A Minneapolis woman running a dog rescue organization in New Prague is facing 7 charges involving animal torture, abuse and neglect. Charges were filed Friday in Rice County against 24-year-old Elizabeth Osterbauer, owner of “Close to Home Canine Rescue”. Attorney John Fossum said the property is just barely in Rice County. According to the criminal complaint, a Minneapolis Police Sgt. executed a search warrant at 10550 New Prague Blvd in
December of last year in connection with a burglary case in Hennepin County. What they found were 66 dogs on the property in poor health, with no water and living in inhumane conditions. There were 7 dogs gated in the kitchen, 2 dogs in a plastic storage bin in a bedroom. Eighteen dogs were in a garage with no insulation but some hay. Thirty-nine more dogs were found in a barn with just a thin layer of hay and, again, no water. The temps hovered between 10 and 4 below. Mpls Animal control took the dogs in custody. There were 41 puppies and the rest were up to 8 years old. Some of the dogs had infections, most were dehydrated. Most of the rat terrier puppies had parvo and roundworm, one died in the shelter, that charge is a felony. At a hearing, she tried to get 38 dogs back. A veterinarian testified that would be “unconscionable”. Osterbauer claimed to rescue dogs. She would travel down south, get the rescue dogs for free and then sell them as rescue dogs. Fossum said, these dogs were really rescued from her. Full complaint: Osterbauer . Her first court appearance in Rice County is April 5th. Fossum said it’s a strange case for them with the investigation done by Minneapolis police who assumed it was the City of New Prague when it’s really in rural Rice County. In Hennepin County, she’s charged with 2 counts of burglary for breaking into a woman’s home, trashing it and stealing items, some of which were recovered on the New Prague property. Osterbauer is under suspicion of killing the woman’s dog after her romantic overtures were rebuffed. Listen to Fossum’s full interview on kymn.net.
Nfld School Board to consider tax implications of possible new High School and Elementary
The Northfield School Board will hold a work session today regarding their Facilities Plan, specifically focusing on the Northfield High School and Greenvale Elementary. Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said they’re working to be very intentional as it’s an expensive endeavor to build a new high school and potentially a new elementary. He said, “but at the same time when we know that within the next decade there are at least 2 buildings in the twilight of their career, we always want to make sure we’re discussing things early because we know that if we have a good plan and are proactive, we’re always going to get the community a better deal than if we have to be reactive”. They’ll be going over tax implications on the possible $106 million referendum for residents. The Board will make a decision by June as to whether they’ll put it to the voters in November. http://northfieldschools.org/files/March-7-2017-Work-Session-Materials.pdf
Nfld Council begins new start time of 6pm
The Northfield City Council meets tonight. This is the first meeting with a new start time. They’ll begin their regular meetings and work sessions at 6pm from this point forward. On their agenda is a resolution to approve their Rules of Business with some significant changes including rules of decorum and their seating assignments. The last item on their regular agenda is about their Strategic Planning Process. Again, all Northfield Council meetings and work sessions will begin at 6pm from now on.
