No mail today and all “non-essential” Northfield City offices are closed through noon tomorrow (1/31), except the liquor store, which will be open until 6pm. DSI will not be picking up garbage today, pickups will be pushed forward a day. A number of retail stores and restaurants are closed too. With dangerously cold temperatures and a windchill warning in effect until 9 tomorrow morning, Northfield Police Chief Monte Nelson and Deputy Chief Mark Dukatz continue to warn the public
to stay inside. Don’t travel unless it’s necessary. There were 4 crashes reported yesterday. If you have an issue, stay inside your vehicle. Don’t let your gas tank get below half full and, if you need to, make sure the exhaust pipe is clear from snow. As for your pets, protect their pads and outdoor dogs need sufficient shelter. They both added that you must be careful with what you use to heat their shelters, the pipes in your home and your living spaces. This cold adds a whole other level of danger to firefighters and emergency responders. We have more information from NPD on our website. If you have an appointment or must make that bread run, call ahead to make sure the establishment is open.
Nfld used polar vortex to test “Flexible Learning Day”
As schools are closed again today, Northfield is trying a Flexible Learning Day. Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann explains that the elementary students were emailed an “activity matrix” with 16 options of learning from 4 categories. Students were instructed to choose 5 activities. Parents check off what they did and send pictures. The secondary students were sent activities this morning with a 20 minute length. Hillmann said that, as it takes students different lengths of time to accomplish the activity, they wanted to allow them plenty of time. It’s a pilot program for Northfield while many surrounding Districts are already doing it. This will be a long term solution instead of making up snow days at the end of the school year. There may be other opportunities to use the Flexible Learning Day. You can find out more and voice your opinion on the District’s website.
She was just a pawn
A woman from New York is in the Rice County jail accused of forgery and identity theft. According to the criminal complaint, on Monday 55 year old Kimberly Ann Knight attempted to impersonate a customer at the Wells Fargo Bank in Faribault and cash a $2440 check. The Bank manager said there was an alert sent out about the female suspect, who had reportedly gone to several Wells Fargo branches across the Midwest attempting to cash fraudulent checks. The ID she used was from California and for someone 20 years older. Faribault police located the women who’d left on foot. Knight has two active warrants from the State of New Jersey for larceny and fraud. She told police that she’s from New York and is “hard up” for money. She accompanied her nephew on a road trip with no destination planned. She was a pawn. That a male told her to try and cash the checks and, if she was successful, to give the money to him and he would give her $400. She said the male is part of a large operation and she is a pawn who needed money. Bail has been set at $20,000 with conditions. Her initial court appearance is Feb. 6th.
