Utility to consumers: Cut back afternoon electricity use
RUSHFORD, Minn. –The heat wave has moved the regional electrical grid near capacity, prompting the MiEnergy Cooperative to ask users to reduce power consumption from 2 to 6 p.m. The co-op has 23,000 users in southeast Minnesota and adjoining Iowa counties.
Big-bucks Vikings player pays $686 for 140 mph ticket
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Rookie Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison pleaded guilty to driving his 650-hrsepwoer Lamborghini at 140 mph in a 55 zone on Interstate 94. Addison, who has a $13.7 million contract with the Vikings, was fined $684 for a petty misdemeanor – speeding. A charge of reckless driving was dropped. The incident was at 3 a.m. on July 20 in St. Paul. The state trooper who made the stop quoted Addison that he was in a hurry because of an emergency with his dog. His explanation now is simpler: “Bad judgment.” His car: An Italian-built Lamborghini Urus that cost him $225,000. The power plant: A twin-turbo V8.
Addison. A Vikings draft choice from University of Southern California. Here in USC colors. Age 21.
Homicide charge against teen in school bus crash
REEDSBURG, Wis. — A high school senior, Kevin Green, of Reedsburg, was charged in the death of a seventh-grader whom he hit and killed with his pickup at school bus stop last May. The charge: Homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. Green, 17 at the time, ,told police he didn’t notice that the bus had stopped to pick up children. Green said was looking at the radio or a field outside. The criminal complaint, however, alleges that his phone shows he was texting. Conviction could mean 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Green. Texting while driving? No, he said. Prosecutor: Yes.
Winona schools stocking opioid antidote
WINONA, Minn. – In compliance with a new state law, Winona schools each will have two doses of the overdose antidote Narcan available this fall. A district nurse is training staff on making the nasal applications in emergencies, said Superintendent Brad Berzinski.
State Supreme Court veteran to chief justice
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz promoted Natalie Hudson to chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. She is the first black person to lead the state’s highest court. She is 66. She had been on the Court 13 years as an associate justice. Hudson succeeds Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, who is retiring. Hudson holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota. Out of law school she practiced housing law and worked as a staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. Later she did general civil litigation and employment law. From 1989 to 1992 Hudson was the assistant dean of student affairs Hamline law school. She then served as a city attorney for St. Paul and then became an assistant attorney general working primarily on criminal appeals and health licensing. In 2002 Governor Jesse Ventura appointed Hudson to an at-large seat on the state Court of Appeals.
New to Supreme Court
Walz named Karl Procaccini, his former general counsel, to fill Hudson’s spot as associate justice. Procaccini currently isa visiting professor at the University of St. Thomas law school. In the governor’s office, his work had included the state’s response to the CoVid pandemic.
Hudson. An associate Supreme Court justice since 2015, an appointee back then of Governor Mark Dayton.
Procaccini. Harvard law grad, magana cum laude.
Verbatim
Walz: “Justice Hudson is one of our state’s most experienced jurists. She has a strong reputation as a leader and consensus builder. I am confident that she will advance a vision that promotes fairness and upholds the dignity of all Minnesotans.”
Emergency, fire crews make 78 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 53 emergency medical calls plus 25 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, August 22: 8 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Monday, August 21: 7 medical calls plus 3 fire callw.
> Sunday, August 20: 8 medical calls plus 6 fire calls.
> Saturday, August 19: 8 medical calls plus 6 fire calls.
> Friday, August 18: 2 medical calls plus 1 call.
> Thursday, August 17: 13 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
> Wednesday, August 16: 7 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews 49 calls
SMU budget chief resigns; to Twin Cities arts job
WINONA, Minn. – The financial vice president at Saint Mary’s University for 12 years, Benjamin Murray, resigned for a similar position at the Minneapolis Institute for Art. Murray is a Saint Mary’s grad and a certified accountant. His responsibilities at the university included budgeting, buildings and grounds, information technology, geospatial services, and human resources. The resignation is effective in October.
Murray. At Saint Mary’s 12 years.
Michigan road trip opens WSU football season
Surrounded by a 220-wode berm. The Saginaw Valley State football field has the feel of a horseshoe bowl. Seats 6,800.
Warriors v. Cardinals, who were 8-3 last season
WINONA, Minn. — The Winona State football team will be 600 miles busing to Saginaw, Michigan to open the collegiate football season. Kick-off: 6 p.m. at Harvey Randall Wickes stadium;
> August 31: Saginaw Valley of Michigan at Saginaw (nonconference)
> September 9: Concordia of St. Paul at Winona.
> September 16: Bemidji State at Bemidji.
> September 23: Northern State of South Dakota at Winona
> September 30: UM-Duluth at Duluth.
October 8: Mary at Bismarck.
> October 14: Augustana of Sioux Falls at Winona (homecoming).
> October 21: Sioux Falls at Sioux Falls.
> October 28: MSU-Moorhead at Moorhead.
> November 4: MSU-Mankato at Winona.
> November 11: Minot State at Winona.
Saginaw Valley profile
The Cardinals, of the Great Lake Intercollegiate Conference, were 3-3 in the conference last year and 8-3 overall. At-home conference games were 3-3. Like Winona State, the Cardinals are NCAA Division II.
Troubled past
2020: The NCAA forced Saginaw Valley to vacate 365 victories in 15 sports and find the university $5,000 for 137 improper certifications eligibility for athletes cover six years. The athletic program went on NCAA probation.
2016: Five persons were shot at a crowded party of an estimated 1,000 people outside a campus neighborhood apartment complex the night after a football game. No one died.I
2012: Five football players were suspended for locker-room hazing of in what apparently was a team tradition. Sexual assault wss the issue, but no criminal charges were filed.
Troubled past
2020: The NCAA forced Saginaw Valley to vacate 365 victories in 15 sports and fined the university $5,000 for 137 improper certifications of eligibility for athletes over six years. The athletic program went on NCAA probation.
2016: Five persons were shot at a crowded party of an estimated 1,000 people outside a campus neighborhood apartment complex the night after a football game. No one died.
2012: Five football players were suspended for locker-room hazing in what apparently was a team tradition. Sexual assault was the issue. No criminal charges were filed.
New Melrose school bus to hum, buzz
MELROSE, Wis. – The Melrose-Mindoro School District is acquiring the first electric school bus for miles around. Superintendent Deana Wiatt said delivery is expected in mid-November. The bus can go 120 miles between battery recharges, which take about four hours, Wiatt said. The rest of the Melrose-Mindoro fleet runs on diesel at seven or eight miles to the gallon. The largely rural school district that straddles the LaCrosse and Jackson counties line has 850 students, almost all of whom are bused.
Show-off colors. Electric buses usually have green or blue bumpers.
R.I.P.: Eugene Thrune
WINONA, Minn. – Eugene N. Thrune, 78, of Winona, who retired from Bay State Milling after 27 years, died at home. He was a graduate of Winona High School. He was in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam war at stateside postsand the Philippines. Later he was in the Army Reserve Wabasha unit. He belonged to the Eagles Club, the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He managed the Winona American Legion baseball team for 23 years.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1944-2023
What the top, top brass earns in Minnesota
NEW YORK CITY – The financial advisory site Investopedia identified the chief executive of Ameriprise Financial as the highest compensated leader of a publicly traded corporation in in Minnesota. His compensation: $22.8 million. Investopedia said the top executives of the 350 largest publicly traded companies in the nation average $24 million — 350 times more than their average employee. The whole the Investopedia list:
> Ameriprise Financial, Minneapolis: James Cracchiolo, $22.8 million.
> United Health, Minnetonka: Andrew Witty, $20.8 million.
> Target, Minneapolis: Brian Cornell, $17.6 million.
> Medtronic, Minneapolis (although legally Dublin): Geoff Martha, $16.8 million.
> U.S. Bancorp, Minneapolis: Andrew Cecare, $16.2 million.
> Bio-Techne, Minneapolis: Charles Kummeth, $15.4 million.
> 3M, Maplewood: Michael Roman, $14 million.
> Best Buy, Richfield: Corie Barry, $12.8 million.
> General Mills, Golden Valley: Jeff Harmening, $12.3 million.
> Piper Sandler investments, Minneapolis: Chad Abraham, $11.2 million.
Legal opinion: School physical policing holds “OK but”
ST. PAUL, Minn. – School police officers can use force to restore discipline as long as it’s “reasonable,” said state Attorney General Keith Ellison. He issued the legal opinion after school resource officers expressed concern about a new school law that restricted physical holds. Where to draw the line on what’s reasonable? It depends on whether bodily harm or death is the risk, Ellison said.
Verbatim
Ellison: “Safety is essential for learning, and everyone in our schools — students, teachers, staff, administrators, SROs (school resource officers), and families- –wants to be safe and feel safe. The aims of the new amendments to our school discipline laws are worthy. I thank everyone who brought this issue to the attention of my office and is contributing to the conversation and our shared goal of safety. Our working together is essential to ensuring that everyone in our schools can live with dignity, safety and respect.”
This biker really didn’t want to be caught
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The law finally caught up with a Lake City motorcyclist who police said twice fled them in recent weeks. Noah Alexander Doherty, 24, was booked at the Olmsted County jail. Bail was set at $20,000. The arrest came after an officer recognized Doherty from one of the earlier chases. The charges: Felony fleeing of police, driving with a revoked license, driving recklessly, failing to stop at a traffic signal, and operating a motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement. Details listed in the criminal complaint:
> August 4: Doherty was spray-painting a motorcycle off Marion Road in southeast Rochester, then drove off. Because he bike didn’t have a rear license plate, officers pursued. Dougherty looked back over a shoulder, then sped away faster. Officers chose not to pursue.
> August 20: Dougherty ran a red light in northwest Rochester and sped away with officers in pursuit. He flipped them a fuck-off gesture, and accelerated. He weaved in and out of traffic and got away. Officers lost sight of him.
According to court records, Doherty was serving a stayed prison sentence for convictions of felony fleeing and felony property damage in Goodhue County.
Dougherty. Bail at $20,000.
Due to heat, more hours at Winona pool
WINONA, Minn. –Due to triple-digit temperatures, the Bob Welch municipal swimming pool on Winona’s West End will have extended hours, to 8 p.m., through Thursday. The Olympic-size pool normally closes at 6 on weekdays. There are wading sections. Usual fees to be in place: $5 for adults, $4 for youth.
Bob Welch Aquatic Center. At 760 West Fourth Street.
Guilty verdict for Christmas shooting of girlfriend
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A jury found a Rochester man guilty of attempted murder for a gun attack on a woman at her apartment on Christmas Eve. Sentencing for Philip Turner, 35, was scheduled for November. The charges were second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and ineligible possession of a firearm. Guilty on all counts, the jury said. The violence was in the 37-year-old woman’s apartment in northwest Rochester in the presence of her two children age 5 and 2. Police found the woman the next morning at a bedroom of the apartment. She was in critical condition with a gunsht wound to the head. Her husband, who as not present, had asked police to make a welfare check. The children were unharmed. A spent shell casing from a .38. caliber semi-automatic handgun was nearby. When Turner was arrested, he had a .38 magazine with bullets. The handgun was found in the snow near his apartment.
Turner. Sentencing in November.
Federal funds sought to rebuild Blatnik Bridge
High-rise span. The Duluth-Superior bridge replaced an 1890s swing bridge that stalled truck and auto traffic whenever ships needed enteer or leave the harbor. It rises 120 feet to clear transoceanic freighters that have come up the Great Lakes to Duluth and Superior.
Structurally weak at age 60-plus: End of life 2030
ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a joint grant application, governors Tim Walz of Minnesota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin asked for $1 billion in federal funds to rebuild the 60-year-old Blatnik bridge connecting Duluth and Superior. The two states already have put $800 million. The grant would come from the 2022 Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The 1-1/2 mile bridge is nearing the end of its serviceable life. Structural deterioration has forced load restrictions with an anticipated closure in 2030. The bridge It connects Interstate 35 and U.S. 53 and carries 33,000 vehicles a day.
R.I.P.: Phillip Wallace
WINONA, Minn. – Phillip D. Wallace, 68, of Winona, who held a Winona State University degree in computer science. died of natural causes at home. He attended high school in Elmhurst, Illinois, where he played football, wrestled, and played trombone. From there he went to the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He enjoyed cycling and just working around the house.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1955-2023
Next for Masterpiece Hall: Infrastructure
Adjacent houses razed. The massiveness of the project shows not only in the demolition of the old Middle School auditorium but of houses in adjoining lots and a across West Fifth Street for parking. The site is all flattened. Image: Steve Lunde
Site awaits gold-painted shovels for ground-breaking
WINONA, Minn. – Ground has been cleared for construction of the privately financed $35 million Masterpiece Hall concert venue and art gallery next to the Winona library, but Schwab, the contractor, yet to bore support columns or lay concrete. Originally philanthropists Bob Kierlin and Mary Burrichter had hoped for a debut concert in 2025. Post-CoVid supply-line shortage are a problem.
R.I.P.: Barbara Liehmann
STILLWATER, Minn. – Barbara “Barb: Luehmann-Gutzmann, 65, formerly of Lewiston, whose career was in marketing for Midwest Dairies, died unexpectedly. She graduated from Lewiston High School in 1976. She attended Winona State and held a degree from the University of Minnesota in home economics and communication. She served on the UM Major Alumni Board of Directors for the School of Home Economics. She was a lifetime member of rural Suoo Lutheran Church at Silo near Lewiston.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1958-2023
Obertons jump-start Winona mountain-bike training
WINONA, Minn. – The City Council accepted a gift of $137,800 to add a mountain biking skills development course to the municipal parks system. The gift is from Fastenal chief executive Will and Shirley Oberton. The location will be at the Holzinger Lodge west to Stone Circle. There will be three tracks:
> Tot track. With bumpy dirt surfaces to introduce newcomers to mountain biking.
> Intermediate track. With six to eight tabletop-style jumps and three to five drops.
> Advanced track. Side by side with the intermediate track. Also with a “flow” trail with up-and-overs built to avoid user collisions.
Being at the base of the bluffs, intrusions on hiking and other bluff activity are expected to be minimal. The Obertons said the were inspired by seeing their grandkids enjoying a mountain bike park on a trip to Cable, Wisconsin. Construction on the Winona tot track is expected this fall. The inauguration is penciled in for July.
Side-side trails. One with easily managed bumps and drops for beginners. This in northern Wisconsin at Cable, which claims to be Mountain Biking Capital of the Midwest with 300 miles of trails.
Bridge includes midstream bus stops, river steps
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The City Council, dazzled by architects’ renderings of a new Zumbro River bridge, authorized a $3.2 million engineering contract. The funds supplement a $19 million federal infrastructure grant. There also are state Destination Medical Center funds in the budget mix. The new contract went to the Rochester engineering firm Bolton and Menk.
.
Park-like bridge. To connect west and east parts of Rochester with function and aesthetic grace.
Winona waterpark chief: $1 million needed for fixes
After 33 years. The Bob Welch Aquatic Center’s mechanics are limping along and, and, says the manager, major repairs and upgrades need funding. Address: 780 West Fourth Street.
Immediate need: Stain removal to aid lifeguards’ view
WINONA, Minn. – The municipal Bob Welch Aquatic Center, now 33 years old, needs $1 million for repairs and upgrades. Patrick Menton, city recreation facilities director, said that necessary mechanical upgrades, include a new filter system, pump, pool heater, and chemical controller. Of the original 1990 system, only the main pool pump has not needed band-aid fixes and, with other new components, it too would need replacing, Menton said. The Bob Welch facility, on West Fourth Street, includes an Olympic pool for laps, a 250-foot water slide, a bocce ball court, two diving boards, and wading areas. One immediate need, Menton said, is removing built-up dark stains that obscure lifeguards’ view of swimmers. The proposed repairs could be spread over there years, he said. The proposal has gone to the City Council to consider for financing through municipal borrowing.
Collision at I-90 Rushford exit; passenger hurt
WYATTVILLE, Minn. – A Rushford woman was injured in a two-vehicle collision on the Interstate 90 eastbound off-ramp to Rushford. Kayla Marie Lane, 69, was taken 35 miles to a LaCrosse hospital. Her injuries appeared sustainable, said Winona County deputies. Lane was riding in a 2020 Ford Escape that collided with a 2014 GMC Terrain. Treated on-site were the drivers — James Robert Lane, 69, of Rushford, and Kelsey Lee Rose, 31, of Onalaska. Alcohol was involved, deputies said.
R.I.P.: Marlene St. Sauver
RIDGEWAY, Minn. – Marlene A. St. Sauver, 69, of Ridgeway, a nurse for several nursing homes, died at Lake Winona Manor. She was born in St. Paul and competed in the Miss Stillwater pageant and was first runner-up. She was known in Winona for keeping her lawn and yard pristine and painting nativities.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1954-2023
R.I.P.: Wayne Dietrich
WINONA, Minn. – Wayne Dietrich, 78, of Winona, who worked at Lake Center Switch for 39 years, died at home. After a short retirement he worked for another 10 years as a dry-cleaner driver. He graduated from Cotter High School in 1963. His routine included walking around lake Winona, going out for breakfast, chatting with the waitresses, reading his paper, and drinking his coffee.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1945-2023
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