Like dining at Piggy’s? Last chance Saturday
LACROSSE, Wis. — The new owners of Piggy’s restaurant are closing the place this weekend. The staff has been told not to come back. What’s next for one of LaCrosse’s hot haute cuisine places? Mitchel Weber and Katie Iceler are being mysterious. Existing gift cards will be honored, they say, but for what? Their only clue: “Something is simmering behind the scenes.” For years Weber and Iceler have operated a rustic Italian restaurant, classic in its own right, next to Piggy’s. They bought Piggy’s in June from long-time chef Chris Roderique. At the time they promised to stick with Piggy’s upscale American cuisine and classy and historic upstairs dining room. Roderique had prided himself on converting the Piggy’s building, an 1871 riverfront warehouse. into a gorgeous and historic showcase. His touches included:
> Back bar. Recovered from a St. Louis warehouse and transported 500 miles upriver to LaCrosse by a paddle-wheel steamboat.
> Front bar. Once an altar at a Caledonia church that was razed..
> Waiting room. Outfitted with a pew and stained glass, also salvaged from the Caledonia church.
> Private lounge. Two hanging lights from the old LaCrosse post office, which was razed in 1977.
> Foyer. Four chandeliers from the old Stoddard Hotel, razed in 1982. The Stoddard Hotel once was LaCrosse place to be. No, George Washington never slept at the Stoddard, but John Kennedy and Richard Nixon were guests, So too: Elvis Presley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sinclair Lewis, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Tallulah Bankhead.
New owners. Mitchel Weber and Katie Iceler. What they cooking up?
Brandy old-fashioneds. Never tasted better than here, whether St. Louiss or LaCrosse.
Not so much the light they cast. As it is the historic elegance.
Sports memories: New Winona High honorees
WINONA, Minn. — A Winhawk boosters spokesperson summed up the 2025 choices for the Winona High School sports Hall of Fame this way: “A two-time state runner-up in tennis. One of the best girls hockey players in the state of Minnesota. A three-sport star and scholar. An all-state football player who went on to play in the Big Ten. A two-time state floor hockey champion. And a track and cross-country coach whose impact on his athletes — and his students — still resonates.” To be inducted September 27 on homecoming weekend:
Brian Lipinski (2002): Two-sports: Football and tennis. Qualified for state as an eighth-grader and finished fourth. Section champion as a freshman. Third at state as a sophomore despite a mid-season stress fracture. Back-to-back state runner-up finishes as a junior and senior. Made school’s first and only trip to state team tournament and placed fourth. In football a two-time all-conference defensive back who also played wide receiver and returned punts, At the University of Minnesota, a four-year starter. Professionally, he first served as a tennis pro at the Rochester Athletic Club.
Carly Moran (2014): A varsity starter beginning in seventh grade. six-time Big Nine All-Conference selection, earned All-State Honorable Mention as a junior. Graduated as school’s career leader in goals, assists, and points. In tennis in seventh and eighth grade, played soccer, and a state qualifier for state in track, placing seventh in the 400-meter run. Closed her senior year with softball. Played hockey at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls as a four-year starter. Two-time All-American. Four-time all-Conference pick.2018 conference player of the year. Holds doctorate in physical therapy from St. Scholastica. Now a physical therapist.
Randy Mueller (1975): First-team all–conference honors in football, basketball and baseball. In football led in solo tackles as a junior and senior. In basketball set a school record with 15 field goals in a single game, a mark that stood 36 years. Averaged 18.3 points as a senior. In baseball at third base, hit .321 and led the club in home runs, stolen bases, and runs scored. On VFW Buddies state-championship team. In basketball at Bemidji State led the JV as a freshman. Started three varsity seasons. Among team leaders in scoring, rebounds and steals, often guarding opponents’ top scorers. Career at IBM in Rochester, later in Boca Raton and Indianapolis in sales with advanced computer systems.
John Ruggeberg (1970-2009): Taught social studies and coached track beginning in 1970. And was an assistant track cross country coach. Head cross country coach beginning 2001. His boys and girls teams had .750 winning percentage with 43 individual all-conference winners, 18 all-section winners and 10 all-state awards. His teams won 27 invitational team championships and placed second 20 times. Big 9 and Section 1 cross country coach seven times. Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 2019. Launched school’s nationally recognized Community Service Learning class. Supervised student teachers for Winona State University. Holds a black belt in martial arts.
Scott Sether (1989): A three-sport athlete. A two-way starter in football as a junior and senior, earning All–conference and all-state honors. Team captain. In wrestling, qualified state twice, placed fifth at heavyweight as a senior, and won a freestyle state title. In track and field, he captained the team. Won the Big Nine in the shot put and qualified for state. Played football at the University of Iowa. A starting at defensive tackle as a senior. Voted Alamo Bowl most valuable player by teammates. Played professionally with the Rhein Fire in Düsseldorf and later with St. Paul Pioneers, then coached the Pioneers. Now based in Burnsville as sales director for a medical education company.
Chris Steffen (2005): A varsity hockey player as a seventh grader. His hat trick against Owatonna sent Winona to its first state tournament. All–conference honorable mention as eighth grader. Six straight State appearances. Team undefeated 13–0, then a state championship, third in 2003, runner-up in 2004. A perfect 15–0 senior season. Surpassed 100 career goals and 50 assists. All-State as junior and senior. After graduation, Steffen worked at Menards. With Dick’s Marine since 2018. A certified nursing assistant.
Minnesota prep
City approves proposed cannabis shop site
WINONA, Minn. – The City Council voted 4-3 to exempt a Sugar Loaf Road address from zoning rules to allow a marijuana retailer to set up shop. The zoning change had been requested by Rachel Scott, a graphic designer who manages the existing North Castle screen-printing shop at the address. To allay neighborhood objections to the zoning variance, the Council required that:
> No outdoor signs visible from a nearby childcare center.
> A solid 6-foot fence be built to obscure the east side of parking lot.
> Signages not be visible from West Burns Valley Road.
> The shop not allow on-site cannabis consumption.
The North Castle screen-printing business is owned by Hugo Hernandez. The city Zoning Adjustment Board had recommended the variance. How Council members voted:
1260 Sugar Load Road. Screen-printing shop seeks to expand product line. Oppose was City Council member George Borzyskowski, in whose ward the North Castle shop is located.
To rezone
Jerome Christenson (at-large)
Jason Dicus (at-large)
Scott Sherman (mayor)
Sam Zierden Shortridge (3rd Ward, downtown)
Against
George Borzyskowski (4th Ward, East End)
Jeff Hymes (2nd Ward, West Side)
Steve Young (1st Ward, West End)
Biker hits cone, injured in Red Wing
RED WING, Minn. — A LeSueuer County man, 70 miles from home, was injured when his motorcycle struck a cone in a Red Wing construction zone and went into the median. Riley Jon Schmiege, 29, of Waterville, sustained non-life threatening injuries. He was taken to the Red Wing hospital. The accident was about 4 p.m. Schmiege was on a 2024 KTM 390 Sport. He was wearing a helmet, police said.
Fastenal opens high-tech Utah transfer site
At foot of Uinta mountains. Humungous facility big enough to house six Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets. Also taller than a 747’s tailfin.
Goal: Putting product closer to customers
MAGNA, Utah — Winona-based Fastenal opened a gigantic high-tech warehouse and distribution center in the desert basin southwest of Salt Lake City. The 298,000 square-foot facility will receive products directly from manufacturing sources in the United States, Europe and Asia for trucking customers in the Rocky Mountain region from Alberta in Canada to Sonora in Mexico. The Magna facility will reduce dozens of the earlier 1,300-mile deliveries from the original Winona hub. Those deliveries had been to a hodgepodge of rented facilities in Utah. Fastenal’s chief executive, Dan Florness, said the new facility uses cutting-edge technology to streamline product intake, order picking, and shipping sortation. The center, dubbed UHB — short for “Utah hub” — is one of 17 Fastenal distribution centers, including two in Canada, two in Europe, and one in Mexico. Two of the centers have been updated recently for what Florness calls a “customer-centric service model.” The model puts sales people and inventory close to customers, he said. UHUB serves a region between hubs in the industrial city of Monterrey, Mexico, and in the Puget Sound city of Lacey near Olympia, Washington.
Florness. With Fastenal since 2002. Chief executive since 2016.
With eye to future, Fastenal sees UHUB as expandable.
Verbatim
Will Roedeske, distribution vice president: “We can stock more products to meet our customers’ needs, and we can get our trucks on the road earlier in the evening. This will translate to higher service levels
Bail at $200,000 in Austin child sex case
AUSTIN, Minn. — An Austin man remained in jail in lieu of posting $200,000 bail for a huge inventory of lewd child images and videos. Jason Dean Vandeweer, age 40, had 100,000 images on his electronic devices, according to the criminal complaint.
Chiropractor’s license yanked for “touching”
GRAND MEADOW, Minn. — The state Board of Chiropractic Examiners revoked a Grand Meadow practitioner’s license based on complaints of inappropriate touching. Dillon Denisen, 42, was charged in July with criminal sexual conduct. The charge led to the revocation. The Board reported finding allegations dating back to 2019. The complainants said Denisen had them undress completely and proceeded from there.
Driver unhurt after hitting guardrail, poles
PIGEON FALLS, Wis. — A Holmen driver, 40 miles from home, struck a guardrail and several power poles in the wee hours. David Steinquist, age 67, walked away relatively unhurt. The accident was on State 121 near Church Road. Steinquist was treated at the scene. Alcohol lkely was a factor, said Trempealeau County deputies.
College scores
Soccer (women): UW-LaCrosse 4, Edgewood 0
Winona school numbers slip, notably in lower grades
WINONA, Minn. — Winona public schools have 150 fewer students this year, which puts an estimated $1.2 million in state funding at risk. State funding per child is about $7,500. Preliminary data show overall enrollment 2,169. Of greater long-term concern is that the loss is greatest in elementary schools through Grade 3. These elementary school grades dropped 11% to 666. This means fewer students will be moving into higher grades in coming years. Why the loss? Superintendent Brad Berzinski’s explanation: “Families have moved out of the city, out of the state, out of the country.” Berzinski acknowledged too that some loss may be due to parents unhappy with kindergarten being moved out of the Goodview school. Some Goodview parents, he said, may have chosen options in the Cotter Catholic schools or other private or charter school choices.
West Nile extends reach into LaCrosse County
LACROSSE, Wis. – Public health authorities confirmed the season’s first human case of the West Nile virus in La Crosse County. The virus is transmitted by infected mosquitos, usually by feeding on infected birds. The location where the LaCrosse infection was contracted was not announced. West Nile can develop into a serious, sometimes fatal illness in vulnerable victims.
Report: Black-market meats in Winona pizza
WINONA, Minn. — An Iowa baker has recalled pizzas topped with meat that was not cleared by government health regulators. These included pizzas delivered to Winona Axe and Arcade at the Winona Mall, regulators said. Winona Axe failed to return news reporter queries about how many Vitales brand pizzas had been delivered from B&K Enterprises of Clinton, Iowa, or how many were served. The pizzas were packaged by B&K between June 1 and September 10. Regulators went not only Winona Axe but also to outlets in Davenport, DeWitt and Bettendorf in Iowa and Fulton and Chadwick in Illinois.
Vitale brand. Recalled for meat were slipped through required federal or state inspection.
Remembering 9/11: Four days at half-staff
At Plaza Hotel in Winona. Governor Tim Walz encouraged flags to half-staff for four days beginning Thursday to honor the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and also to honor the heroism of first responders. Concurrently the flags were already half-staff for the victims of the Annunciation Church mass shooting in Minneapolis. Image: Steve Lunde
Biker on new machine hits guardrail, hurt
WABASHA, Minn. — A motorcyclist was hurt when his new BMW M1000 struck a guardrail southwest of Wabasha on State Highway 60. Clark John Kadwell, 24, of the St. Paul suburb of Shoreview, was taken 38 miles to a Rochester hospital. His injuries were non-life-threatening, said Wabasha County deputies. The accident was at the County Road 81 intersection about 3:10 p.m. Kadwell was going up the Zumbro Valley to toward Mazeppa.
Passenger hurt in car crash near Apache Mall
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A Rochester man was injured when the car in which he was riding lost control and hit a median barrier near Apache Mall. Yahye Hasan Mohamed, 39, was taken to a hospital. His injuries were described as sustainable. Unhurt was the driver, Mohamed Abukar Ahmed, 23, of Rochester. The accident was about 2:15 p.m. in the southbound lanes if Highway 52 at 16th Street. Only one car, 2014 Dodge Avenger, was involved,
LaCrosse kids angle at Galesville pond
A weekend outing. Parents ferried kids 30 miles for a sunny experience shore-casting at the Arctic Springs pond on Beaver Creek. A reminder of home: The 1,627-foot mast for LaCrosse televsion station WKBT, towering frm a Galesville hilltop not far away, is hard to miss. The signal also reaches Eau Claire 60 miles the other direction. Image: Steve Lunde
Crisis looms No homeless winter place
WINONA, Minn. — The operator of Winona’s lone overnight homeless shelter, Catholic Charities, is in a race against the calendar. With winter a few weeks away, Catholic Charites no longer has a warming center with beds and showers. Last spring the Edge Church, downtown at 69 East Third Street, withdrew its basement space that had been a warming center. Pastor Chuck Peterson said his growing congregation needs the space. Catholic Charities still operates a day-only warming center at its offices a few blocks away at 111 Market Street, but it isn’t suited for overnight accommodations. So far, said Catholic Charities local director John Meyers, a replacement facility hasn’t been identified. The place needs to be zoned for transient day and night occupancy from November to March. Also essential:
> Uncramped sleeping space.
> Restrooms, showers, on-site laundry.
> A nearby bus stop.
At Christmas. Catholic Charities opened sheoter in2016.. Originally 10 beds. Later expanded to 20. Typical occucupancy: 8 to 10. Two showers. Three bathrooms. Check-in from 9 p.m. Doors locked at 10. Four night-managers rotate through shifts. Also two nightly volunteers. Image: Kristen Carrie
WSU Hall of Famer to coach at Winona High
WINONA, Minn. — A former Winona State basketball player whose pedigree includes two national collegiate championships, Jonte Flowers, will be coaching girls basketball at Winona High School. Most recently Flowers has coached at the south Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville. At Winona Flowers has hit the ground running. He has scheduled a training camp for boys and girls in Grade 3 through Grade 12 in the fall. Flowers is one of the best basketball players in Winona State history. He scored 1,882 points during a four-year career. He collected nine different All-America honors and two national championships. After Winona State he played professionally overseas, then into coaching at Burnsville. His move to Winona worked out for family reasons. His wife Jennifer was named athletic director at Winona State in May. Jennifer Flowers herself was a Winona State athlete who twice named to an all-conference volleyball dream teams. At Winona High, Jonte Flowers replaces Tim Gleason, who stepped down after 31 seasons, including 19 as the head coach. Gleason’s teams appeared in two state championship games.
Verbatim
Flowers: “Being back gives me the chance to reconnect with old relationships while building new ones, and I’m excited to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. What really excites me is the chance to make an impact on the next generation — helping young athletes grow not just in basketball, but in confidence, character and leadership. That starts with setting clear expectations, and building a culture of accountability.”
Flowers. Now has retired the black and gold of the Burnsville Blazes for Winhawk black and orange. Holds a 2003 teaching degree from Winona State.
Name released of Arcadia motorcyclist fatality
THIELMAN. Minn. — A motorcyclist killed in a collision near Thielman on Friday was Michael Lee Kotlarz, 43, of Arcadia, Wisconsin. Authorities confirmed his name belatedly. It was believed he died on impact. Uninjured in a pickup truck were Mark John Evers, 65, the driver, and Janet Kay Ever, 61, both from Thielman.
News summary at week’s end: September 13, 2025
RIVER: Huge dredging planned in Mississippi Pool 3
TRAFFIC: Traffic crash fatal in central Wabasha County
WRECK: Backroad smash-up Three trucks, two skid-loaders
FAITH: Bishop had invited Charlie Kirk on-air
CRIME: Van Orden on Kirk killing: “My gloves off”
CRIME: Teacher suspended for post calling Kirk a Nazi
CRIME: Two people wounded in LaCrosse bar zone
CRIME: Arrest follows downtown screaming incident
CRIME: Residential burglary: $14,000 missing
CRIME: Gunshop employee spooks burglar
CRIME: Bail for two-fatality traffic death: $500,000
POLITICS: Walz leaning toward re-election bid
GOVERNANCE: City approves proposed cannabis shop site
GOVERNANCE: An anti-suicide plan to self-ban guns
GOVENANCE: Town Board OKs problematic fertilizer plan
LUCK: Caledonian held $100,00 Minnesota lottery card
Harbinger of coming weeks in orange
Losing green from top down. This 40-foot maple leads the way for Winona’s autumn colors. On Ronald Street behind E-Z Car Wash on West Service Drive. Image: Steve Lunde
College scores
Football: MSU-Mankato 45, Winona State 21
Soccer (men): Saint Mary’s 1, Coe 1
Soccer (women): Winona State 2, Purdue Northwest 0
Volleyball (women): Winona State 3, Missouri Science 0
Volleyball (women): Winona State 3, McKendree 1
Volleyball (women): Dubuque 3, Saint Mary’s 1
Volleyball (women” UW-River Falls 3, Saint Mary’s 0
Minnesota prep
Soccer (boys): Rochester Marshall Rockets 6, St. Charles/Lewiston-Altura 0
Soccer (boys): Stewartville Tigers 2, Winona Cotter Ramblers 0
Volleyball (girls): Spring Lake Park Panthers 2, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): St. Michael-Albertville Knights 2, Winona Winhawks 0
Volleyball (girls): Andover Huskies 2, St. Charles Saints 0
Volleyball (girls): Owatonna Huskies 2, St. Charles Saints 0
Biker hurt in crash off Rushford highway
RUSHFORD, Minn. — A Twin Cities motorcyclist was injured when he ran off State Highway 16 east of Rushford Village. Henry Joseph Floyd, 21, of Woodbury, was taken 52 miles to a Rochester hospital. His injuries were non-life threatening, said Fillmore County deputies. The accident was about 11:50 a.m. Floyd was eastbound toward Houston and LaCrescent on a 2004 Honda CB600.
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