Eagan officer justified in shooting
A Grand Jury announced their decision yesterday that Sgt. Nathan Tennessen was justified in the shooting death of Justin Lee Kulhanek-Kerks. Last August, three Eagan officers responded to multiple reports of a male shooting a handgun near an apartment complex on Ironwood Lane. When they arrived, officers started to approach Kulhanek-Derks, yelling at him to get out of the vehicle. The 37 year old fired in the direction of the police. A witness told the BCA, they saw the ground explode in front of the officers. Two of the 3 officers fired their rifles, one bullet struck Kulhanek-Derks in the head. The autopsy revealed his blood
alcohol content was over twice the legal limit. In a separate statement, his father said that he never blamed police. His son was depressed and an alcoholic. In text messages to another family member, he indicated he wanted to die and contemplated a mass shoot out with police. He also said he had 30 rounds of ammunition.
Northfield’s Mayor-elect calls for applicants for Councilor-at-Large and Boards and Commissions
Mayor-elect Rhonda Pownell’s Councilor-at-large seat will be opening up as she becomes Mayor January 1st. They are looking for a broad spectrum of applicants. She said, “are you passionate about roads and infrastructure? Are you passionate about making sure that our parks are taken care of? What about economic development, right? Racial Equity? We have an aging community, and it’s not unique to Northfield, so there are really some big picture type issues that will be affecting our community”. As an At-Large position, the seat is not specific to a Ward. Any resident, 21 and over, and qualified to vote can apply. Administrator Ben Martig said the City Clerk’s office will be taking the applications which should include, “what’s your interest in running for the council seat and some background on yourself and that’s pretty much it”. The Council will then decide on the process to vet the applicants depending on how many they receive. The deadline is January 9th and interviews will begin on the 10th. They are also looking for members for Boards and Commissions. There are over 100 people that serve the City in these capacities. Pownell said she’s looking, “for people who want to serve, primarily on the Environmental Quality Commission, the Heritage Preservation Commission, Park Board, the fire board [NAFRS], and the task force for youth, alcohol and drug use”. If you’re interested, you can find more information and applications on the City’s website or stop by City Clerk Deb Little’s office at City Hall.
Nfld school Board approves addition of Special Ed staffer
The Northfield School Board approved the hiring of an Early Childhood Special Education staffer. Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said, “what happens through the pre-school screening process, students are identified as possibility of either being delayed in their development or potentially having a disability that would qualify them for special education”. Hillman said in the last couple of years, they’ve seen some pretty dramatic increases in the number of students identified with these issues. He says it’s one of the best investments they can make to be able to identify these kids and intervene early giving them the opportunity for long term success. The flip side is that the State demands a certain number of staff for a certain number of students. Hillmann says many of these children can exit special education out of grade school.
Click below to listen to the 12-16-16 NEWS podcast:
Listen for news updates on-air at 6, 7, 8, Noon, 3 and 5
