UPDATE: The man has been identified as Chen Ziqui. The criminal complaint is listed below. On Friday morning, Northfield Police Officers executed a search Warrant at a business in the 1000 block of Highway #3 South. The warrant was the result of an investigation related to potential prostitution and/or human trafficking. NPD was assisted by investigators from the Minnesota BCA Predatory Crimes Unit and the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force. The officers detained several people and arrested an adult male on probable cause for promotion of prostitution. He is expected to be charged in Rice County Court today. We’ll hear more from Rice County attorney John
Fossum tomorrow. In an email, Chief Monte Nelson said the investigation is still open and will likely continue 
for several weeks. He added that it’s very important to the health and safety of our community. There will be important conversation and consideration in the future regarding potential steps the City can take to better prevent, prepare for, and deal with 
these types of situations. He thanked the investigators, the two task forces members of the Community who provided information. A man, arrested on Feb. 3rd on suspicion of some type of sex crime, is Chen Zuqiu Chen. KYMN will inform you if this is the same person. The complaint against Chen has not yet come through the Rice County attorney’s office. CHEN COMPLAINT
Bly says de-regulation could hamper trade with China
As President Trump continues to put forth his agenda, it trickles down to the State level, says Representative David Bly. Discussions are lingering in Ag Committee as Governor Dayton put forth his Ag budget. Two issues came up, “one was trade and, you know, there is some threat that with some of the things the President is proposing there could be hiccups in our trade”. Minnesota’s largest trading partner is China, “and if we put in place tariffs or do something that would upset the Chinese, we could see them shifting away from American grains to Brazilian grains or something like that. Which does send a message across farm country that there’s something to worry about here”. The other thing, Bly says, is related to noxious weeds. Palmer Amaranth is a particular problem in corn and soybean fields. In 2014 it was listed as a noxious weed on the MN DNR website and meant for eradication. Bly says the seed was brought in in packets of seed for pollinators in buffer zones. In November 2016, the Commissioner of Agriculture listed Palmer amaranth as a Prohibited Weed Seed. This means no Palmer amaranth seed is allowed in any seed offered for sale in the state. He said, “so when you talk about taking away regulations, it makes you nervous. What are the results of that? Well, coming in of these seeds may be the result of a removal of a regulation that could’ve protected us from that”. Bly says the Dept. of Agriculture has it under control at this time. He added that we need to spend more money on noxious weed eradication including Wild Parsnip.
Nfld Habitat House dedication
Rice County Habitat for Humanity invites you to their Northfield House dedication with 2016 Partner Family, Judy Alexander and her children. The Dedication is at 7 tomorrow evening at 805 1st St. W, Northfield. The event is open to the public, and will include a short program, a chance to meet the family and tour the house. The Alexander family is one of two Partner Families from Habitat’s 2016 build season.
Food Allergy presentation
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies among children have increased more than 50{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} since 1997, affecting 1 in 13 children. Northfield Hospital and Clinics invites parents and caregivers to a presentation “Food Allergies: What parents Need to Know” by food allergy specialist Dr. Nancy Ott this Wednesday evening from 7 to 8 in Meeting Room A of the Hospital on North Avenue. Dr. Ott sees patients at Allergy & Asthma Specialists in Edina. She has over two decades of experience treating patients, teaching, and conducting research. Her own childhood experience with asthma has influenced her practice: When Dr. Ott was 13, she spent nine months in the hospital for asthma treatment. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is preferred; walk-ins are welcome as space allows. To register, contact Kristi Winkels at (507) 646-1410 or winkelsk@northfieldhospital.org.
