First wave of April ballot candidates

UPCOMING EVENTS
ST. MARY'S	SOUTHEAST TECH	WINONA STATE

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Bud Light as a clue in slayings

WINONA, Minn., March 23, 2005 -- A single Bud Light beer bottle found in the kitchen sink of murder victim Stacy Smith's Winona apartment links Paul Allan Gordon to the crime, police documents suggest. The bottle could be crucial evidence against Gordon, who is charged with multiple counts of murder for the deaths of Smith and her 10-year-old daughter. According to police, Gordon brought several Bud Lights to a woman-friend's house about 10 o'clock the night before the murders, then left without explanation between 2 and 2:30 a.m., carrying the Bud Light beer bottles. The murders were a few blocks away sometime between 2 and 3:25 a.m., according to a police reconstruction of the night. When Gordon returned to his woman-friend's home, he didn't have his Bud Light anymore, according to the witness cited by police. MORE Police quoted the witness at the woman-friend's house that Gordon and a companion had left about 10 p.m. to buy booze and came back with Southern Comfort, a sweetened whisky, "for the girls" and with Bud Light. Police later searched the woman-friend's home and found numerous Bud Light bottle caps. MORE What use prosecutor Chuck MacLean would make of the beer bottle in Smith's sink if there is a murder trial is unclear. In his criminal complaint, MacLean makes much more of Gordon's cell phone being found in the bedroom of Smith's 10-year-old daughter after fire-fighters removed the bodies and extinguished the arson-set fire. SInce early March, Gordon has been held under $20 million bond. A grand jury is reviewing whether to indict Gordon on the charges filed by MacLean. MORE Bud Light, which has a 4.2 pecent alcohol content, comes in numerous bottle sizes and retail packages. In documents attached to the criminal complaint, police did not identify where the Bud Light had been purchased, but these are the Bud Light offerings at Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits: Six-pack Six-pack 12-pack 18-pack 24-pack Singles 12-ounce Seven-ounce 12-ounce 12-ounce 12-ounce 40-ounce $4.96 3.99 8.99 12.88 14.88 2.69

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders BUD LIGHT Available in long necks

Donahue: I don't want to be "king"

WINONA, Minn., March 23, 2005 --The Student Senate president is not the king of the students, said Winona State University student president candidate Tim Donahue at a news conference. As president, Donahue said he would act on the will of the students. If elected, he said, he wants to connect with what students want from the university. One way would be his plan for a Student Senate newspaper to improve student awareness of the issues, he said. The newspaper would list how each senator votes so students can hold them individually accountable, he said. Donahue told a group of 15 reporters that he also wants to reconnect with the community on currently divisive issue like parking. He offered no solution for the neighborhood parking crisis. MORE About the hostile standoff between the Student Senate and university President Darrell Krueger over the New University plan, Donahue reiterated his long-standing reservations about the plan's cost. He also noted that students are ovewhelmingly opposed. At the same time, he said, he hopes to establish a good relationship with Krueger's successor, Judith Ramaley, even though Ramaley expressed enthusiasm for the New University when she was interviwed as as candidate for president. MORE Asked about liberal arts Sen. Ryan Flynn, who also is seeking the student presidency, Donahue deferred to his earlier-stated promise to run a positive campaign and not to cut down other candidates. Even so, he said he has more Senate experience than Flynn. Donahue first was elected to the Senate three years ago and is currently Senate vice presdient. MORE Citing his accomplishments, Donahue said he has worked with a task force to cut down multiple campus e-mail spams to students, sometimes 10 or 15 a day, to students. He expressed hope that university President Darrell Krueger will approve the plan now on his desk to limit spamming to one university message a day. Reporter: Katie Moses Background: Donahue seeks presidency

TIM DONAHUE Now vice president

NewU advocates plan case to trustees

WINONA, Minn., March 22, 2005 --The next step in the New University approval pipeline will be to present ideas that would be implemented to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities board of trustees for final evaluation, the co-chair of the New U Academic Initiatives Committee said. Joan Francioni said that it would be important for a third party to evaluate the ideas proposed with the New U and decide if they are worth implementing. Noting that students have stated their position against the New University in a refernedum, Francioni said that now its time for those who are in favor of the plan to make their side understandable to the MnSCU so the board can evaluate the educational value, Francioni said. MORE About the referendum, in which a record number of students voted by 5-1 against the New U, Francioni said that she believes students weren't well informed. Referring to student concern about a $1,000 New U tuition surcharge, Francioni explained that surcharge would be only $250 next year, ballooning gradually to $1,000 over four years as benefits of the New University phase in. "Some current students might not be able to experience all the benefits of the New U, but they would not be paying the full $1,000 either," Francioni said. Nor, she said, will students will be the only ones paying for the New U. Francioni said that the project would open new funding possibilities from external sources as well as philanthropic donations. MORE Francioni said that she sees integration of existing university departments and opportunities offered to students as the most important part of the New U plan. By integrating existing departments not only will opportunities increase and be made more available to students but existing departments will be able to use part of their budget to fund the New U.

NEW UNIVERSITY Project logo JOAN FRANCIONi NewU advocate

Speaker: Smile your way to success

Molinari football fund tops $60,000

THE BAR SCENE

Judge: Brothers theft case may proceed

BROTHERS 129 W. Third St.

WINONA, Minn., March 22, 3005 -- A former manager at Brothers Bar, Nathan Corey Thompson, 23, accused of stealing $4,800 from the bar, told the judge at an arraignment hearing that he is innocent. Even so, Judge Lawrence Collins determined that the evidence is sufficient for the case to proceed. Thompson answered that he would continue to abide by the conditions of his $10,000 bond. The 4 p.m. hearing was brief, only five minutes. After the hearing, Thompson and his public defender, Samuel David Jandt, spoke quietly outside the courtroom discussing the "next steps." Thompson will be back in court for another hearing April 28 at 10 a.m. MORE Thompson was charged Jan. 26 with stealing $4,800 from Brothers from October through January. Police said that when Thompson closed Brothers he would take money in small amounts, $50 to $100, at a time. Brothers' management again declined a reporter's request for an interview. Based on the management's complaint, however, county Prosecutor Nancy Louise Bostrack has pursued one count of theft and one count of theft by swindle. Both are felonies. MORE Thompson looked annoyed as he sat quietly outside the courtroom before the hearing, reading a magazine and chewing on his fingernails. He entered the courtroom without his attorney and took a seat in the back row until his case came up. As in his previous court hearing, Thompson answered Collins' questions with short and sharp one-word answers, but he appeared more confident with his answers this time. Reporter: Will Maravelas Background: Bar manager faces theft charge

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Feminist author to keynote at WSU

WINONA, Minn., March 22, 2005 -- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Susan Faludi will offer the keynote lecture at Winona State University's observation of Women's History Month. Faludi said she will draw from her books, "Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women," and "Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man," to examine major assumptions and societal beliefs about gender. A dinner with Faludi, free for students, $15 for faculty, has been scheduled for 5:15 p.m. The lecture: Date: Wednesday, March 30 Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Somsen Auditorium Cost: Free Contact: Tamara Berg

SUSAN FALUDI Author "Backlash," "Stiffed"

Plan: Extend tech fee to online courses

Gay marriage panel set at WSU

Student tech fee plan: $236

Sculpture donated for Tau rotunda

WSU student recalls Gordon phone sales

WINONA, Minn., March 22, 2005 -- The Nokia phone that the cops found in the smouldering ruins of a 10-year-old rape victim's bedroom at Sugar Loaf Apartments probably was purchased at Radio Shack, said part-time store clerk Nate Bortz. The phone, a key piece of evidence in the triple murder, was a Nokia 6225 camera phone. The man accused in the triple murders, Paul Allen Gordon, bought a Nokia 6225 on Sept. 3 from another Radio Shack employee, said Bortz, a Winona State University senior. Three months later, when Gordon was arrested at the Mexico border, one of Bortz's co-workers at Radio Shack pointed out a photo of him in the paper, Bortz said: "There is no way I could have pictured him doing that. I never would have guessed." MORE Gordon now is in jail in Winona under $20 million bond. A grand jury is considering whether to indict him in the deaths of 29-year-old Stacy Smith, a Winona State psychology student; his unborn child, whom Smith was carrying; and Smith's 10-year-old daughter Taylor. The bodies were found in the apartment as firefighters tried to put out an arson-set fire. The mother and daughter had been strangled. the 10-year-old girl raped, according to autopsies. MORE A few days before Gorcdon bought the Nokia phone, Gordon and a woman had come into the store and purchased a Sanyo flip phone in the woman's name, Bortz said. The woman was not Smith, according to Bortz, noting that he saw Smith's picture in the paper after the murders. About selling Gordon the Sanyo phone, Bortz said: "I had a really comfortable feeling around him. He seemed like the type of guy if you bumped into at the bar you could talk to for a while and play a game of pool with." MORE Gordon paid cash for Sanyo phone, as he also did earlier for the Nokia non-flip phone, Bortz said. It seemed like Gordon felt obligated to be there with the woman he was purchasing the phone for, he said. "He wasn't really interested in what kind of phone she was getting or if she was happy with it," Bortz said. "It was like he was the man and expected to pay for it." MORE As Bortz and the woman were taking care of paperwork, Gordon was bobbing and weaving in his oversized white T-shirt and baggy-army fatigue pants, while shadow-boxing with the woman, Bortz recalled. "He was pretending to punch her in the kidneys," Bortz said. "I thought it was a bit odd, but she didn't seem to mind." MORE Another oddity that Bortz remembers was a $4 tip. "I've never been tipped in the store before," said Bortz, who has worked several years at Radio Shacks. There had been a delay with the paperwork and Gordon had jokingly said "Ah shit, man, ya done fucked up on your tip," Bortz said. Then, he said, Gordon told him to keep the change. MORE About the phones that Gordon purchased, Bortz said that the Nokia was a $180 model before rebate. The Sanyo was $280 before rebate. Both were with the Sprint cell service. "The Sanyo is more poweful than a typical cell phone using Sprint towers in Winona, especially on the East End," said Bortz. "At Target, for example, if you're trying to receive a call, a Sanyo will give you have a better chance of getting or making the call than with a Samsung especially." MORE According to court documents, Gordon has admitted to cocaine-dealing in Winona. The documents quote police informants that he eas grossing $15,000 a month. Gordon arrived in Winona from Arkansas over the summer. In Arkansas he had been convicted of one rape and was facing a second rape charge involving a 12-year-old girl. Police quoted Gordon that he was a trained boxer and knowledgable of kill tactics.

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders NATE BORTZ Made one of two cell-phone sales to Gordon

Grand jury convenes in Gordon case

WINONA, Minn., March 21, 2005 -- A grand jury convened behind closed doors at 1 p.m., its sessions closed by law, to consider whether Paul Allen Gordon should be indicted in the triple murders at Sugar Loaf apartments in December. Gordon has been charged with 10 felony counts in the deaths of a Winona State Univerity student Stacy Smith, her unborn child, and her 10-year-old daughter. Because four of the counts are first-degree murder and could medan life imprisonment, a grand jury is needed to bring an indictment. The grand jury will be provided the prosecutor's evidence to decide if there is enough evidence for a trial. Gordon will not be present, nor will his attiorneys be asked for their side.

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders

Greeks resist new Colorado rules

Doctorate-enabling bill on track

Capitol absurdity tales due at WSU

WINONA, Minn., March 21, 2005 -- Satirist Mark Russell, known for his political bite, will be pounding the piano keys at Winona State University Russell's current act, "Comedy, Music, Bribery and Conspiracy," parodies the absurdities of official Washington. Russell is best known for his live television specials. Date: Tuesday, April 5 Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Somsen Auditorium Cost: $5 to $10

MARK RUSSELL Honky-tonking Washington

Rochester U bill taking twists, turns

A HUG OF WELCOME Winona State's Darrell Krueger greets his successor as university president, Judith Ramaley, at a reception the evening of her appointment.

PHOTOGRAPHER: DOUG SUNDIN

Vivian-Lorenz textbook into Hindi

Clear roads hail WSU students back

City, WSU agree to parking task force

Indee invites WSU candidate statements

WINONA, Minn., March 21, 2005 -- Candidates in Winona State University student election have been invited to submit 250-word statements on their candidacies for verbatim publication on the CyberIndee. The news site will post the statements promptly.

Statements should be addressed to: CyberIndee A campaign photo as a .jpeg attachment is invited.

Two-piano performance at WSU

Wetterling throws hat in ring for Senate

WSU offers efficiency studies course

Harvard faculty: No confidence in prez

New manager at WSU grad office

WILL ALBERT- SEN SARAH HOVEY JESSICA LARSON LAUREN ELI- ZONDO JENNY BUTLER CARRIE GULER TOMORROW'S GREATEST BYLINES TODAY

Prof: An honest Gutknecht would retire

Louisiana College sheds textbook limits

As portrayed in Winona State University promotional materials

WINONA CAMPUS LIFE

WSU prof has Democratic media duties

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 21, 2005 -- The man accused in a triple-murder in Winona in December, Paul Allen Gordon, was on probation at the time for rape in Arkansas with a pending charge of raping a 12-year-old girl. How could this be? Judge John Skaggs, in Benton County District Court, freed Gordon on $10,000 bond in September pending his agreement to stay out of trouble and show up for his next court appearance in February. The $10,000 was collateral to guarantee the next appearance. MORE Judge Skaggs, typical of judges, did not grant an interview on why he allowed bond. Prosecutor Clay Fowlkes, however, told that Associated Press that in retrospect the bond was too low. "It's always possible that a person can commit a crime while out on bond, and nothing makes you more sick to your stomach," Fowlkes said. He noted that Arkansas law requires "reasonable bond" and that Gordon had indeed returned voluntarily from Detroit for the child rape case. Gordon had also been in Winona in the meantime. His attorney, William Blair Brady, cited Gordon's return to Bentonville as evidence that he was not a flight risk -- despite the Bentonville rape conviction only seven months earlier and a transcient record.

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders VICTIMS Stacy Smith, a WSU psychology student Smith unborn child, whom court documents say Gordon confirmed was his Taylor Swanson, Smith's 10-year-daughter

Klochubar seeking U.S. Senate seat

Who will run this time?

ACLU: Feds using law to quell critics