OTTER TAIL COUNTY, Minn. (Valley News Live) – A man wanted out of Louisiana was arrested in Perham on several outstanding warrants.

On July 23, at 1 p.m., The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office searched the area of 911 Jenny Avenue in Perham for a man wanted out of Louisiana.

Based on the nature of his warrants, Otter Tail County SWAT was utilized and they were able to arrest 48-year-old, Cleveland Mingo, who currently remains in police custody.

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Ten years ago, Ron Schneider began a quest to find Henri Delattre’s (1801-1876) oil painting of the celebrated Thoroughbred Lecomte.  

As the curator at the Old Lecompte High School and Museum in Lecompte, La., the painting enticed him. He would be reminded each time he saw the horse’s image, which figures prominently on the central Louisiana town’s official flag as well as the high school’s yearbook. 

Before we get to that quest, some background.

Lecomte was one of the fastest horses in the 1850s, when horses ran four-mile heats with 45-minute breaks in between. There was an intense rivalry between Lecomte and Lexington (known as the greatest racehorse of his era). Both horses were sired by Boston (1833-1850), who along with Lexington was an initial inductee into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1955. Lecomte was owned by General Thomas Jefferson Wells and was named after his friend Ambrose Lecomte. 

In the Great State Post Stakes of 1854 at Metairie (La.), Lecomte and Lexington would be among a group of four celebrated horses to compete. Lexington would prevail that day but, according to a Sports Illustrated story, the locals said Lecomte was compromised by an off track. They would meet again two weeks later at Metairie on a fast track and Lecomte would secure victory with wins in the first two heats.

In the first of those heats he beat Lexington by six lengths in a record-breaking time of 7:26. The Times-Picayune of New Orleans said of Lecomte, “We have witnessed the best race, in all respects, that was ever run, and that Lecomte stands proudly before the world, as the best horse ever produced on the ‘turf’.”

Louisiana fully embraced the victory. In his honor, the citizens of White’s Landing renamed their town Lecomte. Unfortunately, an error by a mapmaker for the local railroad added a “p,” misspelling the name as “Lecompte,” which has caused confusion. 

Even today, the riveting rivalry between Lexington and Lecomte has been chronicled in two well-received books: “Lexington” by Kim Wickens, and “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks. And every January, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots hosts the Lecomte Stakes (G3), an important race on the road to the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Another celebration of Lecomte occurred in 1856, when equestrian artist Henri Delattre painted the celebrated Thoroughbred described in the Spirit of the Times as a rich chestnut (15 hands-three) with an excellent temper and a low, smooth action with a stride of 23 feet. “He had the constitution of iron, the appetite of a lion, and can stand as much work as a team of mules … Consequently, he is about as fine a specimen of a Thoroughbred as can be found in this or any other country.” 

The painting originally was located in private homes and then at The Jockey Club in New York. Many years later, Schneider would read a story about the painting. His curiosity had been stoked and it would live in the back of his mind, sometimes making it to front-of-mind as he made inquiries about its whereabouts over the years.

This year one of those emails about the painting would prove fruitful. At some point, it had been moved to The Jockey Club offices in Lexington. Shannon Luce, The Jockey Club vice president of communications, would take up the search. She found the painting still being enjoyed today, hanging on a wall in one of the Lexington offices.

Schneider’s search had ended and soon he would see the painting in person as the work would be headed to the state where Lecomte was raised. The Jockey Club agreed to loan the painting to the Alexandria Museum of Art for its exhibit “What’s in a Name? Lecompte’s Equine Legacy.”  

When the painting was unpacked, Schneider said, “I was completely overwhelmed. For The Jockey Club to loan it to AMOA so that people in this area could see the painting is a great thrill. The image and legacy of Lecomte to this community means so much to our people.”  

He remembers thinking “Welcome home, little buddy,” and being struck by the beauty of the painting.

“The strength of the horse with the musculature, the shininess of his coat, the golden and honey tones of the painting,” Schneider said. “People were happy to see it because our heritage is tied up in the image of Lecomte.” 

AMOA’s exhibit “What’s in a Name? Lecompte’s Equine Legacy” will be on display until Sept. 6. 

The proposed Mitsubishi plant is “the wrong project, at the wrong place and time, with the wrong financial scenario,” said the report from the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, or IEEFA, an Ohio-based nonprofit.

Mitsubishi Chemical Group would be capable of annually producing 350,000 tons of methyl methacrylate, or MMA, a chemical component found in cement, adhesives, textiles and plastics.

The facility would also be among the state’s top 50 greenhouse gas emitters, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. And it is being constructed in Ascension Parish, along a stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans known as “ cancer alley ” for its heavy industrial pollution.

The facility would release more than 780,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually even though an alternative production process less reliant on fossil fuels exists, the IEEFA report notes.

Mitsubishi stated in 2022 that its proposed facility in Louisiana “achieves the lowest possible carbon footprint for MMA production.” The proposed facility’s natural gas-based production process is also intended to help the industry shift away from the dominant method of cyanide-based production.

But IEEFA said Mitsubishi does not need to choose between cyanide or natural gas for the chemical component’s production since there is another option: An alternative biofuel-based technology has become viable and is already being adopted elsewhere by Mitsubishi and its competitors.

The market conditions and economic viability of the facility have also worsened, IEEFA reports. Compared to when Mitsubishi began planning this facility in 2014, construction costs have increased, prices for the chemical component have flatlined and growth forecasts have reduced.

The global market for methyl methacrylate will be oversaturated by the time the plant is expected to begin operating in 2028, said Tom Sanzillo, director of financial analysis for IEEFA and former deputy comptroller for New York.

The analysis estimates that U.S.-based producers will increase the amount of methyl methacrylate they are capable of producing to more than 1.2 million tons, while only needing to produce two-thirds of that amount.

“The U.S. market is not expected to expand beyond its historical norms,” the report states.

IEEFA notes that the Mitsubishi plant would be unlikely to find an outlet for its methyl methacrylate in China, the largest consumer and producer of the chemical component. Earlier this year, Mitsubishi shut down a methyl methacrylate plant in Hiroshima, citing oversupply from China.

Both Europe and the Middle East also face market uncertainties given the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to the report.

Mitsubishi Chemical Group representative Eri Nishumata declined an interview request on behalf of the company, stating that “the final investment decision has not yet been made.” Mitsubishi did not respond to a request for comment on IEEFA’s analysis.

Mitsubishi received an estimated tax exemption from the state of Louisiana for $17 million for its first year of operation, but multiple delays in beginning construction have pushed the start date back. Sanzillo said he believes the company is waiting to see if the market conditions improve before proceeding.

“The company is now using the government as a speculative tool,” he said. “And you’re not supposed to do that with subsidies, you’re supposed to go forward with them.”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality stated in a February public notice that the Mitsubishi plant is not expected to have “a significant adverse impact on soil, vegetation, visibility or air quality in the area of the facility.”

Environmental groups point out that the hundreds of tons of pollutants the facility would emit are linked to harmful health impacts, including respiratory infection, lung cancer and strokes. A February public hearing for the facility’s pending air permit saw vocal opposition from some community members, while others praised the expected jobs and hope of economic benefits.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Ascension Parish authorities could not be reached for comment.

While the Mitsubishi plant plans to directly employ 125 people, Ascension Parish resident Ashley Gaignard is skeptical that the facility will help her community or the environment.

“Bringing more industries into the community is a false solution,” said Gaignard, 47, who founded the environmental justice nonprofit Rural Roots. “Industry is the wheel that keeps Louisiana burning. And that’s the real truth about it.”

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