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Governor's visit to Northfield highlights small business and economic expansion
When former teacher Amy Pfefferle spotted Gov. Tim Walz walking down Division Street in Northfield Thursday afternoon, she quickened her step to catch up to him. She couldn’t wait to tell Walz she had just cast her early voting ballot. “I voted for you,” she said as they met at the corner of Fourth Street and Division. “Hey, great to meet you, Amy,” said the Democratic governor running to win...
Lawsuit against county expands to challenge modems transmitting vote results
A lawsuit over election records data requests in Rice County has expanded into a challenge of the use of modems in voting equipment. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has gotten involved and is joining the county in asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. Judge Carol Hanks indicated during a hearing this week she is unlikely to issue any ruling before Election Day. The lawsuit was filed in August in...
Tandem Bagels closing Northfield location in mid-November
Sometimes when a business closes, customers think the owners couldn’t make it financially. For Tandem Bagels, the opposite is actually true. When the owners lock the 10-year old bagel and coffee shop doors in mid-November, they plan to continue expanding the thriving business in Mankato. “One store is easier to control than two,” said owner Anne Frentz. “Our store is growing so much in Mankato that we want to put our focus there.” ...
Northfield woman speaks about her life as a white immigrant from Africa
Before Kenya became independent, it was a British colony. Penny Hillemann was born into a family of British civil servants in 1959 Nairobi and nowadays she feels wary to share her country of origin with others from east Africa, due to Britain's role in Africa and the color of her skin. Hillemann gave her perspective during the Paradise Center for the Arts on Monday night, during the third installment of the Faribault Diversity Coalition's monthly speaker series. She shared her family's story, leading up to...
Meals On Wheels delivers hot food and community spirit to Northfielders
Once a week at 11:55 a.m. Sue Evans and Annie Kramer drive around to the north side of Northfield Hospital + Clinics to load the back of their Subaru with Meals On Wheels deliveries. This week, they are delivering 10-12 meals on the pink route, one of five color coded weekday routes. The day’s 50 meals are packed three to a cooler. Then the coolers are wheeled outside to the pickup lane and stacked onto a wire rack, color tags identifying their routes and drivers. ...
Northfield defense supports run game in 41-6 win over Rochester John Marshall
Northfield’s defense came out focused for a first-half shutout, while its offense scored five unanswered touchdowns, as the Raiders took a solid 41-6 win over Rochester John Marshall in the Section 1AAAAA quarterfinals Tuesday at Memorial Field. Senior running back Charles Monaghan had two touchdowns to lead the Raiders scoring, including the first, a 9-yard run in the first quarter. Junior running back Cameron Mellgren also scored in the first, on a 3-yard run, and junior quarterback Kamden Kaiser hit senior running back Gabriel Sawyer...
Riverwalk Winter Market to move inside of old Northfield News building
At its last meeting, the Northfield City Council approved a license agreement with the Riverwalk Market Fair to hold a winter version of the popular Saturday morning market inside the former Northfield News building. The popularity of the market held at Bridge Square during the warmer months promoted the council to consider indoor options. The former News building at 115 5th St. E. was purchased last spring by the city, making it a sensible choice. ...
Electric vehicle expo attracts environmentally concerned crowd
Solar panels, lithium battery return barrels, an electric truck and an electric school bus were all on display at the Recharge Northfield Electric Vehicle Expo and Test Drive. The second annual event with 17 exhibitors and 15 environmentally conscious community collaborators, was held the morning of Oct. 15 at the parking lot of the Northfield Middle School. One of the biggest draws of the Expo was the chance to inspect the electric vehicles parked on the outer drive that were available for test drives. From...
First climate controlled storage units open in Northfield
Rural climate controlled storage units are now available in Northfield — although half of the 44 brand new units are already taken. At a ribbon cutting Wednesday afternoon, Self Storage Dundas owner Norm Oberto told the assembled crowd that the time to introduce a local upscale storage option was now. “This is our third expansion in two years,” said Oberto. “We are anxious to get the word out about these...
Dr. Matthew Hillmann named 2023 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year
A lot of Northfield families already think Northfield School District’s District superintendent is super. Now, they have some legitimate backing: Dr. Matthew Hillmann was named 2023 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year last week by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, MASA. Hillmann, who has been in office since 2016, said he was grateful to MASA for the recognition. ...
St. Olaf students gather to support local DFL candidates
On a sunny, warm and windy Sunday afternoon, about 25 St. Olaf College students gathered in Bridge Square to rally support for local DFL candidates Clarice Grabau, Davin Sokup and Kristi Pursell. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith had a scheduling conflict and was not able to attend the rally, said Brock Lawhead, president of the student group St. Olaf College Leftists. "We've worked really hard to get our students excited about voting in the mid-term elections," he said. "There's a lot at stake this year." Lawhead said his group was proud of the award St. Olaf won last year through the ALL In Campus Democracy Challenge. In 2021, St. Olaf had the highest student voting rate of the more than 400 participating institutions.
Northfield girls XC wins Big 9 Conference Championship
The Northfield girls cross country team had a historic day at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna Tuesday, winning the Big 9 Conference Championship for the second year in a row and also for the second time in 22 years, with all five scoring runners make the All Conference Team. "First, the varsity raced to their second conference championship in Northfield school history, winning by 30 points. It wasn't even close," said head coach Nichole Porath. ...
Local veterinary clinics experience high demand, labor shortage post-pandemic
Pet ownership rose to an all-time high during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 23 million American households adding a pet, and the vast majority committed to caring for those pets for the long haul, according to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. That surge in pet ownership has only increased the pressure on local veterinary practices. For years, local veterinary practices have struggled to attract staff and help staff avoid burnout, and now they’re in near-constant demand, in contrast to the ebbs and...
Raiders reclaim Cannon Trophy in 41-12 win over Falcons
Northfield football reclaimed the Cannon Trophy after a two-year hiatus in a short-field fiesta that had the visiting Falcons saying "no mas." Facing a team short of personnel and depleted by injuries, Northfield earned back the Cannon Trophy from the Faribault Falcons in a 41-12 win Wednesday to close out the regular season, but more importantly sealed a No. 3 seed and home-field advantage to start Section playoffs. Coach Brent...
HOPE Center director launches United Way speaker series
"You have all the answers inside of you," said Erica Staab-Absher, director of the HOPE Center in Faribault. "I don't need to tell you what that is. But I do need to help you create a space where it's safe to ask questions, figure out what your next steps are and have you feel heard and seen." Her words were shared with a room-full of women who attended the first Coffee + Cause at the Merchants Bank in Northfield Thursday morning. ...
1st skateboard and scooter shop opens in downtown Northfield
Any thrasher who sticks gnarly tricks like an acid drop, airwalks and alley-oops in the bowl and carves and catches with steez should visit Northfield’s newest skateboard and scooter shop. Tyler Westman, owner of Northside Boards & Scooters, can talk skate slang with the best of them. His new store on the north end of Division Street has put together an inventory of decks, rails and trucks certain to make a skater drool. ...
New Northfield speaker series features Edna Thayer and Packy Mader
The eight-person committee who dreamed up a new speaker series called “Out ‘n About: Conversations with Minnesotans” has been meeting regularly in the small conference room at The Hideaway Vault for a few months. Most of the woman are retired from their careers and know each other from church or community involvement. They gathered to start a speaker series that did not revolve around religion, but would be based at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 E. 4th St. W, in Northfield. ...
Celtic music wizard Laura MacKenzie returns to her roots
Big-band-style Celtic music is coming to Northfield, along with native daughter Laura MacKenzie. MacKenzie, who has deep roots here, is producing a special concert at Amory Square on Friday featuring her music ensemble, Brass Lassie. “I used to go to dances as a teenager at the Amory,” MacKenzie said. “I’m quite attached to downtown since my parents had a gift store there for 25 years. It was a second home...
Positive mental health messages embedded in new art at Northfield Public Library
Telling stories through art is one way local artist Rocky Casillas Aguirre has helped manage his persistent anxiety. He’s sharing those stories of positive mental health in the artwork that was commissioned for the youth section of the Northfield Public Library. The brightly colored piece will be unveiled in a Sunday afternoon ceremony next weekend. Casillas Aguirre’s artwork will be mounted on three vertical panels and affixed to the endcaps...
'The Humans' comes to the Paradise
Paradise Community Theatre is only the second in Minnesota to stage the 2016 Tony-Award-Winning best play, “The Humans.” Director Rachel Haider and a six-member cast will make the local premier of the nuanced one-act play Friday at the Paradise Center for the Arts. The play, written by Stephen Karam, follows three generations of the Blakes — an East Coast family with deep-seated issues. ...
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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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