Rice County 4th lowest Levy
The Rice County Board of Commissioners approved a $61.5 million budget. This included using reserves of $400 thousand. The budget increases the property tax levy by 3.49{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}, slightly less than what was originally proposed in September. The Rice County property tax rate decreases 2.89{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} due to increases in new construction, county program aid and market values. The levy places Rice County as 4th lowest per capita among all Counties in the State.
NH&C Paramedic receives Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award
A winter snowstorm, a rollover and I-35 is shut down. What happens next is the stuff in which heroes are found. Paramedic, Mark Weiberg had just got off a 12 hour shift for Northfield Hospital and Clinics when he was in stopped traffic on I-35. After seeing multiple emergency vehicles, he thought perhaps he could lend some help. There were 6 victims, one critical. She was a little girl in cardiac arrest and was the person Weiberg worked on. He said you put your blinders on and just go to work. The outcome was not in the patients favor but Weiberg’s efforts gave confidence to the other responders to keep doing their job with the other victims. Weiberg received the Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award from Scott County last week which is given out to those who go above and beyond their call and put themselves in harm’s way. Weiberg said it was a whole team effort adding, “we have a call to help and that’s what we do. And that’s why I’m very proud to be part of EMS whether you’re volunteer, you’re paid, whatever, we’re all one brotherhood and sisterhood and it’s a neat feeling to be part of”. He said the hours are long, the work is hard and he wouldn’t change careers, there’s a camaraderie among responders, a sense of family. First Responders have 80 hours of training, an EMT has 140 hours and a Paramedic, such as Weiberg, has 1200 hours of training.
A former creamery becomes a brewery
From LaCrosse via California, a Northfield couple are transforming an old creamery into a vibrant new brewery called Tanzenwald Brewing Company. Steve Pittman and Jenaveve Bell-Pittman have been working for a year on the building along Hwy 3 next to Ziggy’s and just held a sneak peek Open House last week. Jenaveve explains their first look at the creamery. She said,”it was just atrocious in there. It was filled with junk inside, it was dirty, it was falling apart”. Steve said it wasn’t big enough but Jenaveve said,”I see something here, this is a diamond in the rough, this is a magical spot, it’s got great energy, let’s build an addition, let’s get this done”. The brewing equipment will be arriving in the next two weeks and their intention is to open in February. Steve will be doing the brewing himself although he plans on hiring an assistant to pass his knowledge on to. The plan is to start with 10 barrels at a time. They’ll also be serving food. Jenaveve said,”I just hired a couple of really great chefs. We’ve got a really great team. They’re both Townies, which I love. I didn’t want to pull someone from the City that doesn’t have their finger on the pulse of the Northfield culinary scene”. The menu will include homemade sausages and other locally sourced foods. Listen to the full interview on kymn.net and find out how they came to name it Tanzenwald.
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