Mother to mourners: Beautify ugly murder site
OWATONNA, Minn. – The mother of a slain 21-year-old Elysian woman asked anyone with information about what happened to contact Owatonna police. Sabrina Schnoor urged people to respect the privacy of her daughter Stacia and the family. “Allow investigators to do their job,” she said. Stacia Schnoor, mother of a young son, was found shot in the head under a highway overpass in Owatonna. Those wishing to show respect, she said, should perhaps go to where Stacia was found. “Clean that ugly place up and leave something beautiful for her. This was the last thing she saw. Remove the ugly there and make it beautiful for her.”
Earlier: All-points bulletin out for Owatonna murder suspect
Verbatim
Mother: “Sabrina was a beautiful young lady. Her heart was amazing. She had a pure soul and innocence that made her see only the good and best in people. She would quickly put herself out just to help anyone. She couldn’t stand to see anyone hurt. She loved her son so very much. He filled her heart with joy. He was on her mind at all times. The whole world is now a darker, sadder place without her.”
Stacia Schnoor. In a family photograph.
0.13% blood-alcohol level confirms cops’ suspicions
WINONA, Minn. — A Winona man, Matthew Harley Dais, 40, was arrested after failing sobriety tests during a traffic stop. Police said Dais admitted to a couple drinks and showed signs of inebriation — bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, and a hard-to-miss odor. Officers were unsurprised when he blew 0.13% in a blood-alcohol test. The allowable max is 0.08%. The arrest was about 1:”15 p.m. at Fourth and St. Charles streets on the East End.
Video shows Iowa apartment in stress in last seconds
DAVENPORT, Iowa – In the 10 minutes before a Davenport apartment building collapsed, a support brace for portions of the brick façade was bending under pressure and the brick crumbling around it, CNN reported. Surveillance video from nearby roof captured he imminent collapse, then went blank when power was lost from the crash itself. The video shows this sequence:
> 2:42 minutes seconds before the collapse: A large chunk of brick façade falls from underneath a second-floor window.
> 0:55. A lower portion of the wall near the ground crumbles.
> 0:44. A small section of brick façade falls near another second-floor window.
> 0:10. A small cloud of dust from another façade falls near the window.
> 0:25. A support brace that had been bending slowly bends at a much faster rate.
> 015. Puffs of dust emerge along the wall as additional small sections facade fall. Other support braces,
> 0:01. Temporary wooden struts, all angled against the lower outside wall, bend further.
> 0:00. The surveillance camera goes blank as the building collapses and power goes off.
Traffic stop yields loads of packaged-to-sell drugs
WILSON, Minn. — Deputies found a warehouse of drugs, most neatly packaged as if for small-lot resale, in a car cruising erraticalLy toward LaCrosse on Interstate 90. Arrested was Ethan Andrew Tappendorf, 23, of LaCroSse. Deputies reported finding these among drugs in the car:
> 33 pounds of marijuana.
> 27 boxes of THC-spiked edibles.
> 285 packets of THC edibles.
> 5 boxes of hallucinatory mushrooms.
The stop was about 9 p.m. A deputy said that Tappendorf had been weaving over the center line and fog lines on I-90. When the deputy lit his flashers, Tappendorf didn’t stop but pulled onto the Highway 43 ramp and kept going. He finally halted when the deputy kept on his tail. Tappendorf had a hard time explaining where he had been or where he was going, the deputy said. The car’s interior reeked unmistakably of marijuana, the deputy said.
Tappendorf. Held on five separate pending charges.
Therapist accused of sex with mental patient
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A Rochester social work therapist, Mandy Erin Hyland, 42, was charged with sexual abuse of a mental patient. Hyland, from Stewartville, was released on her own recognizance pending a court date July 25. The criminal complaint said that abuse occurred in April and came to the attention of the state Adult Abuse Reporting Center. The patient initially denied there had been abuse but later shared messages with his probation officer about a sexual relationship. It was harassment that caused grief, police said.
Hyland. Co-owner of Highland Meadows Counseling Center in Rochester. She left the practice after the criminal complaint was filed. She holds with a master’s degree in clinical social work.
Two cars wreck near Lake City; one injury
LAKE CITY, Minn. – A Wisconsin driver was injured but not seriously in a two-car collision on U.S. Hjghway 61 north of Lake City. Anthony Curtis Bentz, 31, of Pepin, was taken to the Lake City Hospital to be checked over. Both Bentz’s car, a 2012 Mazda 3, and the other car, a 2023 Ford Edge, were heading south into Lake City. In the Edge were Rick John Olson, 59, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the driver, and his passengers, Dennis Harold Scheidler, 71, of Chippewa Falls, and Miguel A. Wynn, 41, of Greenwood, Wisconsin, none of whom were injured. The collision was about 7:40 a.m.
Woman accuses man of belligerence, head-butting
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was arrested after a woman called police that he had head-butted her and injured her nose. Dylon Joseph Hale, 34, was taken into custody in the 600 blockof Mankato Avenue about 1:50 a.m. – roughly three hours after the woman’s report. He was booked for domestic assault. The woman said Hale had been argumentative at her place and then attacked her.
All-points bulletin out for Owatonna murder suspect
OWATONNA, Minn. – Police issued an all-points bulletin for an Owatonna man, Jason Lee Horner, 38. in the death of an Elysian woman. Horner was described as a suspect. The woman, Stacia Schnoor, 25, who had a young son, was found shot to death Thursday under an Interstate 35 overpass. Police described Horner as 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, with short brown hair, hazel eyes, and tattoos on his arms, hands and legs. The public was advised not approach Horner.
Horner. Barred legally from possessing a firearm because of earlier conviction.
Marijuana, booze figure into downtown arrest
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man whom police said admitted to be smoking marijuana and drinking was arrested downtown and booked for impaired driving. Arrested was Mason James Fairbanks-Hohler, 22. In a pocket, Police said they found a joint. He failed several field sobriety tests on the spot, officers said. The arrest was about 10:55 p.m. in the 200 block of West Second.
Disturbed man to hospital after horn, knife episodes
WINONA, Minn. – Police arrested a man who had been reported chasing another man down an apartment hallway with a knife. Officers, who had previous experiences with the individual, took him the hospital for a mental health check. The incident was at an apartment building at Fourth and Adams streets on the Far East End. This was the same person, officers believed, who earlier had been parked and blasting his car horn incessantly 16 miles away on Main Street in Lewiston. He was gone from there by the time officers arrived.
Biker hurt after hitting deer, crashing off road
ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn. – A Rochester motorcyclist was injured when he hit a deer between Zumbro Falls and Lake City and slid off the wet roadway. Nathan Richard Corbin, 43, was taken eight miles to the Lake City hospital. Deputies said Corbin’s injuries appeared non-life threatening. The accident was on State Highway 63 about 7:20 p.m.
Rochester condo evacuated: Collapse feared
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Everyone was evacuated from a 15-story luxury condominium after inspectors found two columns were structurally flawed. Inspectors reported the problem about 4:45 p.m. Immediately the 180 residents were told to move out. The building was entirely vacated by 7 p.m. Authorities established a 150-foot collapse zone around the building. They towed remaining cars from a nearby parking ramp. Fire Chief Eric Kerska said crews made a door-to-door check to assure no one remained in the building. Kerska said a structural engineer found the problem on a routine inspection. The condo management company called in experts to assess whether the failing columns can be shored up, the chief said. The Red Cross arranged temporary housing was for tenants at a nearby church.
150-foot collapse zone. A perimeter was established around the 15-story tower. Pedestrian and automobile traffic was diverted on the Broadway main thoroughfare a block away.
Rochester Towers: Condo profile
Rochester Towers, at 2nd 207 Fifth Avenue Southwest, has 94 units of one-room studios to three-bedroom penthouses in the $200,000 to $300,000 price range. Owners pay an annual maintenance fee of $36,000 to $7,200. Units range from 530 square feet to 2,100. Amenities include underground parking, an indoor pool, a sauna, a workout room, a community library, and what a sales brochure calls stylish community spaces and party spaces. The building is in the Mayo Clinic enclave downtown, within a block of the Baldwin, Jacobson, Kellen, Medical Sciences. Human Resources, Ozmun, buildings. Mayo’s showcase Gonda building is 1-1/2 blocks away, as are Mayo’s Saint Marys and Methodist hospitals.
Blue boxes superimposed on condo. The blue boxes are prices that the Re/Max real estate agency posted recently for units for sale. Neighboring Mayo Clinic buildings are labeled.
Grand entrance
View from the top
Smack-talk leads to brief High School lockdown
WINONA, Minn. – The principal at Winona High School ordered a lockdown to get control of a fight involving girls 15 and 16 years old. A schools safety officer broke up the fight. Police were called. A 15-year-old said she was upset at smack-talk about her on the Snapshot social media site. She physically attacked two other girls, who were trying to walk away. Police ticketed the attacker for disorderly conduct, and principal called her mother to take her home. This was about 1 p.m.
Fugitive caught in Winona with Fentanyl
WINONA, Minn. — Tipped by Trempealeau County authorities in Wisconsin, Winona County deputies found a fugitive at a West End hotel. Nicholas Adrian Locklear, 34, of Whitehall, was arrested on the Wisconsin warrant and also charged with local drug possession. In making the arrest, deputies found suspicious tin foil, drug paraphernalia, and a Fentanyl pill. This was about 9:30 a.m. at the AmericInn hotel on Pelzer Street.
Locklear. Faces extradition to Wisconsin.
How they voted: National debt / 2
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted 63-36 to raise the debt ceiling and cap government spending for two years. The House earlier passed the bill.
To raise debt limit
Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Amy Klobubar, D-Minn.
Tina Smith, D-Minn.
Against
Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Earlier: How they voted: National debt / 1
Now you can vote if you’ve served your time
Raised arm amid cheers. Antonio Williams, who spent 14 years in prison for murder, was the first ex-felon to register under a new Minnesota suffrage law. Behind Williams, embraced by her husband, is Jennifer Schroeder, who would have been 72 years old until her 40-year probation expired. She too can vote now. In the gray suit is state elections chief Steve Simon. who congratulated them both and dozens of others
Purple and white T-shirt messages: “Free the Vote”
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new law that restores voting rights to Minnesota felons as soon as they leave prison became effective Thursday. To celebrate, the state’s chief election officer, Secretary of State Steve Simon, attended a joyous voter registration ceremony with ex-felons at the at Arlington Hills Community Center in St. Paul. “This is the largest single act of enfranchisement in over 50 years,” Simon said. The new law, a Democratic priority in the 2023 Legislature, potentially could add 55,000 people to Minnesota voting rolls.
Earlier: Walz signs bill: Ex-felons will be voting
Earlier: How they voted: Ex-felon voting / 2
Earlier: Senate acts to restore ex-felon voting rights
Earlier: Supreme Court to felons on voting: Not so fast
Earlier: How they voted: Ex-felony voting / 1
Trending nationally
With the new voting law, Minnesota became the 22nd state to restore voting rights when people with felony convictions leave prison even if they are still on probation or parole. Some states, including Maine, Vermont and the District of Columbia, have gone further. They allow people still in prison to vote. A notable exception to the trend: The Florida, where the Legislature voted to allow ex-felons to vote, but Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the bill.
R.I.P.: Harland Knight
WINONA, Minn. — Harland Paul Knight, 83, of Winona, a civic activist who championed the resettlement of the Princess Wenonah statue to Windom Park, died a Callista Court. He was once a City Council member and active in the Chamber of Commerce. In retirement he operated a storage unit business. He grew up in LeRoy and worked at the Judd Company in Austin and became a part owner. In 1973 he began commuting to Winona to start a branch of the Judd Company and then moved to Winona
Details: Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home
1930-2023
Elysian woman shot, killed; body dumped on I-35
OWATONNA, Minn. – A young woman whose body was found under an Interstate 35 overpass Monday had been shot in the head, police confirmed. The woman was identified as Sabrina Lee Schnoor of Elysian. The death has all the marks of a targeted attack, police said. There have been no arrests. Elysian is about 25 miles west of Owatonna.
Klobuchar calls for stricter rail safety rules
WASHINGTON — Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, co-sponsor of the bipartisan Railway Safety bill in Congress, expressed concern about recent derailments, including the Canadian Pacific pile-up Tuesday near Lancaster. “Families shouldn’t have to worry that a possible derailment could put them and their community in harm’s way,” Klobuchar said. “It’s past time to put in place stronger rail safety standards and more accountability for violations.” If passed, Klobuchar’s bill would mandate new rail safety protocols:
> Increasing inspections on trains carrying hazardous materials.
> Requiring railroads to have emergency response plans.
> Increasing penalties for railroad accidents.
Guilty plea in assault on Minnesota Congresswoman
WASHINGTON – A man pleaded guilty to assaulting Congress member Angie Craig of Minnesota in the elevator of her Washington apartment building in February. Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, had been charged not only with assaulting Craig but also two police officers trying to arrest him later in the day. Hamlin told the court he needs mental health treatment.
Earlier: Minnesota party leaders on Craig attack
Craig. First elected in 2018 from Minnesota Congressional District 2. A Democrat. Home: Prior Lake.
Golfers retreat after spotting bear on fairway
Ain’t golfing. At Piper Hills.
Latest southeast Minnesota bear sighting
PLAINVIEW, Minn. – A bear trudged onto the 18-hole Piper Hills golf course, sending golfers into retreat at the club house. The course superintendent closed he course. The bear, seemingly seemed unbothered, moved on and wasn’t seen again.
St. Charles principal to take helm at Winona schools
WINONA, Minn. – The principal at St. Charles High School, Brad Berzinski, has been named superintendent of Winona schools. At St. Charles he has been principal of the Grades 7-12 secondary school with an enrollment of 490 in a district of 1,030 students. It is a career step to be superintendent at Winona with 2,500 students. Berzinski is no stranger to Winona. He is a Winona High School graduate and later was an athletic director, a principal and a teacher in the district. The other finalist was Angi McAndrews, a middle school principal in Rochester. Depending on how contract negotiations go, Berzinski will start in July. The school board will enter into contract negotiations with Berzinski soon. The contract will go to the School Board at its regular meeting on June 8. Superintendent salaries s in mid-size Minnesota school districts the size of Winona are in the $140,000 to $160,000 range.
Earlier: Search for Winona Schools chief narrows to two
Berzinski. For him a homecoming.
Verbatim
Nancy Denzer, School Board chair: “The board is thrilled to have Brad begin as a superintendent. He did an exceptional job in both the first and second interviews. He is well prepared to help move our district forward.”
Fine-tuned Masterpiece Hall design passes hurdle
Other obstacles remain. The Fifth Street site adjacent to library remains idle. Across the alley is the former Winona High School, which has been converted into apartments facing Sixth Street. Image: Steve Lunde
Now satisfied, Preservation Commission says OK
WINONA, Minn. — The Winona Heritage Preservation Commission unanimously approved a revised architectural plan for the $35 million Masterpiece concert hall and art gallery. The Commission earlier expressed reservations about how well the plan fits the downtown area’s historic character. In response, architect Jason Woodhouse of CRW Design in Rochester came back with revisions. These included:
> Vertical stripes of different colored stone to the rear wall, to avoid a bare backside visible from Broadway.
> Floor-to-ceiling windows near the southeast corner, also on the backside.
Woodhouse described the changes as subtle.
“A 700-seat venue take space”
Architect Jason Woodhouse told the Commission that some if its concerns were “non-non-negotiable.” These included somehow reducing the building’s bulk. Impossible for a 700-seat auditorium, he said. Woodson said, too, that he didn’t understand a request to cut down a54-foot tall section on Fifth street that would stand taller than the dome on the adjacent public library, itself a historic site. Woodhouse noted precedence in the now-razed junior high school auditorium on the concert hall’s site. The auditorium, he said, rose higher than the library dome.
Next hurdles
Fastenal co-founed Bob Kierlin and Mary Burrichter, who are financing the project, hope to give the Schwab construction contractor the green light to proceed with construction soon. Remaining obstacles;
> The Winona Board of Adjustment meets next week to consider exceptions to a zoning requirement. These include a requirement that windows comprise at least 12% of all facades visible from public streets. Woodhouse is expected to note that concert halls and art galleries by their nature are largely enclosed.
> Finally the City Council, which has the final go-no go power, will consider recommendations from the various boards, authorities, commissions and agencies — and the public — as required by ordinances. This could be on the June 19 agenda.
How they voted: National debt / 1
WASHINGTON – The House voted 314-117 to extend the national debt ceiling another two years and limit federal spending on a panoply of programs, as negotiated by President Biden and Congressional leaders. The Fiscal Responsibility bill next goes to the Senate. The House vote:
In favor
Betty McCollum, D-Mn4 (St. Paul)
Ilhan Omar, D-Mn5 (Minneapolis)
Pete Stauber, R-Mn 8 (Iron Range)
Dean Phillips, D-Mn3 (west suburbs)
—
Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wi5 (Juneau)
Mike Gallagher, R-Wi8 (Green Bay)
Glen Grothman, R-Wi6 (Campbellsport)
Bryan Steil, R-Wi1 (Janesville)
Derrick Van Orden, R-Wi3 (Prairie du Chien)
Against
Tom Emmer, R-Mn6 (north suburbs)
Brad Finstad, R-Mn1 (south)
Michelle Fischbach, R-Mn7 (rural west)
—
Tom Tiffany, R-R-Wi7 (Hazelburst)
Gwen Moore, D-Wi4 (Milwaukee)
Mark Pocan, D-WI2 (Madison)
Not voting
Angie Craig, D-Mn2 (south suburbs)
Scammer: I’ll clear old parking tickets for $4,000
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona woman did as she was told and sent $4,000 in gifts cards to a caller purporting to be to be from the Winona County Courthouse. It was a scam. After the transaction was complete, the victim called police. She said her caller-ID showed the call was from the 507 Winona area code, but, police said, it was probably spoofed and not local at all. The caller convinced the woman that she had numerous unpaid parking tickets and had failed to respond to a subpoena. For $4,000, the caller said, her record would be swept clean.
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