Deputies: Stabbing threatened in our presence
LEWISTON, Minn. — A Lewiston woman was arrested and charged with terroristic threats against another woman at an apartment building in Lewiston. Deputies had been called by one of the women, who claimed she had been pushed during an argument. In interviewing the women, deputies said, Deneen Booker, age 61, denied any pushing and began a litany of threats against the other woman. Repeatedly, according to deputies, Booker said she would stab the other woman. Informed she was being arrested for the threats, Booker went limp, dropped deadweight to the floor, and refused to move. She was booked 18 miles away at the Winona County jail. The women knew each other but weren’t related, deputies sad. Their apartments were in the same building in the 300 block of Benson Drive. The incident was about 10:40 p.m.
Booker. Charged also with resisting arrest.
College scores
Soccer (women): Saint Mary’s 5, Saint Benedict 1 (more…)
Minnesota prep
Car hits bobcat in central Winona County
WILSON, Minn. — Bobcats are elusive and rarely are seen anymore, but one was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A car struck the bobcat about 8:10 p.m. in the 23000 block of State Highway 43 south of Winona. NOTE: Bobcats, so-named for their stubby black-tipped tails, are also called bay lynx. Bobcats can weigh as much as 30 pounds, about twice that of a domestic cat.
Winona driver killed in I-90 rollover
GRAND MEADOW, Minn. — A Winona woman was killed when her vehicle drifted off Interstate 90 and crashed head-on into a bridge abutment, the State Patrol reported. Jasmine Jasmine Katherine Brown, age 27, was alone. The accident was about 8 p.m. near one of the I-90 Dexter exits. Brown was headed west toward Austin in a 2017 Chevro;et Traverse. Mower County deputies said the vehicle rolled several times, coming to rest in both westbound lanes.
Eagle flies away after being pried off grill
HALLOCK, Minn. — A bald eagle survived a collision with a pickup truck, whose driver, unaware the eagle was stuck in the grill, continued driving four miles. Wildlife rangers extricated the eagle, which took an hour. Apparently not injured seriously, the bird flew away. This was about 4:10 p.m. in Kittson County near the Manitoba border. The driver, Cindy Vagle, recalled seeing eagle feeding on road kill and felt a thump but didn’t take any note until she was home and saw what had happened.
A Supreme Court boost for transgender rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the private organization USA Powerlifting wrongfully discriminated against a Minnesota transgender athlete by prohibiting her from weightlifting events. Transgender weightlifter JayCee Cooper sued in 2019 that USA Powerlifting was violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act against discrimination. The Supreme agreed at least in part. The judges remanded the issue back to a lower court to assess whether discrimination was “reasonably necessary” for USA Powerlifting “to achieve its central mission” — a exception the law allows. The organization Gender Justice, which helped represent Cooper, called the Suprmee Court’s public accommodations ruling a major victory for transgender rights.
Comment: On transgender girls in sports
Cooper. Weightlifter.
Mayo milestone: Sparta’s new hospital
A Mayo rural health investment. Minnesota health giant sees two years for construction, then a grand opening. Next door to the current Sparta hospital at 310 West Main Steet
Groundbreaking a celebratory hard hat event
SPARTA, Wis. — The ceremonial ground-breaking for the new 25-bed Mayo hospital in Sparta brought Mayo leadership from Rochester and LaCrosse to town. Mayo’s president, Prathibha Varkey, said the hospital will offer advanced technology and integrated systems near to home for rural people. Sparta, population 10,000 is 30 miles from larger Mayo facilities in LaCrosse and 95 miles from Rochester in Minnesota. The hospital, due to be operational in 2027, will have a a dedicated anesthesia room, two operating rooms, and pre-operative and recovery rooms. The western Wisconsin investment comes while Mayo has closed and trimmed rural services in southern Minnesota. Mayo has declined to release what it has budgeted for construction. At the groundbreaking Sparta Mayor Kevin Riley was enthusiastic that the new hospital will be around a long time, perhaps as long as the current hospital, which dates to 1883.
Facing demotion. Opened in 1883 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Later absorbed by the Skemp Clinic in LaCrosse, which itself was purchased by Mayo in 1995.
Notable journalism
Mara Klecker and Keff Hargarten (Minnesota Star Tribune, October 22, 2025): “Minnesota Schools Reporting Sharp Increase in Number of Guns Confiscated from Students”
Rachel Mergen (Winona Daily News, October 17, 2025): “Farm to Food Program Provides Locally Sourced Healthy Food Options to Winona Students”
Gavin Michaelson (LaCrosse Tribune, October 20, 2025): “Beef Retailers See Strong Demand Despite Rising Prices”
“What’s up there? Sounds bumpy, scary”
Clawing up through a bedroom awning. With a post-mortem canine buddy. Things are spooky at this St. Charles Street home in St. Charles. And how large was the spider that spun the web by the front door? Image: Steve Lunde
Emergency, fire crews make 52 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 38 emergency medical calls plus 24 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, October 21: 5 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
> Monday, October 20: 5 medical calls plus 4 fire call.
> Sunday, October 19: 5 medical calls plus 1 fire calls.
> Saturday, October 18: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Friday, October 17: 5 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Thursday, October 16: 6 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Wednesday, October 15: 4 medical calls plus 7 fire calls.
> Tuesday, October 14: 14: 2 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 40 calls
Cop flips fleeing car into spin, makes arrest
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. — A Black River Falls fugitive was stopped in a police car chase by a deputy who used a clever maneuver to put the man’s car into a spin. Arrested was Steven Krahn, age 49, who was wanted on a felony warrant. This was about 3:15 a.m. in suburban Brockway. The Jackson County deputy used what’s called a precision immobilization technique, PIT for short. He drove into a rear panel on Krahn’s fleeing car, made a quick steering turn that caused the wheel to lose fraction. The PIT worked, spinning Krahn’s car 180 degrees. In shock, awe and confusion Krahn was arrested. The deputy had begun the chase when an automated license plate reader tipped him to the vehicle being Krahn’s
Krahn. Booked for fleeing an officer, recklessly endangering safety, threatening police, obstructing an officer, and jumping bail.
College scores
Soccer (men): Saint Xavier 4, Viterbo 2
Volleyball (women): Concordia of St. Paul 3, Winona State 0
Volleyball (women): UW-LaCrsse 3, UW- River Falls 2
Volleyball (women): Viterbo 3, Judson 0
Minnesota prep
Football: Winona Winhawks 27, Faribault Falcons 0
Football: Winona Cotter Ramblers 61, Red Wing Wingers 13
Football: Caledonia Warriors 33, St. Charles Saints 10
Judge: Wabasha salary squabble had petty roots
WABASHA, Minn. — The Wabasha County Commission has been ordered by a judge to restore the full $130,000 salary of the county prosecutor. The prosecutor, Matthew Stinson, was docked $20,000 in November 2024. Judge Joseph Bueltel, on loan from Steele County for the case, called Stinson’s pay cut “arbitrary and capricious.” Testimony in the case suggested that County Commissioner Donald Springer was peeved at Stinson for prosecuting his son for a curfew violation and convinced a 3-2 majority of commissioners to cut the prosecutor’s salary. Springer defended going after Stinson’s salary for prosecuting his son but dismissing charges against two juvenile buddies.
Earlier: Wabasha trial starts over county attorney salary
Earlier: Wabasha salary brouhaha now in court
U.S. Senate: Craig leads campaign fund-raising
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. Senate campaign of Angie Craig racked up $2.2 million in the latest three-month period — 2-1/2 times more than rival Peggy Flanagan. Flangan reported $9140,000. Both Craig, currently in the U.S. House from MN-2, and Flanagan, currently lieutenant governor, are vying for the Democratic nomination to succeed Tina Smith, who is retiring. The highest-profile Republican seeking to replace Smith, former basketball player Royce White, was at $94,000. Craig’s warchest also leads Flanagan $3 million to $836,000. Part of Craig’s advantage is $650,000 she transferred from her from her House campaign. Also she’s received $100,000 from Majority Fund, a centrist Democratic political action committee.
Earlier: Craig bids for U.S. Senate with macho “fight” video
Earlier: Flanagan campaigning for U.S. Senate
Ellison goes for third term as attorney general
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, who enjoys it when he’s called “the peple’s lawyer,” announced he will run for a third term. “For the past seven years,” he said, “I’ve fought for Minnesotans — holding corporations accountable, winning new protections for Minnesota workers and consumers, and cracking down on fraud, scams, and price gouging.” In an announcement online, Ellison emphasized his strident resistance to President Trump’s threats to individual liberties and programs that serve people: “I took him to court and helped restore critical freedoms and funding to millions of Minnesotans.”
“There’s more work to be done. Too many families are still struggling to make ends meet. Oligarchs, billionaires, and corporations are lining their own pockets at our expense. And Trump and his allies will continue attacking our shared values and the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
Ellison, age 62, was first elected as attorney general in 2018. Earlier he represented Minneapplis in the U.S. House. Ellison’s only rival for another term so far is Republican Ron Schutz, a well- known litigator who was once was an adviser to former Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Ellison. Attorney general is one of five statewide elected Minnesota state government offices.
Verbatim
Ellison, speaking Saturday at a No Kings 2.0 demonstration: “I want you to know that I have filed over 40 lawsuits against Donald Trump since January. I will file 40 more. We are holding this dude accountable every day.”
Electoral history
Democrats have held the office of attorney general sknce 1966. But Republican candidates have come close the last two times:
> 2022: Ellison defeated Jim Schultz 50.4% to 49.5%
> 2018: Ellison defeated Doug Wardlow 49 % to 45%.
An October still life: At Pumpkin Rock
Magically overnight. Every fall pumpkins magically appear on a rock along a solitary stretch of East Burns Valley Road. The work perhaps of the fairy princess as an offering to the Great Pumpkin? Image: Al McCoy
Crash on State Highway 43 with five injuries
WILSON, Minn. – A transit van and a compact van collided between Interstate 90 and Winona, injuring five people. Their injuries appeared sustainable. The accident was about 6:55 a.m. on a two-lane section of State Highway 43 at the crossing with Gilmore Valley Road and Stone Point Road. Taken seven miles to the Winona hospital:
> Asim Bashir Bhatti, age38, of Rogers, Arkansas, driver of a 2024 Toyota Rav4, who was heading toward Wilson.
> Alexeis Guzman Romero, 34, of Rochester, driver of a 2019 Ford Transit Van, heading to Winona.
> Robert Brett Frosaker, 61, of Seattle, Washington, in Romero’s van.
> Herbert Frerick Gust, 68, of Stoddard, Wisconsin, in Romero’s van.
> Leanne Mindrum Gust, 63, also of Stoddard, in Romero’s van.
College scores
Volleyball (women): Rochester Community 3, Dakota County Tech 0
Minnesota prep
Volleyball (girls): Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms 3, St. Charles Saints 2
Volleyball (boys): Lake City Tigers 3, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 0
Volleyball (girls): Houston Hurricanes 3, Rochester Schaeffer Lions 0
Volleyball (girls): Hayfield Vikings 3, Spring Valley Kingsland Knights 1
Booze crackdown: Sippi’s fined, license at risk
WINONA, Minn. — In a rare crackdown, the City Council fined Sippi’s Pub & Grill $2,000 for serving underage customers. The Council’s new toughness was underscored by doubling Police Chief Tom Williams’ recommendation of $1,000. Further: The Council warned Sippi’s co-owner, Ryan Stender, that his license would be suspended 10 days if he has further lapse in the next three years. yT the Council meeting, Stender asked for leniency. Sippi’s, he said, was only a year old and its viability as a busines could be jeopardized if its city-issued liquor licnse were suspended.
Earlier: 14 booze vendors OK on compliance, 3 fail
Earlier: Earlier: Under-age drinkers caught at two bars
Earlier: Too young to sip legally but were at Sippi’s anyway
Now cast in stone: City Council pay hikes
WINONA, Minn. —The Winona City Council voted 5-2 to raise the salaries of council members and the mayor. The decision was a formality. Six weeks ago the Council voted, also 5-2, to draft paperwork for final approval. Effective in 2027 the mayor’s salary will be $14,500, a 35% increase. Council members will go to $$7,700, a 23% increase. The ratinale: The raises, the first in eight years, are overdue, said supporters. The rationale: To help keep up with inflation. Also: To be somewhat commensurate with the time required to do the job.
Mayo drops Owatonna birthing services
OWATONNA, Minn. — In a further constriction of outlying services, Mayo Clinic is ending birthing services at the Owatonna Hospital. The hospital is owned by the Allina Health chain but relied on Mayo for physicians for labor and deliveries. The hospital averages more than one birth a day. There are other hospitals within 50 miles of Owatonna, including the Mayo mothership in Rochester. Mayo confirmed that pregnancy and postpartum care will continue available at its own Owatonna outpatient clinic. The Rochester Post Bulletin, which broke news about the changing medical landscape in Owatonna, quoted Allina about:
> A nationwide shortage of physicians in obstetrics and gynecology.
> Declining birth rates.
> Doubts about “reimbursement in rural communities,” an apparent reference to Trump funding cuts for healthcare.
Mayo earlier dropped labor and delivery services in Albert Lea, population 18,000 and 35 miles away, and Fairmont, population 10,000 and 90 miles away. Owatonna population: 26,000.
Earlier: Mayo to eliminate six rural clinics
No Kings update: Three dissidents left when urged
WINONA, Minn. —Police took three disturbance calls from the No Kings Day mass demonstration at Windom Park on Saturday and defused the situations, a police spokesperson said at the usual post-weekend news briefing with reporters. The individuals, all in separate incidents, were asked to leave and did so, the spokesperson said. There were no arrests and no citations. The rally drew 1,400 people, few of whom were aware of the presence of dissidents or their uneventful departures at police urging.
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