World War Two Captain Willibald C. Bianchi is laid to rest and legislators make sure Tribal governments are notified when wastewater is released upstream.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--CAPTAIN WILLIBALD C. BIANCHI--
A THREE CANNON SALUTE FROM THE NEW ULM BATTERY HELPED HONOR WORLD WAR TWO MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT WILLIBALD C. BIANCHI ...
GOVERNOR TIM WALZ DECLARED SUNDAY, MAY SECOND AS CAPTAIN WILLIBALD C. BIANCHI DAY IN MINNESOTA … ORDERING FLAGS TO FLY AT HALF-STAFF IN HIS HONOR.
THE U-S ARMY CAPTAIN RECEIVED A MILITARY FUNERAL WITH FULL HONORS OVER THE WEEKEND AND WAS BURIED AT NEW ULM CITY CEMETERY’S SOLDIERS’ REST SECTION.
HE LEFT SOME 85-YEARS AGO ... TO SERVE IN WORLD WAR TWO.
HE FOUGHT WITH THE PHILIPPINE SCOUTS ON BATAAN. IN FEBRUARY OF 1942, HE VOLUNTEERED TO HELP CLEAR JAPANESE MACHINE-GUN NESTS. EVEN AFTER BEING WOUNDED MULTIPLE TIMES, HE KEPT LEADING THE ATTACK ... EARNING THE MEDAL OF HONOR.
HE LATER SURVIVED THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH ... AND YEARS AS A PRISONER OF WAR … HE WAS KILLED IN JANUARY 19-45 ABOARD A JAPANESE TRANSPORT SHIP ... HIT BY U-S AIRCRAFT THAT DID NOT KNOW ALLIED P-O-W’s WERE ON BOARD.
HIS REMAINS WERE BURIED AS UNKNOWN IN HAWAII … UNTIL MODERN D-N-A TESTING IDENTIFIED HIM LAST YEAR.
JIM BARTELS WITH NEW ULM’S K-N-U-J RADIO JOINED FAMILY MEMBERS, VETERANS, DIGNITARIES … AND THE NEW ULM COMMUNITY ... AND SAYS COVERING THE STORY OF CAPTAIN BIANCHI’S HOMECOMING AND MILITARY FUNERAL IS ONE OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL EVENTS OF HIS LONG CAREER.
[JIM BARTEL:
THEY BLEW OUT EACH CANNON, AND THAT WAS THE FINAL SIGNIFICANT CELEBRATION AND SALUTE TO CAPTAIN BILL BIANCHI TODAY.
I CAN'T SAY THAT I SAW A LOT OF TEARS BECAUSE NOBODY KNEW, YOU KNOW, WILLIBALD BIANCHI. HE PASSED AWAY BEFORE PERHAPS MANY OF THESE FOLKS WERE BORN. UH, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW HIM. SO IT WAS THIS SENSE OF PRIDE NOW THAT PEOPLE AND RELATIVES WERE SEEING WHAT HAPPENED, HEARING WHAT HAPPENED. AND SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF HIS FAMILY.
I REALLY ENJOYED EVERY ONE OF THE SPEAKERS AT THE ARMORY. THE CEMETERY EVENT AND HOW IT WAS DONE AND HOW IT WAS PERFORMED WAS SPECTACULAR, AND THEN THE HELICOPTERS FLYING OVER, AND THEY WEREN'T REALLY HIGH. THEY WERE PRETTY LOW AND THEY FLEW OVER AND UH, 21 GUN SALUTE, THE 3 CANNONS FIRING OFF.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT ABSOLUTELY MADE THE RETURN OF OUR WORLD WAR 2 HERO AND MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT, WILLIBALD BIANCHI, MADE THIS WHOLE EVENT, ABSOLUTELY MEMORABLE THAT YOU JUST WILL NOT FORGET.
SO IT WASN'T THAT I SAW A LOT OF TEARS, BUT BOY, DID I SEE PRIDE AND SMILES. AND UH, AND I THINK UH, RESPECT FOR WHAT HE DID. AND THAT THAT'S KIND OF THE BOTTOM LINE, I THINK.]
THANK YOU TO K-N-U-J RADIO AND JIM BARTELS FOR HELPING US COVER THE STORY OF CAPTAIN BIANCHI’S HOMECOMING AND FUNERAL OVER THE PAST WEEK.
--WASTEWATER BILL--
A BILL HEADED TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK REQUIRES TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS ARE NOTIFIED WHEN SEWAGE SPILLS INTO WATERWAYS.
STATE LAW ALREADY REQUIRES WASTEWATER SYSTEMS TO NOTIFY DOWNSTREAM WATER USERS WHEN UNTREATED OR UNDERTREATED SEWAGE IS RELEASED …
BUT TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED IN THAT LIST … AND SAY THEY HAVE SOMETIMES HAVEN’T BEEN NOTIFIED
STATE POLLUTION OFFICIALS SAY THE NEW LAW WILL CORRECT THAT.
[ALEXIS DONATH, MPCA: IT IS INTENDED TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WHO SWIM, FISH, OR RECREATE IN AREAS IMPACTED BY UNTREATED OR UNDERTREATED SEWAGE – ESPECIALLY THOSE WHOSE DRINKING WATER COMES FROM A DIRECTLY IMPACTED WATER BODY.]
THE BILL PASSED BOTH CHAMBERS UNANIMOUSLY.
--BEMIDJI STATE GIFT--
BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY JUST LANDED THE BIGGEST GIFT IN ITS HISTORY – AND IT’S NAMING A SCHOOL TO HONOR THE GIVER.
AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E REPORTS THE 8-POINT-1 MILLION DOLLAR DONATION COMES FROM THE ESTATE OF ALUMNUS R. ALLEN SUNDERMAN … AND WILL HELP CREATE THE NEW SUNDERMAN COLLEGE OF CREATIVITY, ENTERPRISE AND PLACE.
THE MONEY WILL SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS … TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES … AND NEW PARTNERSHIPS CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH INDUSTRY.
SUNDERMAN GRADUATED FROM B-S-U IN 1975 WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION … AND LATER BUILT A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE AND TECHNOLOGY.
HE DIED OF CANCER IN 2019 AT AGE 71.
--TAX-FORFEITED HOUSING--
UP NORTH … COOK COUNTY IS EYEING TAX-FORFEITED LAND TO EASE ITS HOUSING CRUNCH … THOSE ARE PROPERTIES THAT END UP IN COUNTY HANDS AFTER PROPERTY TAXES GO UNPAID FOR TOO LONG.
THE COUNTY BOARD RECENTLY VOTED TO TURN OVER A VACANT PARCEL IN TOFTE TO ITS HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY … OR H-R-A … FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AMPERS MEMBER STATION W-T-I-P … H-R-A EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JEFF BRAND SAYS PUBLIC LAND COULD HELP LOWER ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS TO BUILDING.
[JEFF BRAND: WE NEED HOUSING. THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH LAND THAT'S AVAILABLE, AND WHETHER IT'S ACQUIRING TAX FORFEIT LAND … THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE HRA.]
OFFICIALS SAY NOT EVERY PARCEL WILL WORK … IT DEPENDS ON SIZE, ZONING, ACCESS AND DISTANCE TO JOBS.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.