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Courthouse Open House
On October 4, 2009, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council hosted approximately 550 visitors at an Open House at the Winona County Courthouse. The Open House featured fourteen learning stations on a self-guided tour, including behind-the-scenes glimpses at portions of the Courthouse not typically open to the public. Participants in the tour used a "passport" to collect stamps at each station, after which they received either a magnet or puzzle of the courthouse.
The highlight of the day was "The End of the Line"--an original play written by J.D. Thompson, Sarah Elmquist and Lynn Theurer. The End of the Line was based upon actual events which occurred in the 1940s. For decades, West Second Street was home to a string of "Houses of Ill Repute"--commonly known as "The Winona Line." In an effort to crack down on crime, Governor Harold Stassen ordered the State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to raid "the Line" and close it down.
The Courthouse Open House event was sponsored, in part, by a grant from the Winona Foundation. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Courthouse Open House event to make it a smashing success!
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| The Cast of The End of the Line |
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Legislative Visit
On Friday, February 13, 2009, a delegation from the Winona County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) met with local legislators at their offices in St. Paul for a second annual "Legislative Visit." The purpose of the 2009 Legislative Visit was to explain the serious public safety consequences that the proposed budget cuts to the Courts and public defense would have for citizens of Winona County. CJCC Chair and Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean, CJCC Vice-Chair and Winona County Court Administrator Sally Cumiskey, Assistant Public Defender Karin Sonneman, CJCC Coordinator Kalene Engel, Project FINE Executive Director Fatima Said, Community Health Services Director Lynn Theurer, and public member Judy Gilow met with Representative Gene Pelowski, Representative Steve Drazkowski, Senator Sharon Erickson-Ropes and Billie Ball from Senator Steve Murphy’s office. Maintaining regular communication with our legislators is a priority initiative of the CJCC. Although cuts were made to the public safety budget, they were not as severe as originally predicted or proposed.
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| Karin Sonneman, Chuck MacLean, Judy Gilow, Sally Cumiskey, Lynn Theurer and Fatima Said |
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| Winona Police Officer Kevin Kearney |
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| Speaker's Bureau
Would you like to learn more about the criminal justice system? Would you like to hear about the system, directly from the experts, for free? The Winona County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) is excited to announce the development of a Speaker’s Bureau. The Speaker’s Bureau, which was created by the Community Outreach and Diversity Committee of the CJCC can provide speakers, or a panel of speakers, on a variety of justice-related topics for your school, organization or club. The CJCC, which is comprised of members of the criminal justice system and interested members of the public, is charged with taking an innovative approach to developing and evaluating proposals for change in the criminal justice system. To request a speaker or volunteer your time, please contact the CJCC Coordinator, Kalene Engel, at 507-454-7770.
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| Winona County Fair
In early- July of 2009, the CJCC partnered with the Winona County Sheriff's Department to host a booth at the Winona County Fair focusing on public safety/criminal justice issues. While the Sheriff's Department provided security for the Fair, members and representatives of the Winona County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council staffed the booth. The booth, which proved to be one of the most popular commercial exhibits at the fair, included a free kid's sucker pull with prizes ranging from stuffed animals (donated by the Winona County Sheriff's Office) to strings of beads. Also featured was information about Crime Stoppers, Boating and ATV Safety, Gun Safety, the CJCC, Project FINE and others. Adults were encouraged to complete surveys and enter prize drawings sponsored by the CJCC and Crime Stoppers.
The CJCC shared a booth with the Winona County Sheriff’s Department again in 2010. The sucker pull was such a hit last year the CJCC decided to offer it again, however this year prizes were given after answering a question about the Winona County Justice System. Over 1,400 children took part in the CJCC’s sucker pull and educational game.
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WinonaInternships.com
The CJCC realizes that it has a wonderful resource in Winona--students from the local institutions of higher learning. Students are often required to complete an internship as part of their studies to be able to graduate. Recognizing these requirements, the CJCC began a program of recruiting student interns, not only to aid in the student's education, but also to provide CJCC member organizations with much needed assistance. In August, 2008 the CJCC staff secured and set up donated office space in The Kensington Building for use by the Public Defender’s Office intern (which does not otherwise have an office in Winona). At the request of member organizations a website was set up as a clearinghouse of information. In March, 2009, the website WinonaInternships.com became active. Since the inception of the internship program, many hours of time has been donated to the criminal justice system by student interns and volunteers.
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| 2010 Interns and Volunteers |
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