A Northfield man who choked the mother of his child is in custody. 26 year old Darius Leandrew Tankson is charged with domestic assault by strangulation, interfering with a 911 call, 2 counts of misdemeanor domestic assault and brawling. In the criminal complaint, Northfield police were dispatched to 1502 Koester Ct on Saturday morning on a 911 hangup. One of the officers made contact
with the victim who said she was at her home on Jefferson Rd. Police met with her and she told them he choked her during an argument in the kitchen and then threatened to kill himself with a knife. She called 911 but he grabbed the phone from her and hung up. He then said, “you know what I’m going to do” and left the scene. The victim said she was afraid for her life and that Tankson had never acted that way before. He left on foot but came back to the residence where police were waiting. He denied choking her but said he may have squeezed her hard. His initial court appearance is August 25th. Tankson complaint
Tobacco ordinance should include education
Rice County Public Health presented their idea of changing the tobacco ordinances to Rice County Commissioners. Commissioner Galen Malecha commented that a few of the commissioners questioned where the education piece was. Is the only piece happening is fining the retailers? If that is the ONLY piece to it, Malecha is not in favor of it. He said the retailers are being demonized but there are other problems such as kids stealing cigarettes from their parents and 18 + year olds buying cigarettes and selling them to kids. His question is “what’s being done about that?” He’s not against the change but believes it shouldn’t be just about the retailers but rather education as well. Rice County has just 6 or 7 licensed tobacco sellers as they have no jurisdiction over the municipalities.
ACC looks to create public policy and celebrate Sidewalk Poets
The Northfield Arts and Culture Commission presented an Art in Public Places policy to the Council last week. In recent years, the ACC has received requests from public and private entities regarding design standards and display of art. Included in their responsibilities is to develop and advocate those standards which represent a coherent image of Northfield. And to plan and advocate funding for the installation of public art in Northfield that enhances the city’s appearance and artistic appeal. Library Director and staff liaison to the ACC, Theresa Jensen said 2 key findings are a need for consistent community gateways that reflect community character and the recognition for the potential for arts and culture as a community draw. Chair Bonnie Jean Flom highlighted the accomplishments and recognition of the Sidewalk Poetry program and Northfield’s first Poet Laureate, Rob Hardy as well as that Northfield has been selected to participate with Arts Midwest in their ArtsLab over the next several months. Over the course of four weekend retreats, participants will explore key questions relevant to their common community development needs with the growing importance of arts and culture as key drivers in building a rural America that can flourish. The policy is on kymn.net. ACC Arts policy
This will come back to Council for formal approval. The ACC invites community members to join them on Bridge Square this Thursday night,August 17th, at 7 o’clock as they celebrate the winners of the 2017 Sidewalk Poetry Competition. The Senior Center will be operating the Popcorn Wagon and there will be music by “Bonnie & the Clydes.” The 2017 sidewalk poets will read their winning entries. Bring your lawn chairs and settle in for an evening of popcorn, poetry, and music! 3 – Artslab MN Leveraging Creativity in Community Development
