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2005 NEWS
Jan. 3-9
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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

PHOTOGRAPHER: CHRIS WARRINGTON
Stacy Smith ambulance

INSIDE THE AMBULANCE
Rescuers try desperately to revive Stacy Smith after pulling the Winona State University student's body from a pre-dawn apartment fire. The case now is being investigated as a double murder.


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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

Police: Gordon took train to Detroit

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 8, 2005 -- On the morning that Stacy Smith, 29, and her daughter Taylor, 10, were murdered, a drug-dealer now being questioned about the deaths bordered the Empire Builder in Winona for Chicago and then took another train on to Detroit, his hometown, police said. The train, the first out of Winona in the morning, left about six hours after firefighters were summoned to Sugar Loaf Apartments, where the bodies of Smith and her daughter were found. The depot is three blocks from the Sarnia Street apartments.

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Gordon, 21, was arrested Tuesday at the Tijuana border crossing in California. Border agents had been alerted by FBI complaint that he was wanted in Minnesota on drug-related charges. On Halloween Gordon had been arrested in Winona with, according to police, 12 plastic bags of cocaine. Charges included terroristic threats against the arresting officers. Gordon also was charged early in December with beating a Winona man with a pistol over a drug transaction.

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From Detroit, police said, Gordon left a trail that led to a Lompoc, Calif., motel where he spent time with a girl friend on Dec. 28. Why he was in Mexico is unclear. Lompoc, 200 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, is almost a full day's drive from Tijuana. Gordon was arrested Jan. 4 returning to the United States as a pedestrian at the San Ysidro border station.

Background: Report: Murder victim was pregnant


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QUICK
SPORTS
JAN. 8, 2005
BASKETBALL (MEN'S): Bemidji State 94, WSU 77. St. John's 83. SMU 71.

BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S): WSU 45, Bemidji State 42, St. Benedict 65, SMU 54.

GYMNASTICS (WOMEN'S): UW-Oshkosh (1st), UW-Eau Claire (2nd), UW-Oshkosh Invitational: WSU 121.636 (3rd).

HOCKEY (MEN'S): SMU 2, Milwaukee Engineering 1.



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Dorm jobs opening for fall

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 8, 2005 -- The selection of student supervisors for Winona State University dorms begins Jan. 13 with an informational meeting at Kryzsko Commons. Upper-division students are eligible for the jobs, which primarily are for enforcing quiet-hour rules and disciplining frosh. Supervisors receive free room and board and a weekly allowance.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13
Time: 8 p.m.
Place: Kryzsko Commons
Cost: Free

Reporter: Lisa Michaels

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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

Report: Murder victim was pregnant

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 8, 2005 -- A Winona State University student who, along with her 10-year-old daughter, was murdered Dec. 16 was pregnant, according to a police affadavit. The document, filed in court, said friends told police that Stacy Smith, 29, had been dating Paul Allen Gordon, 21, for two to three months. The friends were quoted that Smith had learned Gordon had a pregnant girlfiend and wanted him to pay $3,000 for an abortion. Gordon since has been arrested in California on charges unrelated to the murders and is being returned to Winona for questioning. The revelation about the pregnancy raises the possibility of a third homicide charge. The affadvavit containing the new information was filed in support of a search warrant for a log of calls on Gordon's cell phone.

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According to the affadavit, police found Gordon's cell phone in the bedroom of Smith's fourth-grade daughter, Taylor Swanson, which was ravaged by the same arson-set fire that killed Smith on Dec. 16. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reporetd that Smith had been placing 50 to 100 call a day to Gordon before the murders, mostly leaving messages. According to the affadavit, the phone had been purchased for Gordon by another Winona man. The document identified Gordon as a Detroit gang member and drug dealer.

Background: Mayor: Most Winona crime drug-linked


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College role seen as creativity incubator

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 8, 2005 -- An arts sociologist, Neill Archer Roan, will speak at Winona State Univesrity on the role of the arts in the emerging economy. Roan is known for his view that individuals need to be "knowledge workers" as well as "creative workers." Roan decries the shift in higher-ed toward skills and away from the arts: "A keen grasp of aesthetics, particularly a strategic understanding of how beauty manages evidence of excellence, is a key competitive strategy among peoples and nations."
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 11
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Main Stage, Performing Arts Center
Cost: Free


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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

Mayor: Most Winona crime drug-linked

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 8, 2005 -- After the double murder at Sugar Loaf Apartments, Mayor Jerry Miller said police did everything right to solve the case and to see that justice is done. This has included tracking fugitive drug figure Paul Allen Gordon, 21, to California for questioning and his arrest at the Tijuana border. In an interview, Miller characterized the deaths as tied up in the Winona drug scene. Eighty percent of Winona's violent crime is connected to drug trafficking and drug and alcohol, he said. Dead in the Sugar Loaf murders are Stacy Smith, 29, a Winona State University psychology major, and her 10-year-old daughter. Police say someone tried to cover up the murders by setting their apartment on fire.

Jerry Miller

JERRY
MILLER

Too much drugs

Background: California judge: Come get Gordon

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Senate unit OKs Spellings for cabinet

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2005 -- The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously recommended that Margaret Spellings be confirmed as secretary of education. Her nomination by President Bush now goes to the full Senate. At the committee hearing Spellings promised additional resources for Pell grants. She said Pell grants should be available for year-round study, not just the traditional nine-month school year. "We need to break down barriers in higher-education financing," she said.

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Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., pressed Spellings about the $4 billion shortfall in the Pell program, She responded that the administration is looking to Congress to find increased funds, but she was not specific. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked about last month's change in the Pell formula that reduces eligibility for Pell grants. Spellings said it was Congress that required the change, which she called unfortunate. Spellings acknowledged that the revised change formula will mean as many as 90,000 students will lose "some level of aid."

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What about funding for the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership, which gives a federal dollar for each dollar that states commit to need-based aid -- a program that President Bush has targeted to eliminate? Spellings, one of Bush's closet advisers, declined to say more than that senators will need to wait to see the President's budget for 2006.

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Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., asked whether Spellings might try to use the No Child Left Behind law as a template to make colleges more accountable for student perfromance. Spellings was a chief architects of the No Child Left Behind law, but to Kennedy's specific question about disparities in college retention rates among demographic groups, Spellings responded that the government needs better information on graduation rates and retention. "I'm not fully confident that we have much truth in advertising" in higher-ed, she said.

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Committee Republicans tossed softball questions to Spellings, although Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., warned that visa delays and decreased government spending on higher-ed are threatening the United States' economic dominance. Alexander called colleges "our secret weapon for job growth," adding that the vitality of colleges is being undermined. Alexander was education secretary under President George H.W. Bush.

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Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y, asked whether Spellings would support the education department's proposal to require colleges to provide the government with enrollment dates, student-aid levels, and graduation dates for individual students. Clinton expressed concerns about student privacy. Spellings said she would look into it the issue.

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Spellings told the committee that more focus needs to be paid to community colleges, which she called "our first line of providers for training and job retraining."

Background: Pell eligibility slashed
Background: Hickok leaves Bush administration


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QUICK
SPORTS
JAN. 7, 2005
BASKETBALL (MEN'S): WSU 85, UM-Crookston 61.

BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S): UM-Crookston 82, WSU 48,

GYMNASTICS (WOMEN'S): UW-Oshkosh (1st), UW-Eau Claire (2nd), UW-Oshkosh Invitational: WSU 121.636 (3rd).

HOCKEY (MEN'S): Milwaukee Engineering 4, SMU 1.

HOCKEY (WOMEN'S): UW-Eau Claire, SMU 0.



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WSU joins tsunami relief effort

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 7, 2005 -- Campus fund-raising has begun at Winona State University for the Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy, said Terri Markos, who heads the campus office for international students. Markos called on everyone to contribute: "Imagine the possible impact if every WSU employee and every WSU student who had a job either on or off campus gave the equivalent of one hour's pay." Donations are being taken at Markos' office in Kryzsko Commons and at the university cashier's office in Somsen Hall. Cash or personal checks to UNICEF, designating tsunami relief in the memo line, will be accepted, she said.

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RECENT
DAYS
IN THE CITY

POSTED
JAN. 7, 2005


EARLIER
NEWS
BYE, BYE, ECONO. Grocery chain Nash Finsh will close its Winona Econo Foods on Jan. 22. Executives had planned to shut the store last June but gave it one last chance. The staff, inventory and the customer base have shrunk since the opening of the flashier Hy-Vee and now Wal-Mart. Earlier story

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COUNTY MARKET. Remodeling at the County Market grocery in the Winona Mall is for for a pharmacy and liquor store, owner Tommy Thompson said. The pharmacy and liquor store had been at Econo Foods.

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NO DEICER. An ice storm resulted in a run on salt and deicer. Every Winona store sold out.

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ICE WARNING. Most of Lake Winona is covered by six inches of ice, which makes it safe for fishing and skating, the Park-Rec Department said. Signs have been posted at open water and soft areas near aerators that provide oxygen to fish.



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Gay prof shares WSU outing saga

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 7, 2005 -- In audience dialogue after the gay-themed "Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" on a Winona State University stage, comm-studies prof Dan Lintin told of his experience outing himself as gay. Lintin, at Winona State 11 years, has been out for seven years. "I can count on one hand how many people I told the first year," said Lintin. When he informed his department colleagues, he said, he felt very accepted. "I always feel a sense of nervousness when I out myself to new people," said Lintin.

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Lintin said he feels safe on campus and also in the Winona community but not always in his home town, La Crosse, Wis. "I guard myself more in La Crosse," said Lintin. "There are more safety issues there." Homophobes at Winona State tend to hold back, he said. He cited scenes in "Fab Story" with two gay and lesbian couples kissing. The audience was taken aback, said Lintinm, adding: "I think there are people on this campus who are homophobic but at the same time are not vociferous."


Dan Lintin

DAN
LINTIN

Winona homophobes don't act out much

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Homophobia does show itself much at Winona State, however, he said. Five years, Lintin said he found graffiti all over his office door. Although it was the only overt discrimination he experienced at the university, it had impact: "I look over my shoulder a few more times when I'm on campus because of that incident."

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Lintin said he hadn't shared the view of "Fab Story" faculty director Antonia Krueger that the play wouldn't stir controversy. "I thought there could be protesters after the play's first production," said Lintin. Krueger was right. There were no protests.

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The post-play dialogue involved mostly cast members. Linton was asked to participate, as well as his partner Mike, who declined to give his last name, and Antonia Krueger, the play's director. The purpose, said Krueger, was us to help educate and to expose gays and lesbian issues in the Winona community.

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Besides teaching, Lintin is involved in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Allies group at Winona State. "We are trying to expose the campus to more issues that affect gays and lesbians," said Lintin. He says that gradually more and more is being done in society to make gays and lesbians a more acceptable thing to see among straight people. Lintin has no regrets letting his co-workers or students know of his sexual orientation. "It's always a little uncomfortable at first, but it's good to be out," said Lintin.

Reporter: Liz Wagner
Background: WSU play puts gays in Bible story


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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

California judge: Come get Gordon

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Jan. 6, 2005 -- A man wanted for questioning in the slaying of Winona State University student Stacy Smith and her daughter waived his right to resist extradition back to Minnesota. The court ordered Paul Allen Gordon, 21, held without bond pending the arrival of Winona authorities to take custody. There is a 19-day window for picking him up. Gordon was stopped at the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing on late Tuesday afternoon and held at a San Diego County jail.

Police knew that Paul Allen Gordon had made his way to the West Coast after the the murders of Stacy Smith and her daughter Taylor Swanson, County Attorney Chuck McLean said. Border agents had Gordon on a list when he tried to go through a pedestrian line to re-enter the United States. At the border, agents confirmed Winona County's warrants in cocaine and assault cases.

Background: Border agents nab Gordon
Background: Gordon's Arkansas attorney in the dark


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ALCOHOL-
RELATED
CONVICTIONS

Winona
County
District
Court

JAN, 3,
2005
Chad Edward Brommerich, 20, Route 4, Box 234A, $265.

Complete court log


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Idaho college drops varsity sports

REXBURG, Idaho, Jan. 6, 2005 -- About 1,500 students are participating in the new athletics program at Brigham Young Univerity-Idaho, which has dropped intercollegiate sports. Before BYU-Idaho dropped varsity sports, it had 268 varsity athletes and was eligible for NCAA Division II membership. David Bednar, the univeristy president who presided over the change, said the intramural program operates at a fraction of the cost and involves four times as many students. Said Devin Shaum, director of the program: "The strength of the activities program is in the doing, not the viewing."

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Lourdes alarm inadvertantly set off

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 5, 2005 -- A janitorial crew at Winona State University's Lourdes dorm activated a smoke detector in a second-floor stairwell about 3 p.m. Firefighters were called, but there was no fire.

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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

Gordon's Arkansas attorney in the dark

BENTONVILLE, ARK., Jan. 5, 2005 -- The Bentonville attorney representing Paul Allen Gordon, now wanted in several Winona, Minn., cases, said he had no idea that Gordon had ever left Arkansas for Winona. In an interview with the Winona Daily News, William Blair Brady said he had expected to make contact with Gordon ahead of a scheduled Feb. 10 hearing on a Bentonville rape charge. Gordon, 21, had spent the fall in Winona, where he had two serious run-ins with the law, one involving cocaine and the other a drug-related assault. Since Dec. 21 Gordon has been wanted too for questioning in the slaying of Winona State University student Stacy Smith and her fourth-grade daughter. The Winona Daily News quoted Brady about Gordon: ""He was living in Arkanasas for a period of time, but he's from Detroit. I don't know of any contact or connection that he has in your town."

Background: Mexico border agents nab Gordon


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QUICK
SPORTS
JAN. 5, 2005
BASKETBALL (MEN'S): Gustavus Adolphus 74, SMU 57.

BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S): SMU 60, Gustavus Adolphus 55,



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2005 LEGISLATURE

Colleges press for new funding

ST. PAUL Minn., Jan. 4, 2005 -- The 2005 Legislature convened with big-buck funding requests from the University of Minnesota, a 11 percent increase to $1.3 billion over the next two years, and the MnSCU system, 5.4 percent, also to $1.3 billion. Observers say there is legislative support to increase higher-ed funding to catch up on the current biennium's major cuts. There are doubts, though, that Gov. Tim Pawlenty will go along. The governor has been adamant that there will be no tax increase, citing a projected $700 million deficit. The Legislature meets through May 23.

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Both the MnSCU system, which includes Winona State, and the University of Minnesota are seeking funds to make faculty salaries competitive nationally after several years of slippage. MnSCU also is seeking $1.6 million to expand programs whose grads are in high demand, including agriculture, nursing, small business management, and teacher ed. Also on the Legislature's higher-ed agenda is issuing capital bonds for campus construction, improvements and remodeling. MnSCU's bonding requests total $298 million, UM's $158 million. The bonding requests include funds to update the Pasteur science building at Winona State as part of the new $40 million science complex.

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2005 LEGISLATURE

Sviggum elected House speaker

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 4, 2005 -- House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, who holds a Winona State University honorary degree, was re-elected 67-62 on the opening day of the 2005 Legislature. Sviggum's re-election was pre-ordained by the GOP leadership at a November meeting. He will be the second longest-serving House speaker in history, second only to Larry Hall, who served from 1939 to 19477.

Background: Sviggum back as House leader


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THE SUGAR LOAF MURDERS

Mexico border agents nab Gordon

SAN YSIDRO, Calif., Jan. 4, 2005 -- A man wanted for questioning in the murder of a Winona State University student and her 10-year-old daughter, Paul Allen Gordon, was arrested at the Tijuana border as he was trying to re-enter the United States by walking through a border station. Gordon, 21, was jailed pending the arrival of an extradition request to Winona. The Winona warrants, drafted by county prosecutor Chuck McLean, relate to an October cocaine case and a December assault. The warrants were issued Dec. 21 -- after an autopsy concluded that Smith and her daughter had been killed before their apartment was set on fire. Police say Gordon knew the victims and they believe he might be able to shed important light on the investigation. Police call him not a suspect but "a person of interest" in the homicides.

Background: Where did cocaine come from?


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Court upholds La Crosse monument

CHICAGO, Jan. 3, 2005 -- A federal appellate court panel ruled 2-1 that the city of La Crosse, Wis., was within constitutional limits in selling a 440-square foot enclave in a city park where a Ten Commandments monument sits. The sale, to the Eagles lodge, had been in response to objections that a religious display on government property violated the constitutional principle of church-state separation. The Freedom from Religion Foundation represented 22 La Crosse residents in arguing that the sale was sham to satisfy vocal religion-driven interests. Did the court endorse all religious displays in parks? No, cases must be reviewed individually, said the court. The appellate majority overturned a U.S. District Court judge in Madison, Wis., who had found the sale circumvented church-state separation requirements.

Background: Monument marred at city's Lake Park
Background: Verbatim: Court of Appeals opinion


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Pell grant eligibility slashed

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2005 -- The Bush Administration changed the formula for Pell grants, cutting off all aid for an estimated 90,000 college students and reducing eligibility for perhaps 40,000 others. Precise figures on the impact are not possible to project, but the American Council on Education estimated that 1.3 million students will be affected nationwide. The formula no longer allows families to deduct state and local taxes from their income in calculating eligibility. In effect, families will lose Pell eligibility for their college children because on paper they will show up having more discretionary income for college expenses than before.

MORE


The formula change was announced by the U.S. Education Department on Christmas Eve to avoid publicity. Indeed, the announcement missed most Washington reporters. The change became possible under the massive 2005 federal budget bill passed by Congress in December. The bill gave discretion to the Education Department to adjust the Pell formula, even though Bush officials never indicated they would act to do so. Under the revised formula, the maximum Pell grant remains at $4,050 a year, but fewer students will be eligible.

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There has been pressure to do something about Pell outlays. Huge growth in college enrollments in recent years increased demand for Pell grants. The program is running a $4 billion deficit. It is expected the change will save $300 million.

Background: Comment: The Overstating Bush


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Monument marred at city's Lake Park

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- A vandal spray-painted a message, "church / state" on a five-foot granite monument bearing the Ten Commandments at city-owned Lake Park. Apparently the message was an attempt to bring attention to church-state separation issues in the courts from other cities. The Winona monument, a gift to the city from the Eagles lodge in 1958, had remained under the radar in the controversies elsewhere over religious artifacts on government-operated property.

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COMMENT:
NEW UNIVERSITY

THE GUARANTEE FRAUD


Desperate for an edge to recruit students 15 years ago, Winona State University created a four-year graduation guarantee. It sounded good to parents, who steered kids to Winona. The sad fact, however, is that those parents bought into shameless Winona State pandering to a widespread but unfounded fears that other universities couldn't deliver a degree in the traditional four years.

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It wasn't so. Then as now, any student will make it in four years by taking a standard academic load, not failing or dropping courses, and not switching majors. For anyone who read the fine print and knew how universities work, the Winona State guarantee was meaningless on its face. Less charitably, it could be called a fraud that exploited phantom fears of parents.

MORE


For most practical purposes, the four-year guarantee has been put to rest -- a shoddy, best-forgotten part of Winona State's past.

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But now, embedded in President Darrell Krueger's New University plan, is a variation. This time the guarantee is for a job within six months of graduation. It may sound good to a new generation of parents scouting for colleges, but, as with the four-year graduation guarantee, they better read the fine print.

MORE


The new guarantee is less than it seems. Almost all grads already get jobs. For the few who don't, well, would an extra free semester somehow turn them into something different on the job market?

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Let's not let Winona State go a shoddy guarantee route again. The university's recruiting and marketing should be driven by honestly telling the university's good story, not by flim-flam marketing ploys.


Background: Confusing a university with a job agency

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Debt seen as deterrent to college

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- The growing debt burden of college students will scare some students away from higher education, said student Vice President Tim Donahue at Winona State, reacting to a state college system study that student borrowing for tuition and college costs is alarmingly high and on the rise. "I am not surprised at the findings of this study," said Donahue. Donahue noted that not only are tuitions rising but so is the cost of living for students who live off campus. "It is disheartening to see a trend like this, both for students and for the universities," said Donahue.

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He stressed that the rising cost and fear of major debt will scare some students away from higher education. "One way to solve this problem would be to get the state to allocate more funding for higher education. Well-educated individuals are part of what makes Minnesota and its economy great. I hope that this cycle of high tuition increases and large student borrowing slows down soon," said Donahue.

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Tim Donabue

TIM
DONAHUE

"Disheartening trend"

The study took samples from the 2001-2002 academic year and compared them with 2003-2004. Student borrowing money rose from $58,800 to $76,500 or 30 percent. Commenting on the study, state Chancellor James McCormick said that he was terribly concerned by the rapid escalation and what it could mean for the ability of students to get a good start on their careers and family lives. During the time of the study, tuition increases averaged 25 percent in McCormick's MnSCU system. Winona was above average with back-to-back 15 percent increases.

Reporter: Chris Warrington
Background: Study: Student loans up 60%


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COMMENT:
NEW UNIVERSITY

CONFUSING A UNIVERSITY
WITH AN EMPLOYENT AGENCY


A university is a place that amasses wisdom and perpetuates wisdom to future generations. En route to greater wisdom, most college students pick up knowledge and skills that help them find jobs. But this is not say that a university is an employment agency.

MORE


This essential distinction, at the heart of what a university is about, seems lost on Winona State University's president, Darrell Krueger. His New University plan guarantees grads a job within six months or they'll get an extra semester free. This is dangerous. The guarantee would put faculty in the position not of incubating and propagating wisdom but of teaching skills to make students job-ready.

MORE


Nothing is wrong with grads being employable, but something is wrong in turning a university into a vocational school. If universities give up their sacred social responsibility as a repository and champion of wisdom, what institutions do we have to fill the void? Talk about a return to the Dark Ages.


Background: Profs erupt over promises to students

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City asks Legislature for tax vote

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- The City Council voted to request state approval to hold a referendum that could increase the local sales tax by one-half cent. If the state Legislature approves, the proposed tax increase would go to local voters. Most of the new money would fund street improvements, including a Huff street underpass to replace the railroad crossing at Winona State University.

Background: OK expected on next sales tax step


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COMMENT:
NEW UNIVERSITY

DECLARE IT A SUCCESS


For almost a year a half Winona State people have engaged in fascinating dialogue on where they would like the university to go. It was a successful discussion, "visioning" they called it. Now is time for university President Darrell Krueger to identify the best of the ideas that are practicable and declare the project a success.

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What's practicable? This means eliminating ideas that would necessitate a tuition increase. Students, understandably, are price-resistant after years of double-digit tuition hikes. Second, eliminate ideas that require additional state funding. The Legislature is tuned to cost-sensitivity and won't come up with the money anyway.

MORE


Yes, it was good and fruitful dialogue. The place is better for it, a fitting tribute to Darrell Krueger in his last major initiative before retiring as university president. Declare it a success. And let's move on.


Background: Comment: Flexing Senate muscle

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Rochester migrant services expand

ROCHESTER, Minn., Jan. 3, 2004 -- The Migrant Health Services Clinic in Rochester, supervised by Winona State University nursing prof Pat O'Brien, has expanded its services to assist the uninsured caucasians. Most of the clinic's patients, about 150 patients a week, have been Hispanic, Hmong and Somali. The clinic is staffed by about seven people each day, including one of two Winona State-Rochester nursing students.

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Katie Carlson
KATIE
CARLSON
Sarah Hovey
SARAH
HOVEY
Adam Krahn
ADAM
KRAHN
KASEY KOLBERG
KASEY
KOL-
BERG
Dustin Sadnick
DUSTIN
SADNICK
Chris Selbitschka
CHRIS
SEL-
BITSCHKA
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TOMORROW'S GREATEST BYLINES TODAY


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COMMENT:
THE BUSH PRESIDENCY

THE FORCING
OF COMPASSION


Skeptics were right. Despite President Bush's years of rhetoric for "compassionate conservatism," his term, he is hardly compassionate. When the worst disaster in recent human history struck Indian Ocean countries in late December, he was absolutely disengaged.

MORE


When the leader of the Free World might be expected to interrupt a vacation and personally acknowledge the tsunami tragedy, President Bush kept on golfing. Aides drafted a news release that the United States would send $20 million in assistance. It was a puny commitment, a mere token -- and an embarrassment to the American people, who are compassionate, and an insult the millions of people in Africa and south Asia, including thousands of U.S. college students from the stricken region.

MORE


Three days later Bush was sufficiently embarrassed by his lapse in compassion, finally, to express personal sympathy, albeit in a wooden, scripted statement. And he upped U.S. assistance to $35 million, still puny. This still has hardly a display of compassion. Another two days later, under high-visibility pressure from the United Nations, Bush increased the U.S. commitment to $350 million, more fitting considering the wealth of the United States and the tremendous human need. Even so, Japan trumped Bush by promising $500 million.

MORE


Especially troubling was a lame explanation from inside the Crawford White House that the President had delayed responding to the tragedy rather than to appear Clintonesque. In other words, the President's ongoing inferiority complex precluded true compassion.


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Salyards takes Council oath

WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- Newly elected Deb Salyards was sworn in as a City Council member from the Third Ward, which includes downtown and the main Winona State University campus. Salyards narrowly ousted incumbent Chris Arnold in the Nov. 2 election.

Background: Recount gives Salyards 21-vote margin


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Politics derail campus lit journal

ITHACA, N.Y., Jan. 3, 2005 -- The editor of the Cornell American, published by the Literary Society at Cornell University, Eric Shive, said the student government cut off $5,400 in journal funding in political retribution. Shive said his journal's political perspective angered some student government leaders. Cutting funds, Shive said, was an "attempt by the totalitarian left to silence conservatives." The student government's finance committee, however, said the literary society was misleading seeking funds because it described its functions as primarily poetry readings and theater outings.

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COMMENT:
STUDENT GOVERNMENT

COMING OF AGE AT WSU


For the first time in its history, the Winona State University Student Senate is flexing real muscle. To university president Darrell Krueger's latest proposed tuition hike, $1,000 a year for his finale pet project, the New University, senators have said: "Enough."

MORE


Under the leadership of Dusty Finke, Tim Donahue and Cassie Daubner, the Senate is recognizing it's not a club but an elected, representative body. There is a difference. Clubs tend to self-absorbed narrow entities. A senate, however, has broad obligations. These obligations mean senators must work hard to identify constituent needs and preferences and articulate positions and devise policies that contribute to the common good.

MORE


It was a wakeup call for Krueger to hear Dusty Finke tell state college system trustees that students do not want to pay the costs attached to the New University. It was a setback, probably fatal, for the New University initiative in its present costly form.

MORE


Until recent weeks, Krueger had expected the Student Senate to be the usual pushover for his tuition hikes. Now he has had to acknowledge he fell short in convincing students that itŐs really a good deal. The new reality is that Krueger, as never before, will have to take the Student Senate and student sentiment seriously. So will his successors. This is as it should be. Finally.


Background: Krueger pardons Finke dissent


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Samp seeks pro football bid

WINONA, Minn. Jan. 3, 2004 -- Winona State University wide receiver, whose 53 Warrior touchdowns caught the eyes of pro football scouts, plans to train this spring at the University of Wisconsin ahead of the National Football League Pro Day. NFL scouts use the Madison, Wis., Pro Day to look at leading college seniors. This fall some pro scouts hit Winona State games to get a feel for Samp's potential. About 15 teams have expressed interest in Samp, who is 6-foot-3 plus and 215 pounds.

Background: Year-end title to Samp

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As portrayed in Winona State University promotional materials

OTHER SLICES OF CAMPUS LIFE



WINONA CAMPUS LIFE
WSU

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Three still sought in drug bust

WINONA, Jan. 3, 2005 -- Police mop-up work continues from the November drug bust that so far has netted 12 arrests. Still sought on arrest warrants are:

  • Dionte Terrell Banks, 20.
  • William Jay Blackmond, 24.
  • Mario Brannard Davis, 23.

  • The warrant for Davis lists eight charges. He is thought to be a central figure in a Chicago-Winona cocaine connection that police believe their raids disrupted. The raids, on Nov. 10, resulted in more arrests than any coordinated busts in Winona history. Two Southeast Tech students, Erik Springmier, 23, and David Midtovne, 20, were among those arrested.


    MORE


    Here is the status of cases:

  • Leon Maurice Bell, 24, 163 E. Fourth St. 2, is free on bond on three counts. A hearing is pending.
  • Detrich Lamont Beasley, 21, 365 E. Third St., is free on bond on eight counts. A hearing is pending.
  • Roberta Culpepper, 179 W. Fourth St., has been arraigned on 16 cocaine counts and four child endangerment counts. A hearing is pending
  • Michael Richard Gales, 18, is free on bail on five counts. A hearing is pending.
  • Curtis Patrick Henry, 24, 511 Minnesota St., remains in jail on three counts. He has pleaded innocent. A jury trial is scheduled Jan. 24.
  • Michael Raymond Hunt, 41, 900 E. Seventh St. 1, is free on bail on six counts. A hearing is pending.


  • MORE


  • Gary Allen Kowalewski, 43, is free on $5,000 bail on nine counts. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 27
  • David Paul Midtovne, 20, 453 E. Second St., is free on bond on nine counts. A hearing is pending.
  • Gregory Allan Robertson, 43, is on jail in Eau Claire, Wis., on four counts of failing to support a child and also on two Winona cocaine counts. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 20 in Winona on the cocaine counts.
  • Erik Lynn Springmier, 23, 307 W. 10th St. 103, is free on $1,000 bail on six counts. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 13.
  • Ashley Lynn Stolpa, 19, 661 W. Seventh St., is free on bond on one count. A hearing is pending.
  • Shunique Nicole Waddell, 24, 211-1/2 E. Second St., 21, has been freed on $1,000 bail on two counts. She has pleaded innocent. A jury trial is scheduled Jan. 13.

  • Background: Big busts now in court's hands


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    Ice blocks Sheehan radio signal

    WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- An ice storm that bulked ice on the Minnesota Public Radio antenna atop the Sheehan dorm at Winona State University blocked the KLSE-FM signal that's retransmits to Winona at 107.3 for two days. KLSE, in Rochester, Minn., broadcasts news and information and, on weekends, programs like CarTalk and Garrison Keillor. Service returned Sunday evening.

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    ALCOHOL-
    RELATED
    CONVICTIONS

    Winona
    County
    District
    Court

    JAN, 3,
    2005
    Sam Michael Chaussee, 18, Forest Lake, Minn., $165.
    Jennifer Lee Gunvalson, 20, Woodbury, Minn., 30 days and $265.

    Complete court log


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    Child protection agency "not at-risk"

    WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- The director of the Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University, Victor Vieth, confirmed that the center was tottering on insolvency a year ago. The center, however, is out of the woods through 2006 and "there is every reason to be optimistic about the center's future," Vieth said. Questions have swirled about the center's future it was dropped from the Bush Administration's budget in 2003. About $1.5 million in federal was restored. Even so, the center is dependant on grants, sometimes called "soft money," and a proposal for $750,000 for 2005 has hit opposition in Congress and had been cut to $200,000.

    MORE


    Even so, Vieth said, the American Prosecutors Research Institute has pledged funds to keep the center operating to August 2006, perhaps longer. Meanwhile, he said, efforts are under way to raise private support. Also, discussions are under way to make the center a permanent part of the U.S. Department of Justice budget, which, said Vieth, would stabilize long-term funding.

    MORE


    Vieth, a Winona State alum, persuaded university President Darrell Krueger in 2003 for the university to be the home for the center. Offices were set up in the largely vacant Maxwell Hall. A staff of five has been hired. The center provides workshops to prosecutors, social workers and police nationwide on dealing with child abuse. The center also is constructing a model college curriculum with Winona State professors for wide applications at U.S. colleges.

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    CAMPUS ALMANAC
    POSTED JAN. 3, 2005

    WSU clubs, advisers

    These are clubs registered with and sanctioned by the Winona State University Student Senate, with advisers:
    Accounting Ass'n
    Alpha Lambda Delta Honor
    Ambassadors
    Amer'n Advertising Fed'n
    Amer'n Marketing Ass'n
    Amer'n Sign Language Club
    Art Club
    Asian American Club
    Ass'n of Student Paralegals
    Athletic Training Club
    Bad Monaz Ultimate
    Beta Club/Biology Club
    Boccee Ball Club
    Catholic Newman Center
    WSU Cheer Team
    Chi Alpha Fellowship
    College Democrats
    College Republicans
    Colleges Against Cancer
    Computer Science Club
    Criminal Justice Club
    Dance Society
    Dance Team
    Delta Phi Epsilon
    Delta Sigma Pi
    Ed'n Minnesota Stud't Prgms
    Environmental Club
    Fighting for Rights, Equality
    Forensics
    Gay, Lesb'n, Bisex'l Psh'p
    Golden Key
    Greek Council
    Grub Street
    Habitat for Humanity
    Health & Wellness Ass'n
    Hispanic Ass'n of Students
    History Association
    Hmong American Students
    Health Organization
    Inter Residence Hall Council
    Internat'l Busn's Comunctrs
    International Club
    Inter Varsity Christ'n F'ship
    Japan Club
    Karate Club
    Law & Society Ass'n
    Lutheran Campus Center
    Malaysian Amer'n Chapter
    Math/Stat Club
    Men's Ultimate Frisbee
    Minn Student Nurses Ass'n
    Music Business Club
    NORML
    Nursing Club
    Phi Theta Chi Sorority
    Physics Club
    Pi Lambda Phi
    Pragati Mgt Info Systems
    Psychology Club/Psi Chi
    Role Playing Group
    Rowing Club
    SAMPE
    Sigma Sigma Sigma
    Snowboard Club
    Human Resource Mgt Society
    Society Plastic Engineers
    Student Senate
    Synergy
    Tau Kappa Epsilon
    Tri Beta Biology
    WSU Tri Club
    University Prg'mg Activities
    Video Game Club
    Wels Campus Ministry
    Wenonah Players


    Richard Schneider
    Chris Buttram
    Carl Stange
    Becky McConnell
    James Bovinet
    ---
    Anne Scott Plummer
    Russ Dennison
    Peter Henderson
    Shellie Nelson
    ---
    Bryan Hiller
    Judy Bovinet
    Richard Schneider
    Jeff Richards
    J., H. Higgins; Alex Gallegos
    Kelly Herold
    Linda Seppanen
    Diane Palm
    Gerald Cichanowski
    J. Mark Norman
    Gretchen Cohenour
    Larry Holstad, Joe Reed
    ---
    Joell Bjorke
    Melanie Reap
    Mark Engen
    Tamara Berg
    Shannon O'Brien
    Joan Francioni
    Vicki Decker
    AJoe Reed
    James Armstrong
    Larry Bergin
    Peter Sternberg
    Monica Revak
    Matthew Lindaman
    Karen Johnson
    Gail Grimm. Kris Moky
    Paula Scheevel
    John Weis
    Terri Markos
    ---
    Ruth Forsythe
    Kevin Kotlarz
    Peter Henderson
    Frank Rocco
    Misty Mantoles
    Barry Peratt
    James Bovinet
    Karen Gardner
    Rich MacDonald
    Todd Paddock
    Melanie Johnson
    Colette Hyman
    Andrew Ferstl
    Beckry Abdel-Magid
    Thomas Nalli
    John Johanson
    Dave Wright
    Fariborz Parsi
    ---
    Rob Brault
    Pamela Wolfmeyer
    Keith Dennehy
    Ruth Charles
    Joe Reed
    Bruce Klemz
    James Kobolt
    David Essar
    Yogesh Grover
    Joe Reed
    Jeff Prodzinski
    Melissa Kruse
    Vivian Fusillo


    EARLIER ALMANAC ENTRY

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    QUICK
    SPORTS
    JAN. 3, 2005
    BASKETBALL (MEN'S): WSU 87, Upper Iowa 54, Bethel 692, SMU 72.

    BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S): SMU 87, Bethel 66.



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    New web course using Dreamweaver

    WINONA, Minn., Jan. 3, 2005 -- Web site-creating software Dreamweaver has been selected for a new masscom course this spring at Winona State University, instructor Marc Hauge said. Two other programs, Contribute and Front Page, were considered but ruled out as too simple and unable to perform some operations, said Hauge. Masscom prof John Weis, who designed the course, said Dreamweaver is widely used in business. Weis had hoped to teach the class himself but his schedule wouldn't permit. For animation, Flash will be taught if there is enough time, said Hauge.

    MORE


    So far the class has 26 students enrolled, but the cap is 100. Hauge said students will leave with the skills to build a web page. The course is an elective for the Winona State university studies requirement. Weis said the course will include two parts: how to craft messages, and the mechanics behind the message. The class will be based on lecture discussions with periodic projects throughout the semester said Hauge. Overall, the students need this course because a college grad today needs to be able to make a web site, said Weis. The course is suited for both Macintosh and PC users. This spring the course is offered as a trial. A more advanced web site class may be created later, Weis said.

    Reporter: Meredith Bocian


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    ACE
    REPORTER
    CITATION

    Chris Selbitschka

    CHRIS
    SELBITSCHKA

    WSU MASSCOM STUDENT


    For extraordinary interviewing

    Small nameplate.
    RECENT
    COVERAGE

    Victim froze at pointed knife

    OTHER ACE REPORTERS
    IN GOOD COMPANY



    JOB
    OUTLOOK


    Administrative information systems

    Advertising

    Biology

    Book industry

    Biology

    Chemistry

    Criminal
    justice


    Communi-
    cation


    Dance

    Education

    English

    Foreign
    languages


    Geoscience

    Health

    Human performance

    Journalism

    Math

    Marketing

    Music

    Nursing

    Paralegal

    Photo-
    journalism


    Physical
    education


    Physics
    Political science
    education


    Psychology

    Recreational therapy

    Social work

    Sociology

    Speech

    Statistics

    Theater



    OBNOXIOUS
    PARTIES


    Barrels.

    WHEN GOOD
    TIMES GET
    OUT OF HAND


    CONVICTIONS
    Winona County District Court



    UNDER-AGE
    BOOZERS


    Barrels.

    WHO GOT
    CAUGHT
    BEING
    STUPID

    DON'T
    TELL
    THEIR
    MOTHERS




    CAMPUS
    SALARIES

    Darrell
    Krueger

    WSU president
    2003: $211,836

    Louis
    DeThomasis

    SMU president
    2001: $155,245

    Jim Johnson
    Tech president
    2001: $125,000

    OTHER
    SALARIES



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    The CyberIndee serves Winona State University masscom students as a reference resource and as a digest of campus news.

    The CyberIndee enriches learning by providing audience feedback for students' creative work.

    The CyberIndee reports Winona campus news for a global audience.

    The CyberIndee offers information, entertainment and opinion geared to campus people.

    The CyberIndee is financially independent of campus administrators and student politicians.


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