Notable journalism
David McCumber (Davenport Quad Cities Times,July 3, 2026):”“Davd Hoffmann Is Investing Millions to Preserve Local Newspapers”
Walker Orenstein (Minnesota StarTribune, July 6, 2026): “Outsiders Won Minnesota GOP Endorsements: Are They Well-Known Enough to Win Elections?”
Chrisopher Vondracek (Minnesota Star Tribune, July 5, 2026: “This Iron Range Mine Is One of Minnesota’s Biggest Economic Development Projects Ever”
Where were fireworks? A relatively quiet Winona
WINONA, Minn.— For an Independence Day weekend, police took relatively few citizen complaints about fireworks. On Saturday there were six calls from the East End. On Sunday there were 16 calls from scattered points around town. Police didn’t find any of the celebrants. At Farmers Park out in the county, usually a favoroite place to set off fireworks, the ground was still soggy from flooding. Nobody was much around.
Earlier: Storm saturates Farmers Park, downs trees
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Major WSU funding bypassed by 2026 Legislature
WINONA, Minn. – The 2016 Legislature wasn’t good to Winona State even though the university is the state’s premier institution in southeast Minnesota. The university’s priority funding request was $79 million to build a state-of-the-art classroom building. The new building — dubbed CICEL, short for Center for Interdisciplinary Collaboration Engagement and Learning — was toreplace Gildemeister and Watkins halls, both of which date to 1960s and weere ocheap lowest-bid projects.
Call it “Cecil.” The first major academic construction project in a decade at Winona State dead-ended in the 2016 Minnesota Legislature. The so-called CICEL building lost out in the competition for funding. University President Ken Janz said he’ll be back next session for $79 million.
CECIL (pronounced “Cecil” lke the man’s name), was toobe the new ke of the art art and design, computer science, math and statistics departments. The project had been ranked fourth on the Minnesota State system’s priority list for construction funding. What went wrong? Campus leaders quietly lament the 2024 retirement of Gene Pelowski, who represented Winona in the Legislature for 38 years and who served on education committees, in some terms as chair, Pelowski hampioned education issues and regularly brought home the bacon for Winona State projects. Winona’s post-Pelowski voices in the 2016 Legislature:
> Jeremy Miller, a Winona business operator, who once was influential in the Senate, and who served on the Senate Education Committee, but who rendered himself a lame duck five months before 2016 session began by announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election.
> Aaron Repinski, a former Winona City Council imember, in his first-term in the Minnesota House, who hasn’t much distinguish himself among 134 House members, who had minimal sensitivity on higher-ed issues although he once had attended classes at Winona State.
Surprise: WSU’s $1.5 million consolation
A surprise for most campus people was $1.5 million from the 2026 Legislature for Winona State. The university was awarded $1.5 million to develop a new campus center “dedicated to civic engagement, public service.” The funds will go to remodel a section of the first floor of the Minne classroom building. The Legislature said the funding honors Winna State grad Jason Fossum, a 2001, Winona State grad who was a state senator from St. Paul for more began more than two decades from St. Paul and who has been diagnosed at age 47 with a terminal disease. Most recently Fossum was the Senate Republican chief of staff. The funding replaces a federal grant that had been awarded but then cancelled in President Trump’s 2025 wholesale budget slashing organized by Elon Musk.
Fossum. Namesake for new WSU community-building project. Currently chief of staff for Republicans in the Minnesota Senate.
News summary at week’s end: July 4, 2026
AVIATION: Parachute device not activated in fatal crash
ENVIRONMENT: 18,000 gallons of Viroqua sewage into Kickapoo
HOLIDAY: Stars and Stripes in gentle July Fourth breeze
FIRE: Hotel evacuated as fire burns on roof
FIRE: Boater flees burning vessel off Latsch Island
ACCIDENT: Collision: Car and pedestrian on foot scooter
OUTDOORS: Flooded outdoor venues declared unsafe
OUTDOORS: Garvin Brook runs turgid, high, muddy
CRIME: Cops in crisis mode to false gunman call
CRIME: Adrenaline-surging scare at Viroqua gun show
CRIME:Copter ferries Dodge hit-run victim to hospital
CRIME: Murder threat reported in child custody mix-up
CUISINE: Alfresco eatery sold in Fountain City
COLLEGES: Grants fund Southeast campus food pantries
COLLEGES: WSU loses food-delivery robots
POLICING: Signage mounted on new Pride of Lewiston
Cops into crisis mode to false gunman call
LACROSSE, Wis. — Police scrambled every available officer to the Emplify hospital on a report of a gunman in the emergency room. It was a false alarm — a “swatting,” police call it. The word “swatting” is recent law-enforcement lingo for diverting police with a false report. It’s also is an old criminal ploy to draw police attention away from a premeditated crime such a bank heist. The fake Emplify call was at 10:57 p.m. Most “swatting” these days is miscreant anti-police harassing. Police Chief Shawn Kudron promised an investigation. Swatting usually also involves the FBI because interstate communication networks are used.
Copter ferries Dodge hit-run victim to hospital
DODGE, Wis. — A man was stuck by a hit-and-run car and airlifted 27 air-miles to a LaCrosse hospital emergency room. His condition was believed to be non-life threatening. Deputies said the victim knew the driver. The incident was about 6 p.m. on County Road J in the Trempealeau River town of Dodge, population 400, across the Mississiippi Tuver from Winina;. Later, 40 miles north iof Dodge n Eau Caire County, deputies located the car they believed was involved. The vehicle was aabndoned. Deputies then found the driver, who was arrested. Authorities declined to release any names immediately or what they were learning about what triggered the incident.
Adrenaline-surging scare at Viroqua gun show
VIROQUA, Minn. — Gun show organizers drove a Jeep with a swiveling machine-gun on top with the weapon blazing into the crowd. The “bullets” were blanks. People nonetheless were horrified, said Mayor Krista Browne in confirming the incident. The gun show is a recurring event at the Vernon County fairgrounds. About 40 gun dealers typically rent tables at $40 each to display their wares. Admission is $5, kids free. Mayor Browne said the incident had people confused and frightened.
Copasetic trading. Typically the show is a routine sales affair. At county fairgrounds off Noth Main Street.
Stars and Stripes in gentle July Fourth breeze
Independence afternoon. Furling from the top rung of the St. Charles firefighter’s flagship ladder truck. Do you hear celebratory honking from drivers passing on U.S. Highway 14? Image: Steve Lunde
Driver hurt on Red Wing-Hastings shortcut
MIESVILLE, Minn. — A Red Wing driver was injured when his car left U.S, Highway 61 for the shortcut to Hastings. Jared John Schahczinski, 43, was taken 14 miles to the Red Wing hospital in non-critical condition. The accident was about 3:05 a.m. Goodhue County deputies said Schahczinski was turning into State Highway 316 when he lost control. He ended up across the median of four-lane Highway 61. The airbag deployed in his 2017 Infiniti Q60.
Collision: Car and pedestrian on foot scooter
WINONA, Minn. —A Winona woman on a motorized foot scooter was injured in a Mankato Avenue roundabout when she and a car collided. Ariel Chelsea Alaspa, age 21, was taken to the Winona hospital, a couple blocks away, to be checked over. Her injuries appeared sustainable, deputies said. The accident was about 9:30 a.m. Alaspa was heading east off Sarnia Street. The driver of the car, Lance Jacob Glover, 30, of Winona, was unhurt. The airbag of his 2019 Nissan Rogue did not deploy. He had entered roundabout headed toward the Sugar Loaf. landmark.
Army Corps fleet flies birthday banners
On the Mississippi. A 250th greeting posted from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the Stars and Stripes in full furl. Not to go unnoticed: The Corps’ own flags with their red turret logo. Image: Melanie Peterson
Flooded outdoor venues declared unsafe
CALEDONIA, Minn. — Mud slides, washed-out trails and slipperiness have forced the weekend closure of outdoor venues across flood-stricken southern Minnesota. Among closures ordered by the state Natural Resources Department:
> Beaver Creek Valley State Park near Caledonia.
> Mystery Cave State Park and Forestville near Preston.
> Root River State Trail and the Chatfield Trail, Snake Creek Trail and the Southeast Minnesota Trail in Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest.
Many campgrounds also are closed.
Alfresco eatery sold in Fountain City
FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — The riverside Lily Pad restaurant in Fountain City, which features open-air seating above the river, has been sold. Owners Ross Patzner and Sarah Hemke confirmed the sale but didn’t disclose terms of the sale. Nor did they identify the buyer. Meanwhile, Patzner and Sarah Hemke still have their Golden Frog bar and grill for sale across the street.
Grants fund Southeast campus food pantries
WINONA, Minn. — Minnesota State College Southeast has received two grants for its nutritional support for students.
> Taylor Family Foundation, $17,000, to re-open its virtual food pantry for students taking online classes and don’t easy access to on-campus food pantries on the Winona or Red Wing campuses.
> Foundation for Essential Needs, $5,000, toward a new freezer to store more frozen food.
Tracy Rahim, student affairs coordinator, said campus pantries served 250 students this past spring. Southeast’s enrolment: 3,100. Rahim noted a Temple study that found that 41% of college students nationwide and 39% at Southeast experience food insecurity for want of money and skip meals or eat light.
Signage mounted on new Pride of Lewiston
Construction update. The steel walls in currently stylish gray are in place on the new $3.4 million Lewiston home for home for fire, police and ambulance services. Off U.S. Highway 14. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: Aiming skyward: Lewiston firehall takes form
WSU loses robotic food-delivery
WINONA, Minn. — The food-delivery robot at Winona State University has left the station. George Micalone, who oversees campus food services, confirmed that Starships Technologies of San Francisco has packed up its Winona robot to refurbish for deployment elsewhere. Micalone said campus caterer Chartwells is exploring other ways to deliver take-out meals from its Panda Express and Starbucks shops to dorms and around the neighborhood.
Verbatim
Starship: “We’ve made the decision to wind down all U.S. campus operations as we shift our strategic focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the United States. Grocery delivery is on a 10-times growth trajectory for us over the next two years. In Finland alone, roughly one in five grocery deliveries is already completed by a Starship robot.”
Earlier: Campus food robots to new duty
Parachute device not activated in fatal crash
WINONA, Minn. — The ultra-light airplane that crashed and killed the pilot at the Winona airport last week had a parachute system that didn’t activateate, investigators said. Police ,who were first to arrive at the crash, recognized the ballistic parachute system mounted on the lower aft section. A Fire Department team was called to determine if the system was armed. The manufacturer then was called and advised that the system could be rendered safe by cutting the activation pull cord. Rather than risk an explosion, however, the firefighters called a state bomb squad to disarm the device.
Earlier: Cause of fatal Winona plane crash still unknown
Earlier: R.I.P.: Wayne Ledebuhr
18,000 gallons of Viroqua sewage into Kickapoo
VIROQUA, Wis. — Because heavy rains threatened to swell the municipal wastewater system beyond capacity, the city released 18,000 gallons of sewage into a tributary of the Kickapoo River. There was no choice, ghe city said: Otherwise sewers would back up into homes and businesses. The Kickapoo empties into the Wisconsin. River, then the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien. In an unsigned message to the public, je city said there there was no choice. The message noted that contaminants would be diluted by heavy runoffs in the Kickapoo watershed. Viroqua itself received sjx inches of rain the night July i. The question being asked around Viroqua, population 4,500 — and also downriver — was why city leaders have dallied in updating the city’s water management system.
Albino crab spider probably hungry
On a spent geranium blossom. Smaller than a thumbnail, green crab spiders feed on bugs. They bite and suck thm dry. Females can switch colors, sometimes even to white. They are venomous but the poison is too weak to affect humans. They are common in summer, although a full albino is not often seen. Image: Andy Frank
Another view. Why called crab spdiers? Like ocean crabs, they can scamper sideways. But very fast.
No storm injuries; trees down, limbs ripped off
WINONA, Minn. — Overnight storms took down a few trees and tore off lot of limbs around Winona but blocked n ostreets nor caused any injuries. In the county: Up East Burns Valley one tree blocked County Road 15. There was also a tree down on U.S. Highway 14 near St. Charles.
Storm saturates Farmers Park, downs trees
Not a welcoming moment. A giant tree, uprooted by winds from soggy soil, blocks the entrance to Winona County’s premier park at the confluence of Garvin Brook and Peterson Creek. Crews later sawed the tree for hauling away. Winds also toppled a second tree in park. A few miles away near the Winona Sportsman’s Club a downed tree blocked Garvin Ridge Road. Image: Steve Lunde
High water blocks I-90 west of Rochester
DEXTER, Minn. — Flooding forced the closure of 3-1/2 miles of transcontinental Interstate 90 between Rochester and Austin. The flooding was between the Dexter and Elkton interchanges. This is mostly flatland where I-90 was engineered above the terrain.
Emergency, fire crews make 73 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 54 emergency medical calls plus 19 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, Mune 30: 15 medical calls plus 4 fire call.
> Monday, June 29: 2 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.
> Sunday, June 28: 5 medical calls plus 3 fire calls.
> Saturday, June 27: 8 medical calls plus no fire call.
> Friday, June 26: 12 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Thursday, June 25: 6 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Wednesday, June 24: 9 medical calls plus 4 fire calls.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 38 calls
Garvin Brook runs turgid, high, muddy
Low-level flooding. Torrential rains swelled Winona County creeks, including usually tranquil Garvin Brook out of Farmers Park upstream from Stockton. In places the creek-side golden rod, six feet highand in full July bloom, was mowed flat by the fast and swollen un-off. Image: Steve Lunde
Earlier: Flash floods possible around Winona
Hotel evacuated as fire burns on roof
ONALASKA, Wis. — An early morning fire on the roof of the Baymont Hotel in this La Crosse suburb forced guests into the street. The evacuation was orderly with no injuries. The Wyndom hotel chain which does bookings at its Baymont-branded hotels, didn’t respond to news inquiries about how many guests were staying at the hotel. Fire Chief Jeremy Southworth said the dislocated guests were shuttled to another hotel. The Onalaska Baymont, built in 1999, has rooms in the $120 range. The cause of fire was not known immediately. Lightning from severe thunderstorms had been in the area. Fire Chief Southworth said he called firefighters off the roof because of renewed lightning in the area. They focused on extinguish the fire from the inside. The fire broke about 3:30 a.m. Not until 5:15 was it out.
Baymont. Off Interstate 90 at 3300 Kinney Coulee Road.
No room at the inn. Guests book stays at Baymont hotels through the parent Wyndom chain. Wydnom has failed to ackowlwdge there was a fire. The Wyndom booking site the says reservations are not available because the hotel is fully occupied, which is a lie.
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