38 year old Demarcus Barker has a checkered history with Rice County law enforcement. In March of 2016 he was charged with 9 felonies in connection to drug dealing and a police chase. He’d crashed the car in a field. He and his cousin then fled on foot. Inside the vehicle, police found they found 250 grams of marijuana. The next day, in the light, law enforcement searched the area in and around the path of the car chase, they found cocaine, crack and methamphetamine in the ditch along the roadside. Rice County attorney John Fossum said the charges were contested and a judge dismissed the case. Fossum’s office appealed and the Court of Appeals overturned the
Judge’s decision. The case was then tried in August and Barker was found guilty of all 9 felony charges. The most serious, importing drugs across state lines carries up to 35 years in prison. With 13 prior felony convictions, Fossum said sentencing guidelines suggest a 14 year prison term. He will ask for 25 to 30 years, saying, “he’s a career criminal”. Sentencing is set for November 7th. Barker Demarcus
NDDC gets 3 year contract
The Northfield Council approved a Contract for Services with the NDDC at $35,000 a year for 3 years. Since the hiring of Executive Director Jenni Roney, there’s been a lot more activity in terms of partnerships with the Chamber, the CVB and the City. Administrator Ben Martig commented that the NDDC initiatives align with some of the Council’s strategic plans in particular around economic development as well as how they should expand and revitalize the Cannon River corridor in the area. Roney presented several initiatives in her September 5th presentation. Martig recommended the full ask. He said a multi-year contract will allow them stability of expectation and lets the City know where they’re going. The legally binding contract, says Councilor Zweifel, “is kind of after all the boiler plate legalese is a specific contract for services that’s two pages. I think it was 12 to 15 specific items and that, I was impressed with that where our city staff really sat down with the NDDC leadership and reviewed that and worked it out and related it back to the strategic planning goals that we have for downtown”. I have the contract online and a link to the other documents. The vote was 6 to 1. Councilor DeLong voiced his opposition, saying he would give them half that amount. The organization was founded in 1999 with the intent of business owners to support it. 1 – 2018 City of Northfield and NDDC Proposed Contract
Nfld Outdoors talks with Lt. Gov.
Our Northfield Outdoors hosts, Dave Vesledahl and Andy Beaham, attended the Governor’s Pheasant Opener and caught up with Lt. Governor Tina Smith. Apparently she’s a good shot! She said, “well I’ll tell you, I love getting out and tromping around in the fields and I love being with the dogs and every once in a while I get a lucky shot”. This is was the 7th annual opener. The original idea was suggested by Congressman Collin Peterson to showcase the State’s pheasant habitat and garner more support for habitat efforts. Smith added that they will be working on the Farm Bill, which includes CRP, the Conservation Reserve Program. She said it’s gone down from 42 to 24, “and we need to get it back up again. That’s, I think, one of the primary reasons we’ve had this decline in habitat”. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Be sure to listen Saturday morning at 11 o’clock to Northfield Outdoors for the “mostly” full story of Dave and Andy’s first Governor’s Pheasant Opener.
