Emergency, fire crews make 60 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 41 emergency medical calls plus 19 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, September 12: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Monday, September 11: 3 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Sunday, September 10: 4 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
> Saturday, September 9: 9 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
> Friday, September 8: 6 medical calls plus 3 calls.
> Thursday, September 7: 9 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Wednesday, September 6: 4 medical calls plus 3 fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 78 calls
Jail mistake frees Minneapolis murder suspect
INDIANAPOIS, Ind. – A man accused of a 2021 murder in Minneapolis was released from jail mistakenly. Kevin Mason, 28, had been arrested on a Minnesota warrant two days earlier. Apparently the release was a clericl error. Two civilian employees in Marion County sheriff’s office were fired immediately. Mason had been on the run when he was arrested. The charge was homicide in the shooting of Dontevious Catchings, a 29-year-old father of two, outside a Minneapolis church during a funeral in 2021. Mason had been harbored by a girlfriend in Indianapolis, police said. She was arrested too. How did Mason get away? Sheriff Kerry Forestal said two clerks messed up in the four layers that prisoners go through: ‘It should not have had happened.”
Mason. On the run and believed still in Indianapolis.
Ashley arts fest earns $700,000
Charity fund-raiser. The annual three-day Ashley for the Arts music festival in Arcadia earned $7000,000 this August, the organization announced. The mney is for local nonprofit organizations, including schools, children’s charities and medical research.
Lost Winona school bus: Bad judgments compounded
WINONA, Minn. — Nobody bothered to call police that a Winona school bus went missing for two hours with a load of youngsters on the first day school. There were a couple parent calls that buses were late, a police spokesperson said. But when officers went to the bus company, First Student, they were told only that there was some sort of delays with some buses — the kind of confusion typical on the first runs at the start of the school year. Whether this was before or after First Student became aware that one bus was lost and out of radio contact and that the company had launched a search. At no point, however, did the company, ask city police or sheriff’s office for police help to find bus. The bus had picked up grade-schoolers at the Rollingstone charter school, 10 miles out of town, and the driver, new to the job got off route and became lost. Apparently the driver didn’t know how to use his onboard radio connection to the First Student dispatcher or the system was nonfunctional. Also, the oboard Zonar tracking system wasn’t working. The bus was located two hours later by a frantic mother who criss-crossed every street she could think of until she found the bus and the load of frightened children. Her own daughter recounted that she had been heckled and abused by other kids during the ride and hid under a seat to escape the torment. The mother didn’t report what happened to police or to First Student. Instead she posted a video online of her 6-year-old daughter sobbing uncontrollably about what happened. When the mother had found the bus, she said, a First Student agent had just arrived, but, she said, the situation was hardly under control. One child, she said, fled the bus into the street with the driver and the First Student agent giving chase but unable to catch him. “That child easily would have been hit if there was a car coming.,” said the ither, Jasmine Brown, in an account with the video of her daughter’s trauma.
Earlier: First Student mystery: How do you lose a school bus?
Earlier: Mom: Child mercilessly bullied on late, late school bus
Verbatim
Official responses shed little light on the facts of what happened: Why? How?
Brenna Rudisill, First Student corporate spokesperson, in Cincinnati: “The safety of the students we transport is a responsibility we take very seriously. We understand, and share, the concern over this incident that was brought to our attention. We are working collaboratively with the school district to investigate.”
Casey Indra, transportation director, Winona Schools: “Student safety remains our top priority, and that is extended to the school bus. This is a shared responsibility among First Student, Winona schools (including private and charter schools), families and students. We expect our students to treat one another with respect on the school bus just as they would in the classroom, in the cafeteria, or on the playground, and we trust that our families are repeating the same message at home.”
Lake Winona in blue — or any color you choose
Local artists. They’ve created frameworks to portray Winona in any hues or shading you like. But no dead-of-nights allowed.
Coloring book in new edition
WINONA, Minn. — After six years as a favorite gift item at the Winona tourist stop on Huff Street, the “Winona Coloring Book” has entered a second edition. The 18 pages have Winona sites in outline, waiting your Crayolas. Local artists have sketched the images, each with their unique style: Toni Ambrosen, Julia Crozier, Brianne Daniels, Julie Johnston and Judson Portzer. “It’s a great memento to remember a trip by, almost extending the vacation,” said promoter Kate Carlson. Hometown folks also buy the coloring book as a gift, Carlson said. Price $6.
College scores
Volleyball (women): UW-LaCrosse 3, Saint Mary’s 2
Volleyball (women): Saint Mary’s 3, Luther 0
Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Eau Claire Memorial Old Abes 3, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Winona Cotter Rambler 3, Rushford-Peterson Trojans 0
Volleyball (girls): Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 3, St. Charles Saints 1
Volleyball (girls): LaCrescent-Hokah Lancers 3, Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 1
Volleyball (girls): Adams Southland Rebels 3, Houston Hurricanes 0
Volleyball (girls): Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs 3, Dover-Eyota Eagles 1
Wisconsin prep
Volleyball (girls): Eau Claire Memorial Old Abes 3, Winona Winhawks 0
Case to state Court: Keep Trump off 2024 ballot
ST.PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota group petitioned the state Supreme Court to block former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot. The petition asks the Court to invoke that rarely used “insurrection clause” of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Trump is under indictment on four courts in 91 criminal counts for his attempted 2021 coup to stay in office even after losing a re-election campaign. Among the signatories:
> Joan Growe, a Democrat, former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe, 1975-1999.
> Paul Anderson, a Republican, former state Supreme Court justice, 1994-2013.
The petition, which runs 84 pages, is supported by a Massachusetts organization, Free Speech for People, which is organizing nationally to keep Trump off state ballots. The organization claims to be non-partisan. The first such petition was filed earlier in Colorado.
Growe. Former Minnesota secretary of state.
Anderson. Former Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
Verbatim
14th Amendment, Section 3: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
Notable journalism
Julie Bosman (New York Times, September 8, 2023): “Repair Blunders Led to Fatal Iowa Building Collapse, Investigators Find”
Quinn Gorham (KVLY, September 12, 2023): “How Bipartisan Was the 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session? A Group Sets Out to Put a Number on It”
Jason Melillo (KWNO, September 11, 2023): “Kindergartner Bullied on Bus; Mom Seeking Answers”
Confusion reigns in WSU dorm fire call
WINONA, Minn. — Firefighters responded to an alarm from a pull-call station in the Morey dorm at Winona State University, but on arrival they were told the fire was in another dorm. They raced to the Conway dorm and found haze from burning food on the third floor. They cleared out the haze, and all as well. But why wasn’t a Conway alarm pulled? Firefighters identified that an alarm in the nearby Richards dorm had been activated, which they reset. Even so, that didn’t explain why the original alarm was from the Morey dorm. All three dorms are in aging 1960s-era buildings in a complex along Huff Street. The alarm came in about 10:40 a.m.
McDonald’s tackles soft-drink free-loaders
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The McDonald’s fast-food chain is unplugging its self-serve soft drink kiosks, according to a leak to the .Springfield State Journal-Reporter. The goal, the newspaper reported, is keep publicly used spaces clean and to address a growing problem with customers loading up on free refills.
Rochester proceeds with showcase waterpark
Soldiers Park. Plans include new tennis and basketball facilities and hiking trails in wilderness settings.
Budget at $22 million for recreation complex
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Drawings of a $22 million public waterpark, athletic fields and hiking trails at Soldiers Field south of downtown Rochester have been unveiled. Infrastructure preparation has begun. Included:
> Three waterslides.
> A 50-meter lap pool.
> A lazy river.
> A shallow pool and splash pad.
> Two new basketball courts.
A ceremonial Big Dig event is October 7 at 9 a.m.
Funding sources
> Destination Medical Center agency, $10 million.
> A local park referendum, $7 million.
> Federal grants, $5 million.
> State grants, $250.0000.
R.I.P.: Floyd Dunn
RUSHFORD, Minn. –Floyd Dale Dunn, 92, who farmed near Rushford, died at home. He graduated from high school in Ansley, Nebraska, and enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1931-2023
R.I.P.: Gary Woxland
GOODVIEW, Minn. – Gary Meridith Woxland, 83, of Goodview, who worked 31 years for Northwestern Bell Telephone in Red Wing, Winona and Rushford, died at La Crescent Health Services in La Crescent. He graduated from the Rushford High School in 1959 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy for service as an aviation electronics technician. His duty spanned the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam war. He belonged to the the American Legion.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1940-2023
Did Democrat legislators abuse their majority power?
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Democrats took control of Minnesota government in the 2022 election, but a new study concluded they didn’t bully their Republican rivals into silence in the Legislature — at least not completely. An analysis of 3,300 bills introduced in the 2023 Legislature found that 19% of GOP-authored Senate bills and 11% of GOP House bills were assigned by the Democratic leadership to committees for consideration. The study was conducted by Majority in the Middle, a non-profit organization committed to decreasing political polarization. Shannon Watson, executive director, said that although Democrats had control, Republicans were allowed to participate. This is not always the case in many states when the majority reflexively spikes anything the minority offers. Watson noted, however, that assigning bills to committees isn’t a complete measure of “Minnesota Nice.” What happens next is nuanced, she said. Minority bills can wither in committee. Indeed, Democrats succeeded with their agenda with their control of three branches of state governance — the Senate, House and governorship. It’s called a political trifecta.
Watson. Her political advocacy encourages bipartisanship.
First Student mystery: How do you lose a school bus?
WINONA, Minn. — A tracking system that the First Student school-bus company has on all its vehicles failed when a Winona school bus driver got lost on the first day of school. Unclear was whether the driver had failed to activate the on-board Zonar device or inadvertently turned it off. When a company dispatcher realized the bus was missing, a supervisor went looking for it. It is known that First Student has had a driver shortage. Drivers were being hired at the last minute, some lured by a $3,000 signing bonus and pushed through hurried emergency training sessions. When the supervisor found he bus, mayhem erupted, according to a mother who separately had been searching frantically two hours for her child on the bus.
Verbatim
Jessica Brown, who had a child on the bus: ‘When I finally found the bus, was packed with kids hanging out the windows like monkeys. There was no organization or control over this bus or these kids. A small child ran off without any parent or adult around into the streets. The bus driver’s helper chased after the child but was unable to stop the child. That child easily would have been hit if there was a car coming.”
Zonar profile
First Student installed Zonar devices on its whole fleet of 44,000 vehicles in 2019. In a publicity announcement, the company claimed the system would verify pre-trip, post-trip and child-check inspections. A diagnostic device also would track and manage vehicles for real-time transmission of vehicle subsystem data.
School bus drivers
Minnesota law requires a school bus driver to have a driver license pecial endorsement. Testing for renewal is required every for years. An exception is for vehicles for 10 or fewer occupants. These include passenger cars, station wagons and vans. Pay typically starts at $20 an hour.
Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Pine Island Panthers 3, Dover-Eyota Eagles 0
Volleyball (girls): Mabel-Canton Cougars3, Rochester Schaeffer Lions 0
Motorcycle, deer collide; driver hurt
LAKE CITY, Minn. — A motorcyclist was injured when she stuck a deer heading out west out of Lake City. Amanda Allison Smith, 31, of Minneapolis, was taken to the Lake City hospital with injuries described as sustainable. She was wearing a helmet, Goodhue County deputies said. The collision was about 9:30 p.m. on County Road 5 at 335th Avenue.
Four-wheeler crash injures Cedar Valley man
WITOKA, Minn. – A Cedar Valley man was injured when his off-road four-wheeler went down an embankment and rolled over and crashed into trees and brush. Jason Cisewski, 50, was taken seven miles to the Winona hospital with bruises and head cuts. The accident was about sunset near the Cedar Valley golf course. Deputies said Ciswski’s 7-year-old son, who was on a trailing four-wheeler, backtracked a couple hundred yards through rough trails and fields, then ran through tall grass for another few hundred yards to a neighbor’s house for help. The boy and neighbor returned to the accident to help the injured Cisewki until an ambulance arrived.
Mom: Child mercilessly bullied on late, late school bus
WINONA, Minn. — A Winona school bus driver got lost on the first day of school and drove around trying to find his route with a load of students for two hours, a mother wrote online. Worse, said the mother, her kindergarten daughter was touched, tickled, poked and bullied by other students as the driver drove around lost. The mother, waiting to pick up the girl at the end of her first day of school, became alarmed when the bus failed to deliver her daughter on schedule. She went looking. She said she drove up and down every street she could think of in search of the girl. When the mother, Jasmine Brown, found the bus, the girl was traumatized, as shown in a video the mother posted. The girl described a nigtmare of trying to hide in a corner in the back of the bus, but, she said, she couldn’t her tormentors.
Isabella Brown. The 6-year-old telling her mother in uncontrollable tears about being bullied by other students on a school bus. This happened after the driver got lost and was running two hours late. The video, posted Tuesday, has been viewed 14,000 times on Facebook and drawn 150 comments.
Major player. First Student is a major player nationally in the school busing business.
First Student profile
The Winona School District a-has an ongoing contract with First Student to bus students to its high school, middle school and three grade schools. The buses have routes as far out as Rolingstone, Stockton, and Witoka. First Student is an Ohio-based company that operates in 38 states and seven Canadian provinces. The company has 50,500 employees and 44,000 vehicles. The company has passed through numerous corporate owners since being founded in 1999 by the Ryder truck leasing company. In 2021 it became a subsidiary of First Group of Cincinnati in a $3.5 billion deal.
Major player. Furst Student is a major player nationally in the school busing business.
Cold-case homicide confession? Doubts about veracity
VIROQUA, Wis. — A patient at a Madison mental health hospital told a nurse that he killed a 24-year-old LaCrosse area woman in 1985, the nurse reported to authorities. The decapitated body of Terry Dolowy was found in Vernon County five days after she disappeared from her home. Although a cold case after 28 years, sheriff’s investigator Scott Bjerkos in Viroqua has been pursuing leads on and off all that time. Bjerkos said, however, he can’t find collaboration of the Madison patient’s confession. There is no evidence that the man was anywhere near Delowy’s place, he said. Even so, Bjerkos said he’s hopeful that at new crime-fighting technology some day may solve the case.
Dolowy. Last seen coming home after a shift at Piggy’s restaurant in LaCrosse, It was about 12:30 a.m. in December 1985. She was studying finance full time at UW-LaCrrosse.
Downtown attack victim now at home
WININA, Wis. — A Winona man who was slugged and stomped in downtown Winona 1-1/2 weeks ago has been released from a LaCrosse hospital. The man had been in critical condition. He was sent home for further recovery from facial fractures. Police haven’t released the man’s name because of a protocol against identifying crime victims. A Winona man with a drug record, Ricky Deppe, 31, has been charged with assault. Police haven’t figured out what provoked the attack.
Earlier: Victim in critical condition after daylight street assault
Southeast Minnesota drought deepens
ST. PAUL. Minn. — The drought left by five months of hardly any rain has intensified in southeast Minnesota. The U.S Drought Monitor reports the bulk of Mower end Steele counties have gone into the Stage 5 Exceptional Drought category — as bad as it gets. Meanwhile, the Stage 4 category has spread further into Winona County’s southwest townships. Scattered showers predicted for Monday and into Tuesday aren’t expected to bring relie
Whole state. All of Minnesota is in some stage of drought in latest report.
Illusionist Reza due at WSU: Will he bring chopper too?
Ripley’s updated: Believe it or not.
Show set for October 6 at Kryzsko Commons
WINONA, Minn. – The Kryzsko ballroom at Winna State University is big. But big enough to land a helicopter inside — and somehow through the roof less. Such is among expectations for illusionist Reza Borchardt, who is booked for October 6. “Reza,” as he bills himself, called his current show “Edge of Illusion.” His recent mega-illusions also include passing through the spinning blades of an industrial fan and recreating 19th century master Harry Houdini’s most famous stunt. Says the university’s publicity machine: “More than a magic show, Reza infuses state-of-the-art production elements, masterful comedic timing, and numerous interactive and inspirational moments, allowing the audience to experience the magic firsthand.” Tickets: $40 for close up, $25 and $30 back a ways. Time: 7 p.m.
Reza. Hooked on magic after seeing a grade-school performance at age 6 in his native Brookings, South Dakota. Now 36, he’s on the road for 300 shows a year. These include charity performances for the charity Star of Hope to Make Hunger Vanish.
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