A man driving near 100 mph with an open bottle is now in the Rice County jail. On Saturday afternoon, dispatch reported 2 calls of a person driving fast and erratically on I-35. A Deputy waited just north of Faribault and witnessed the speeding driver. He pulled over 36 year old Dominick Wayne Baptiste of Madison Lake and discovered several open containers of alcohol including a half empty
bottle of brandy. Baptiste had also wet himself. He refused the breath test and was taken to Hastings detox. Baptiste had a Texas ID on him. His MN drivers license is revoked. He’s charged with 2nd degree DUI with refusal to submit, 3rd DUI, open bottle and driving after revocation. His initial court appearance is June 6th.
Local man named new Greenvale Park Principal
The Northfield School Board approved the hiring of a new Greenvale Park Principal on Monday. Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said they had 47 applicants, multiple rounds of interviews and, “I’m very pleased to report that a Northfielder, Sam Richardson, has been hired as Principal at Greenvale Park Elementary”. Richardson is a ‘94 NHS graduate and a ‘98 graduate of Carleton College. He’s taught in Oregon and Minnesota and for the last 8 years has been the Principal at Glendale Elementary in Prior Lake. He’ll begin his new position July 3rd. He lives in Northfield. Principal David Kraft retired in August. Hillman said, “We thank Mr. Kraft for his decade of really dedicated service to Greenvale Park. He’s really the person that got the “gecko” identity going at Greenvale Park. If you asked any Greenvale Park kid what they are, they’re going to tell you they’re a Gecko!” Richardson and his family live in Northfield.
Hilleman named to lead NAUW
Penny Hilleman has been named the new Executive Director of the Northfield Area United Way. She was previously with Neuger Communications for 12 years working with the non-profits. As for the move, “I feel my heart really lies in the non-profit sphere”. Having worked on the consulting side and having board experience she felt this was a great next step in her career to get inside an organization she believes in. She added, “there’s a great story to tell here and I’m looking forward to helping tell that and maybe refresh people’s views of what the Northfield Area United Way is all about”. Hilleman started Monday. We’ll hear more from Hilleman as their Fall fundraising campaign begins.
Detour in Kenyon begins May 30th
Motorists on Highway 56 at Kenyon will be detoured beginning May 30 for about three days while excavation work takes place to remove unexpected underground construction debris from a bridge replacement work zone. Construction crews are replacing the bridge north of Kenyon at the North Fork of the Zumbro River, as well as the bridge south of Stanton at Prairie Creek. Should crews complete the work sooner, it will be reopened to traffic. The full press release is below.
