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Northfield News
Master Gardeners spruce up teaching garden for the season
Visitors to the teaching garden at the Rice County Fairgrounds will find new seating, a free seed library and other additions. An active group of Rice County Master Gardeners continue to improve the garden, which was installed in a partnership with the Bethlehem Academy Agriculture Department. While the garden at the Rice County Fairgrounds has already seen a lot of improvements over the last several years, Master Gardener Coordinator for...
Northfield golfer claims second state title
Northfield’s Nate Stevens could do nothing else but sit and wait to determine the fate of his quest for back-to-back Class AAA Minnesota State High School League state golf titles. Stevens’ spot was precarious, already having finished his round at Coon Rapids’ Bunker Hills with a two-day score of 140, tied with Rosemount’s Owen Rexing, while Edina’s Jack Wetzel had the one stroke lead with four holes to go. “We...
Leaders in southern Minnesota support Legislature's mental health funding
While the Minnesota Legislature failed to reach the needed consensus to pass most major tax and spending bills, a package of historic investments championed by a local legislator could help to close major gaps in how the state approaches mental health care. The Legislature’s $92.7 million mental health omnibus package includes a grab bag of policy measures focused around two areas: increasing access to a variety of treatment options, especially for youth, and addressing the shortage of mental health providers. ...
Limited space gardens theme of Northfield Garden Club's annual tour
When the Northfield Garden Club members were considering the theme of this year’s annual garden tour, one idea kept circling back around: curating a garden using a minimal amount of space. Five of the six gardens on this year’s tour exemplify the concept of creative gardening within a confined dimension. All six gardens will also feature local artists at work and tour docents who can answer any green-thumb related questions. ...
County considers concerns about election integrity
After several members of the public voiced a wide range of concerns about election security, Minnesota Director of Elections David Maeda addressed the Rice County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. The discussion centered around Rice County’s election equipment and processes and whether the county should establish a new drop box to accept absentee ballots. Maeda has over 25 years of experience with and is familiar with election processes, equipment, standards...
Council discusses riverfront enhancement, other engineering projects in work session
Public Works Director and City Engineer David Bennett was the man at the microphone during much of last week’s two and a half hour work session for Northfield’s city councilors and mayor. Bennett, who oversees all of Northfield’s engineering projects, reported on a range of projects from the drinking water treatment plant to street improvements and Bridge Square enhancements to the 10-year Capitol Investment Plan or CIP. “There’s just a...
Popular noontime organ recital series continues in Northfield this summer
If you are looking for a break from your usual lunch routine, why not skip the sandwich and head to a local church for an inspirational half-hour of organ music? This summer marks the 15th season of Northfield Noontime Organ Recitals, a series originated by pastor and musician Richard Collman. “This is wonderful music,” said Collman. “We can’t let organ music be ignored.” ...
Sheriff’s patrol uses education to smooth county waters
Rice County’s bounty of lakes and two major rivers makes water safety especially important. “We want people to be safe and we want to prevent drownings,” said Sgt. Nathan Budin, of the Rice County Sheriff’s Office. All Minnesota sheriff’s offices are responsible for safety on their county’s waterways. Budin oversees the Rice County’s Water Patrol unit. Five non-licensed deputies work weekends and holidays from about Memorial Day to Labor Day....
Construction on Fifth Street bridge expected to wrap up in early July
Sure enough, on the hottest day so far of 2022, the first round of cement was scheduled to be poured for the Fifth Street bridge construction project. At least the pour happened at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning before temperatures soared into the upper 90s. Minnesota Department of Transportation recommends that concrete should not be poured when temperatures are 90 degrees or higher, explained Sean Simonson, Northfield engineering manager. ...
Carleton music professor experiments with sound treatments on new album
“Avant guard easy listening” is how composer Andrea Mazzariello describes his unique brand of music, which mixes vocals, keyboards and electronic sounds through synthesizers. Last weekend, Mazzariello, who teaches composition and music technology at Carleton College in Northfield, celebrated the release of a single called “Aspirational Gardening” during a solo performance at Keepsake Cidery in Dundas. The musician, who admits he’s had a “constantly fortunate pedigree,” holds degrees from Williams...
Interim executive director hired for Healthy Community Initiative
Healthy Community Initiative has appointed Sandy Malecha interim executive director by HCI’s board. Malecha joined HCI in 2014 and has been a senior director since 2017. As interim director, Malecha will lead HCI into the 2022-23 school year. Zach Pruitt, who is departing HCI after 17 years as executive director, will help facilitate the transition to support the continuity of HCI operations. She will work closely with Administrative Director Amy...
Local food shelves feel the brunt of inflation as demand increases
With inflation at a 40-year high and prices of key food staples increasing at an even more rapid rate, local food shelves are making major adjustments to keep up with rising demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Food At Home index, food prices are up 11.9% over the last year, the largest increase since 1979. With energy costs and general inflation expected to continue throughout the summer, prices are expected to continue to rise. ...
Northfield author visits Buckham West
An author and illustrator from Northfield visited Buckham West senior Center Tuesday to share about the process of writing her two books. Sharon K. Henry read both books and talked to attendees about the illustrations she drew. Caregiver support/senior center programming staff member Brenda Johnson said the program was one of many pandemic-canceled events the senior center has rescheduled. Henry's first book, “Good Day, Sad Day, Same Day: A Day...
Local 'country drag housewife' turns hobby into career
Getting out of his truck dressed in ripped jeans, a T-shirt, cowboy boots and a baseball cap, Craig Moxness looks the part of any other typical Midwestern man. Until the hearty laugh, flashing dimples and twinkling eyes reveal that average Minnesota man is not only an accomplished and business-savvy hair stylist, but also the much beloved local drag queen Mrs. Moxie. Moxness, who hosted an Open Runway event at Northfield’s...
Longtime artisan friends join together for first-time collaborative exhibit
In the mid-1990s, the old Opera House building, which became a Masonic Lodge building, was renovated to become a space for studios. This historic structure, at the northeast corner of Fifth Street and Division Street, would become the place where artistic careers flourished alongside with solid friendships. Four artists whose studios line the hallway of the building’s top floor have forged deep and special relationships as creative neighbors for nearly...
Northfield nabs podium spots at state meet
Northfield’s Shelby Svien has been breaking records all season long, tossing the discus. It makes sense that the Minnesota State High School League’s Class AAA State meet wouldn’t be any different for the senior. Svien again tossed her way to a new school record at 143-07, breaking her own previous best and placing her second in the state meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School June 8. ...
Farmington uses big 1st quarter to knock off Northfield
The Section 1A boys lacrosse championship seemed poised for a big time showdown between top-seeded Farmington and second-seeded Northfield. Already having faced once this year, a tightly contested 13-9 victory for the Tigers on May 20, the Raiders hoped to avenge the loss and punch a ticket to state. Farmington had other ideas, though, as the Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back to win the...
Northfield News moves out of downtown office
After 57 years of operating out of 115 Fifth St. W., the Northfield News has left downtown and will soon relocate in an office off of Highway 3. The office will be open to the public sometime in early July, and the News will update with a more specific address then. The move comes after the city of Northfield purchased the historic building earlier in the spring. On March 22,...
Inflation spikes push consumers to penny pinching, grocery stores to cost saving
Grappling with high inflation, troubling supply chain shortages and rising shipping costs, local grocery stores are getting creative to keep food and other basic household goods as affordable and accessible as possible. The challenges rapid inflation poses for both grocery stores and customers are clear. The stores traditionally operate at only a small profit margin, particularly in small towns and rural areas, making potential declines in traffic difficult to weather. ...
Northfield school district retires COVID dashboard for now
In his last superintendent report of the spring 2022 school year, Matt Hillmann told members of the Northfield School Board Monday night the district achieved the collective goal of prioritizing uninterrupted in-person learning. Despite the ongoing challenges brought by the Delta and Omicron variants, the COVID dashboard and testing protocols worked the way they were designed, he said. “The 2021-22 school year was far more challenging for many reasons than...
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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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