WINONA, Minn., April 21, 2001 -- Nearly 60 Winona State University students spent their Saturday volunteering around Winona in Project Purple. Organizer Jessica Larson, a masscom student, called it "an effort by WSU students to come together one day of the year to show their support for the community." Activities included community clean-up, lawn raking, collecting clothes, bagging groceries and helping senior citizens. The group met for pizza on campus at the end of the day. Said Larson: "We're not saying WSU students aren't already volunteering around the community, but this is one day where we can all come together and volunteer as a group." The idea began with a January call for community service in the Winonan student newsapaper by j-major Bill Radde. University Vice President Jim Schmidt then began planning the project with Radde, Larson, April Danielson, Molly Dankert, Casey Allen, Jennifer Matshce, Maggie Howell. Students worked at Cathedral of Sacred Heart, Immanuel United Methodist Church, St. Anne's Hospice, Tau Center, and YWCA. Other volunteers bagged groceries at Country Market, picking up trash within a two-block radius of campus, and collected clothes from dorm students for charity.

WINONA, Minn., April 21, 2001 -- Cops walked through several downtown bars Saturday night and issued nine udner-age drinking tickets. They also found a guy relieving his bladder outside Bulls-Eye Beer Hall and pinched him too. With typical fines, the ticketed young people, mostly collegians, together will fatten city coffers by $800. The night's toll:

Bulls-Eye, 151 E. Third St., 1

Chuckers, 102 Johnson St., 2

Gabby's, 171 E. Third St., 2

Rascal's, 115 E. Third St., 4

WINONA, Minn., Apil 21, 2001 -- A student in prof Kelly Harold's intercultural communication course at Winona State University, Christopher Conner, is showing a controversial video, "Dramatism and Identity Crisis Among Two Former Gay Catholic Priests," as part of his senior capstone project. The features two former Catholic priests discussing their homosexual orientations and spiritual conflicts that stem from the Catholic position that homosexual behavior is a sin. For his project Conner drew on his experience as a cook at the Franciscan Friars Retreat in Burlington, Wis., over the summer, The priests of the video, however, are not from the retreat. Those friars, he said, are not allowed to speak publicly on the issue. Conner said he hopes that the response to the video will generate more research. He is going into graduate studies in Colorado but hasn't decided whether to further his study on gay priests.