Mayor to run again? Awaits lab tests

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2004 -- Mayor Jerry Miller is waiting on medical test results before he decides if he will seek a third term in November. Miller, 64, declined to comment on the nature of the tests, saying that he just wanted to make certain he is healthy enough to consider re-election. "I want to make sure there is nothing drastically wrong with me right now," he said with a laugh. In an interview, Miller said that he will discuss seeking another term with his wife after receiving the results from the medical tests and that he expects to make a decision by mid-June. Candidate filings take place in July. Miller, mayor since 1996, has taken pride in improving campus-community relations during his tenure. Besides his part-time job as mayor, he runs Wm. Miller Scrap Iron & Metal Co. Reporter: Colleen Harer

MILLER Mayor since 1996

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS AND SCHEDULES
ST. MARY'S	SOUTHEAST TECH	WINONA STATE

WSU Gender club honors ed prof

WSU expecting more escort calls

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS AND SCHEDULES
ST. MARY'S	SOUTHEAST TECH	WINONA STATE

Gymnast about WSU: Stay away

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2004 -- Sophomore gymnast Jessica VanDenHouvel says she doesn't have anything bad to tell her friends back home in Wausau, Wis., about Winona State -- except the university's gymnastics program. "I love this school," said VanDenHouvel. Not until the gymnastics team was blocked from regional and national competitions -- after Coach Rob Murray failed to file documents with the sponsoring organization -- did VanDenHouvel consider discouraging friends from Winona State. It's her understanding that Murray now has resigned. "There are a lot of people who are considering to come to school here, and I would have told them not to come if there wasn't a new gymnastics coach put in place for next year," said VanDenHouvel. "Most of them have another year of high school left. They are going to wait and see if things get better with the program." MORE

VANDEN- HOUVEL Unhappy gymnast

COACH MURRAY In? Out?

Ex-coach sets up WSU baseball fund

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2004 -- Retired Winona State baseball coach Gary Grob, who coached at the university 35 years, established the Gary and Marilyn Grob Baseball Scholarship. Grob said he started the award to give something back to the university, which allowed him the opportunity to coach. "I wanted to help some quality student athletes maintain and gain an education," said Grob. Grob's successor as baseball coach, Kyle Poock, said the scholarship will be "an added boost in the scholarship program that we've needed for several years."

GROB Retired baseball coach

WSU counselor-ed papers in presentation

LOURDES FEST Sheena Gifford, a Lourdes dorm supervisor, pudding-wrestles one of her tenants, Amy Ridgley, in an inflatable kiddy pool filled with 126 pounds of chocolate fudge pudding at Winona State University's annual Lourdes Fest. PHOTOGRAPHER: SEAMUS BOYLE

Students all gooey at Lourdes funfest

E-award to WSU sociology prof

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2004 -- A sociology prof, James Kobolt, was named eProfessor of the Year at Winona State University by the student Technology Committee. Nick Szulczweski, committee chair, said Kobolt's use of the BlackBoard instructional management system made his courses convenient and enjoyable for students. Also, he said, students voiced enthusiasm for Kobolt’s personal website, about which one student said she'll be "looking at even after I graduate." In all, 28 profs were nominated by students in an online election. The Szulczweski committee then conducted focus group discussions with students.

KOBOLT Sociology

75 students volunteer as fall greeters

Key Democrat joins GOP on student loans

ANDREWS New Jersey

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2004 -- The party-line divide over a banker-friendly change in student loan rules may be crumbling. Rep. Robert E. Andrews, D-N.J., said he agrees with Republicans to end rules that allow borrowers to consolidate their federal student loans and lock in low interest rates. Under the GOP plan, the interest would vary from year to year, probably heading up in coming years. Andrews and Republicans on the key House Committee on Education and the Workforce say the current fixed-rate consolidation program is to expensive and will force cuts in student-aid programs. Defending his position, Andrews said: "When we have scarce dollars and have to choose between needy students and affluent graduates, I believe we should help needy students." Background: GOP seeks floating loan rates

O.A.R. At WSU April 30

WSU to MTV: Thanks but no thanks

Big haul in Lourdes theft

Mother's Day chamber concert at WSU

GOAL: PEDESTRIAN SAFETY Now 39 trains daily pass WSU.

$2 million sought for under-track tunnels

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2004 -- Winona State University is in line for $2 million in federal funding toward a project to put pedestrian tunnels underneath the railroad tracks at Winona and Johnson streets, said campus facilities manager Dick Lande. The funding is in a bill that Rep. Gil Gutknecht has introduced in Congress. "Hopefully we can secure that 2 million," Lande said. Lande leaves for Washington on May 11 to speak with Minnesota Sens. Mark Dayton and Norm Coleman about support also from their wing of Congress. "I need to go out there and get in their faces -- let them know I mean business about these tunnels," Lande said. "It's the whole squeaky wheel thing." MORE

LANDE Washington- bound again

Final registrar candidates visiting WSU

O.A.R. At WSU April 30

30-plus officers to provide security

Graduation topic: "The Human Family"

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2004 -- A retired Winona State University president, Bob DuFresne, who is the commencement speaker May 7, has titled his address "The Human Family -- The Responsibility of Membership." Asked abouty the speech, DuFresne said: "We need to remind ourselves from time to time of what it means to be a human being-- that we are not defined as human just because we walk around on our hind feet." More than 800 students are scheduled to be graduated. DuFresne holds graduate degrees from the University of Colorado and the University of North Dakota. In 1967, he came to Winona State as its 10th president and served until 1978 when he decided to return to teaching. In retirement he wrote the book "Winona State University: A History of 125 years," which was published in 1985 to celebrate the university's 125th anniversary. Background: Ex-WSU prez to address grads

DUFRESNE Former WSU president

WSU sports chief: Coach lineup same

Chancellor awaits Bush plan details

ST. PAUL, April 27, 2004 -- The chancellor of the state college system that operates technical and community colleges, as well as the state universities, Jim McCormick, said he was pleased with the focus on community colleges that President Bush made in a speech at a higher-ed convention on Monday. "I particularly liked the way he called attention to the fact that the nation's economic and quality of life depends on education, and on a lot of what we do in the community and technical colleges," McCormick said in a radio interview. McCormick added, however, that he's unclear on the $250 million federal job-training program that the President proposed. He said he is anxious to hear more. Perhaps the President's speech will generate more funding in general for colleges, McCormick said. "My hope is that, like a pebble in a pond, it's going to radiate out -- it's going to influence the Congress and state Legislatures, so we can get the support we need." Background: Bush touts job program

MCCOR- MICK MnSCU system chancellor

Daffodil concert features new work

Students raise $150 for women's aid

WSU issues alert after violent attack

FITNESS CENTER 200-meter running track now in plans

WSU exec: No tuition for fitness center

Schmidt said the university is going to update current drawings of the building, which will be a 93,000-square foot addition to the current Memorial Hall. With new drawings, the university will go to donors, he said. "The top ten gifts will raise 90 percent of the cost," he said. MORE According to Schmidt, the timeline for the project depends on the students. He said the earliest he sees the construction beginning is two years. "It takes longer to raise money privately," he said. "But if we get large donations and the students decide they're willing to bite the bullet and pay more and pay more, it may be sooner." Schmidt said the university needs to ask the students how soon they want the new center and how much they are willing to contribute to it before a time frame can be secured. "We can't put a shovel in the ground until we get all of that information," he said. MORE

SCHMIDT WSU vice president for university advancement

Ex-student leader new WSU fund-raiser

WINONA, Minn., April 26, 2004 -- A former Winona State University Student Senate president, Mike Swenson, has been hired as a university fund-raiser to seek major gifts. Most recently Swenson has been assistant director for enrollment management at West Suburban College of Nursing in Oak Park, Ill. Earlier he worked two years in the Winona State admissions office. At West Suburban his job was mostly representing the college. "So that kind of experience will help in my new position, because most of my job will be talking about the importance WSU has to the region," he said. Swenson earned his Winona State degree in 2001 in business administration. He is working on a master's degree in education leadership at Winona State. In his new position Swenson starts at $49,400. He receives $2,000 in moving expenses. Background: WSU vets on short list

SWENSON Major gifts director

Odd winter damaged WSU grounds

WINONA Minn., April, 26, 2004 -- The relatively dry, harsh winter has the Winona State University grounds maintenance team busy. Supervisor Tony Brnk said that there has been more damage to grass than usual because of the lack of snow cover until late winter. By then, pedestrians have already formed shortcut paths in the ground. There has also been a lot of sidewalk damage from plows and salt, said Bronk. "This certainly hasn't been the worst of conditions the campus has been in, but it is the worst ground clean-up I have seen in years," said Bronk, who's been at Winona State 24 years. Reporter: Kristie Rossi

BRONK Chief grounds- keeper

WSU skybox revenue: $85,000-plus

WINONA, Minn., April 26, 2004 -- The eight skybox suites that Winona State University plans to build at Maxwell Field already have earned $85,000, perhaps as much as $115,000, from corporate sponsors that signed up for the first year. The units, on the third floor, went for $10,000 to $15,000 each, Athletic Director Larry Holstad confirmed. The question now is whether the four-story press box-skybox structure can be completed for the 2004 season. The architect is still revising drawings. The structure is expected to cost $1,5 million, although plans are to finish it in sections as funds permit. The third-floor skyboxes and fourth-floor press box are the first priority. Reporter: Nathan Bortz Background: Skyboxes sold out

PRESS BOX Still in drawing stage Sponsors pledge cash, sight unseen, for skyboxes

GOP seeks floating student loan rates

WSU gymnastics coach on job

Bush touts college job-training

MINNEAPOLIS, April 26, 2004 -- President Bush praised community colleges as leaders in training people for transitions into the new kinds of jobs after the current recession, which he characterized as "shallow." "Thanks for what you're doing to make America a more hopeful place," Bush told delegates to the American Association of Community Colleges convention. The president noted that he has proposed $250 million for a community college-based job training through partnerships with local businesses. He called it a practical way to help people find jobs and learn new skills that will be tailored to the needs of local industry. The proposal, he said is "a way to keep America on the leading edge of change." "You can't change the society if you don't have a workforce that is capable of working in the new jobs of the 21st century. And the community colleges provide the capacity for us to have the skill sets necessary in our workers." Bush said he thinks 100,000 people will be trained through the new program. He did not say how the $250 million program would be funded, although critics say he the funds would be diverted from $300 million cut he has proposed for to an existing vocational programs.

BUSH New kind of jobs needed

Woman assaulted in WSU neighborhood

Democrats OK Pelowski for 10th term

O.A.R. At WSU April 30

WSU-bound O.A.R. widening its radius

MARIETTA, Ohio, April 25, 2004 -- For the band O.A.R., due at Winona State University for a concert Friday, popularity is growing through hard work and long-term commitment to being yourself, said saxophonist Jerry DePizzo. "It all started with a very small circle of fans, and we're trying to expand the radius by touring," said Jerry DePizzo. "It has all been very gradual and natural." MORE DePizzo joined his Ohio State University buddies Marc Roberge' and Chris Culos' band in 2000. Then the group called itself, awkwardly, ".…of a revolution." That came to be O.A.R., pronounced O-A-R, not to be confused with a wooden rowing tool. After finding a following in Columbus the band started touring. "Thanks in large part originally to our internet popularity we started touring," DePuizzo said in an interview. "Then we picked up distribution, which helped out, and we began our own record label with our manager Dave Roberge. MORE Now signed with a new record label, Lava, O.A.R. is poised to expand its following beyond campuses. "They've helped us out tremendously with record sales, introduced us to radio and other publicity opportunities like playing on Conan O’Brian and David Letterman, DePizzo said. "We're involved with mtvU now, and it's growing, which is a great thing." O.A.R. has been with Lava a little more than a year. O.A.R. released its first Lava album, "In Between Now and Then," in May 2003. The band recently made its first music video with "Hey Girl," a remade version of one of its own songs released on "In Between Now and Then." DePizzo said the band picked that song for the video because it was easy going and represented the band well. MORE

DEPIZZO O.A.R. saxophonist

SMU set to graduate 285

Kierlin, Burrichter fund SMU chair

WSU teaching award winner: Why me?

Full bladder after bar closing-time

City, WSU mend wounds over banners

CASSIE SIMON AMBER DULEK MEGAN TAITT RACHEL CHERRY CHRISTINA FERRISE KAYLYN MESSER TOMORROW'S GREATEST BYLINES TODAY

R.I.P.: Alan David Toepke

WSU ALUMS Snapshots from 2003 reunion

Record WSU alumni turnout expected

As portrayed in Winona State University promotional materials OTHER SLICES OF CAMPUS LIFE

WINONA CAMPUS LIFE

2nd term for Councilman? Wait 'til July

WINONA, Minn., April 24, 2004 -- Third Ward City Council member Chris Arnold will announce in July if he is running for re-election. That's the tradition for generally low-key municipal elections, which come in November. In an interview, Arnold said issues as he sees them involve mostly downtown development. The Third Ward also includes the main Winona State University campus, but Arnold's focus is downtown. Asked about campus issues, Arnold said he believes the city can help Winona State with financing for construction projects like the proposed Gateway dorm or the Memorial Hall wellness extension. "The City Council will act as a conduit to get some better rates," he said. Arnold said the bonding is handled by the City Manager Eric Sorensen and he does not know much about it. MORE Arnold said the main issues for the Third Ward involve downtown re-development. He said re-development is a long-term project for which there is city-wide support. There is no ward favoritism, he said. All the wards work together as a group in dealing with all issues, he said. MORE Arnold said the downown entertainment district that has been created by the City Council could work as a liquor license management tool in the future. The entertainment district is located in the area surrounded by Huff Street on the west, Broadway Street on the south, Franklin Street on the east, and the Mississippi River on the north. Arnold said another major redevelopment issue for the Third Ward is the new loan and grant program. This program allows building owners to sign up at City Hall for a loan or grant to improve their establishment, he said. The funds can be used to fix roofs and window, and to add handicap facilities, Arnold said. He said the money used for these improvements will come from the downtown redevelopment fund. MORE He said another issue facing the Third Ward is changes in the school district. Because of lack of funds, Central Elementary School on Market Street may be forced to close, he said. Arnold said Mayor Jerry Miller and Council members have told the school administrators how important the Central is to the community. Central is the only school in the Third Ward and acts as a principal community anchor point for Winona, he said. Reporter: Kate Goyette

ARNOLD Third Ward member of City Council Arnold, a 38-year-old engineer for E Tool, a mechanical engineering company in suburban Minnesota City, has lived in Winona 33 years. He was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and his parents moved to Winona in 1971. He attended St. Mary's School, then Cotter High School. Arnold took a few classes at Winona State University -- photography, English, statistics, and accounting. He hads always wanted to attend Iowa State and transferred and earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering in 1989. This is Arnold's first four-year term on the City Council. Arnold said he sought the office out of interest in community service. Earlier he served 11 months as president of the Winona Chamber of Commerce, filling out an unexpired term. He served three years on the Winona Community Foundation board, which oversees donations for community improvements. He served one year on the board of the Watkins Manor retirement homr. He was an ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce for 10 years, raising funds, attending ribbon-cuttings, and welcoming new businesses

STADIUM PARKING The sturdy house at Main and Sarnia was soon rubble, as a Winona State Univerity contractor cleared the property adjacent to Maxwell Field. PHOTOGRAPHER: SEAMUS BOYLE

SMU basketball coach to Loyola

LOVELACE To Loyola

WINONA, Minn., April 24, 2004 -- The St. Mary's University men's basketball coach, Mark Lovelace, on the job only a year, resigned to move to Loyola University as assistant coach. Lovelace said his old mentor at Lewis University, Jim Whitesell, asked him to join him at Division I Loyola, where Whitesell begins as head coach for the coming year. Lovelace said he has a lot of loyalty to Whitesell. They were both at Lewis four years. At St. Mary's, Lovelace won 7 games and lost 18. He said leaving was a difficult decision. "I haven’t slept in five days," he said, adding that he feels the St. Mary's basketball program is headed the right direction. At St. Mary's, Lovelace succeeded Bob Biebel, who resigned amid concerns about team morale after a 2-23 losing season. Background: New SMU coach