Attorney general looks to stop Winnebago New Year’s Eve bash

WINNEBAGO, Minn. – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he wants to shut down a planned New Year’s Eve party in Winnebago he because it violates Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order on activities that could spread COVID-19.

Ellison said in a release that the Carlson Event Center in the southeastern Minnesota town advertises the event as a “big new year’s dance” and asks attendees to bring their own beer and liquor.

Ellison said when a business “irresponsibly opens to the public to throw a dance party” it is “simply prolonging the pain of the pandemic for everyone.”

The attorney general’s lawsuit asks a judge to stop the party, award damages to the state and impose civil penalties.