Gone are the days of stealing mom or dad’s cigarettes. Teen Vaping was a topic at the Northfield School Board meeting on Monday. In the past, E-cigs were designed to transition smokers to a “healthier” alternative. Superintendent Matt Hillmann explains one reason teens start vaping is their brain is undergoing changes and they want to experience new things and test boundaries. Previously, e-cigs would produce a cloud of vapor smoke noticeable to people in the vicinity, However, the technology has advanced so that cloud is no longer a noticeable thing, which allows people, and in this case students, hide their usage. Hillmann explained that now students can take a puff in class under their shirt and there would be no visible signs of them doing it.
This new wave of vaping is prompting the School Board to take measures to educate those who are not aware. KYMN will continue this story on the data the school board received and what exactly the plan is to combat vaping in Northfield schools.
Tonight’s City Council Work session will include discussion with Rebound Development Partners on their acquisition of “Lot 5” located on the NE corner of Hwy. 3 and 2nd St. W intersection. The developers have requested an extension for the commencement of future commercial improvements on Lot 5. The Council approved a 3-month extension of the deadline which changed the future commercial improvements date to March 31, 2019 and completion date to March 31, 2020. The 2-year extension is on top of that 3-month extension which would push back the completion date to March 31, 2022. Rebound Development has also proposed that after this 2-year extension, the developer requests an additional 2-year extension and would pay the city $20,000 to do so. Representatives from Rebound Development will be on hand explaining their proposal.
The new Legislative Session is underway and a number of Representatives and Senators are getting their first experience of being policy makers for the Districts that elected them in November. One of those is District 20 Representative Todd Lippert. Lippert discussed on KYMN Radio what committees he has been assigned to. He is chair of the Long-Term Care Committee where he wants to promote better and safer care for seniors and those that use long-term care assistance. He is also a member of the Food and Ag Finance Committee, the Labor Committee, Govt. Finance Committee, and Environment and Natural Resources Committee. It’s on the Natural Resources Committee that Lippert wants to work with a colleague to study plastic usage in landfills. Also, he want to integrate agriculture from the rural communities to the local municipalities and work together to provide food to all. Lippert will be a regular guest on KYMN Friday morning during the Legislative Session.
