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School Board approves letter committing support to new ice arena
Before moving into a closed session to discuss the sale of property, the Northfield School Board Monday approved a letter of support to the Northfield City Council affirming its intent to continue leasing a new Northfield Ice Arena annually for the foreseeable future. Before a roll call vote was taken to approve the letter, which was drafted by District Schools Superintendent Matt Hillmann and Board chair Claudia Gonzales-George, an animated discussion ensued about the total costs to taxpayers of a new ice arena. ...
Forbidden love, poignant loss at center of Northfielder's debut novel
A sign stating “Please do not disturb” should hang outside the door of Brenda Huot’s home office on Fridays. Those are her writing days. Huot, who writes under her maiden name Brenda K. Massman and has been a financial management planner with Ameriprise Financial, Wealth Management Solutions since 2011, has just published her debut novel “Yet, Here We Are” this spring through Koehler Books. ...
Northfield boys tennis impresses at Big 9 tournament
The Northfield High School boys tennis team got its postseason schedule started with a trip to the Big 9 Tournament on Saturday, May 11 in Rochester. The Raiders turned in several impressive performances at the tournament, as five out of the seven positions made it to the finals or semifinals. In singles play, Eli Bengston continued to chart strong numbers with a second-place finish in the fourth singles bracket. After...
Bridge Square rally promotes a peaceful Palestine
Nothfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel (NJP/I) held their 11th annual Nakba Remembrance on Saturday, May 11 at Bridge Square, with approximately 80 people in attendance. Nakba means catastrophe in Arabic. The original Nakba took place in 1948, when ethnic cleansing destroyed half of the Palestinian population and 418 of their villages. NJP/I is a local community group whose aim is to educate and inform Northfield and the surrounding area about the ongoing occupation of Palestine. They advocate for peace and justice for all people living in Palestine and Israel.
3 individuals and 1 organization named Rice County Prevention Champions
The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition has recognized three individuals and one group as 2024 Prevention Champions. They are: Toby Anderson, Recovery Care Coordinator with HealthFinders Collaborative; John Sherwin, Chief of Police for the City of Faribault; Eric Swan McDonald, Science Teacher at the Northfield Public Schools Area Learning Center (ALC); and the Recovery Staff at the Community Action Center. The recipients were recognized for their significant contributions in reducing risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse, supporting recovery, promoting mental health and...
The Retrievers take to the air to improve their success finding lost dogs
As a volunteer case manager for The Retrievers, Nicole Fredrickson usually is leading searches for lost dogs. She spent Saturday afternoon, May 4 with her own dog, Marcie, hiding out under a tree in a rural Rice County cemetery waiting for the sound of a faint buzzing and a speck to appear in the sky. It was part of a weekend of training exercises for volunteers with The Retrievers, a...
Northfield Rotary Club received awards at district meeting
On Saturday, May 4, Rotarians from District 5960, which covers southeast and east metro Minnesota and western Wisconsin, met for the 2023-24 District Awards Celebration. Clubs were recognized for their efforts in various categories and based on the size of the club – Large, Medium Plus, Medium, or Small – as part of the district’s awards program. Each club was responsible for submitting examples of their efforts against a checklist...
How to stay safe, vigilant this tornado season in the Rice County area
The warm winter seems to have had minimal impact on severe weather, as Rice County Skywarn Social Media Director Brian Klier noted it’s been an average tornado season so far in the United States. Still, Faribault Fire Chief Dusty Dienst and Rice County Emergency Preparedness Director Joe Johnson said it’s imperative to be aware of any possible severe weather and have a plan in the event that severe weather should arise. ...
Northfield council to shift public comment section to 'listening session'
In other business, the council passed a controversial series of amendments to its rules of order, effectively replacing the free-flowing public comment portion of its regular meetings with 20-minute “listening sessions,” which will take place before each council meeting. The listening sessions are intended to provide the public a venue to comment on issues not on the council’s agenda for that particular night. Members of the public will still be provided the opportunity to comment on agenda items during the regular meeting. ...
Citizens concerned about gravel mine's lack of impact studies
The rarest flower in Minnesota, the Minnesota dwarf trout lily, is classified as endangered at the federal and state level. A St. Olaf College environmental studies professor said it could soon be endangered locally due to a proposed mine on a site where the lily is present. The professor, Kiara Jorgenson, is among a few hundred citizens who form the “Nerstrand MN Conservation Society” working to stop a proposed gravel mine and asphalt plant in northeastern Rice County from moving forward. ...
1st national bike and roll to school day for Prairie Creek students
Last Wednesday, May 8 marked Prairie Creek Community School’s first time participation in the National Bike and Roll to School Day. The ride was organized by fourth and fifth grade teacher Ryan Kiesel. An enthusiastic crowd of over 50 riders, including school staff, parents, and children grades 2-5, embarked from the parking lot of Emmaus Baptist Church in Northfield at 7:45 a.m. for the approximately 8 and a half mile ride to school in Castle Rock. Riding over mainly gravel roads, the bikers arrived at school at 9:15 a.m. Students were led on the ride by school director Simon Tyler and assisted by Dakota County sheriff’s deputy Dan Bianconi in crossing 320th St. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day, better weather, or a more enthusiastic group of kids,” said Kiesel. He added that plans are already in the works for next year‘s ride.
Northfield's Vest Fest to raise funds for emergency response protectie gear
After hearing the horrific news in late February that three Burnsville police officers and one firefighter-paramedic were shot during a police standoff, Galen Malecha got an idea. Soon after learning three of those officers died doing their jobs, Malecha asked himself, how could the Northfield community protect its emergency responders? He hit upon the idea of raising funds to purchase protective vests for Northfield’s emergency services teams. ...
Northfield council considers latest ice arena proposal with $21 million price tag
With robust support from the city of Dundas, Northfield Public Schools and the Northfield Hockey Association, the most detailed plan in years to replace Northfield’s dilapidated ice arena appears to have gained strong momentum, even with an eye-watering price tag. Meanwhile, potential buyers of the current arena have plans to convert the space into a private recreation facility. As construction costs have continued to rise, even the more frugal of two proposed ice arena designs developed by JLG Architects comes with an estimated price tag...
Students encouraged to 'plant a pocket of prairie'
When former teacher LuAnn Raadt visited Bridgewater Elementary School Wednesday afternoon, she came bearing gifts for the third graders: flats of butterfly weed plants for students to take home and grow. The plants were part of an effort by the SE MN Prairie Partners chapter of the Wild Ones to promote native landscapes through education, advocacy and collaborative action. The plants are also intended to encourage resilience in native pollinators,...
Northfield teen on gap year releases 3rd pop album
Even as a 3-year-old, Galvin Dupont had rhythm. In a video taken by his father Jim, the toddler can be seen at the bottom of a carpeted stairway playing a drum set. What can be immediately heard is the youngster displaying nearly perfect beat and tempo. Fast forward 16 years. Galvin Dupont, who performs under...
Northfield athletes sign up to play in college
The strength of the interscholastic athletic program at Northfield High School was on full display last week as the school celebrated 14 of its senior student-athletes who have committed to play college sports in 2024-25. The list includes four baseball players, five members of the NHS girls swim and dive team, two members of the softball team, one girls hockey player, one girls basketball player, one girls soccer player, one girls track and field athlete and one member of the boys lacrosse team. ...
St. Olaf students to perform Somali songs in campus concert
As an ethnomusicologist, whose current research focuses on community engagement through music with Somali diaspora communities in the United States, Rehanna Kheshgi has studied music from around the world. On Saturday, Kheshgi brings Somali music to the St. Olaf College campus for the first time as part of her course titled Somali Community Engagement through Music. Kheshgi, an assistant professor of music in her sixth year at St. Olaf, said the upcoming concert was an appropriate conclusion to the semester-long class. ...
Northfield boys tennis improves conference record to 8-2 with 3-1 week
The Northfield High School boys tennis team geared up for the 2024 Big 9 tournament with a series of four dual matches over the last week. The competition resulted in a 3-1 record in the four matches and it improved the Raiders 2024 record to 8-2 in Big 9 play. The Raiders opened their week with a 6-1 win over Owatonna at home on Tuesday, April 30. Northfield’s Blake Simon lost a 6-3, 6-3 decision at first singles but Jackson Hessian (second singles), Theo Menk...
Four Norwegian tapestries tell immigration story of Valley Grove
Four Norwegian-style tapestries were recently exhibited at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Northfield. The Minneapolis weaver Robbie LaFleur spoke to members of the congregation on April 28 about the weaving technique and the stories the tapestries tell about the history of the Norwegian immigrants who built the two iconic churches at Valley Grove overlooking Nerstrand State Park. Margit Johnson, Valley Grove Preservation Society board member, provided a brief history of...
NHS Spring play filled with fun, farce and snappy dialogue
Coming to the Northfield High School this spring play is a perennial favorite time honored comedy that often veers into the lane of a screwball farce. The play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” written by Joseph Kesselring in 1941 and adapted into a beloved movie three years later, opens at NHS on Thursday, May 9 and runs through Saturday, May 11. All three evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for seniors over 65 and students. ...
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Northfield News has been serving Rice County, MN since 1876 and publishes Wednesdays and online at www.NorthfieldNews.com
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