College scores
Basketball (men): Saint Mary’s 86, Crown 78
Basketball (women): Maryville 62, Winona State 47
Basketball (women): Saint Mary’s 97, Bethany 63
Hockey (women): St. Catherine 1, Saint Mary’s 0
Minnesota prep
Hockey (boys): Winona Winhawks 7, Worthington Trojans 0
Hockey (girls): Winona Winhawks 5, Rochester Century/Rochester Marshall 4
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (girls): LaCrosse Aquinas Blugolds 72, Stevens Point Pacelli Cardinals 50
Minnesota Democrats rally to defend Somalis
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz faulted President Trump for using Somali refugees in Minnesota as pawns in a desperate attempt to divert public attention from his exponentially exploding Epstein pedophile scandal. “It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community,” Walz posted. “This is what he does to change the subject.” Among other Democratic responses toTrump’s Somali deportation plan:
> Ilhan Omar, a U.S. House member from Minneapolis, herself of Somali descent: “I am a citizen and so are majority of Somalis in America. Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay.”
> Zack Stephenson, Democratic caucus leader in Minnesota House: “This is the worst of what he does best. His policies are driving up the cost of everything from food to health care and he knows it. But instead of actually trying to solve these problems, Trump tries to change the subject by pitting Minnesotans against one another. Scapegoating our Somali neighbors won’t bring down the cost of groceries. Minnesotans know that the Somali community is part of the fabric of our state.”
> Erin Murphy, Democratic caucus leader in Minnesota Senate: “Trump is villainizing a small number of residents of Minnesota who came to this country seeking refuge from armed conflict and famine. They are the victims of violence and worthy of our protection and compassion. Ending their protected status would not make Minnesotans safer, but it would return these families to the danger they fled. This is a cruel, illegal order from a corrupt and vindictive President.”
Care-taker accused of assault on blind man
WINONA, Minn. — A live-in care-taker for a 72-year-old blind man was arrested and booked for domestic assault. Because the man was a vulnerable adult, the assault charge was at an elevated level. The man called police about 3:20 a.m. and reported belatedly that he had been assaulted. He said the care-taker, Maria Christina Ruiz, age 55, had struck him. There had been an argument over missing money, he said. Ruiz denied an assault, but police took her into custody because of a golf ball size lump on one of the man’s cheeks. As police were escorting Ruiz to a squad car, she suffered a medical emergency. At the hospital, police said, they learned that Ruiz had given them a false name. As a result, a charge of interferring with officers was added to a bevy of charges. Charges also included interfering with a 911 emergency call. The man reported Ruiz took his phone away.
A placid reflectivity on Lake Winona
A moment for pausing. And taking in the glory of a fall morning. On the 3.7-mile path around the lower lake near the Gilmore Creek outlet at Shives Road. Image: Kevin O’Reilly
College scores
Basketball (men): UW-LaCrosse 84, Rose-Hulman Tech 73
Basketball (men): Gogebic Community 79, Rochester Community 74
Basketball (women): Winona State 89, Truman State 64
Hockey (women): Saint Mary’s 4, St. Catherine 2
Minnesota prep
Basketball (girls): Austin Packers 53, Winona Winhawks 46
Basketball (girls): Lake City Tigers 53, Winona Cotter Ramblers 44
Basketball (girls): Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 67, Spring Grove Lions 51
Wisconsin prep
Basketball (girls): Altoona Railroaders 58, Galesville Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Red Hawks 22
Basketball (girls): Holmen Vikings 55, Winona Winhawks 32
Trump to Minnesota Somalis: Go back to Africa
WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered Somali refugees living in Minnesota to go back to Africa. Most of these Somalis have intensely black complexions. Trump’s order was the latest in his white supremist initiatives against darkskin people. These Somalis, about 700, have been in the United States after fleeing a savage civil war in their native country. They have had protected status under U.S. immigration law since the 1990s. Trump’s pretext to deport was overdrawn:
“Somali gangs are terrorizing the people. Send them back to where they came from. It’s over”
It was pure Trump excessiveness to address a problem: Yes, Somali gangs are a Minnesota problem, mostly in the Twin Cities and Rochester, but contrary to Trump’s overextrapolation, not all Somalis are prone to violence. Far from it. His reasoning is as illogical as throwing out the baby with the bath water. Put another way: It’s as horrific as Trump’s solution for dandruff being decapitation. In a further leapfrog in logic, Trump tried to tie his anti-Somali decision to claims of fraud in Minnesota state government. He called the state “a hub of fraudulent money laundering” for which he blamed Democratic Governor Walz, who has won Trump’s animism for calling out the President’s lack of logical acuity. Trump failed to close his logic gap on a Walz-fraud-Somali link.
Somali status
About 700 Somalis are in Minnesota under “temporary protected status” in U.S. immigration law. The status is for eligible foreign nationals from certain countries experiencing conditions that make it unsafe for them to return. Somalis were first granted the protected status 35 years ago because their lives were in danger in their native country. The protected status under U.S. law has been extended multiple times. The next renewal isin March, which has given Trump a procedural opportunity to deport Somalis.
Somali demographics
The 2020 census found 87,000 Somalis have resettled in Minnesota. This is the largest Somal cohort in the nation, partly because of the state’s welcoming public policy that offers impoverished people a leg up in starting a new life. About 700 Minnesota Somalis have protected immigration status for humanitarian reasons. Somalis have been coming to Minnesota as refugees since the 1991.
Fatality in car-truck collision at I-90 exit
EYOTA, Minn. — A LaCrosse woman was killed when a sedan and a truck towing a semi-trailer collided at the northbound down-ramp off Interstate 90 into Eyota. Taylor Alix Hermeier, age 34, died apparently on impact. She was in a 2008 Chevrolet Impala driven by Johnathan Curtis Gerow, 41, of Hayward, Wisconsin. He was taken 16 miles to a Rochester hospital. The truck driver, Daniel John Kalwasinski, 27, of Rochester, was unhurt. The accident was about 1:45 p.m. Olmsted County deputies said the Chevrolet was exiting off I-90. The truck, 2023 Freightliner unit, was on County Road 7 into Eyota.
Saint Mary’s discounts email threat, reopens
WINONA, Minn. — After deciding an email threat of campus violence wasn’t credible, Saint Mary’s University ended an eight-hour lockdown. Classes resumed at noon. The threat was in a lengthy and mostly unintelligible rant. A possible clue to the source was a claim to being denied admission. A scan of Saint Mary’s admission records would narrow the list of suspects. The fact about admissions, however, is that Saint Mary’s refuses hardly anyone. All that’s required these days is a high school diploma and grades averaging a C. Admissions exams like SATs and ACTs are only optional. As requirements, the exams were scrapped years ago.
When the lawn sprouted white whiskers
But only in the narrow shade of a massive oak that has shed its leaves for winter. And for only a few more minutes as the warming morning sun emerges. Image: Andy Frank
Marquette poll: Republicans, Trump in trouble
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The respected Marquette Law School Poll shows more respondents nationwide right now favor Democrats for the 2026 midterm elections. Major findings:
> Of likely voters, 53% said they will vote Democratic, a nine-point margin.
> 75% disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the prolonged 43-day federal shutdown.
> 56% said their biggest concern was either inflation or the economy.
> 70% of respondents favored extending credits for health insurance.
> 67% approved of Trump on the Gaza cease fire.
> 54% approved of Trump on U.S. border security.
> On other signature Trump issues, he fared poorly: On immigration, 45% approval; on tariffs, 36%, on the economy, 36%.
The survey polled 1,052 adults using statistically accepted probability sampling.
Alternate-side parking tally at 429
WINONA, Minn. – Police issued 81 citations overnight for violations of the city’s winter ordinance for alternate-side parking. The running tally:
> November 20: 81
> November 19: 101
> November 18: 139
> November 17: 108
This Christmas grinch arrived early
WINONA, Minn. — A thief stole a pair of expensive outdoor Christmas lighting kits from the Target retail store and so far has gotten away with it. The retail value: $660 for two 100-foot strings. Store security personnel notified police about 2:30 p.mn. on Wednesday, just after the theft was discovered. The kits, manufactured by Govee, are designed for year-round use with colors that can be adjusted for different holidays.
Govee outdoor lights. Easily cartable.
Ever-sturdy spirea on a frosty dawn
Along a Garvin Brook tributary. Blossoms have persisted into late November, outlasting most mums. Overnight lows were in the mid-20s up the coulees. Image: Steve Lunde
SMU into lockdown after violence threat
WINONA, Minn. – Saint Mary’s University went into lockdown with morning classes cancelled in response to an anonymous email threat to shoot up the campus. Police began a lengthy subpoena process to trace the source through the online service provider. Whether the threat was credible was not determined immediately, police said. It did not seem the threat was aimed at Saint Mary’s larger graduate-level non-residential operations in the Twin Cities. The Winona campus on Terrace Heights on Winona’s West End has 890 students, almost all of whom live on-campus in dorms. Police described the message as a lengthy, rambling, incoherent rant. One officer described it as “word salad.” The beef seemed to be that Saint Mary’s had rejected an application for admission. It mentioned an ex-wife but her relevance was muddled in the inchoate ramble. Of particular alarm at Terrace Heights was a reference to staff as a target, including one person cited by name, police said. The email was received about 3:30 a.m., but no one at the insular campus notified police until 5.
Minnesota prep
Basketball (girls): Holmen Vikings 55, Winona Winhawks 32
Basketball (girls): Houston Hurricanes 53, St. Charles Saints 39
Basketball (girls): Rushford-Peterson Trojans 56, Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars 54
Hockey (girls): Albert Lea Tigers 3, Winona Winhawks 0
Wisconsin prep
Football: Kenosha St. Joseph Lancers 35, Cochrane-Fountain City Pirates 19
Basketball (girls): Holmen Vikings 55, Winona Winhawks 32
Yea! Stockton Hill barricades removed
WINONA, Minn. — Drainage improvements on U.S. Highway 14 over Stockton Hill have been completed and barricades removed on the Winona-Stockton shortcut. “The road is fully open,” said state Transportation Department spokesperson Micheal Dougherty. There are no surprises: Same curves, same rough pavement patches. The project addressed serious drainage issues along the slope. Crews also widened shoulders and replaced guardrails. New paving is due next year. Traffic will be one lane for the repaving but not detoured, Dougherty said.
Earlier: Missing Stockton Hill? Wait awhile longer
Earlier: What’s going on up Stockton Hill
Earlier: Stockton Hill upgrade begins Monday
Ethanol plant fined for environmental neglect
Southeast Minnesota refinery. Among three largest employers in Dodge County municipality of Claremont, population 500. Operating since 1994.
State inspectors find unhealthy air pollutants
CLAREMONT Minn. — The Al-Corn Clean Fuel ethanol factory isn’t as pure its name suggests, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The agency has fined the company $40,000 for releasing asthma-triggering air-borne particles. Unacceptable emission occurred in June 2024, October 2024 and March 2025, the agency said. Besides asthma, the particles can exacerbate respiratory problems, irritate the airways, and cause difficulty breathing and nonfatal heart attacks. The agency also gigged Al-Corn for sloppy bookkeeping on emissions from July to December 2022. The company was ordered to:
> Replace grain control emission equipment.
> Correct record keeping to track violations.
> Apply for a new permit to operate.
The plant grinds 44 million bushels of corn a year and produces 130 million gallons of ethanol. Byproducts: 310,000 tons of livestock feed and 28 million pounds of corn oil. Annual revenue: $20 million.
State issues call for stand-by plow drivers
ROCHESTER, Minn. — With the season’s first serious snow still more than a week away, the state Transportation Department is spreading word that it’s short 20 part-time snowplow operators for its 11-county District 6. These on-call positions would fill staffing gaps, said spokesperson Michael Dougherty. Pay: $25 to $30 an hour. Contact. The District now has 200-plus drivers for its 101 plows — not quite enough.
District 6. 3,668 lane-miles of state highway.
Alternate-side parking tally at 419
WINONA, Minn. – Police issued 81 citations overnight for violations of the city’s winter ordinance for alternate-side parking. The running tally:
> November 20: 81
> November 19: 101
> November 18: 139
> November 17: 108
Notable journalism
Quinn Gorham (KEYC, November 14, 2025): “New Law on Hemp-Driven THC Products Could Send Budding Minnesota Industry Crashing Down”
Madison McVan (Minnesota Reformer, November 19, 2025): “Deportee Passing Through MSP: ‘We Has No Idea Where We Were Going’”
Taff Roberts (Plattsburgh College Foundation, February 6, 2012): “Rockwell Kent in Winona: A Centennial Celebration”
WELCOME
The worthiest goal of journalism is to promote intelligent citizen involvement. Such is our goal with Winona Journal. We focus on local issues so you can go about your daily activities with confidence that you can be a genuine and valued part of informed public dialogue on the kind of community we’re building.
Although Winona-centric, we are attentive also to regional issues. Our community doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
You will find opinion here. We quote and paraphrase with attribution so you know the source and can assess ideas and thoughts. Sometimes you will find our commentary but always clearly labeled.
As journalists we are committed to accuracy but not perfect. Please let us know if you spot an error, whether substantive or even just a dumb typo. We’ll get errors squared away promptly.
We’re glad you’re with us.