Biker hits deer near Bunnell House, injured
HOMER, Minn. – A Winona motorcyclist was hurt when he struck a deer as he headed into Winona on U.S. Highway 61 near Bunnell House Road. Donald Gale Brown, 56, was taken two miles to the Winona hospital with non-life threatening injuries, deputies said. This was about 4:35 a.m. Brown was driving a 2003 Honda VT1100.
R.I.P.: Georgia Kropidlowski
WINONA, Minn. – Georgia Kropidlowski, 96, of Winona, for many yeaes a waitress at diners around town, died at home. People may remember her rom Shorty’s and George’s. Her hobbies: Shopping, and reading.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1927-2023
Driver hurt in straight stretch crash near Zumbrota
ZUMBROTA, Minn. – A pickup driver was injured making a U turn just east of Zumbrota and colliding with a second vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle, Tyler Brennan Evenson, 26, of Mantorville, was taken 25 miles to a Rochester hospital. Goodhue County deputies described Evenson’s injures as sustainable. The pickup driver, Lamar Thompson, 51, of Rochester, was unhurt. This was about 6:55 p.m. on straight stretch of Highway 58 at 443rd Street. Thompson was northbound in a 2001 Chevrolet pickup. Evenson, in a 2016 Ford Explorer, also was northbound.
Two airliners on collision paths at Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Two airliners, one preparing to take off from MSP, the other landing, almost collided with 300 people aboard. The close call was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration as a “near miss” that warranted a full investigation: Pilot error? Ground control error? An electronics glitch? Stay tuned. Passengers on the departing Delta flight, still on the ground powering up for take-off from Runway 30L, were unaware of the peril. On the American plane, however, passengers were pressed deep into their seats by the abruptly aborted sudden all-power acceleration and veering sharply away from Runway 30L. Passengers in left window seats could see the Delta plane on the runway just below them.
MSP near-miss
> Delta Flight 1163. Heading for Santa Ana, California. A Airbus A220-300 with 149 seats. Departure time: 6:15 p.m.
> American Flight 2406. Arriving from Dallas. A Boeing 737-800 with 148 seats. Arrival time: 615 p.m.
Peril from latest Canada wildfire smoke
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The quality of air in St. Paul reached 256 on the 500-point federal index – momentarily the worst in the country. To blame: Smoke from massive eastern Canada wildfires. The pollution was worse earlier in the week in northeast states but has drifted west. Nick Witcraft, a state meteorologist, said the 256 St. Paul reading, at 6 p.m., was the worst in Twin Cities history. The city was in the AQI red zone. That, said Witcraft, was unhealthy for everyone but particularly dangerous for children, older people, and those with asthma and conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Earlier this spring there was pollution in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin from a separate spate of massive wildfires in northern parts Manitoba and Alberta .
Earlier: Canada wildfire smoke keeps blowing south
Mid-day readings. The state Pollution Control Agency monitors fast-changing shifts in ozone and smoke particulate contaminants. This at 2 p.m.
Air quality index
> Good: 0-50.
> Moderate: 51-100.
> Unhealthy for vulnerable people: 101-150.
> Unhealthy for everyne: 151-200.
> Very unhealthy: 201-300.
> Hazardous: 301-500.
Armed muggers attack Finstad aide
WASHINGTON — Two men in black hoodies, one with a handgun, attacked a staff member of Minnesota Congress member Brad Finstad outside the Capitol neighborhood apartment building where the staffer lives. Police did not name the staffer but said he was not injured. No shots were fired, police said. The victim told officers he was walking home alone from Nationals Park, where the Congressional charity baseball game had been played. He was shoved to the ground with one attacker pointing the gun at him, the staffer said. The staffer got up and run away unhurt and without surrendering any of bis belongings.
Rebuke to Kingsburys in Fravel custody matter
WINONA, Minn. – The judge in the Adam Favel murder case, Mary Leahy, denied an attempt to revoke his visitation rights to the children he bore with Maddi Kingsbury. Leahy had ruled twice before that Fravel has parental rights even though he’s accused of murdering Maddi. The judge was obviously irked that Maddi’s parents were back in court to deny Fravel visitation rights. As one of only two Winone County district judges, Leahy has a full docket. She called the grandparents’ request “premature” and accused them of a misguided “push to judgment” on the murder issue. Her courtroom, Leahy said, was not the place and this not the time for a murder trial. Let the trial take its course, she said: ‘Take the custody matters to family court.” Judge Leahy pointed out that Fravel’s parenting time has been suspended while he is behind bars.
Earlier: Grandparents: Don’t let Favel anywhere near the kids
Earlier: Earlier: Remembering Maddi: Event brings in $35,000
Protagonists
> David and Cathy Kingsbury of Winona, who as Maddi’s parents have temporary custody of the children, who are 5 and 2.
> Anna Tobia of Minneapolis, the Kingsburys’ attorney.
> Rebecca Church of Winona, representing Winona County Child Protection Sevices, and who supported the Kingsbury position.
> Thomas Braun of Rochester, representing Fravel, who called the Kingsbury motion “moot” because Fravel is unable to exercise parenting with the children while he in jail.
U.S. gymnastics choice for next trials: Minneapolis
INDIANAPOIS, Ind. — The 2024 U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials will be a hometown affair for world champion artistic gymnast Suni Lee. Or almost. The U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Committee has chosen Minneapolis for the trials — right next door to Lee’s St. Paul. The dates: June 27 to 30 at the 20,000 capacity Target Center. Lee was on the 2020 all-around gold medal U.S team. Minnesota’s gymnastics history also includes Grace McCallum of Isanti, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo games, and Shane Wiskus of Spring Park, who was an NCAA champion with the University of Minnesota.
Lee. A 2020 Olympic all-around Olympic champion and uneven bars bronze medalist.
Arson blamed tentatively for Dover house fire
DOVER, Minn. – Arson was suspected in a house fire from which deputies rescued a 27-year-old man, who was treated on-site for smoke inhalation. Deputies, in the area on a separate ball, had seen the man, apparently drunk, go inside the house. Then they saw smoke. They went in the open front door to check on the man and saw flames. Early findings suggested arson, investigators said.
Earlier: Dover man rescued from kitchen fire
Breza honored for promoting Kashubian culture
WINONA, Minn. – The mayor of Winona’s Polish sister city, Bytow in the Kashubia region of Poland, presented Tim Breza with an honorary badge for promoting Polish culture in Winona. Bytow Mayor Ryzard Sylka noted the badge had been approved by Poland President Andrezj Duda. The badge, bearing the Polish flag, is one only 44 ever awarded. The presentation was at a cultural exchange banquet. Breza’s grandparents were in a wave of Kashubians who immigrated to Winona in the early 1900s. In a prelude to the banquet, the visiting Bytow delegation led by Mayor Sylka planted an oak at Sobieski Park to honor Winona’s links with Bytow for posterity.
Breza. Vice president if the Winona International Friendship Association.
Emergency, fire crews make 41 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 27 emergency medical calls plus 14 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, June 13: 4 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Monday, June 12: 3 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Sunday, June 11: 2 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Saturday, Jun10: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Friday, June 9: 6 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Thursday, June 8: 7 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Wednesday, June 7: 1 medical call plus 5 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews 47 calls
R.I.P.: Anne Pellowski
WINONA, Minn. — Anne Rose Pellowski, 89, of Winona, who lived out a life-long passion for children’s literature, died at home. She held a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University. Earlier she studied languages at the College of St. Teresa in Winona. She was a Fulbright fellow at the University of Munich in Germany and a Council on Library Resources fellow at the Library of Congress. She was a member of the U.S. Board on Books for Young Children.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1933-2023
Three-car pile-up blamed on animals, booze
EYOTA, Minn. – A car slowed because animals were on the road, then – one, two, three – three cars piled up, rear-ending each other. Two of the drivers were taken to a Rochester hospital with what appeared to be sustainable injuries. This was about 4:30 p.m. in the 7900 block of College View Road East in Marion Township. The driver of the third car, Joshua Wigham, 33, of Eyota, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and criminal vehicular operation.
Wigham. Accused of impaired driving.
Afternoon parade for Winona Manor shut-ins
Sunny outing. For residents whose ambulatory issues preclude getting out much to summer parades, the parade came to them. Residents lined the circle drive on the backside of Winona Health for the color and fun. The parade was part of the annual Paws to Destress week. Among activties: Future Farmers of America members brought furry and feathery friends — cats and chickens, cows and goats, even dogs — for a visit. Image: Karen Sibenaller
Man rescued from Dover kitchen fire
DOVER, Minn. – Deputies responding to an animal complaint spotted fire and smoke coming from the house. A man whom they had seen gong in was rescued, treated for smoke inhalation, and taken 23 miles to a Rochester hospital. No other injuries were reported. Firefighters put out the fire, which was confined to the kitchen. This was about 10:15 a.m. in the 100 block of South Street West.
Stewartville biker hurt in deer collision
CLAREMONT, Minn. – A motorcyclist ran into a deer about 4:45 a.m. on U.S. Highway14 and was injured, albeit not seriously. Blake Benjamin Hatlestad, 35, of Stewartville, was taken 30 miles to a Rochester hospital to be patched up. The deer didn’t survive. The accident was at 130th Avenue. Hatlestad was driving west on a 2020 Honda VT750.
Elba church spared in one-car rollover
ELBA, Minn. – A driver roared through the stop sign on the Highway 26 entrance to Elba — at the T intersection in front of St. Aloysius Church. He missed the church but hit an embankment. The car overturned and ripped up a lawn. The driver, Brandon Tyler Mauskemo, 21, of St. Charles, was standing by the car, which was on its side, when deputies arrived. He said that he was unhurt and that no one else was in the car. This was about 11:35 p.m. Deputies said Mauskemo’s eyes were watery and bloodshot, his speech slurred, and his gait wobbly. A breath test showed his blood-alcohol content at 0.14%, almost twice the allowable max for driving.
.
Mauskemo. Among charges: An open bottle in vehicle.
St. Aloysius. A bulls-eye at the 90-degree turn of Highway 26 down the hill from Altura.
Grandparents: Don’t let Favel anywhere near the kids
WINONA, Minn. – The parents of Madeline Kingsbury are not pleased that the man accused of killing her has visitation rights to their children. On two occasions Judge Mary Leahy has ordered that Adam Fravel have access to the children, age 5 and 2, albeit under supervision. In a new motion to the court , the grandparents ask that Fravel not be allowed any contact whatsoever, even if he’s released on $2 million bail. “There is every reason to believe he would flee with the children,” the Kingsbury grandparents assert. “The children have already suffered an immeasurable loss; putting them at risk for more harm is against their best interests.” Winona County Health and Human Services Department is siding with the grandparents. A disposition hearing is scheduled later in the week.
Earlier: An explanation: Why not first-degree murder for Maddi?
Earlier: Domestic abuse listed in murder charges against Fravel
New attorney general unit on civil rights fraud
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Attorney General Keith Ellison has created a Civil Rights Division to target fraud based on race, gender or religious beliefs. The new unit will address growing problems in housing, health care and education, he said. Ellison pointed to a recent case against a landlord for violating the rights of 276 families.
Leadership change at help agency Grace Place
WINONA, Minn. – The faith-based organization Grace Place, which helps women who need support in life-changing transitions, has a new executive director. John Mullen, who joined Grace Place jn April, succeeds founder Carla Burton. Mullen has a history with youth nonprofits and ministries.
Mullen. Formerly with the contract manufacturer Riverside Integrated Solutions.
Fire call: A flaming bird nest
WINONA, Minn. – An imponderable question: Who’s to blame:
> The homeowner who turned on an outdoor night light.
> Or the bird that built a nest of flammable material.
Firefighters were called up Gilmore Valley to the 100 block of Jay Bee Drive for a brush fire. The homeowner had controlled the fire by the time the fire crew arrived. Here’s what happened: The bird built a nest inside a glass-enclosed outdoor light fixture atop a pole at a backyard pool. The nest caught fire. Then so too did nearby brush. The bird will need a new nest. The homeowner will need a new pool light. Or swim in the dark.
“You’s ugly,” she told neighbor; then arrested
WINONA, Minn. — A 20-year problem between neighbors in Knopp Valley erupted in an arrest when according to a call to police, a 74-old woman yelled across her backyard: “What are you doing, you ugly man.” It wasn’t so much the unkind aspersion that landed Sandra Lee Berzinki in jail but that there was a restraining order to keep her away from the neighbor. P. The incident was about 10:20 a.m. in the 50 block of Mount Vernon Drive. Berzinski has a record with police, including an incident in which a neighbor was whacked with a broom.
Berzinski. Booked on charge of violating a judge’s restraining order.
Bishop added to SMU fiduciary board
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University announced the appointment of the recently installed bishop of the Winona-Rochester Catholic Diocese. Robert Barron, to the board that oversees college finances. Barron has served as a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He was twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican.
An explanation: Why not first-degree murder for Maddi?
Prosecution team. Sonneman paraded her staff at a news conference in the Courtoiuse steps to to announced charges against Adam Fravel. Leading the team is former Dakota County prosecutor Phillip Prokopowicz. Sonneman brought him out of retirement for the case. Also on the team: Veteran Winona County assistant county attorneys Christina Galewski and Kevin O’Laughlin. On an easel is a portrait of Maddi Kingsbury.
Sonnemen confident of Fravel conviction
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona County attorney, Karin Sonneman, said she chose to charge second-degree murder against Adam Fravel because she was confident the charges would be sustained in a trial. It’s possible, she said, to modify the charges as final stages progress in the investigation of the strangulation death of Maddi Kingsbury in March. Sonneman explained she decided against first-degree murder for the time being. Under Minnesota law, first-degree murder requires a grand jury indictment, which can be a lengthy process, she noted. She said she wanted to go with the evidence that is on hand. These are the counts against Fravel:
> Second-degree murder with intent but not premeditated.
> Second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony.
First-degree murder carries more severe penalties. a second-degree conviction could keep Fravel in prison until he’s 49 to 69 years old. First-degree murder carries a life term. Although 27 sates have capital punishment, Minnesota does not.
Verbatim
Sonneman: “We have heard from so many individuals how wonderful a person Maddy was. She had a bright future and Mr. Fravel took that from her. By charging him today with her murder, we intend to hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Capital punishment profile
Between 1860 and 1906, Minnesota executed 27 people by hanging. After the botched execution of murderer William Williams in 1906, public opinion in the state shifted against the death penalty. In 1911, the Legislature ended the death penalty.
Southeast College honor students from 25 states
WINONA, Minn. – The geographic diversity of the Southeast State College enrollment shows in the list of 264 students on the spring honor roll. On the list are students from 25 states: Minnesota, 164; Wisconsin, 48; as well as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Two foreign students from New Australia and Canada, also made the list. Required: A 3.5 grade average on a 4.0 scale.
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