By Teri Knight, News Director
Ziggy’s gas station on Hwy 3 in Northfield was broken into about 4 o’clock this morning. Northfield police were called to the scene by the alarm company. Deputy Chief Mark Elliott confirmed that the suspect or suspects got in through the roof. As far as they can tell at this point, only a couple of cartons of cigarettes are missing. They busted the glass on the door to get out when the alarm sounded. They fled the scene before officers arrived. Elliott said they’re reviewing evidence and video surveillance right now. He
will update us when there’s more to report. In the meantime, Owner Lynn Ziegler, reports the station is open for business.
Cooperation/Success for local drug task force
The Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force has a reputation for cooperation and success. They work closely with other state-funded drug task forces, twenty-on within Minnesota, as well as federal task forces. Sheriff Dunn said their team has also worked in other states following leads. Dunn said, “in Illinois, Iowa, Texas… because we know that it’s coming up from there and it’s people that are hanging their hats in Minnesota but they’re going to get it because they know that they can make a profit by coming up here and selling it”. Dunn is proud of the cooperation and determination as they continue to work on large seizures. In fact, every day they’re sifting through cases. Task Force Commander Sgt. Paul LaRoche said the agents, “can get pulled in many different directions on any given day. We get a lot of tips, we get a lot of phone calls from people wanting to give us information. People think that it’s just people that work for us, that’s not always the case. We get information from all different sources in the community”. Busts that patrol officers make can lead to bigger things as they work cases with the community’s help. LaRoche commented on burnout, saying, officers and bosses can recognize it, they talk with each other and know when it’s time to step away. He said the great thing is they can move between patrol, investigations and the task force. Sheriff Dunn also noted a big push on marijuana waxes and cartridges for vaping, saying, “it’s high THC content in these things and they are dangerous and are addicting and they are impairing and we’re seeing more people being arrested for impairment, DWI, but under drugs instead of necessarily alcohol”. He said it’s not the marijuana of the sixties and seventies. The THC content in those vaping cartridges is often over 90{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}, far stronger and far more dangerous. Along with the Sheriff’s Department, officers from the Northfield and Faribault Police Departments are also a part of the task force and rotate command between the three entities.
Nfld Council holds closed meeting related to possible playground property
Tonight, the Northfield Council will hold a closed meeting at 5 o’clock to discuss the purchase of property at three locations; 700 Hwy 3 North, a portion of Sheldahl Industrial Park and 440 Water St N. with the idea to create a park/playground on the north side. Right now there’s really nothing for the area of Northfield Estates and Florella’s. Northfield Promise was selected to lead a playground project with KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit that works to ensure every kid and all communities have equitable access to quality play spaces. The $300,000 award will help in implementing a playground on the north side of town that is underserved.
A work session will follow. Items related to the upcoming legislative session and how some bills relate to Northfield including the Transit Hub and their local ½ cent sales tax option will be up for discussion. Work sessions begin at 6pm and are open to the public, however no public comment is taken. They are also streamed live on the City’s website.
After losing so many trees, Rice SWCD holds tree event
The Rice SWCD and Faribault DNR-Forestry office are teaming up to host an open house for area residents to learn about trees. The event, “If These Trees Could Talk: Getting to Know Your Backyard Trees”, will be held on Wednesday, February 19th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault. Check out our Upcoming Events calendar on the front page of our website kymn.net for complete information.
