners.
Store profile
The Chippewa Falls store has a food court near the front entrance. Fresh food includes sushi, Asian stir-fry and gourmet popcorn. There is a bakery and a deli. Other sections: Sustainable seafood; natural and organic foods; wine and spirits; take-home meals; and hot, ready-to-eat meals such as chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers and pizza. The store offers catering, online shopping, and store pick-up.
College scores
Soccer (women): Winona State 4, UM-Crookston 0
Volleyball (women): Northern State of South Dakota 3, Winona State 0
Minnesota prep
Football: Kasson-Mantorville Komets 42, Winona Winhawks 7
Football: Winona Cotter Ramblers 0, Harmony Fillmore Central Falcons 0 (first quarter)
Football: St. Charles Saints 19, Dodge Center Triton Cobras 14
Football: Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 36, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 25
Wisconsin prep
Football: Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau Red Hawks 27, Altoona Railroaders 14
Football: Whitehall Norse 31, Independence Indees 8
Football: LaCrosse Aquinas Blugold 56, Arcadia Raiders 0
Football: Blair-Taylor Wildcats 32, Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 16
River news: Major repairs coming at Red Wing lock
RED WING, Minn. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $2.4 million contract to American Mine Services of Colorado to construct bulkhead slots on the auxiliary lock chamber of Lock and Dam 3 upriver from Red Wing. Navigation will not be affected, the Corps said. Completion is expected by December 2024. The project includes a new bulwark and new concrete monoliths and wall armor.
Thief cuts lock off trailer, drives away
WINONA, Minn. – A light utiity trailer was stolen on West Lake Boulevard by a thief who cut the padlock on the tailer tongue, police said. It was a brazen daylight heft, sometime in the afternoon, said the trailer owner. Police found metal shavings on the ground. The trailer was 5 by 10 feet. The theft was in the he 200 block West Lake Boulevard.
Mental patient walks off from VA hospital
TOMAH, Wis. – An man accused of a 2016 murder in Eau Claire and committed to the Tomah Veterans Hospital for mental health care has walked off. Missing is Shane Helmbrecht, 51. He had been in a VA group home. According to attendants at the group home, Helmbrecht had not been “acting like his usual self.” The staff said that he was an avid runner and bicyclist and typically advised staff when he was leaving and where he was going. Meanwhile, his parents, 70 miles away in Portage, reported their green 2003 Toyota Avalon missing. A national arrest warrant urged caution approaching Helmbrecht because of his unpredictable mental status, assaultive history, and an antagonizing attitude toward police.
Helmbrecht. Described in a national arrest warrant as 6 feet tall, 210 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Wreck at new rotary intersection injures two
RED WING, Minn. – Two men were injured when their car lost control on the new roundabout on U.S. Highway 61 at the shortcut between Red Wing and Hastings. Garret Lee Decker, 58, the driver, and John Harold Decker, 84, both of of Red Wing, suffered non-life threatening injuries. They were taken 13 miles to the Red Wing hospital. The accident was about 3:15 p.m. at the State Highway 316 cut-off. They were southbound on 316 in a 2016 Honda CRV.
In wake of press raid, Kansas police chief let go
MARION, Kanas – The Marion police chief, Gideon Cody, has been suspended for his raid on a weekly newspaper. The raid raised wide conccern as a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of the U.S. Constitution against government interference with the press. Mayor David Mayfield ordered the police chuef’s suspension but declined to discuss his decision. The raid put Marion, population 1,900, on the map and has resulted in a federal law suit against the city. The police chief had been irked that reporters for the Marion County Record had been digging through public records for background information related to him. He had been chief about a year. The raid was on the Record’s office in mid-September and also a private home.
FIRST AMENDMENT WATCH
Walz: Minnesota readies for federal shutdown
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Governor Tim Walz sees only minimal effects in Minnesota if Republicans in Congress fail to approve a federal budget and put the federal government into a shutdown. A federal shutdown could take effect this weekend. “If Washington won’t lead, Minnesota will,” Walz said. “I have directed state agencies to take every step available to mitigate the impacts of a federal shutdown.” He cautioned, however, that a lengthy federal shutdown could affect state programs and services. In the meantime, he noted, many state programs already have federal funds on hand through block grants. The governor said he has scheduled regular cabinet meetings to share information and explore creative solutions. Walz also has activated the Statewide Contingency Response Team to work with state agencies to identify problems early. Too, Walz said he has asked Attorney General Keith Ellison to analyze legal remedies against the federal government if reimbursement to the state begin running late.
Walz: Sees only minimal effects unless a shutdown becomes prolonged.
R.I.P.: Debra Burce
ALMA, Minn. – Debra Kay Burce, 70, of Alma, who wore many hats as an Alma city employee, including water and wastewater chief, died at Gundersen hospital in La Crosse. She plowed Alma streets and shoveled all seven staircases up the hill to Second Street. She attended the one-room Homer schoolhouse and graduated from Winona High School. Her work experiences ranged from Winona Industries, Alma Schools, Annie B’s Candy, Fin & Feather, and Bouquet Enterprises. She owned a house-cleaning business that guaranteed attention to detail. She volunteered for children activities at the Alma school.
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
1952-2023
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