If elected, Spitzer vows to follow constituents’ will
ST. CHARLES, Minn. – A candidate for the Winona County Board in the District 3 election Tuesday, Bill Spitzer, said he would maintain continuing contact with his constituents if elected and vote accordingly. Spitzer’s statement was n response to a Winona Journal questionnaire designed to ascertain the values that the candidates woud bring to the office on specific issues. Spizter, a former deputy sheriff and mayor St. Charles, evinced a grasp of the issues but sidestepped how he would have vted or how he sees the dominant view of people in the rural District 3. The district comprises od the county’s north and west townships and also Altura, Elba, Minnesota City, Rollingstone, St. Charles and Stockton. The position pays $23,400. Said Spitzer:
“It is very difficult to tell you how I would vote on these issues of the past as it would be more my opinion than anything else. As commissioner of District 3, my vote will represent the citizens who live in the district not my personal view. Each of these six issues would have been discussed with the people who I represent and I would vote accordingly. Many times when I was the Mayor, I voted against my personal opinion because I was hearing something different from the people I represented.”
The questions were sent in writing to both Spitzer and Josh Elsing. Elsing declined to respond despite three requests. The questions asked how each would vote on major and recurring County Board isuses to give voters a firm feel for the candidates’ underling values.
Frac sand
Spitzer: “Some people may support the use of frac sand for hydraulic fracturing as it can contribute to energy production and economic growth in the region. Others may have concerns about its environmental impact, such as air and water pollution, habitat destruction, and potential health risks. Weighing the economic benefits against the environmental and health implications is crucial in forming a stance on this issue.”
Elsing: Didn’t respond to question.
Street corner pitches. In Lewiston across from Kwik Trip, which attracts lots f commuter eyes from District 3. Image: Steve Lunde
Elsing. Won three-way primary with 456 votes. Age 46.
Spitzer. Won draw between tied second-place candidates, who together garnered 368 votes. Age 60.
$28 Million Jail
Spitzer: “Advocates of building a new jail may argue that it could improve public safety, address overcrowding, and provide better facilities for inmates and staff. However, opponents may question the necessity of such a large investment, preferring alternative approaches such as diversion programs, community-based rehabilitation, or investing in mental health services to reduce incarceration rates.
Elsing: Failed to respond to question.
Daley Dairy Expansion
Spitzer: “Supporters of the dairy farm expansion may highlight its potential economic benefits, including job creation and increased local agricultural production. On the other hand, those with environmental concerns might focus on the impact of large-scale farming on water resources, soil health, and air quality. Animal welfare advocates may also express concerns about the treatment of animals in such facilities.
Elsing: Failed to respond to question.
CoVid Mask Mandate
Spitzer: “Those in favor of a CoVid mask mandate argue that it helps reduce the spread of the virus, protect public health, and prevent overwhelming healthcare systems. Critics may raise issues related to personal freedom, discomfort while wearing masks, or question the effectiveness of mandates in certain situations.
Elsing: Failed to respond to question.
Dog-Breeding Kennels
Spizter: “Opinions on dog-breeding kennels can be varied. Supporters of regulated kennels may emphasize responsible breeding practices, ensuring the health and well-being of animals, and maintaining breed standards. Those against kennels may be concerned about puppy mills, inhumane breeding conditions, and the welfare of breeding dogs and their offspring.
Elsing: Failed to respond to question.
8.5% Tax Increase
Spitzer: “Some individuals might support a budget with an 8.5% tax increase, seeing it as necessary to fund essential services and infrastructure improvements. Others may be concerned about the financial burden it places on residents, especially those with lower incomes, and may call for more efficient spending or finding alternative revenue sources.”
Elsing: Failed to respond to question.
Earlier: County Board run-off both settled, unsettled
Earlier: Ex-St. Charles mayor files for County Board
Earlier: Real estate agent runs for County Board
Fair fodder / 3: So much, so good
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – Among 34 new foods on the ever-growing menu at the Minnesota State Fair, which opens August 24:
Cheese curd stuffed pizza pretzel: Scratch-made jumbo pizza dough pretzel, hand-twisted and stuffed with Ellsworth cheese curds, pepperoni and a Green Mill blend of Italian spices. Brushed with garlic butter and topped with diced pepperoni, herbs and parmesan cheese. Served with Green Mill pizza sauce. At Green Mill on the east side of Cooper Street between Randall and Wright avenues, at Family Fair at Baldwin Park.
Cheesecake curds: Eli’s cheesecake pieces covered in funnel cake batter, fried and dusted with powdered sugar and salt. Served with strawberry dipping sauce. At LuLu’s Public House, located at West End Market, south of Schilling Amphitheater.
Chicken momo with tomato Chutney: Blend of ground chicken, cabbage, onion, ginger and other spices steamed in a dough wrapper. Served with tomato chutney. (Available August 24-29 only.) At Midtown Global Market’s MomoDosa in the Taste of the Midtown Global Market booth at the International Bazaar, east wall.
Motorcycle-pickup crash sends biker to hospital
GOODVIEW, Minn. – A Winona motorcyclist was injured, albeit not critically, when the cycle and a pickup truck collided on U.S. Highway 61 just north of the LaCanne quarry park. The accident punctuated a police pursuit. Joshua James Franzwa, 32, was taken three miles to the Winona hospital. Franzwa, on a 2012 Harley Davidson Touring bike, was wearing a helmet police said. The accident was about 9 p.m. The Ford F250 pickup driver, Barry G. Will, 31, of Boulder Junction in northern Wisconsin, was unhurt. Both vehicles were heading north in a four-lane section at the Frank Street corner.
New Winona High principal from Wisconsin
WINONA, Minn. – The principal at Black River High School, Luke Madsen, has been named principal of Winona High School. He was at Black River two years. Earlier he taught Spanish and cached basketball at Mayo High School n Rochester. He also was an assistant principal and athletic director at Bloomer High School in Wisconsin. For Madsen, age 51, it’s career step. The enrollment at Black River was 470, at Winona 870. He replaces Heather Fitzloff, who resigned in July. Madsen holds a 1996 bachelor’s degree from UW-River Falls and a 2006 master’s from UW-LaCrosse. Salary: $122,700,
Earlier: Winona High principal’s departure called “amicable”
Madsen. Most recently at Black River Falls.
Jeep driver hurt in wreck with dump truck
CALEDONIA, Minn. – An Iowa driver, Paul Matthew Burgess, of New Albin, 67, suffered survivable injuries when his vehicle and a dump truck collided on Main Street. Burgess was taken 25 miles to a LaCrosse hospital. The collision was about 4:50 p.m. on north-south U.S. Highway 76. The dump truck driver, Duane Arthur Beckman, 71, of Caledonia, was unhurt. Police said Burgess, in a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was heading west on Main Street. Beckman, in a 1999 Mack 600, was headed north.
Profs’ pending back-to-back pay hikes – 5% and 5.3%
WINONA, Minn. – Negotiators for MinnState universities and the faculty union have reached a tentative contract agreement thet includes 10.3% salary hike over two years. The state president oof the union, Jenna Chernega of Winona State, praised both sides:
“This round of negotiations was fast and furious. The negotiations team was willing to work throughout the summer to get this contract settled quickly without leaving anything on the table. The IFO team and MinnState reps met for 10 days from May through July and reached one of the largest and earliest settlements in Inter-Faculty Organization history.”
If IFO members ratify the deal, the raise swould apply also to part-time faculty. Among other provisions:
> Reduced teaching loads for online high-tech instruction called “hyflex/multi-modal courses.”
> Full tuition waivers for dependents, spouses or domestic partners MinnState community or technical colleges.
An open question: Whether the IFO terms will be a model for MinnState contract negotiations with other unions. The deal does, however, relieve the labor burden for incoming MinnState Chancellor Scott Olson from Winona State.
MinnState
> Bemidji State.
> Metropolitan State.
> Minnesota State, Mankato.
> Minnesota State Moorhead.
> Southwest Minnesota State.
> St. Cloud State.
> Winona State.
Faculty at MinnState two-year campuses are covered by a separate contract.
Yet another Winona e-scooter stolen, dumped
FREMONT, Minn. –Deputies recovered a stolen rental e-scooter south of this central Winona County hamlet. It was at least the fifth Bird scooter stolen from the streets of Winona and dumped far away, in this case 20 miles out. The earlier stolen Birds ended up 12 miles out at Dodge, Wisconsin. Authorities are baffled. The scooters are inoperable outside a geofence that keeps them in town. One theory is that someone is harassing the local operator for the Florida-based company that owns the scooters. The latest recovery was on County Road 29 a mile south of Fremont. A citizen spotted the out-of0place scooter along the road and notified officers about 2 p.m.
Bird scooters. Called “micro-electric mobility vehicles” by the company Bird, which rents them by the minute in hundreds of cities. Activated by an app that in Winona auto-charges credit cards at 30 cents a minute. Speed: About 15 mph. Weight: 30 pounds.
Notable journalism
Mayzie Olson (KAAL, July 26, 2023): “Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Rochester After Engine Explodes”
Alexandra Retter (Winona Post, July 28, 2023): “What Do the Arts Look Like at SMU after Cuts”
Alexandra Retter (Winona Post, August 2, 2023): “What Should WAPS Change with Next Referendum”
Plea: Ease afternoon power use to aid grid
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.
Ranking: Mayo again among top U.S. hospitals
WASHINGTON –Mayo Clinic people have something new to gloat over. The magazine U.S. News & World Report, which specializes in rankings, put Mayo on its 2023 honor roll of the best U.S. hospitals. The magazine no longer does 1-2-3 rankings but rather clumps the leaders from its data-driven ranking. In subcategories., Mayo ranked in the top five for cancer; cardiology, heart and vascular surgery; neurology and neurosugery; and orthopedics.
WSU retiree pens 400-page novel
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A retired Winona State University advertising prof, Ron Elcombe, wrote a novel, “Once Lost.” The 402-page book tracks disintegrating family dynamics based on a progenitor’s lie. The setting is Minnesota. North Orchard Press, a private book-maker in Minneapolis, issued the book at $20. Five ninths after publication, the book reached 3,214,513 on the Amazon best-seller list.
Elcombe. His central charter is a mother who concocted a massive lie that festered and ruined her daughters’ lives and also hers.
Mystery surrounds woman dead on hiking trail
LACROSSE, Wis. – An autopsy has identified a woman whose body was found along the Bud Hendrickson Trail in woods near the north LaCrosse industrial park. Police said she was 45-year-old Julia Hedum. The death was being regarded possibly as foul play or perhaps drug-related, sources said. The last anyone was known to have seen Hedum alive was two weeks earlier.
Earlier: Body found in LaCrosse marshlands
Hedum. Dead perhaps two weeks.
Odd place to hang your clothes
WINONA, Minn. – Police pulled two plastic shopping bags containing women’s clothing from a street-side shepherd’s hook with petunias in the 450 block of Mankato Avenue. Police suspected it was another harmless act by a mentally challenged person whom they know and who has been leaving items on cars and elsewhere around town for several weeks.
R.I.P.: Edward Christensen
WINONA, Minn. – Edward F. Christensen, of Winona, an over-the-road truck driver for many years, died at age 73. He was proud Marine. He grew up in Winona. He loved fishing the Mississippi River and reading his Bible. He drove yellow cab for a time, always the first cabbie to take intoxicated people home from the bars. A neighbor lady said Ed would walk her to the door every time with great care.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1951-2023
Murder case: Fravel on four-wheeler with shovel
Turn-around site? The hamlet of Choice, 11 miles north of Mabel, is where Fravel claimed he turned around and went back to Winona the day that Maddi Kingsbury disappeared. Fravel told police he was alone. The area was widely searched by hundreds of volunteers in the weeks following Maddi’s disappearance. No trace was found until April 7. The body, sealed in a blanket, was hidden along a wooded side road four miles south of Choice off Highway 43. Image: Steve Lunde
Search of 800-acre property proved fruitless
WINONA, Minn. – Suspicions of foul play turned increasingly to her boyfriend, Adam Fravel, 10 days after Maddi Kingsbury vanished from their Winona townhouse. Among dozens of police documents just unsealed by Judge Mary Leahy is a report that a trail camera picked up Fravel in the woods on a Polaris Ranger four-wheeler near his parents’ rural home on April 9. A shovel was in the bed. Oddly, considering the day was a warm, Fravel was clad in dark heavy clothing. The trail-cam video was provided by neighbor of Fravel’s parents on County Road 18 four miles north of Mabel. The parents live four miles by road from where Maddi’s body was later found, but forest trails, which Fravel would have known since childhood, are shorter. The day after seeing the video, on April 10, police with a search warrant stopped Fravel on the Polaris. Cadaver dogs found no scent on the spade of the shovel. Police also searched the neighbor’s 800-acre property and found an area of fresh dirt that appeared to have been transported from elsewhere and dumped there. For the dogs, though, it was another dead end. It would be another two months before Maddi’s body would be found wrapped in a blanket and hidden along a little-traveled road four miles away near the hamlet of Choice.
Fravel. In jail awaiting trial on a murder charge.
Cadaver dogs
In a search a week after Maddi Kigsbury’s disappearance, the cadaver dogs were unable to pick up a scent. The dogs are trained to ignore live human and animal scents and go only for human remains.
R.I.P.: Richard Braithwaite
WINONA, Minn. – Richard Dean Braithwaite, 91, a Winona police officer from 1957 to 1982, died at home. In retirement he drove school buses. He was born in Lanesboro. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany. His interests included physical fitness, reading, and, polka music, and family dogs. His family recalled him as gifted storyteller. As his final birthday gift, a bench with his name is beig placed at Levee Park overlooking the Mississippi River.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1932-2023
Fair fodder / 2: Belly-busters galore
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – Among 34 new foods on the ever-growing menu at the Minnesota State Fair, which opens August 24:
Basil hummus: With spicy walnut topping. Blended with fresh basil and topped with a mix of crushed walnuts, crushed red chili pepper, garlic and olive oil. Served with homemade garlic parmesan chips. (Hummus is vegan and gluten-free; chips are vegetarian-friendly with gluten-free option available.) At Holy Land at the International Bazaar, southeast corner.
Bee sting sundae: Bridgeman’s vanilla ice cream topped with hot honey, spicy peanuts, whippedcream and a cherry. (Vegetarian, gluten-friendly) At Bridgeman’s Ice Cream on the northeast corner of Judson Avenue and Liggett Street.
Birthday cake mini donuts: Birthday cake-flavored mini donuts coated with vanilla sugar, drizzled with icing, and dusted with sugar crystals and sprinkles. At Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds on the east side of Underwood Street between Murphy and Lee avenues.
Bomb threat follows phone call — but bogus
STOCKTON, Minn. – The caller on the phone demanded a Stockton woman’s email address. He threatened harassment. She didn’t recognize the caller and blocked his number and called the sheriff. Then came the harassment. The police dispatcher in Winona received a call that a bomb was at the woman’s Stockton address. It was what police have come to call a “swap” — a tactic, usually bogus, to cause an evacuation or to tie up the police or to get even or, most perversely, just for the “fun” of it. There was no bomb. Police investigators were tracing the calls.
Maddi update: Early clue? Scratches on Fravel’s face
WINONA, Minn. – On the first day investigating Maddi Kingsbury’s disappearance, Winona police had questions for her boyfriend, Adam Fravel. He was the last person known to have seen Maddi. Interviewing Fravel at his parents’ home 40 miles away near Mabel, police noticed fresh scratches on his face. This is according to police documents that were just unsealed by Judge Mary Leahy. The scratches were all less than an inch. Later police found an online query on Fravel’s phone the evening of the disappearance. He had asked: “Are dog scratches on face dangerous?” Fravel’s query, at 6:51 p.m., was roughly 11 hours after Maddi’s last known communication. She chatted briefly with a friend from the Winona townhouse that she and Fravel shared. There was nothing especially suspicious about the call. And of themselves Fravel’s scratches weren’t considered sufficient for Winona police to declare him a suspect formally. Other evidence was amassing over the next two months, however. But none of it was deemed enough in the judgment of police to arrest Fravel. On April 7 Maddi’s decomposing body was found in woods near Mabel. Fravel, 29, was arrested the next day. Kingsbury was 26 and the other of their two children.
Fravel. Face scratches fit a scenario that police were investigating.
Kingsbury. Vanished March 31. Body found April 7
Emergency, fire crews make 54 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 45 emergency medical calls plus 9 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, August 1: 6 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Monday, July 31: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire call.
> Sunday, July 30: 5 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Saturday, July 29: 7 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Friday, July 28: 4 medical calls plus 1 call.
> Thursday, July 27: 10 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Wednesday, July 26: 9 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews 44 calls
Jail escapee captured near LaCrosse hotel
LACROSSE, Wis. – Police captured a man who had escaped police custody in Prairie du Chien, but it was, literally, a struggle. The man resisted and even tried to
seize one officer’s handgun before he could be subdued. Arrested was Paul Germundson, 26, of Lynxville. The afternoon before he had fled a Prairie du Chien hospital. He had been in the Prairie du Chien jail, but police took him to the hospital for a suspected medical relapse. He ran out and stole a car. This was in the afternoon. In LaCrosse, 60 miles away, a night clerk at a budget hotel on the North End tipped police that Germundson had checked in. Knowing what had happened in Prairie du ne, LaCrosse police set up a perimeter around the hotel and then spotted Germundson about a block away on foot. Officers said he gave them a false name and date of birth. When they tried to take him into custody, he fought back. After he was cuffed, officers said they found a cigarette pack that contained heroin. Later at the jailhouse, according to police, Germundson said he had contacted his girlfriend to pick him up in Stoddard, where he had crashed the car stolen in Prairie du Chien, and asked her to take him to La Crosse. He threw away his orange jail suit en route and changed clothes. Also along the way, he said, they stopped to pick up heroin.
Charges
Germundson was booked in LaCrosse on charges of possessing narcotics, resisting arrest, and attempting to disarm a police officer. Bail was set at $10,000. Other charges remain active in in Crawford and Vernon counties.
Arrest
Near Motel 6 at 2150 Rose Street. in LaCrosse.
R.I.P.: Gene Mossing
LACROSSE, Wis. — Gene Lawrence Mossing, 78, of La Crosse, who once worked for Winona County Sanitation and Environmental Services, died of prostate cancer. After Winona was solid waste manager for Olmsted County. He graduated from Rushford High School in 1963. He played football an was an Eagle Scout. A passion for the outdoors led him to study geology and biology at Winona State University. He was jn the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany. He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while studying towards his master’s degree. He retired in 2009. He was a member of the Rushford American Legion and the Sons of Norway.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1945-2023
Mayo expands service to 45th outside hospital
ROCHESTER. Minn. – Mayo Clinic’s network of independent hospitals that can draw on Mayo resources has grown with a hospital that serves southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia. The latest affiliate, Memorial Health, headquartered in Marietta, Ohio, has 2,700 people employees in two hospitals, a stand-alone emergency room and 64 clinics. With the new addition, the Mayo network has 45 affiliates.
Two rattlers in two days at ballpark
BROWNSVILLE, Minn. – A second rattle snake has been found in the town ballpark. Both were dispatched. Locals are two theories. One theory the season being dry, is that snakes have moved down fom the Houston County bluffs for water. The other theory: The ballpark has an infestation of rodents, which rattlers find tasty.
Earlier: A season for backyard rattlesnakes
Yes, it’s a rattler. See the rattles. At Brownsville ballpark 10 miles south of LaCrescent, perhaps snoozing while digesting a mouse.
R.I.P.: Gene Mossing
LACROSSE, Wis. – Gene Lawrence Mossing, 78, of La Crosse, who was with Winona County Sanitation and Environmental Services and later the solid waste manager for Olmsted County, died of prostate cancer. He was a graduate of Rushford High School where he played football. He was an Eagle Scout. He studied geology and biology at Winona State University. He was in the U.S. Army in Germany. He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while studying towards his master’s degree. He was a member of the Rushford American Legion and the Sons of Norway.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
1945-2023
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