🌱 Rochester Man Arrested For Drive-By + Open Gyms Community Feedback

Good morning, neighbors! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Patch newsletter. Come along to find out everything you need to know about what's happening around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Mostly sunny and warmer. High: 86 Low: 63.
• Tuesday: Plenty of sunshine. High: 87 Low: 64.

From our sponsor:

Today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99% of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter possible.

Here are the top three stories in Rochester-Mason City today:

1. La Crosse Police arrested 31-year-old Deandrew S. Grant of Rochester in connection to a drive-by shooting that injured at least six people in downtown La Crosse on Jun. 17. According to police, the incident occurred at around 2:00 a.m. in the 100 block of South 3rd Street and the victims injured suffered from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Grant was charged with suspicion of attempted first-degree reckless homicide and bail jumping. (KROC-AM)
2. The City of Rochester and Rochester Public School District (RPS) are asking for community feedback on open gyms during the 2023-24 school year. Recently, the Rochester City Council approved a pilot program that would open RPS elementary school gyms to the community on Saturday evenings throughout the upcoming school year. Community members can fill out a survey here from now through Jul. 20. (KROC-AM)
3. A dog party was held at Forager Brewery in Rochester over the weekend. The event included dog-themed drinks for humans and dogs, a dog show, dog portraits, dog training, and dog massages. The owner of the brewery said he hopes to make the dog party an annual event. (KIMT)

Today and tomorrow in Rochester-Mason City:

Monday, June 19

• Virtual Juneteenth Open Mic At Rochester (7:00 PM)

Tuesday, June 20

• Bruce Burniece At Wahlburgers (6:00 PM)
• Free Bingo At LTS Brewing Company (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• There is a new exotic pet store in Rochester! Johnny Lewis, owner and breeder of JDI Pythons, started the business three months ago and currently has over 200 snakes of different breeds, quails, rabbits, lizards, and parrots. Lewis is looking to do birthday parties and education with the exotic animals to show kids there is more to life than drugs and alcohol. (KIMT)
• In observance of Juneteenth, all City of Rochester offices will be closed today, Jun. 19. In celebration, the city hall dome lights will be yellow, green, black, and red in the evening. (City of Rochester via Twitter)
• Looking for a new home or just curious about the prices in your area? Check out the latest homes for sale in the Rochester-Mason City area, including a cute two-bedroom on 4th Street NE for $189,900! (Rochester-Mason City Patch)

Alrighty, you're all good for today! See you soon for your next update.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.