Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, was awarded $200,000. It is one of seven regional winners of the annual Bush Prize for Community Innovation. There were 127 applicants from Minnesota and the Dakotas. The Bush Prize celebrates organizations that are extraordinary not only in what they do but in how they do it. As models of true problem solving, they work inclusively, in partnership with others, to make their communities better for all. Winners receive a package of recognition, including a flexible grant of 25 percent of the organization’s last fiscal year budget, hence the $200,000. The programs HCI supports are numerous
including after school programs, chemical and mental health, youth mentoring and much more. Northfield HCI is the only Minnesota winner not located in the metro. We’ll hear from Executive Director Zach Pruitt will be in studio on Thursday morning at 8:45.
Nfld students shine on a national scale
Northfield School students, once again, shine on a national scale. Last night, the National Merit reception was held and Kenyon Nystrom and Bridgette Forsner were commended while Elijah Leer and Nikko Kidd were semi-finalists. Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said this is a nationwide competition that’s based on their PSAT scores and the semi-finalists are the top 1.25{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of all students taking the test. Northfield High School routinely gets more than they statistically should of students with such academic excellence. Hillmann added, “we have great students who work really hard, they’re working with excellent teachers, they’ve got parents who are very supportive. We couldn’t be more proud of Elijah and Nikko and Bridgette and Kenyon, that’s the next 3{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}. So again, very elite company”. Hillmann said students who are honored invite a teacher that impacted them to the reception. Four teachers were honored, 3 of them from Elementary school. The teachers include Wanda Larson, Becky Har, Kitty Casson, Amy Tasch. (apologies for any misspellings of the names listed)
Council holds improvement hearing on 2018 Street projects, talks levy
If you have an opinion on parking in Northfield, the Northfield City Council will hold a street improvement hearing tonight during their council meeting regarding the 2018 downtown street projects. The proposed plan is designed to calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety, but it also reduces downtown parking spaces. Also on the agenda will be a reviewal of the 2018 Budget and Levy proposal – the two levy options brought forward are 8.5{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} and 8{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}. Meetings begin at 6pm at City Hall, they’re also streamed live on the City’s website.
New Climate Show – “a path of discovery”
KYMN introduced a new Climate Show series this month. Alan Anderson became very interested in climate change in 2012. So he took an online science course on Climate Change from MIT, developed a presentation and began education talks. Co-host Bruce Morlan, started as a skeptic but after attending Anderson’s Climate Summit in Northfield a few years ago, he became a believer. With their dedication to education on the subject, they approached KYMN to air a monthly series. Morlan calls it a “path of discovery”. He said, “each show we will start with some highlights of stories in recent news, perhaps since our last show and we’ll be looking to the stories that highlight the science, the impacts on agriculture, challenges for the military, increased risks for the insurance industry and other sectors of our economy”. The shows will be posted on kymn.net immediately after they air. You’ll find graphs and other links as well. Their first show, with an introduction to who they are, aired November 8th but from this point forward, KYMN Climate Show will air the first Wednesday of the month at 11am.
