Prof: Post fails in cutting off exchange

WINONA, Minn., July 16, 2000 --The Winona Post's publisher, John Edstrom, has failed in his journalistic obligation to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, Winona State University j-prof John Vivian said. Vivian, who had written a letter for the Post's editorial page, was critical of Edstrom's headline and note on the letter. "They were perverse twists that cast my views in a false light," Vivian said. His letter involved Edstrom's editorial slant on the recent Salyards libel trial. "Worst of all," Vivian said, "Edstrom now has declared the Post will carry no more letters on the issues in the trial. He was in serious error in his position, so he's shouted a final statement and cut off anything more. It's like a little kid picking up his marbles, going home, and refusing to play any more."

Salyards lose? Daily News chief insists yes

WINONA, Minn., July 15, 2000 --The publisher of the Daily News, George Althoff, defended his newspaper for a headline on the Salyards libel trial that Salyards lost. George Althoff quoted First Amendment lawyer Paul Hannah that the Salyards case turned on a 1964 landmark Supreme Court decision that public figures like Salyards can win a libel action only if they're been damaged by reckless falsity. The jury found no such falsity. Althoff's column, taking up half the editorial page, was in response to the Post coverage, which argued that Salyards had won.

WSU spending $157,000 on Maxwell day-care

WINONA, Minn., July 14, 2000 --A permit to remodel part of the old Maxwell library for child day-care was filed by Winona State University. The project, on the first floor east end, was estimated at $157.000. The contractor will be TCI.

J-prof: Free speech must allow for error

WINONA, Minn., July 14, 2000 -- The robust dialog needed on public issues in a democratic society must allow for occasional errors of fact, Winona State University j-prof John Vivian said in a letter to Post. The alternative, Vivian said, is dialogue being stifled by everyone second-guessing everything they say. He cited the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Sullivan decision in 1964 and the writings of libertarians John Stuart Mill in 1859 and John Milton in 1644. Vivian was excusing the errors of fact spoken against Winona State econ prof Don Salyards in the heated 1985 School Board campaign. Salyards lost a libel on the issue -- as he should have, said Vivian.

R.I.P.: Clinton A. Dornfeld

BRADENTON, Fla., July 14, 2000 -- A research chemist who was graduated from Winona State University in 1940. Clinton Dornfeld, died at age 82. Dornfeld held doctorates from Iowa State and U.S. International universities. He worked as Searle pharmaceuticals in Skokie, Ill., from 1946 to 1974.

WSU expecting 200 for College for Kids

WINONA, Minn., July 13, 2000 -- Honey, they shrunk the kids. On July 17 the first of two one-week College for Kids sessions begins at Winona State University. About 200 third- through sixth-graders are expected, said director Vicki English. the university said. Among instructors: Saint Mary's University artist Dave Echelard and Winona Post editor Fran Edstrom.

WSU announces recruiter choice -- finally

WINONA, Minn., July 12, 2000 -- A month after Doug Schacke of Barat College at Lake Forest, Ill., took over Winona State's admissions director, the university made it public. The delay in the announcement was due to myriad vacations that bogged down the process for issuing official personnel decisions..

SOUR NOTE: After losing for the Senate in November, is hiss 32A House seat safe?

Seven-termer Pelowski wants to stay in House

WINONA, Minn., July 12, 2000 -- Democrat Gene Pelowski, traditionally popular in higher-ed, filed for an eighth term in the Minnesota House. Pelowski, a Winona State grad and a high school government teacher, said he will work for further tax reform. Last session he helped refine high-school graduation requirements, win new K-12 support and fund heating units at Winona State. Filing earlier as a Republican was Winona State nursing prof Linda Seppanen.

Gutknecht files for fourth U.S. Senate term

ST. PAUL, Minn., July 12, 2000 -- Three-term Congress member Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., filed election papers with the secretary of state. His seat is being sought by Winona State University econ prof Mary Rieder, whom Gutknecht defeated four years ago.

R.I.P.: Helen M. Korpela

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., July 9, 2000 --A retired College of St. Teresa librarian, Helen Korpela, died after a long illness at a Fort Lauderdale hospital. She was 78. She was at St. Teresa for 14 years. She retired to Barefoor Bay, Fla., in 1975 and helped found a Friends of the Library chapter.

WSU grad heading Rochester bank

ROCHESTER, Minn., July 9, 2000 -- A Winona State University alum, John Doyle,, was named president of Merchants National Bank-Rochester. Doyle has been a Merchants vice president in Winona.

WSU Lutheran Center wins grant for law studies

WINONA, Minn., July 8, 2000 -- The Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation awarded a $500 grant for a religious studies program, Law and Society, at the Lutheran Center at Winona State University.

Anybody went vacant Council seat?

WINONA, Minn., July 7, 2000 -- The first week to file candidacy papers passed without anyone showing official interest in the Winona City Council seat for the Third Ward, which includes Winona State University. Incumbent Jay Kohner announced in May he wouldn't run again.

Generators to assure flicker-free WSU campus

WINONA, Minn., July 7, 2000 -- Computer screens won't even flicker in a power outage at Winona State University when new power generators are installed, said physical plant manager Dick Lande. The generators, Lande said, will provide a steady stream of electricity, reducing campus dependency on sometimes-erratic Northern State Power service. Lande said the generators, three 1,825-kilowatt units, be arriving late in the fall. He hopes they're up and running by spring.

STOP's video: Serial killer video blames porn

WINONA, Minn., July 7, 2000 -- Want to see a video-taped interview in which serial killer Ted Bundy claims that porn shaped his violent behavior? The anti-porn group STOP invited you to Ventral Lutehran Church at 7 p.m., July 11, for a showing.

Architects working on new WSU science building

WINONA, Minn., July 7, 2000 -- The Chicago architectural firm of Holabird & Root is working on pre-design for a new Winona State University science building, said sciences Dean Nancy Jannik. The $1.6 million allocated by the Legislature for the project should "make it through the design stages," Jannik said. "The dates for the completed project are indefinite. We still have a long way to go, including more financial support."

WSU minority officer quit in frustration

WINONA, Minn., July 6, 2000 -- The former cultural diversity director at Winona State University, Cecil Adams, chose to retire because of disappointment and frustration. "I will not take part on the further weakening of an already week program," Adams said in an interview. "Decisions were being made behind my back, and minority enrollment was down." In part he blamed vice president Cal Winbush, whose duties had been expanded from student affairs, which included cultural diversity, to also running the university's whole physical plant. Minority frosh enrollment has fallen from 233 in 1996 to 192. In retirement, Adams operates the Scholarship Research Institute to minority students into college.

Media prof: Salyards was splitting hairs

SCHILD: Salyards was splitting hairs

WINONA, Minn., July 6, 2000 -- Media scholar Steve Schild of Saint Mary's University said the jury verdict in the Salyards libel trial was a no-brainer. Citing the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, Schild said: "The jury had to find in favor of Bernatz and Shepard." The defendants, Mike Bernatz and Charles Shepard, made the case in court that during the 1995 School Board election that they believed their statements that Salyards was a Libertarian Party member were true. Further, they argued that they had gone to the right sources to check the facts out. Schild said Bernatz and Shepard were correct in their argument -- that they hadn't recklessly disregarded the truth. The jury found for Bernatz and Shepard. Schild said Judge Robert Benson of Filmore County erred in not dismissing the Salyards libel claim at the beginning. Schild: "Remember the facts. Bernatz and Shepard got their information about Salyards' links to the Libertarian party from a Libertarian Party official and from a Libertarian Party web site. In other words, Bernatz and Shepard asked the right question (Does Salyards belong to the Libertarian Party?) of the right source (the Libertarian Party itself). They got the wrong answer, but they looked in the right places. Let's not forget either that Salyards was widely known as an advocate for Libertarian politics. Anybody who followed Winona politics identified Salyards as a Libertarian -- and Salyards did too. If Salyards claimed he wasn't a Libertarian, his defense was that of a hairsplitter, making a distinction that didn't make a difference. And the Supreme Court's goal in establishing Times v. Sullivan was to sure that hair-splitting distinctions didn't stop the truth from being told."

For Mielimonka, WSU parking was gateway issue

WINONA, Minn., July 6, 2000 -- For City Council member Dieter Mielimonka, the issue in whether to support the closing of Howard Street next to Winona State University's Memorial gym was parking. Mielimonka was concerned at parking places that would be lost when Howard is grassed over and made into a pedestrian gateway to the campus.. In fact, 100-plus parking slots are being lost in several new campus projects. Dick Lande, in charge of campus facilities, said a new perimeter parking lot at Main Street would more than offset parking spaces lost to grassification.

With power units, WSU to be evacuation center

WINONA, Minn., July 6, 2000 -- New electricity generators for Winona State University will keep the campus light and warm during an extended power outage, said physical plant chief Dick Lande. The units, capable of generating five megawatts of power, will mean the campus will be designated an evacuation area for central Winona in an emergency, he said. On a routine basis, he said, the generators will create surplus power that can be sold to power grids for off-campus consumption.

New WSU parking lot pegged at $384,000

WINONA, Minn., July 5, 2000 -- A new 102-car parking lot southeast of the Winona State University campus will cost $384,000, said campus facilities chief Dick Lande. The lot will be on land leased from the Canadian Pacific Railroad, bounded by Mark, Belleview, Main and Johnson streets. The lot, Lande said, will more than compensate for street closings for a new pedestrian mall south of Memorial gym on Howard street and for a new power-generator building on Mark Street.

WSU acquiring own power-generating units

WINONA, Minn., July 5, 2000 -- New electricity generators, to be built on a closed-off Mark Street next to the campus power plant, will make Winona State University self-sufficient for power, said physical plant manager Dick Lande. The generators will produce 1,825 kilowatts each, 5 megawatts all together, Lande said. Excess power will be sold to Northern States Power for neighboring areas. NSP is paying for the $1.9 generator project upfront, with Winona State buying the units over 10 years.

WSU prof files for legislative seat

WINONA, Minn., July 3, 2000 -- A Winona State University nursing prof, Linda Seppanen, declared her candidacy for the state Legislature on the first day for filing papers for office. Seppanen, a Republican, said her campiagn will focus on improving education. The incumbent, school teacher Gene Pelowski, D-Winona, is expected to file for re-election.

WSU mall plan meets sewer, fire requirements

WINONA, Minn., July 3, 2000 -- City officials have registered no objections to the closing of Howard Street into the Winona state campus as long as the university doesn't build anything on the street. Steve McBurney, the city engineer, said the city needs the right to dig under the street to fix storm sewers if problems occur. No problem, said campus grounds chief Dick Lande. Aside from a kiosk and two arches, no construction is planned beyond grassing over the street. City Manage Eric Sorenson said the university plan should not interfere with firefighters getting onto the campus.

New WSU gateway entrance due by Fall 2001

WINONA, Minn., July 2, 2000 -- Two arches will mark a new pedestrian entrances to Winona State University on the current Howard Street, which will be grassed over, campus physical plant manager Dick Lande said. The pedestrian entrance will include an information kiosk to help visitors, Lande said. The entrance, next to Memorial gym at the southeast corner of the campus, should be completed by next summer, he said.

WSU expects dorm land title by end of year

WINONA,Minn., July 1, 2000 -- By Christmas the U.S. Army land on Sarnia Street, where Winona State University wants to build a dorm, should be in the hands of the university, housing chief John Ferden said. Once in the university's name, the land will be sold to WSU Foundation, the university's fund-raising arm, for development of the 310-bed dorm, Ferden said. Two other lots will need to be acquired too -- one vacant and one a batting cage business, he said.