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| HALLOWEEN INCIDENT AT 560 E. BROADWAY |
Way paved for Alex White house-party trialWINONA, Minn., June 30, 3006 -- The charges against Winona State University student senator who hosted a Halloween party that ended in a four-hour police lock-up of the party house are sufficient to proceed to trial, Judge Margaret Johnson ruled. White had asked that the charges be thrown out. But Judge Johnson stated that the underage drinkers coming and going, and other commotion and noise, suggested illegal activity. Those suspicions, she said, validated the police request for a search warrant.
White's attorney, Rich McCluer, had argued that police had insufficient information to justify probable cause to enter the house. Therefore, he said, evidence obtained in the search should be suppressed. Prosecuting attorney Jennifer Holl countered that the officers' observations were "sufficient competent evidence that would lead a reasonably prudent person" to believe that a crime was taking place. McCluer also had argued that the warrant was not written by a lawyer but by one of the officers who responded to the house. The officer's credibility, he suggested, was undermined by being caught up in the heat of the confrontation. Holl answered that the warrant-writing officer was experienced with house parties and underage drinking. Holl noted too that two other officers witnessed the commotion, including a keg and beer cups strewn outside while partiers cussed at them. Additionally, Holl cited precedence for a police officer to make a common-sense call on whether a crime is happening and whether a warrant should be sought. As long as an officer does not misrepresent the facts, Holl stated, a warrant should be honored.
The issue of the warrant's validity was decided by Judge Johnson on May 2, but had been raised at a hearing in January. McCluer and Holl's arguments were submitted in writing to Judge Johnson in February. Under usual procedure she had 90 days to make a decision. White's next hearing had been scheduled for June 7 but has been delayed to Aug. 7. Meanwhile, a question is whether White a varsity football player, will settle the case before fall practice. Fall begins the second week in August. As a student senator, White was re-elected in April, a distant third in a three-way race.
The party occurred the night of Oct. 27 at White's house at 560 E. Broadway. Police responding to a noise complaint estimated 100 partiers were at the place. White's housemate, fellow Winona State football player Kenny King, was arrested on outstading warrants after police, armed with the search warrant, gained access. King has since pleaded guilty and been re-instated to the football team. It has been coach Tom Sawyer's practice in recent years to keep players on suspension as long as a court case is open. Of the 23 court cases stemming from the party, all involving Winona State students, only White's remains unsettled. Other partiers have paid fines totaling more than $4,000. |
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ALEX
WHITE
Choices: Change plea? Go to trial? Negotiated settlement? |
Reporter: Kai Oehler
Background: Search warrant's validity is issue in White case
Background: Student election results
Quick search launched for WSU science deanWINONA, Minn., June 30 2006 -- A hurry-up search for an interim science dean has begun at Winona State University to fill a vacancy created by the promotion of Dean Nancy Jannik to an associate vice presidency of the university. A notice of vacancy was issued by Ken Gorman, interim academic vice president, with a July 17 application deadline. The appointment would be effective Aug. 1, when Jannik switches titles. Vernon Leighton of the Faculty Senate issued a call for three faculty positions on the search committee. The committee will convene July 13, Leighton said.
The vacancy notice specified that the one-year appointment would be open only within the university. The salary was listed as competitive. As dean, Jannik was at $123,500. The job decription states that the dean is responsible for instructional quality in seven departments with 90 profs. An earned doctorate is required in one of the disciplines in the college.
Background: Next WSU science dean? Who knows
COMMENT
PRESIDENTIAL JOB PERFORMANCE
A buzz word in higher-ed management circles these days is "silo." It's a disparaging word for feudal kingdoms that operate autonomously within an institution. It's a term that Winona State University President Judith Ramaley has picked up in her all-too-frequent away-from-campus jaunts to hob-knob with fellow masters of Collegespeak. Sadly, these people don't even realize the antiagraian insult they convey every time they mimick each other's in-lingo to show how with-it they are.
The irony with Ramaley as she tries to break down walls she sees at Winona State -- she's targeted academic affairs and student affairs -- she herself has locked herself in a silo of her own making. Every day it seems she has become more insulated -- and isolated. More and more, the people who have her ear are those, some with severe sycophancy, who bought into her vaguely conceived and expensive Learning for the 21st Century project. As a reward they have been given Inner Circle status. She hears more and more from those who work at telling her exactly what she would like to hear. Hers is becoming a Silo Presidency.
The CyberIndee invites reader input for periodic updates of the Ramaley presidential approval rating. Brief comments on Ramaley's latest performance will be shared with readers. Anonynmity is assured if requested. Your input
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Background: Previous Ramaley report cards
NCAA gigs Acorn State basketball practicesLOMAN, Miss., June 30, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association has banned the Alcorn State University women's basketball team from post-season play for three years for violating travel and other rules. An NCAA investigation concluded that coach Shirley Walker permitted four athletes, none of them full-time students, to travel with the team and receive travel expenses. Also, one of them was issued financial aid. Walker also exceeded the NCAA's weekly practice limits, did not allow the team a weekly day off from practice, and permitted uncertified assistant coaches to recruit off campus, according to the investigation report. Team practice logs were falsified, the report said. Also, the report said that Walker allowed her husband, a former Alcorn State men's basketball coach cited for major NCAA infractions in the mid-1990s, to act as a volunteer coach. That, said the report, violated the NCAA four-coach limit.
Constance at Konstanz on Constance in ConstanzeKONSTANZ, Germany, June 30, 2006 -- A 1974 Winona State grad in the university's first journalism class, Connie Davis, spent part of June in Germany, Of course, her christened name being Constance, she visited Konstanz, which is on Lake Constance, and rode the catamaran Constanze. "Of course, I was only known as Constance on that trip," Connie said. Davis, on the faculty at Northern Illinois University, is the first Winona State masscom grad to earn a doctorate. Her advanced work, at the University of Iowa, work was in media law focusing on the Internet.
Background: WSU masscom alums |
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CONNIE DAVIS
WSU j-grad sails her namesake
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College begins church management degreeBOSTON, Mass., June 30, 2006 -- High levels of naivite in managing Catholic institutions, as revealed in ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandals, has prompted Boston College to start the first U.S. grad program to train priests, nuns, and laypeople who manage Catholic parishes and organizations. Boston College, which is operated by the Jesuit order, said the degree will be avaiable to non-Catholics too.
WSU plans river photography workshopWINONA, Minn., June 30, 2006 -- A one-day workshop on river photography will be offered by Winona State University prof Drake Hokanson. Participants will shoot main and side channels of the Mississippi, boathouses and bluffs from the Winona State launch River Explorer. Canoes will be available for backwater locations, Hokanson said.
Date: Thursday, Aug. 24
Time: To be announced
Place: WSU launch River Explorer
Registration deadline: Wednesday, Aug. 8
Cost: $45
Contact: (507) 474-3902 |
Ohio ACLU: Athletes have rights tooCOLUBUS, Ohio, June 30, 2006 -- The new Kent State University ban in varsuty athletes having Facebook.com pages has all the appearances of denying the students their First Amendment rughts, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. Gary Daniels, spokesman for Civil Liberties Union, said the university has not made it clear why athletes should be forbidden from Facebook when other students aren't. There is no apparent correlation between the athletes in their roles as athletes and their use of these Web sites," Daniels said. Kent State has about 400 varsity athletes.
Background: Kent State to jocks: No, no Facebook.com
RECENT DAYS IN THE CITY
POSTED JUNE 30, 2006
ZONING SPAT. The board that examines requests for variances from city zoning restrictions thinks the City Council has gone soft. Five of six board members resigned now that the Council has overturned six of its variance denials.
DEER GONE. The gate at the Prairie Island deer corral was cut by vandals who allowed the deer to escape. Only one doe and a fawn were still in the enclosure when a caretaker discovered a three-foot by five-foot hole in the gate.
NO APPLEBEE'S. Unwilling to honor the Minnesota-enforced federal minimum wage, Wisconsin Hospitality Group has decided against opening an Applebee's restaurant in the growing far East End retail complex. The company operates 32 Applebee and 86 Pizza Hut franchises in Wisconsin, where the state allows restaurateurs to pay $1.33 an hour for wait staff. Background
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Illinois trustees delay Chief Illiniwek decisionCHAMPAIGN, Ill., June 30, 2006 -- The University of Illinois board of trustees may take until next May to decide whether to rehire the controversial mascot Chief Illiniwek. Because the NCAA is forbidding Illinois from post-season games if it keeps the mascot, the team may forgo football and basketball tournaments, said athletic director Ron Guenther. Meanwhile, Chief Illiniwek is expected to dance on at least this coming year. Guenther said he believes the trustees are doing the right thing not to rush a decision.
Setback for Christian schools in California suitLOS ANGELES, Calif., June 30, 2006 -- A federal judge said he is inclined to dismiss parts of a lawsuit brought against the University of Californian by several Christian high schools for not accepting credit for certain church-based courses. Judge James Otero will make a formal ruling shortly. Meanwhile, the case is moving toward trial. Six students at Calvary Chapel Christian School and the Association of Christian Schools International contend that the university is violating their rights to free speech and religion by not counting the courses the high school's courses on student applications for university admission.
Judge: Visa delay needs timely resolutionNEW YORK, June 30, 2006 -- A federal judge ruled that the Bush administration cannot sit indefinitely on a visa application from prominent Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, who has been denied admission to the United States. Judge Paul Crotty gave the government until September to articulate why Ramadan should be denied a visa. Crotty said the government has had more than 18 months to study the visa application, which he called "more than adequate time." The government had used a provision in the post-9/11 Patriot Act to deny entry to foreigners whose political views it does not like. Judge Crotty said the government needs to be more specific to keep Ramadan out of the country and from teaching position at Notre Dame University. Ramadan is a scholar of Islamic philosophy and a forceful advocate on behalf of Muslims. Meawhile, he continues as a visiting scholar in England.
Next WSU science dean? Who knowsWINONA, Minn., June 29, 2006 -- The process for selecting a new dean for Winona State University's College of Science and Engineering, to succeed Nancy Jannik, is being discussed, said Ken Gorman, the uiversity's acting academic vice president. Jannik, dean the past eight years, has been appointed an interim associate vice presidency. Jannik's appointment, effective Aug. 1 leaves seven acadeic departments departments without a dean -- biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, math, physics and engineering.
Bakground: Science dean now associate vice president |
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NANCY
JANNIK
Moving up, leaving vacancy |
Democrats plan $75 reception with Al FrankenWINONA, Minn., June 29, 2006 -- Tickets for a Democratic fund-raising event with Minnesota-reared comedian Al Franken will be $75, county Democrats announced. The Franken event will be at the Dave Stoltman home. A ticket to the reception includes a ticket to Franken's performance at Winona State and a book signing. Funds are for the congressional campaign of Tim Walz.
Date: Tuesday, July 18
Time: To be announced
Place: Somsen Hall, Winona State
Cost: $15
Contact: (507) 452-2220 |
Background: Lib-comedian Al Franken to join Walz
Background: Races campus people are watching |
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AL
FRANKEN | 
TIM
WALZ |
July 18 in Winona |
To jail for renting college out facilities
$2,500 reward for information on SMU fireWINONA, Minn., June 29, 2006 -- Investigators are stopping short of the word "arson" to explain the fire that destroyed Cotter Hall at St. Mary's University, but they have put up a $2,500 rewardfor information to solve unanswered questions. Assistant Fire Chief Jim Multhaup caleld teh fire "suspicious." Meanwile, Multhaup said, the city Fire Department and state fire marshals are continuing their investigation. The abandoned building was gutted early June 12.
Crime Stoppers: (507) 457-6530, (800) 723-2020
Background: Investigation continues into SMU fire
| FREE INQUIRY / FREE EXPRESSION |
Librarian who nixed Times subscription changes mindSAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 3, 2006 -- The New York Times is back in the University of the Incarnate Word library after the chief librarian canceled the subscription to protest the newspaper's exposure of a secret government anti-terror program. Mendell Morgan said he had been hasty in canceling the subscription, especially without to consulting library staffers. Why did he do it? "I wanted to send a message in protest," Morgan said in announcing he had renewed the subscription. He has been librarian at the Catholic college for more than 30 years.
Pawlenty chooses business-types for MnSCU vacaniesST. PAUL, Minn., June 29, 2006 -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed for people, all from the Twin Cities area, all with of whom he said have string links with the private sector, to the governing board of the state college system. They are:
Dan McElroy, of Burnsville, who replaces Bob Hoffman on the board, is a Pawlenty adviser. Earlier he was chief of staff to the governor and state commissioner of finance. He has served four terms in the Minnesota House
Christine Rice, of Lake Elmo, who replaces Will Antell, is a former deputy state commissioner health.Earlier she was assistant to the minority leader at the Minnesota House.
Scott Thiss, of Edina, who replaces Ivan Dusek, is president and chief executive officer for Sailforth,Inc. He previously was president and chief executive officer for S&W Plastics. He previously chaired several committee of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
Jim Van Houten, of Minneapolis, who replaces Lew Moran, is a senior lecturer at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. Her is former serving as president and chief executive officer for MSI Insurance. He is a former board member of the Minnesota Business Partnership.
Said Pawlenty: "An effective MnSCU is a key to Minnesota's continued success and economic growth. These appointees understand the benefits of a strong partnership between higher education and the private sector."
Bush targets collegians on welfareWASHINGTON, June 29, 2006 -- The Bush administration has proposed new welfare rules to cut the number poor who now qualify for federal money to go to college. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says there have beem abuses. The department's proposed change has been published in the Federal Register, which opens a 60-day public comment period. Under new rules, as much as a year of vocational training would still count as work, but baccalaureate and advanced-degree programs would not. Stricken from eligibility would be most general-education courses. Also, only programs in which attendance is verified daily would count as work.
WSU student seeks answers in brother's deathWINONA, Minn., June 29, 2006 -- Eight months after a two-car collision claimed the life of recent Winona State University grad Ali Al-Mohsin near Rochester, his family still cannot obtain an accident report from the Minnesota State Patrol. His brother, Mohammed Al-Mohsin, has enrolled at Winona State from his natuve Saudi Arabia in part to bring closure to the accident for the family. This includes, he said, making sure "that the person who caused his death does not get away without punishment." The accident, on Highway 14 in Chester, was investigated by the Rochester District of the State Patrol. The accident occurred Nov. 4. Whether a citation was issued for the accident is unclear. A week after the accident, the State Patrol's Rochester spokesperson would not go beyond reading a cursory account of the accident. The account did not name the other driver.
The victim's brother, Mohammed, frustrated at the lack of a final accident report, has taken to writing letters to newspaper opinion pa hoespe of spurring the State Patrol for answers for his family. Mohammad Al-Mohsin arrived in early June. "It took eight months to process my visa, and I thought that was a long time," he said, "but I come to find out that it is taking even longer to get a police accident report." He wants justice: "It was a wrongful death, due to another car crossing into the oncoming lane of traffic. My brother was wearing his seat belt and obeying all traffic laws." Mohammad Al-Mohsin said he has considered hiring an attorney.
"It was very difficult for me to come to the U.S.A," Mohammad Al-Mohsin said, "but it will be even harder for me to leave without accomplishing anything. I need to finish this task to bring a better closure to my family and me.
Background: Religious quest set timing for death
Cheerleader lawsuit claims sexual harassmentHUNTINGTON, W.Va., Jne 28, 2006 -- A former Marshall University female cheerleader has sued the university, claiming that male cheerleaders harassed her off the squad, which lost her a scholarship. The cheerleader, listed in court documents only as "K.C.," also sued the coach for doing nothing to prevent the harassment. The suit alleges there was "a pervasive environment of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination." Coach Donna Dunn witnessed the harassment and even participated, accoridng to the suit. K.C. claims Dunn encouraged female squad members into bulimic behavior to lose weight. There was a university investigation of K.C.'s original complainy, which led to one male cheerleader being placed on probation. Other actions by male cheerleaders were dismissed as "playful" and "degrading" but not discriminatory.
Colorado chancellor moves to fire ChurchillBOULDER, Colo., June 28, 2006 -- The University of Colorado interim chancellor has begun the process to fire controversial prof Ward Churchill, who became a target of political unpopularity for an essay in which he likened some 9/11 terrorism victims to Nazi bureaucrats. Philip DiStefano, interim chancellor, issued a formal notice of intent to dismiss Churchill. DiStefano said the issue was not academic freedom but shoddy reseatch. University of Colorado faculty members "enjoy the freedom of expression that is the foundation of what they do in their scholarly pursuits," he said. But, he added, "we in the academy are held to high standards of integrity, competence, and accuracy, at the same time we freely engage in spirited, unimpeded discourse in the 'marketplace of ideas.'" Churchill now has 10 days to appeal DiStefano's action to a faculty committee on privilege and tenure.
Backround: Another Colorado panel sides against Churchill
WSU comm prof reports on ethics relevancyWINONA, Minn., June 28, 2006 -- A Winona State University communciations prof, Tammy Swenson Lepper, presented a paper, ÒÔSo, Is She White?' Making Organizational Communication Ethics Relevant to Middle America," at the National Communication AssociationÕs biannual Communication Ethics Conference. The conference was at Duquesne University.
Kent State to jocks: No, no Facebook.comKENT, Ohio, June 29, 2006 -- The Kent State University athletics director, Laing Kennedy, has given varsity athletes until Aug. 1 to remove their personal profiles from the Facebook.com social-networking web site. Coaches and counselors will monitor Facebook.com for violators, Kennedy said. Athletes who don't remove their profiles risk losing their scholarships, he said. The site, with 7-million plus college students posting pages, has become known for ribald personal information and compromosing photos. Kenendy downplayed the image issue. Safety is the issue, he insisted: "We're really concerned about the safety of our student-athletes and some of the personal information some of them have on there," he said. Athletes who list phone numbers and addresses have been contacted inappropriately, either by strangers or sports agents, he said. Predators are also problem.
WSU science dean now associate vice presidentWINONA, Minn., June 28, 2006 -- The science and engineering dean at Winona State, Nancy Jannik, has been appointed interim associate academic vice president for research, grad studies and assessment. Jannik joined the geology faculty in 1986 and became dean in 1998. In her new position, Jannik will report to incoming academic Vice President Sally Johnstone. Jannik's interim appointment is for two years beginning Aug. 1. The new vice presidency is part of an administrative restructuring ordered by new university President Judith Ramaley in February. As dean this past year Jannik earned $123,500.
Background: WSU president set to announce shake-up
Background: Ramaley restructuring documents
Background: Geologist to WSU deanship
Background: New WSU academic chief starts Aug. 1 |
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NANCY
JANNIK
Bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary
Master's from Rutgers
Doctorate from the New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology |
Santa Cruz chancellor's suicide linked to stressSAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 28, 2006 -- The suicide of the chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Denice Dee Denton, has been linked to escalating campus criticism of her fisrt 17 months on office. Denton, who earned $275,000 year, had appointed her lover, Gretchen Kalonji, to a $192,000 job as faculty associate to the provost and director of international strategy development in the president's office of the University of California system. This was at a time when some university workers had not seen a raise for several years. Critics also had targeted Denton as a poster-child of executive excesses in the scandal-plagued University of California system. Her vulnerabilities included a $600,000 university-financed renovation on her campus house. The renovations included a $30,000 dog run.
Both Denton and Kalonji came from the University of Washington. Denton had been dean of engineering, Kalonji an engineering professor. They had been partners for eight years. Denton's reputation as a scholar was in electrical engineering. Denton, 46, had been on a medical leave as chancellor since June 15. She had missed commencement but was expected to return to work this week. Denton was known for her work to help young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in engineering and science. She had a long record of championing women's causes in the sciences and in academe in general.
At Santa Cruz she had become a lightning rod for criticism from diverse constituencies, including student activists, employee unions, alumni, legislators and political conservatives. Protesters had demonstrated at her home. Last year a window in her office was broken. Somebody threw a parking barricade through her bedroom window.
Denton held a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/ Her research was in microelectromechanical systems and computer-chip design. At Santa Cruz she had vowed to build on the university's programs in space and physical sciences and to expand its international research. Denton also was committed to advancing the university's reputation for activism. In fact, a Spring 2005 protest against military recruiting on the campus landed UC-Santa Cruz on a Pentagon list of "suspicious" campuses that bore watching. Denton also said she wanted to counter the university's reputation as a party school and as a bastion of liberalism, both o which she called misperceptions.
Background: Santa Cruz chancellor dead in suicide leap
WSU technology chief gets two-year appointmentWINONA, Minn., June 28, 2006 -- The acting technology vice president at Winona State, Dave Gresham, has been appointed to the university's new position of associate vice president for information technology/ chief information officer on an interim basis. The two-year appointment runs through June 2008. Gresha will report to incoming academic Vice President Sally Johnstoe. Gresham has been at Winona State 12 years. He was named acting technology vice president last fall when new President Judith Ramaley announced the departure of Joe Whetstone without explanation. The new technology position, downgraded from a full vice presidency, is part of the administrative restructurng announced by first-year university President Judith Ramaley last winter.
Background: WSU president set to announce shake-up
Background: Ramaley restructuring documents
Background: Vice president unexpectedly out
Background: New academic chief starts Aug. 1 |
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DAVE
GRSHAM
BachelorÕs degree from Winona State in 1991
With WSU technology office 12 years |
WSU, Gateway in $6.5 million laptop extension| IRVINE, Calif., June 27, 2006 -- Winona State University and the computer manufaturer Gateway have extended their contract for $6.5 million in new M285 laptop computers. The one-year extension is for 4,200 notebooks. The Winona State laptop program, the largest of any college in the country, has a total of 7,600 Gateways in the hands of students, faculty and staff on a rotating update schedule. At Winona State, technology chief Dave Gresham said the contract includes training and other services as part of "a long-standing relationship with Gateway." The extension cobtinues a seven-year deal, which began with an initial two-year agreement and which Gateway said will likely exceed $40 million over the length of the contract. The university also has an arrangement with Apple Computers for new MacBook G5s, which are favored in some academic fields. |
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GATEWAY M285. Features include Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology, SATA hard drives, dual channel memory, a 7-in-1 media-card reader, three USB 2.0 portd, one IEEE 1394 port for music snf DVDs, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi for campus and wireless hot-spots, Bluetooth connectivity |
Pawlenty proposes college tuition waiversST. PAUL, Minn., June 26, 2006 -- College students who maintain a B average with a full academic load would be eligible for a tuition waiver at Minnesota's public colleges, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said. Pawlenty said he would put the free tuition into his next budget if he is re-elected on November. Pawlenty said students would be eligible for waivers for two years no matter what their field of study. After two years, only students in engineering, math, sciene and technology could continue with waivers, he said. Those are fields in which Pawlenty has identified the greatest need for the state's economy. For beginning freshmen, the qualification would be graduating in the top 25 percent of their high school class and a college entrance exam score yet to be specified.
The governor said the program would cost $112 million. He was not specific about where the funds would come from, although the state is projecting revenue growth from taxes. With a $30 billion budget, $112 million would not be hard to find, Pawlenty said. He said the waivers could begin for the Fall 2007 semester. About 16,000 students receiving high school diplomas this coming spring would be eligible to start, he said. Students from households topping $150,000 income would not be eligible. |
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TIM
PAWLENTY
Surprise announcement |
WSU men's golf coach resignsWINONA, Minn., June 26, 2006 -- The men's golf coach at Winona State University, Mark Bambenek, resigned after 12 seasons. The announcement was made by Athletic Director Larry Holstad without explanation. This past year Bambenek earbed $60,600 at the university with duties that included directing the intramural program. For coaching golf he earned an additional $2,990. Holstad said that women's golf coach Robert Newberry would take over women's golf as an additional duty.
This past year, Bambenek's 12-player varsity team finished 13th place in the NCAA Division II nationals. The Warriors also captured the Central Region championship in NCAA super regionals, a NCAA Central fall championship, and a third straight Northern Sun conference championship. Four times Bambenek was named Northern Sun coach of the year four times. His teams never finished lower than third in conference championships and won six. Bambenek's players have been Northern Sun medalists five times, player of the year four times, all-academic eight times and all-conference 29 times.
Newberry just completed his ninth season as womenÕs golf coach. Hiss teams have won two copnference titles and have come in second seven times. During his tenure Newberry has advanced one player to the NCAA nationals and two players to regionals.
Bill Blank fly-by set for airshowWINONA, Minn., June 26, 2006 -- The annual Max Conrad Field Airshow will include fly-bys and performances by Bill Blank and his Super Decathalon, according to organizer George Bolon. There also will be static and flight displays of ultralight, radio controlled and experimental aircraft, and new production aircraft.
Date: Sunday, July 2
Time: Breakfast 7:30 to 11 a.m., airshow at 10:30 a.m.
Place: Aviation Training Center, Winona airport
Cost: $3 to $5 for breakfast
Contact: George Bolon at (507) 452-2220 |
WSU workshop looks at river governanceWINONA, Minn., June 26, 2006 -- A Winona State University political scientist, Darrell Downsm will lead a day-long workshop on the Mississippi River in August to examine resource management and explore firsthand the issues that cause ongoing challenges to the river. Downs calls the workshop: "Who Runs the River?" Subjects include fish, wildlife and river-flow management and water quality. A visit at an Army Corps on the lock and dam system is scheudked.
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 23
Registration deadline: Aug. 8
Place: River Explorer
Cost: $30
Contact: (507) 474-3902 |
Hatch names Dutcher as runningmateST. PAUL, Minn., June 26, 2006 -- Democratic-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch announced, as expected, that two-term state Auditor Judi Dutcher would join his ticket for lieutenant governor. She's a former Republicanm. Hatch called Dutcher "a big plus for the campaign." Said Hatch: "She was one of the first public officials to challenge the extreme elements that have taken control of the Republican Party, and she eventually had to leave the party to join the Democrats."
Hatch also said his latest poll, taken ahead of the Republican state convention, gave him a narrow margin over incumbent Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Hatch said he was encouraged that 13 percent of the voters were undecided: "Undecided voters indicate that they want a new governor."
Background: Races campus people are watching
State colleges move to uniform calendarST. PAUL, Minn., June 25, 2006 -- Putting calendars into lockstep, the state college system trustees have ordered the semesters at all 32 campuses have the same starting date. For Fall 2007 fall semester will begin Monday, Aug. 27, at most colleges, including Winona State and Southeast Tech. A uniform start date will be extended to other campuses the next year. Fall 2008 semester will begin Monday, Aug. 25. Spring semesters also will have a common start date. Uniform start dates had been recommended by Chancellor Jim McCormick: "This change will provide a great deal of convenience and ease for students." The current system puts obstacles to students trying to transfer from one campus to another, McCormick said: "We want to remove any barriers we can." Last year 11,000 students took courses from two or more MnSCU colleges. Also, a common start date aligns deadlines for registration, financial aid, dropping and adding courses and other business processes at all campuses, he said.
Profs spurn anti-plagiarism toolsEDINBURGH, Scotland, June 25, 2006 -- Most profs at Napier College don't use the available told to catch student plagiarism, according to a study. Why? The process is too labor-intensive, the profs said. The study found that as few as 27 per cent of staff in one department were inclined to report plagiarism. Anti-plagiarism computer software introduced by the university last year has been largely unused, the study found.
NEWS AND COMMENT
WINONA MEDIA WATCH |
BELLY-LAUGHING
AT ROCHESTER'S LAME SLOGANEERING
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Collector with X-Acto guilty of map theftsNEW HAVEN, Conn., June 25, 2006 -- Antiquities dealer Forbes Smiley III changed his plead to guilty for stealing antique maps from Yale University. Smiley was arrested last year after a library worker found an X-Acto knife blade the floor. Checking security video, investigators found images of Smiley removing an antique map from a book valued at $150,000. Later they found a map from a 17th-century book in Smiley's jacket. Other maps, worth more than $700,000, were in his briefcase. In court Smiley now has admitted to taking 97 maps valued at $3 million from museums and libraries in New York, Chicago and London, including 20 from Yale. Smiley, who has a degree in church history and classics and has theological training, has agreed to establish a restitution fund. He faces five to six years in prison.
COURT
CONVICTIONS
WEEK ENDING JUNE 24,
2006
IN WINONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT
UNDERAGE BOOZING
Tyrel James Brey, 19, Sparta, Wis., $177.
Nathan Robert Preuss, 19, Stillwater, Minn., $177.
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UC-Santa Cruz chancellor dead in suicide leapSAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 24, 2006 -- The chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Denice Dee Denton, on medical leave from the campus, fell to her death from the high-rise Paramount apartments where her partner lived. The death was suicide, police said. Denton was 46. Police said that it was possible Denton fell as far as 400 feet. The body was spotted on a lower rooftop from a nearby hotel shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, police said. Whether Denton's partner Gretchen Kalonji was home was not immediately clear. Denton's mother, Carolyn Mabee, in the apartment at the time, said her daughter had been depressed.
WSU
SECURITY REPORT
WEEK ENDING JUNE 24, 2006
June 21, 2006: An emergency medical squad adn campus security guards responded to Maxwell Hall at 9:45 a.m. concerning an individual having chest pains. Individual was checked by medical technicins but not taken to the hospital.
June 20, 2006: Security guards responded to a trouble alarm in Kryzsko Commons at 4:06 a.m. Nothing found.
June 19, 2006: Ajuvenile was removed from campus at 11:40 p.m. for disorderly behavior.
June 18, 2006: A woman came to the security office at 3:19 a.m. indicating that she was being followed by a drunk man. Security guards made contact with the suspect, who was not a student, and held him for the police. He was ticketed for minor consuming.
June 18, 2006: Security guards removed several juveniles from campus at 5 p.m. for disorderly behavior.
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Arizona college classroms to display flagPHOENIX, Ariz., June 24, 2006 -- The Arizona Legislature passed a law requiring a U.S. flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights to be displayed in every public college classroom in the state. The flags would need to measure three feet wide.
Hutchinson on Independence ticket for governorST. PAUL, Minn., June 24, 2006 -- Public policy consultant Peter Huthinson, a former public=television executive, won the endorsement of the Independence Party for governor. Hutchinson won 90 percent of the vote at the party's state convention. Political activist Pam Ellison was sedcond. Also endorsed:
Maureen Reed for lieutenant governorRobert Fitzgerld, U.S. SenateJohn James, attorney generalLucy Gerold, state auditorMJoel Spoonheim, secretary of state
Background: Races campus people are watching
Audit finds felons in Wisconsin college jobsMADISON, Wis., June 24, 2006 -- Fifteen convicted felons were on the payroll at eight of Wisconsin's technical colleges this spring, two of them as faculty, according to the state Legislative Audit Bureau. The employees included two child molesters and an armed robber. The Audit Bureau said the colleges haven't screened job applicants to determine whether a crimina record relates to the job. State law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of someone's arrest record but prohibits hiring someoine whose record is substantially related to the job. The audit found that one in 866 technical college employees has a conviction record. An earlier audit of the larger University of Wisconsin system found a one in 1,050 ratio.
R.I.P.: Dorothy M. (Roth) PetrasLA CROSSE, Wis., June 24, 2006 -- Death claimed the former co-owner of May's Photo Service, whose Winona store has been a supply point fror generations of college photography students. Dorothy M. Petras died at a La Crosse rehab facility. She and her husband Andy, who died in 2005, owned the May's shops in both La Crosse and Winona.
Ballot taking form as September primaries nearWINONA, Minn., June 24, 2006 -- These are the 2006
races that Winona campus people are watching:
U.S. SENATE
Robert Fitzgerald (Independence): Won his party's endorsment
Mark
Kennedy (Republican): Unchallenged as party's candidate
Amy
Klobuchar (Democrat): Holds party endorsement
GOVERNOR
Mike
Hatch (Democrat): Won his party's endorsement with Judi Dutcher as runnngmate
Peter
Hutchinson (Independence): Won his party's endorsment with Maureen Reed as runningmate
Becky Lourey (Independence): Running in primary with Tim Baylor as runningmate
Sue Jeffers (Republican): Has announced candidacy
Tim
Pawlenty (Republican): Has announced for second term
U.S. HOUSE
Gil
Gutknecht (Republican): Announced for seventh term
Tim
Walz (Democrat): Endorsed candidate
MINNESOTA SENATE
Brenda
Johnson (Republican): Has announced candidacy
Kevin Kelleher (independent): Has announced candidacy
Bob
Kierlin (Republican): Not seeking re-election
Lewis Relman
(Republican): Has announced candidacy
Sharon Ropes
(Democrat): Has won the party endorsement.
MINNESOTA HOUSE
Gene
Pelowski (Democrat): Has won the party endorsement for an 11th term
CITY COUNCIL (2nd Ward) (Near West End)
Gerry
Krage: Announced for re-election
CITY COUNCIL (4th Ward) (East End)
George
Borzyskowski: Announced for re-election
CITY COUNCIL (At-large)
Tim
Breza: Announced for re-election
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Soccer coach quits after badjocks.com photosEVANSTON, Ill., June 23, 2006 -- The women's soccer coach at Northwestern University, Jenny Haigh, resigned in the wake of a hazing scandal involing team members. Haigh, 33, a Minnesota native who played at the University of Wisconsin, said she appreciated the opportunity to have coached five seasons at Northwestern. She did not mention the scandal. Her team was 9-9-1 last season. In May the web site badjocks.com posted photos with freshman players at a party in underwear and T-shirts and blindfolded with hands bound behind their backs. Their bodies were written on in marker with Haigh's name on one player's leg. Several players have been suspended and more disciplinary action is planned.
Background: Northwestern to play short-handed
Police make arrest in rape caseWINONA, Minn,., June 23, 2006 -- A Winona man, on probation for a 2003 rape conviction in Faribault, Minn., was arrested for a rape reported by a woman in an apartment entranceway downtown on June 2. Charged with three counts of rape and one count of assault was Amelioleona Janquese Mitchell, 22. Police said there were three sexual assaults on the woman, who is 19, with a switchblade held to her. Mitchell was held on $100,000 bond. Police said the rape followed cocaine and marijuana bargaining in a prolonged exchange that began in a Third Street alley.
Background: Rape reported in downtown apartment foyer
College trustees split in upping MSUSA feeST. PAUL, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- State college system trustees endorsed a 10 percent increase in student fees to support the troubled Minnesota State University Student Association. The MSUSA fee will go from 39 cents per cedit hour to 43 cents -- or amost $14 a year for a typcial student. The association, a state-level lobbying group, had requested the increased ostensibly to improve services, which have slipped with the association struggling to pay legal expenses of $400,000-plus to settle lawsuits. Association leaders had kept the legal issues secret until news reports in April, which led trustees of the college board into a debate on what otherwise would be a routine issue.
In a 10-4 vote, trustees endorsing the increase were Will Antell, representing 6th Congressional District; Cheryl Dickson, 4th Congressional District; Ivan Dusek, 5th Congressional District; Clarence Hightower, at-large; Carol Ley, representing community college students; Lew Moran, 5th Congressional District; David Olson, at-large; Tom Renier, 8th Congressional District; Christopher Schultz, representing community colleged students; and Ann Curme Shaw, at-large.
Opposed were Duane Benson, Minneapolis, holding an at-large seat; Michael Boulton, representing university students; Ruth Grendahl, 2nd Congressioal District; and David Paskach, at-large.
The trustees voted 11-3 to approve a more modest 3 percentfee increase, from 30 cents per credit hour to 31 cents, for the Minnesota State College Student Association, which represents community college students. Endorsing the MSCSA increase were Will Antell, Cheryl Dickson, Ivan Dusek, Clarence Hightower, Carol Ley, Lew Moran, David Olson, Tom Renier, David Paskach, Christopher Schultz and Ann Curme Shaw. Opposed were Duane Benson, Michael Boulton and Ruth Grendahl.
Background: Student leader: "Too busy" to discuss MSUSA
Background: Comment: MSUSA finances: Why so much?
Background: New revelation: MSUSA legal bills top $400,000
Background: MSUSA seeks 10% student fee hike
Students bristle at "foolish weasels" depictionBOZEMAN, Mont., June 22, 2006 -- Three Montana State University students objected to a prof's painting that depicted them as "foolish weasels." They filed a libel suit. The painting by retired art prof Francis Noel
titled "Six Foolish Weasels and Two Puffed up Suits," with the words "Busted" and "Architectorture," was displayed in the campus art and architecture building after accusations of cheating. The students were later exonerated at a campus hearing. The suit is against Noel and his wife, Joanne Noel, in whose architectture class the students had been accused of cheating. The state attorney general's office, which is defending the ptofs, called the suit frivolous and said it ignores the right to free expression. The students' attorney said there is no protection under the constitution for for humiliating students with false information.
College finance exec fired without fanfareDULUTH, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- The president of Lake Superior College quietly fired the college's finance vice president after an audit found duplicate and inappropriate expenses and the possibility of rigged bidding. Rick Halvorson, at the college 30 years, was suspended last August and fired in November, but college President Kathleen Nelson made no annoucnement about the scandal. Neither was there any report at the time from state Chancellor Jim McCormick in St. Paul. Allegations of misconduct showed up in documents from a legislative audit that surfaced only this week in St Paul. The case now is in the hands of the state attorney general and the county prosecutor. The audit was triggered by an anonymous complaint about. Auditors reporeted that Halvorson owed the colege more than $14,000, of which all but about $2,200 has been repaid.
Lake Superior College is part of the Minensota State Colleges and Unversities system, of which Winona State also is part. Halvorson, vice president for finance and administration for 11 years, was inherited by Kathleen Nelson when she became president of the two-year colege in 1997.
The audit found the college's books in disarray. Four undeposted checks totaling $808, one 14 years old, were found in Halvorson's desk, the audit reported. Also, the report said, Halvorson had overridden some financial controls and put some assistants in charge of contracting even though they didn't understand state law on bidding procedures. One vendor, according to the audit, was a longtime friend who gave Halvorson the keys to a Florida condo and provided tickets to professional sporting events. Also, the audit said, Halvorson requested reimbursement for some expenses he already had placed on his college-issued credit card. The college was charged for retirement parties, an expensive camera for a retiring employee and meals, all without documentation, the audit said. Halvorson also sought reimbursement for airline tickets purchased with frequent flyer miles, the report said. The university president was in the dark on some of Halvorson's expense claims because he himself authorized them or asked a fellow vice president to do so, the report said.
Another problem was that Halvorson allowed the president's allowance account to be tapped without her knowledge, the report said. Also, excessive amounts of cash, averaging $876,000 over five nonths, were left in a checking account. Too, the college did not have a written contract with its main food service vendor, the report said. |
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KATHLEEN
NELSON
Lake Superior College president: She fired financial vice president without announcement
JIM
MCCORMICK
State college chancellor: Mum 'twas the word |
State chancellor pay raise to $286,000ST. PAUL, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- State college system trustees approved a 5 percent pay increase for Chancellor Jim McCormick. He goes from $272,000 to almost $286,000. The chair of the Board of Trustees, Robert Hoffman, praised McCormick for creating "a cohesive, efficient system that delivers academic excellence, meets students' needs for a rich and satisfying higher education experience and primes the economic development pump in cities and towns across Minnesota." The system includes Winona State, Southeast Tech and 30 other colleges. McCormick, 68, was hired in 2001 from the Pennsylvania State University System. where he also was chancellor. His Minnesota contract is through 2010 subject to annual salary reviews.
North Central athletic league courting WSU?WINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- Concerned about member defections, the North Central athletic conference has put out feelers to other colleges, including Winona State. Larry Holstad, athletic director at Winona State, confirmed that Roger Thomas, North Central commissioner, had been in contact. Holstad said Winona State is in no rush to leave the Northern Sun conference but also is willing to look at advantageous opportunities to foster program development. There has been speculation for several years, as the Winona State football program has become a major Division II player, that the Northern Sun isn't sufficiently competitive. This year the Winona State basketball team fanned the speculation by winning the Division II national chamionship. The pending addition of tiny Upper Iowa of Fayette, Iowa, and Mary College of Bismarck, N.D., to the Northern Sun hasn't bolstered perceptions about the league's potency.
The University of Minnesota-Duluth left the Northern Sun for North Central several years, also to fill a void left by other departures. Those departures included North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, and South Dakota State. These are the current members.
NORTH CENTRAL
Augustana
UM-Duluth
MSU-Mankato
Nebraska-Omaha
North Dakota*
South Dakota
St. Cloud State
* Departure pending |
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| NORTHERN SUN
Bemidji State
Concordia of St. Paul
Mary *
MSU-Moorhead
Northern State
Southwest Minnesota
UM-Crookston
Upper Iowa *
Wayne State
Winona State
* Joining next year |
Complicating the situation is discussion at the University of Minnesota-Crookston to leave the Northern Sun to join the Dakota Athletic Conference.
Background: North Dakota leaving Division II
Background: WSU conference move not a new issue |
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LARRY
HOLSTAD
WSU athletic director
| Winona State became an NCAA Division II member in 1995. Holstad consistently as scotched stories that the Warriors are ready for Division I, even with the success of the football team and the 2006 basketball national championship. |
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Candidates venture tepidly onto FacebookBALTIMORE, Md., June 22, 2006 -- While self-revaltions about ribald collegiate lifestyles on the Facebook social-networking site have been the undoing of student political figures, some big-time politicians have ventured onto the site with personal pages. Maryland gubernatorial hopeful Martin O'Malley, a Democrat who is mayor of Baltimore, lists U2 and his own Celtic-rock band as his favorites. A rival candidate Doug Duncan, also a Democrat, lists his favorite movies as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and the Kevin Kline comedy "Dave." Neither discusses dating, drugs or sex.
Feds nix help for debt-drowning college gradsWASHINGTON, June 22, 2006 --The U.S. Education Department has rejected a proposal to help low-income college-loan borrowers with unmanageable federal student-loan debt. James Manning, acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education, said new rules are not necessary. In a letter to the Project on Student Debt, which had asked for a review of the rules on behalf of students, parents and college officials, Manning said: "We regulate only if absolutely necessary and then in the most flexible, most equitable, and least burdensome way possible. We have decided that the rule-making process proposed in your petition is not consistent with those principles at this time." The Project on Student Debt had complained that rules for borrowers who are unemployed or in otgher economic hardship are "inconsistent, confusing, and contradictory" and do "not provide clear and meaningful protections to borrowers who make good-faith efforts to meet their obligations."
Investigation continues into SMU fireWINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- Although arson is suspected, the cause of a fire that destroyed 130-year-old Cotter Hall at St. Mary's University remains a mystery. Fire Inspector Larry Strange said that inspectors are trying to eliminate possible accidental causes. Some issues need to be resolved before a final determination, Strange said. He declined to be specific. There was no electrical hookups to the building, a former mansion-conversion that had been used as a dorm. In recent years the bulding had been used for storage.
Background: Fire destroys historic SMU building
Virginia tracks sex-offenders applying for collegeRICHMOND, Va., June 22, 2006 -- A staet law has gone into effect requiring Virginia colleges to submit personal information about anyone applying for admission to the state police to be checked against registries of sex offenders. The law, passed by the last Legislature, did not specify whether sex offenders should be barred from admission. The law does not apply to already-enrolled students because of restrictions in federal privacy regulations
WSU counselor offers tips on efficient job helpWINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- The chief job counselor at Winona State University, Vicki Decker, discussed "visioning" to address staffing and budget problems at a meeting of the Minnesota College and University Career Services Association.
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North Carolina athletics "gaming" the systemRALEIGH, N.C., June 22, 2006 -- A new policy approved by the North Carolina Legislature to offer in-state tuition discounts for gifted out-of-state students on full scholarships, in effect to increasing the number of scholarships for bright students with scholary promise, is instead being used mostly to attract varsity athletes, the newspaper the Charlotte News & Observer reported. Of $5.2 million for the program, $3.4 million is going to jocks, the newspaper said. The newspaper cited data from the state university system. The biggest beneficiaries of the program are athletic departments and booster clubs, which are making their scholarship dollars go further. Legislators were flabbergasted at the newspaper report of what's happened. "It's a giveaway that should not be given away," said State Rep. George Cleveland, R-Jacksonville, who had sponsored the tuition discounts in the Legislature. "People have figured out how to game the system."
SMU hires recruiter chief for Winona campusWINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- A 1978 St. Mary's grad, Karen Sullivan, has been appointed to the new university position of Winona campus admissions director. Vice President Tony Piscitiello said that Sullivan, a Winona native, knows the Chicago market well, which should strengthen recruiting. Earlier she was in student recruitment Mac Cormac Junior College, Barat College, and Mallinckrodt College in the Chicago area. Also, Piscitiello said that Sullivan knows international markets. Most recently Sullivan has been admissions director for the Cotter Catholic schools in Winona. In the late 1970s she was assistant admissions director at the now-defunct College of St Teresa in Winona.
RECENT DAYS IN THE CITY
POSTED JUNE 22, 2006
BIKE PATH. The city will seek bids for a $615,000 bike path dropping under Highway 61 near Fleet Farm for East End middle-school students.
City engineer Brian DeFrang said the path eventually will conect to Lake Winona.
SCHOOL PAY. The School Board gave Superintendent Paul Durand a $3,000 raise, to $125,000, after a two-year performance review. Durand was a key in voter approval of a tax increase last November to address major financial problems.
BODY BAGS. Southeast Minnesota hospitals and agencies are planning to buy as many as 3,000 body bags to handle a bird flu epidemic if it occurs. Bob Bilder, Winona County emergency management coordinator, said bags would cost $10 to $60 each, depending on whether zippers of sandwich bag-like closures are used. Winona-based tarp manufacturer Canamer is a possible supplier.
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Dixie Chicks tap law prof as bloggerSAN DIEGO, Calif., June 22, 2006 -- When his law students ask prof Junichi Semitsu how he spent the summer, he can say he hung out with the Dixie Chicks. Semitsu, of the University of San Diego, is the official blogger for the country-music group's rearranged-to-include-Euorpe summer tour. And he's on salary. Semitsu was asked to do the blog for his track record with his own blog Poplicks.
WSU hosts Elderhostel Shakespeare eventWINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- An Elderhostel event at Winona State University will include a lecture of "Romeo and Juliet" by the staff of the Great River Shakespeare Festival, organizer Pauline Christensen said. The event, limited to registrants 55 and older, includes a July 9 matine performance.
Contact: Pauline Christensen at (507) 452-6152
NCAA: Some coaches abusing text-messagingINDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 22, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association is on to coaches who use text-messaging to skirt restrictions on unfair telephone contacts with recruits. An NCAA committee has recommended a limit on text messaging between with recruits. Currently the NCAA has no rules restricting how often coaches can send notes via cell phone. The committee has recommended text-messaging be allowed onky between 4 and 8 p.m. weekdays and between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekends to avoid times when high-school recruits should be in class.
Background: Oklahoma on NCAA probation list for phone calls
Prof discusses controls on river organic matterWINONA, Minn., June 22, 2006 -- A Winona State University biology prof, Mike Delong, gave an invited presentation, "Transported Organic Matter in Large Floodplain Rivers: Evidence of Hydrological Controls," at the annual meeting of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography in Victoria, B.C.ÊThe presentation included research done by biology students in the Large Rivers Study Center at the university.
North Dakota to leave NCAA Division IIGRAND FORKS, N.D., June 21, 2006 -- The University of North Dakota, which already plays Division I in some varsity sports, announced it will shift its remaining athletic programs to Division I the year after next. This will take North Dakota out of the Division II North Central Conference. The North Dakota decision prompted quick speculation that rival University of South Dakota, also a North Central member, might also move to Division I. That would leave the conference with five members, one less than needed to be recognized by National Collegiate Athletic Association as a league:
AugustanaUM-DuluthMSU-MankatoNebraska-OmahaSt. Cloud State
Kasson sprinter to run for WSUWINONA, Minn., June 21, 2006 -- JA perennial state track qualifier, sprinter Jennifer Bradford of Kasson, Minn., has signed documents to enroll at Winona State, university track coach Mason Rebarchek said. This year Bradford qualified in the state Class A qualifier in the 400-meter run and 4x400 relay. Twice she has been named to all-state team, twice to the academic all-state team, and thrice to the all-conference team. Here are Rebarchek's fall recruits, all frosh, with their high-schoool accomplishments:
| Chelsey Brown | Throws | Appleton, Wis. (North) | 4th in Division I shot put state championships, second in conference shot put championships; PR 40-3 shot put, 114 discus. | | Jennifer Bradford | Long sprints | Kasson, Minn. | 2006 Class A state qualifier in 400-meter run and 4x400 relay, 2004 Class A state qualifier 200 and 400 meters, 2004 fifth-place state finisher 400 meters, 2005 Class A state qualifier 400 meters, 2005 sixth-place state finisher 400 meters, two-time all-state, two-time academic all-state, three-time all-conference, two-time team captain | | Steph Smith | Mid-distance | Marshfield, Wis. | Member of 4x800 relay, ran 1,600 meters in 5:34.55.
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Early signees:
| | Allie Glasbrenner | Distance | Cassville, Wis. | Selected for Footlocker cross country championships in 2002 and 2004, 2002 Division 3 state champion, all-state 2002, fourth in 2003 state meet, 16th in 2005 state meet, three-time sectional champion, three-time conference champion (cross country); state 1600 runnerup 2005, third in 1600, fifth in 800 and seventh in 3200 in state meet 2004, sectional champion in 800, 1600 and 3200, two-time conference champion in 800, 1600 and 3200 (track and Field). | | Jessica Prange | Jumps/sprints | Elkhart Lake, Wis. | Academic high honor roll; seventh in triple jump in 2004 state meet, eighth in long jump and 4th in 4x100 relay in 2005 state meet, conference place finishes: 4x100 relay -- third 2003, fourth 2004, fourth 2005; Long jump -- sixth 2003, 3rd 2004, 8th 2005, triple jump -- sixth 2003, fifth 2005, 100 dash -- third 2004. |
Penn pulls out of genocide-related investmentsPHILADELPHIA, Pa., June 21, 2006 -- The University of Pennsylvania will bar investments of its endowment assets in seven oil companies operating in Sudan as well as in obligations of the Sudanese government. University President Amy Gutmann said the Baord of Trustees made the decision is a response to the genocide in the Darfur region. The investment restrictions are aimed at:
| BentiniHigleig
Hi-Tech Petroleum
Nam Fatt |
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Oil & Natural Gas Corp.
PetroChina
Sinopec |
Gutman said the managers of commingled funds in which the university invests will be instructed to avoid association with the companies
Background: Washington regents: No Sudan investments
Former WSU dean now Wesleyan interim president| LINCOLN, Neb., June 21, 2006 -- A former liberal arts dean at Winona State University, Joe Gow, has been appointed interim president at Nebraska Wesleyan. Gow had been provost and dean of the arts and sciences at Wesleyan since leaving Winona State in 2004. At Wesleyan, Gow replaces Jeanie Watson, who is retiring, while a search for a permanent new president is conducted. Gow holds a doctorate in speech communication from Pennsylvania State University and other degrees from the University of Alabama and Penn State in communication and journalism. |
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JOE
GOW
Second year at Nebraska Wesleyan |
Former WSU dean a Colorado-Pueblo presidency finalist| PUEBLO, Colo., June 21, 2006 -- A former liberal arts dean at Winona State University, Jonathan Lawson, is among four finalists for president of 14,000-enrollment Colorado State-Pueblo. Lawson, 63, now heads doctoral programs in educational leadership at Idaho State University. Earlier he was Idaho State's academic vice president for nine years. Lawson was named liberal arts dean at Winona State in 1981. He left in 1983 to become senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. |
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JONATHAN
LAWSON
Now at Idaho State |
Heavy-handed Iowa campus management?DES MOINES, Iowa, June 21, 2006 -- The Iowa legislature announced an inquiry into whether micromanagement by the Iowa Board of Regents has driven away top university officials. Departing recently have been the president of the University of Iowa, David Skorton, who went to Cornell, and the university's athletics director, Bob Bowlsby, who went to Stanford.
Lemonade? Trinkets? Your choice at WSUWINONA, Minn., June 21, 2006 -- Through lemonade and trinkets, school-age children at Maxwell Children's Center at Winona State University are learning how to pick a product, decide the best location and price, market the product, and make the biggest profit. Three lemonade stands are going up Thursday on campus. Freezies and handmade keychains are available in front of Somsen Hall, handmade magnets and keychains at the aluni gazebo, and handmade keychains and picnic weights outside Kryzsko Commons. Proceeds will go to Ready, Set, School! program.
Date: Thursday, June 22
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Place: Somsen main stairs, alumni gazebo, outside Kryzsko Commons
Cost: 75 cents glass, $1 trinkets
Contact: Melinda Reinardy |
Prosecutor's Fitzy file three inches thickWINONA, Minn., June 19, 2006 -- The defense attorney for John Michael Fitzgerald, a Winona State University student charged with tying up and beating a Winona couple with a cue stick, is expected to try to suppress a statement taken from Fitzgerald during his two-day jail stay. County prosecutor Chuck MacLean said he understands that Fitzgerald's attorney, Richard Bowen of St. Paul, will argue that Fitzgerald said he didn't want to talk after waiving his constitutional Miranda of rights not to talk. "The Miranda-ized statement taken after his arrest had some words from Mr. Fitzgerald," MacLean said, that Bowen would like excluded as evidence. The issue will be debated July 20.
Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams will be put on the stand at the July 20 hearing to report how he interviewed Fitzgerald, MacLean said. It's an officer's responsibility to catch people who they believe committed a crime. MacLean said that his job in questioning Williams under oath is to convince the judge that Fitzgerald knowingly and willingly gave his statement.
MacLean has three inches of stuffed binders of evidence. It was after receiving a copy that Bowen called MacLean to discuss asking the judge for more time so he could review the evidence. MacLean aceded to the request, noting that statements from the police, audio recordings of the interviews and their transcriptions had been added to the case. Judge Margaret Johnson then granted the delay.
How long could the case drag on? MacLean said that although Fitzgerald's next court date is in July, the issue of the admisisbility of his police statement could extend until November. After the July hearing, MacLean noted the attorneys probably would be given 30 days to each write a summary of their arguments for the judge. The judge then would have 90 days to decide on admissibility. At that point, MacLean said, Fitzgerald could opt for a "speedy trial," which means an additional 60 days. But Fitzgerald could choose a normal lengthier course for the proceedings, whiuch MacLean said is not uncommon for a defendant, like Fitzgerald, who is out of jail on bond.
A factor in sentencing can be remorse. In an earlier hearing, MacLean had argued for high bail for Fitzgerald, in whom Maclean said he had "detected no remorse" except for being caught. In a wide-ranging, sometimes philosophical interview last week, MacLean was asked to clarify how he sees remorse. There is no legal definition, MacLean said: "Justice is an equation that is qualitative" He said that remorse is but one of many factors he considers as a prosecutor. Others, he said, are whether planning was involved the crime, whether the crime was a random act, the particular cruelty of the crime, the weapon used, and chemical dependency. Ultimately, MacLean said, remorse is the "amenability to turn around their life," using their encounter with the law as a pivot, and making themselves safe to society.
Meanwhile, a second man accused in the beating, Drew Steinquist, 19, of Winona, remains in jail in lieu of $200,000 bond. They are accused of breaking into a home on Second Street in quest of a stolen box containing drugs and cash. In the house, a husband and wife, in their 50s, who had nothing to do with the stolen box, were tied up and beaten for more than an hour. Their injuries had them hospitalized in critical condition. They have since returned home. |
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CHUCK
MACLEAN
Prosecutor says justice relies on sensing a defendant's remorse
JOHN
MICHAEL
FITZGERALD
Aware of his right to remain silent after arrest? |
Reporter: Kai Oehler
Background: Hearing delayed in Fitzy beating case
Jimmy John's sub shop opening on ThirdWINONA, Minn., June 20, 2006 -- A 1996 Winona State University grad, Chris McClellan, and a couple of buddies are opening a Jimmy John's sandwich shop franchise next to Rascals, a college bar, on East Third Street downtown. They'll be living their work. They plan to live in an upstairs apartment. McClellan's partners are his brother Ben and friend Troy Finnegan, who are all relocating from the Twin Cities. Remodeling of their building is a July and August project, he said. They'll begin spreading mayo on multi-grain buns in September. Does Winona need yet another sandwich shop? Said McClellan: "Winona needs a Jimmy John's." The franchise cultivates an irreverent and offbeat attitude that resonates with a college crowd, plus the sandwiches taste great at a great value, he said.
The Jimmy John's brand was launched in 1983 by Jimmy John Liaustaud in Champaign, Ill., in a $200-a-month storefront. He got the attention of college students on the street right away by passing out free sandwiches. Today there are 300-plus shops. Minnesota has 31 shops, mostly in the Twin Cities. The company claims sales at seven of corporate-owned units average $800,000. |
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SANDWICH SHOP BRAND
Sassy with attitude |
Mayor: Drop Huff underpass from city budgetWINONA, Minn., June 19, 2006 -- Mayor Jerry Miller wants to delete the Huff Street underpass proposal from the 2007 city budget. Listing money for a four-lane dip under the Canadian Pacific tracks is presumptuous without voter approval first for a sales tax increase for the project and other street improvements, Miller said. The sales tax, a one-half percent hike, is on the November ballot. At a budget review meeting Miller said he didn't want "boxed into" the Huff project without public approval. There has been opposition from merchants near Winona State University who could be adversely affected by the project. Miller said listing the project in the budget suggests the sales tax increases is a done deeed. It's not, he said. No action was taken at the meeting, which was held for discussion purposes.
Sorensen was firm about keeping the Huff Street project in the budget, which is listed at $2.5 million for engineering. The project, expected to cost $15.1 million, already has funding commitments from Congress. Winona State has committed tentatively to build pedestrian tunnels under the tracks as part of the overall project.
Miller expressed concern about whether Huff merits being the city's next major street project. The mayor acknowledged traffic delays at Huff caused by through-trains, which move at 40 mph, but local switching operations down the tracks at Main, Franklin and Mankato create more delays, he said.
Background:
Huff underpass in city budget draft |
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| BUDGET
ITEMS
In the budget draft:
Airport runway extension, %175,000.
Second slinger truck to haul sewage sludge to outlying farm fields, $155,000.
Three police cars on the usual acquistion rotation.
Replacement van to take backup firefighters and equipment to fires, $110,000.
Carpeting and windows at the public library. $86,000.
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Colleges urged to rethink travel safety policiesWASHINGTON, June 19, 2006 -- Colleges can do a better job of ensuring student safety on bus and van trips to athletic contests and other events, according to a new report. The American Council on Education, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and United Educators Insurance recommended employing only experienced drivers and prohibiting students from driving large numbers of passengers. Myles Brand, NCAA president, said: "As we benefit from increased mobility, we must refocus on safety." Brand recommended that college administrators re-evaluate their transportation safety policies.
 | LINO LAKES STATE PEN
In Anoka County, Minn. |
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| JUDE WILSON HALTER
Current prison mug shots |
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WSU rapist enters fourth prison yearLINO LAKES, Minn., June 19, 2006 -- A serial rapist who roamed the Winona State University neighborhood for victims in July 2000, Jude Wilson Halter, now 31, is halfway through his prison sentence. The state Corrections Department lists Halter's anticipated release date as Feb. 2, 2009, with ongoing supervision. His full sentence was 10 years and nine months, but it could go to 2019 for bad conduct in prison.
In arguing for a stiff sentence in 2003, county prosecutor Chuck MacLean said Halter had said he still was dwelling on the assaults and masturbating to the point of bruising himself. Said MacLean: "The state's goal is to punish him for what happened and to deter further occurrences." Besides the July 2000 incidents, Halter has been linked to other sex crimes near Winona State and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He was arrested in his car in Eau Claire in 2002, semen on the floor, minutes after a woman reported waking to an intruder in her bedroom. The semen linked him to the earlier Winona rapes.
Halter, who had been a Winona State computer science student, was convicted in 2003 of two Winona assaults during an incident-filled summer three years earlier. At the sentencing, one victim was quoted as being handcuffed to her bed at gunpoint and raped, Halter ejaculating twice and then, cruelly, wishing her a happy Fourth of July. He had cut a screen to get into her bedroom. Another woman who woke up and screamed, scaring Halter off, said in her statement: "The thought of what Jude could have done to me if I hadn't kicked or screamed is traumatic." MacLean said Halter told one victim that he had been watching her all night and was glad she left her window open.
Halter called himself a "night crawler" in statements to police. To the judge, MacLean said campuses were "prowling grounds" for Halter who should be banned from campuses forever. Halter's defense attorney, Jeff DeGree: sought leniency, blaming sexual abuse as a child. Halter's wife, Andrea, said prison was not the answer: "I don't think that locking a person up for a few years will cure this problem." She suggested therapy.
Background:
Judge: Don't even think of an appeal
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HALTER 2000
WSU student ID photo
HALTER 2002
Winona police mug shots
LINO LAKES
STATE PRISON
Opened in 1963 forjuveniles, the prison was remodeled inn 1978 as a Level 3 medium-security facility for adult males. Inmates are housed inside a secure perimeter. A Level 1 minimum-security unit is outside the perimeter. Inmate population: 1,300.
The facility is a treatment center for sex offenders and provides pre-release programming. A chemical-dependency program includes a 290-bed therapeutic community. Educational and vocational classes are offered.
Lino Lakes is site of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a faith-based program funded and operated by the national Prison Fellowship. |
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| MASTER-PLANNING THE FUTURE |
Consultants: Johnson Street as new Winona coreWINONA, Minn., June 18, 2006 -- A grand avenue linking regal Somsen Hall at Winona State University with the river front is envisioned in a consultants' plan for comprehensive redevelopment of downtown and the Mississippi riverfront. URS consultants unveiled their recommendations at a public meeting with an emphasis on Johnson Street as a 10-block "avenue of continuity." The street has historical and cultural significance, including Somsen Hall, the public library and Levee Park. The plan would change Johnson from a backstreet corridor for Winona State students to stagger home from the bars. Prominent on Johnson now are Schyde's drinkery, Brothers bar and after-hours eatery Hardee's.
Other recommendations:
Theater District. Encourage a theater and art district as part of a convention and conference center off Johnson Street near the river.Center Street. Develop this street as a restaurant district stretching from downtown.Courthouse. Restore green space around the courthouse four blocks to the river, with room for new government buildings as time goes on.Looping trails. Build walking and bicycling trails that connect parks and activity centers, including one from Winona Middle School near Homer to the downtown riverfront.Downtown rezoning. Eliminate the light-industrial zoning category in the downtown and riverfront area.Riverfront rail spurs. Streets that now deadend at riverfront railroad tracks, factories and warehouses need to be extended to an expanded river recreational area.
Background: Huff underpass in city budget draft
Background: WSU's Manifest Destiny: Onward to Lake Winona
Background: Wilkie sealed as unsafe
Background: Daily News: Raze the Wilkie
WSU profs urged to order texts on-campusWINONA, Minn., June 19, 2006 -- Addressing a growing faculty boycott of the Winona State University bookstore for ordering textbooks, liberal arts Dean Troy Paino wrote a letter to profs who are favoring the privately owned Book Shelf across the street to also place orders with the campus store. Paino said the university has no problem with profs ordering through the Book Shelf, but, he added, it is "critically important" to place orders also with the campus store. Otherwise, some students with loans and other particular financial situations, as well as others, will have problems acquiring books, Paino said. He offered these reasons:
Students who use financial aid for textbooks must charge their books against a university account.High school students in dual-enrollment programs also must charge textbooks against a university account.The campus store, unlike outside stores, is obligated to find alternative format textbooks for disabled students.Students waiting for bank loans for textbooks must go through the campus bookstore.Students with a gift card for textbooks must use them at the campus store.Students with a "textbook reservation" agreement to charge a parent's credit card can do so only at the campus store.
Paino said he understands that some profs have "honorable goals" in placing orders directly with the Book Shelf, citing the idea of supporting an independently owned bookstore and saving students money. He noted, though, that bypassing the campus store not only creates problems for some students but serves no purpose: "The WSU Bookstore sends all electronically generated orders directly to the Book Shelf when they are received," he said. "All paper copies of orders are manually distributed to The Bookshelf." Also, Paino told profs: "If you want to support a locally owned bookstore, please also advise your students that the WSU Bookstore is owned and operated by the university and all funds from sales support our campus." |
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TROY
PAINO
WSU liberal arts dean |
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