Rice County deputies,Lonsdale Fire and Rescue along with Northfield Ambulance were dispatched to a personal injury crash at about 4:15 yesterday afternoon. The crash was at Garfield Avenue, just south of Union Lake Trail. Sheriff Troy Dunn reports that a single vehicle was travelling south on Garfield. The driver lost control after going through the intersection, ran off the road and rolled into the east ditch, coming to rest on its side in about 2 feet of water. The
driver, 16 year old Shawn College, of Lonsdale and his 2 – 16 year old passengers, Shohieb Al-Faiyaad Zabar and Pavinn Nheth, also of Lonsdale, were transported from the scene to Northfield Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Dunn said, “Fortunately, all three juveniles were wearing their seatbelts which likely saved them from more serious injuries”. At this time, speed is believed to be a factor in the crash. The driver was cited for Failure to Drive with Due Care and Provisional License violations. The Sheriff’s Office was also assisted by the Lonsdale Police Department.
Froggy’s went a-fishin’ for expansion
It took less than 10 minutes for the Northfield City Council to approve Liquor Licenses for Imminent Brewing, the next microbrewery to open in town early this summer and Smoqehouse, the new bbq eatery on Division St can serve wine and 3.2 beer. But Froggy Bottoms was a whole other fish in the river. Owner Laurie Hoheisel asked for approval to temporarily expand their license to include a small portion of outdoor seating next to the Riverwall. She wants to add 4 tables. Once again the issue of allowing people to fish there tangled up the discussion. Some councilors were looking for a compromise. C. DeLong argued, as he did last year, about allowing people to fish the supposed “honey hole”, which happens to be at Froggy’s riverfront. C. Ness said he “enthusiastically supports” their request as written. At one point adding that if the council didn’t do it, that would be part of why Northfield has a reputation for not being business friendly. C. Colby and C. Zweifel agreed with Ness in terms of the expansion itself. DeLong and Peterson White said that area belongs to the public and they have the right to fish there. After an hour of discussion, Mayor Pownell asked to table it so that Hoheisel and Chief Nelson could discuss a compromise for hours of operation. They agreed to opening at 4pm Monday through Thursday and 11am Friday through Sunday. The patios close at 10pm each night. There’s also fishing any time there’s no seating out there. Administrator Martig commended Pownell for her action saying, “if our Council can build off of this in tackling other issues through this kind of cooperative process, we can achieve a lot of good things so I think that was a definitely a positive thing from my standpoint”. The decision was then unanimous. Their full interview is on kymn.net. Check out the full video of the council meeting by clicking HERE. You’ll also find related documents to all the items.
Shoe drive for Three Links
As you do your Spring cleaning, think about all those pairs of shoes you could get rid of! Three Links Foundation Director Ruth Dahl explained that they’re in the midst of their annual shoe drive. They work with a non-profit company out of Florida who recycles the shoes and sends them to Third World countries where individuals refurbish the shoes and sell them to support themselves and their families. The drive is going on now through June. Drop shoes off at Three Links main building at 815 Forest Ave. in Northfield between 8am and 3pm. If you need someone to pick them up call Ruth (507) 664-8867.
