Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Rushford-Peterson Trojans 71, St. Charles Saints 34
Basketball (boys): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals and Caledonia Warriors, postponed
Basketball (girls): Rushford-Peterson Trojans 57, St. Charles Saints 31
Basketball (girls): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals ad Caledonia Warriors, postponed
Hockey (boys): Winona Winhawks and Faribault Falcons, postponed
Hockey (girls): Winona Winhawks and Waseca Blue Jay, postponed
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (girls): Whitehall Norse and Eau Claire Immanuel Lancers, postponed
Basketball (girls): Independence Jndees and Augusta Beavers, postponed
Basketball (girls): Gilmanton Panthers and Eleva-Strum Cardinals, cancelled
Biden emissary shows flag on abortion
ST, PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. secretary of health, Xavier Becerra, joined Governor Tim Walz at a news conference on abortion legislation wending its way through the Minnesota Legislature. “You’re going to make history at a time when it seems like regression seems to be more on the table than anything else,” Becerra said. “It is a good day to be in Minnesota.” The abortion bill has passed the House and is moving to the Senate. Becerra is on a Midwest tour to show Biden administration support for Democratic initiatives to protect pregnancy termination as a woman’s right.
Becerra and Walz. A shared exuberance at news conference on abortion rights legislation.
Verbatim
Walz: “This piece of legislation will make Minnesota a shining beacon, an island in the Upper Midwest.”
Two semis fail to make grade, slide off
HART, Minn. – Two semi-trucks lost traction on a hill and slid off Hartwood Road east of the hamlet of Hart. No one was injured in the accidents. The backroads in southern Winona County were snow-covered and icy. A Borkowski tow crew from Winona decided not to pull the vehicles out until daylight. The accidents were about seven miles south of Interstate 90 at Hartwood and Brandywine roads.
R.I.P.: Daryl Rusert
LEWISTON, Minn. – William “Daryl” Rusert, 90, of Lewiston, an auto echanic who owned Daryl’s Classic Cars, died at the Winona hospital after a stroke. He was a graduate of Lewiston High School. He loved tinkering on cars and tractors riding riding on his Polaris Ranger out in the country.
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
https://www.hofffuneral.com/obituaries/william-daryl- rusert
1932-2022
Walz rollout 2.0: $4.1 billion for economic growth
ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a second peek at his budget plan for the next two years, Governor Tim Walz talked about $4.1 billion economic development with $100 million specifically for agriculture budget. The announcement followed a separate $12 billion spending package a few days earlier for family and child programs. Here are features in what might be called Walz 2.0:
> Paid family and medical leave.
> More employee access to earned sick time.
> $276 million to expand broadband access.
> $150 million for the Minnesota Forward Fund
> $30 million to expand jobs in technology, care professions, education, manufacturing and trades.
> $20 million for tax credits for women, veterans and persons of color.
> $18.5 million for small business programs.
> Eliminate college application fees for high school seniors.
> Protection for “precious land and water resources.”
> Grants for meat, poultry, egg and dairy producers to start, modernize or expand.
> Promote the Minnesota Grown program.
> Replenish Agricultural Emergency Account
> Additional funding for agricultural Growth, research, and innovation and biofuels infrastructure.
> Farm safety and mental health outreach.
Walz. New would be a state paid family and medical leave requirement.
Verbatim
Walz: “I’m committed to making sure Minnesota remains competitive in a global economy. From our nation-leading agriculture industries to Minnesota-based companies paving the way for a clean energy economy, Minnesota has one of the most diverse and most resilient economies in the country.”
Abortion rights clear Minnesota House hurdle
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House fast-tracked a bill to codify abortion rights with a 69-65 vote. The bill now goes to the state Senate, where Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic said he has the votes to pass the bill. Abortion rights hves been a priority of majority Democrats in both houses of the Legislature. The bill has support from Democratic Governor Tim Walz.
Earlier: Bishops call abortion bill’s pace destructive
Earlier: Pelowski sits out abortion bill; foresees passage
Earlier: Minnesota DFL looks to enact reproductive reforms
Earlier: Prinsburg mystery: Outgoing anti-abortion solon did it
Abortion as state issue
Abortion rights in Minnesota have been broadly protected since 1995 when the state Supreme Court ruled that the right to an abortion is protected by the state constitution. The new state law would make the protection a matter of statutory law, not just constitutional law. This would be a buffer against the anti-abortion inclinations of the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 2022 overturned its own 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had established national protection for abortion rights. With a void on abortion rights at the national level, states can each can go their own way in the issue.
LaCrosse jail inmate dies; sheriff mum on detail
LACROSSE, Wis. — An inmate was found dead in the La Crosse County jail about 2:35 a.m. Sheriff John Siegel said jailers performed life-saving efforts and called in Fire Department and Tri-State Ambulance personnel. None of the resuscitation efforts helped, The inmate was 28 years old, a male. Siegel declined to release his name or why he man was incarcerated. The sheriff said he has asked that investigators from neighboring Trempealeau County conduct an independent query. Undoubtedly there will be an autopsy, the sheriff said.
Jail profile
The LaCrosse County jail, a regional medium security faciilty, has a capacity of 60 inmates. Bookings average 87 a month. The jail has a staff of 125.
Charge: Saratoga man punched mate
SARATOGA, Minn. – A rural man was arrested after a woman reported being fist-punched in the face at their house. Deputies arrested Robert Duane highet, 35. The arrest was about 6 a.m. in the 27000 block of Sinclair Road in southwest Winona County.
Highet. Charge: Fifth-degree asault.
New snow worries school officials
WABASHA, Minn. – Two Wabasha County school districts, Wabasha and Plainview, cancelled classes for the day as a heavy snow storm moved into southeast Minnesota. Plows were having a hard time keeping up. Starting two hours late in hope that roads would be safer later:
> Cotter and Hope Lutheran in Winona.
> Houston.
> Lanesboro.
> Lewiston.
> Ridgeway and Riverview.
> Winona.
Parking alert: Make way for street plowing
WINONA, Minn. – Plow crews need cars parked only on alternate sides the next few nights to clear snow and haul it away. Towing begins Sunday for the downtown. The schedule:
> Thursday: Starting at 11 p.m. but no tagging or towing.
> Friday: Starting at 11 p.m. but again no tagging or towing.
> Sunday: Downtown starting at 12:01 a.m. with tag-and-towing enforced.
> Monday: Downtown starting at 12:01 a.m. again with tag-and-towing enforced.
Earlier: Alternate-side parking citations add up
Earlier: Morning not so good for 179 Winonans
Earlier: No denying it: Winter coming
Message to cop on music complaint: Buzz off
WINONA, Minn. – A police officer knocked at an apartment door after a loud music complaint about 11:30 p.m. A woman opened the door, saw the officer, said “no thanks,” and slammed the door in the officer’s face. The officer mailed a citation to Tracy Lynn Hazelton, 52. This was at an apartment building in the 1100 block of Sugar Loaf Road.
College scores
Basketball (men): Macalester 7, Saint Mary’s 72
Basketball (men): UW-LaCrosse 67, UW-River Falls 61
Basketball (women): Saint Mary’s 73, Macalester 65
Basketball (women): UW-LaCrosse 63, UW-River Falls 36
Minnesota prep
Basketball (boys): Stewartville Tigers 62, Pine Island Panthers 33
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (girls): Blair-Taylor Wildcats 74, Augusta Beavers 39
Fleeing driver wins foot chase, ticketed anyway
WINONA Minn. – Police chased a motorist who fled into the Winona State campus on foot after a traffic stop, but he got away. Kinda. Sorta. An officer had stopped a car for bad tags on West 11th Street. The driver opened his car door and ran into the campus. The officer gave chase, but the driver vanished into a building. This was about 5 p.m. Later in the evening, the officer, having the driver’s name from the abandoned car’s registration, went to a house 12 blocks away to confront the guy – and perhaps make an arrest. The officer said the man peeked out a window and ran out the back. Rather than give chase again, the officer called the man on the phone The officer said the guy stated the obvious: That he hadn’t wanted to be arrested for lacking current car plates. That ticket would have been easier for David Kiante Munson, 25. Now he’s been mailed a citation for three infractions — for the expired plates, for fleeing, and for failing to comply.
Mall of America update: Teen arrested in Georgia
DECATUR, Ga. – A 17-year-old fugitive from the fatal Mall of America shooting in Minnesota in December has been arrested in this Atlanta suburb. The teenager was jailed pending his return to Minnesota on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Meanwhile in Minnesota, the police chief of Bloomington, where the mall is located, reported that the teenager’s mother has been arrested. Apparently she drove her son to Georgia to avoid arrest. Police Chief Booker Hodges said the Golden Valley woman was charged with aiding and abetting.
Earlier: Step-by-step: Mall of America shooting
Earlier: Charges in Mall of America shooting: Murder, riot
Earlier: Warrant issued in Mall of America shooting
Earlier: Mall of America shooting victim’s name released
Mower County sheriff back in saddle
AUSTIN, Minn. – An outside law firm hired to examine the conduct of Sheriff Steve Sandvik concluded there is no reason he can’t performs duties. In November the Mower County administrator, Trish Harren, told the sheriff to go home after a complaint that he smelled of alcohol. Harren now has issued a news release that quotes a legal conclusion that allegations of misconduct were unsubstantiated. During his absence, the news release said. Sandvik received medical treatment and has since been cleared medically to return to work.
Verbatim
Harren: “The county supports Sheriff Sandvik and his ongoing efforts to address this difficult but treatable medical condition.”
R.I.P.: Logan Monk
WINONA, Minn. – Logan Edward Monk, 17, died at Gundersen hospital in La Crosse due to injuries from a motor vehicle accident. He played soccer at Winona High school and was on the swim and dive team, the tennis squad, and the marching and concert bands. He held a job at Rogan’s shoe store, where the employee discount permitted him to expand his massive collection of HeyDudes sneakers
Details: Hoff Funeral Home
2005-2022
Bishops call abortion bill’s pace destructive
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Bishops from the six Catholic dioceses in Minnesota called on lawmakers to vote against ending the last of the state’s restrictions on abortions. At issue is deleting an old list of abortion restrictions from state statutes. Said the bishops:
“We are disappointed to see the quick pace at which these destructive bills are moving, and we hope to give legislators pause. When contemplating policy on any issue, we must consider all those who will be affected. In this case, that includes the mother, father, and most especially, the unborn child whose life is being taken.”
If the bill becomes law, Minnesota would have hardly any limits left on abortion.
Earlier: Pelowski sits out abortion bill; foresees passage
A rationale
Catholic doctrine accepts a line of theological thought that that human life is sacred from the moment of conception. The church calls this a pro-life position that outweighs ever terminating pregnancy. To terminate therefore is the cardinal sin of murder.
Six Minnesota diocese. People who identify as Catholic by diocese.
> Crookston: 35,000.
>Duluth: 53,000.
> New Ulm: 69,000.
> St. Cloud: 125,000.
> St. Paul: 130,000.
> Winona-Rochester: 136,000.
Odd drug den: Squatters abandon marijuana pipe
ROLLINGSTONE, Minn. – For at least the second time, deputies have been called to a Rollingstone apartment house where squatters apparently have been doing drugs in a common area. This time they left paraphernalia but themselves were gone. Just like before.
Couple overnighted in train depot toilet
WINONA, Minn. – When the Amtrak depot opened in the morning, a man and woman were found in a locked bathroom, apparently there all night. The depot master called police. The last train had arrived about 8 p.m. Early morning temperatures outside were in the 20s.
Emergency, fire crews make 56 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 48 emergency medical calls plus 8 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, January 17: 8 medical calls plus no fire call.
> Monday, January 16: 1 medical calls plus no fire call.
> Sunday, January 15: 11 medical call plus no fire calls.
> Saturday, January 14: 5 medical calls plus 2 fire call.
> Friday, January 13: 10 medical calls plus no fire calls.
> Thursday, January 12: 7 medical calls plus 1 fire calls.
> Wednesday, January 11: 6 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 48 calls
Brass knuckles found on man resisting arrest
WINONA, Minn. – Police responding to a disturbance at an upscale apartment building found a man sitting in a hallway and moaning as he conked in and out of consciousness. Officers gave this account: Asked whether he needed help, the man became belligerent Officers decided to take him to the hospital to be examined. He responded: “Touch me again and I’ll beat your asses.” They tried to cuff him. He pushed one officer back and raised one arm above his head and lowered the other in front of himself to prevent being cuffed. Officers pinned the man the wall, eventually cuffing him. The whole time he was resisting. This was about 1 a.m. at 100 Washington Street. Once the man was in custody, officers found brass knuckles in a pocket – a violation of state law. Meanwhile, medics were summoned to check on the man’s condition. They cleared him for arrest. The next stop for Evan Henry Navarro-Katz, age 22, of Winona, was jail. He wasn’t hurt in the frenzy of the arrest. One officer suffered a bruised finger. The episode began with a 911 call about a man yelling and banging on apartment doors.
Navarro-Katz. Little did officers know about his brass knuckles until after he was subdued.
St. Paul church mostly gone in fire
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Fire heavily damaged a 75-year-old church in St. Paul. No one was Eastside Seventh Day Adventist church in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. The steeple toppled in flames that lit up the night sky. The interior was gutted. The fire was reported about 9 p.m. Fire crews had to break their way inside the locked building.
Cause being investigated. Fifty firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Image; St. Paul Fire Department
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