A North Dakota woman is charged with 3 felonies including smuggling drugs into the Faribault correctional facility. According to the criminal complaint, a prisoner, Jermaine Ervin, was using his wife, 44 year old Margaret Ann Ervin, to get oxycodone to him. After a tip, Officers listened to phone conversations in which they used code to set it up. Last Friday evening when she came to visit, she had 12 oxycodone pills on her. She said they were a present for her husband’s birthday. After a search of her hotel room and rental car, officers found 242 more oxycodone pills. She’s charged with 3rd degree sale of narcotics, 3rd degree possession and bringing contraband into a state prison. The 2 most serious charges carry up to 20 years each. Margaret Ervin’s court appearance is Dec. 18th. She remains in the Rice County jail. Ervin COMPLAINT 2977
Lengthy and weighty Council agenda includes streets and tax levy
The 2018 street reconstruction project of the downtown area is on Northfield Council’s agenda again tonight as 
they try to come to a consensus on design. Among concerns in the public and business community, is the loss of parking, which started as 31 spaces. Option 2 adds back in 11 spaces. Option 3, a new offering hammered out for tonight, adds back in 18 spaces and the bumpout on Seventh Street at Washington would be widened from 26 feet to 30 feet, a compromise for a concern of Napa co-owner Dan Christoperson, regarding truck deliveries. It also includes a raised intersection at Division and 7th, however, that’s modified because Division Street is part of Northfield’s Municipal State-Aid (MSA) System so it must meet the State-Aid standards for design. Northfield Construction and BlueWater Properties, Chris Kennelly, a co-owner of the Phoenix building at 7th and Division and Chamber of Commerce President Todd Bornhauser were in studio yesterday morning and offered a lot of insight from their perspectives. Bornhauser commented on the process saying, in this particular process, the Planning Commission should have been involved and the EDA should’ve at least had a look and possible comments. “None of that was happening because that’s not the process on a street reclamation project”. Kennelly, whose business manages 25 properties, many in downtown, commented on the costly assessments and raised intersections saying, “and I do believe this is smart, fun, innovative design that they’re trying to push forward but, really, will we have that continuity up and down Division St. and are we committed as a City to cover the cost of those improvements to continue up and down Division and have we looked at how many parking stalls get lost with more bumpouts up and down Division and really looked at the downtown parking as a whole?” Listen to their full interview on kymn.net. Complete details are on the city’s website. You’re always welcome to make comments at the meeting. You are allowed 2 minutes per item, however, if you speak at the Open Comment period, you cannot speak again on the SAME item. The $4.2 million project requires a 6 out of 7 vote. Council meets at 6 o’clock tonight with a very lengthy agenda that also includes a public hearing on their proposed 8 to 8.5{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} tax levy and 4.4{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} increases for the HRA and the EDA. Mayor Pownell and Administrator Martig will be in studio at 7:20 tomorrow morning with a recap.
Tour the Depot during Winter Walk
During Winter Walk, Northfield Depot volunteers are offering tours! Alice Thomas, who will be your tour guide, said the renovation is at an interesting stage as visitors will be able to see some of the exterior and interior restoration and some elements that are in progress. Thomas is a wealth of knowledge having been a driving force throughout the project. (Jeff and I took a tour with her and it was fascinating). Tours that will be scheduled every 20 minutes between 2 and 8 p.m. Due to space limitations, each tour is limited to 5 people per group, cost is $5 per person. Contact Sue at 507- 645-0939 to reserve your spot. OR email – depotvolunteers@gmail.com. Listen to Richard Schulte and Clark Webster talk about the brackets they handmade to hold up the roof! That’s on our website, kymn.net. northfielddepot.org
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