Today’s news update | Council affirms preferences for public safety buildings

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• The Northfield city council affirmed its support of the Steering Committee’s recommendation that the Woodley site is preferred for a new fire facility. The council also affirmed the  three southern sites (Cowles, Gleason and Jasnoch) are preferred for a new police station. At its work session on Tuesday, the council discussed preliminary estimates of costs for the projects, with a high-cost range of around $10.6 million and a low-cost range of about $8.6 million. At last night’s meeting, Northfield Community Development Manager Brian O’ Connell said the process is still on track for the council’s June 15^th deadline for deciding on a funding strategy for the buildings. Northfield Mayor Mary Rossing will be in KYMN studios this morning at around 7:35 to discuss last night’s work session.
• Authorities have released the names of the two women who died in a four-vehicle, interstate crash in Lakeville that involved a semi loaded with bees. The State Patrol says 50-year-old Pamela Brinkhaus of Elko and 24-year-old Kari Rasmussen of St. Anthony were killed in the crash. They were driving the two cars that collided with two semis in the Monday morning crash. Brinkhaus was pronounced dead at the scene. Rasmussen died at the hospital Monday night. Firefighters used their fire hoses to disperse the cloud of bees hovering at the crash site. Lakeville Fire Chief Scott Nelson says the bee swarm looked like a “black haze.” Nelson and other first responders were stung.
• A former Minnesota nurse accused of going online and encouraging depressed people to kill themselves has been ordered to stay off the Internet while his criminal case is pending. William Melchert-Dinkel made his first court appearance Tuesday in Rice County. The 47-year-old from Faribault is charged in the deaths of a woman from Canada and a man from Britain. Melchert-Dinkel works as a long-haul trucker since being stripped of his nursing license. Judge Bernard Borene forbid him from leaving the state except for work, and required him to sign a waiver of extradition in case he flees. Melchert-Dinkel didn’t speak in court except to say he understood the charges. His next court date is June 29.
• Council member Jon Denison has filed for re-election in the 4^th ward. Nathan Kuhlman has also filed for the 4^th ward. Suzie Nakasian has filed in ward 1. Rhonda Pownell has filed for another term as councilor at large. Norman Butler has also filed for councilor at large. The filing period for municipal offices ends on June 1^st at 5 p.m.