By Teri Knight, News Director
Northfield City Clerk Deb Little reports a varying degree of precinct participation in the Presidential Primary for Northfield voters. For the state overall, Joe Biden received 38{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of the vote with Bernie Sanders at 30{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} and Elizabeth Warren at 15{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}. Of the fourteen states participating in Super Tuesday, it would appear that Biden is in the lead over Sanders in spite of him winning California. Biden has earned 787 delegates with a nine state win to Sanders 526 with a four state win. Maine is still too close to call with Biden at 33.9{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} and Sanders at 33.1{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of the vote there. Maine has 24 delegates, meaning, if Sanders wins it, he would still be behind Biden by 237 delegates. With his big win, Biden doesn’t have a lock on the nomination yet.
A Faribault man with previous domestic assault convictions is back in jail
accused of Assault by Strangulation, felony Assault and Burglary. Faribault police were called around 11 o’clock Monday night from a woman reporting her former boyfriend assaulted her. Officers arrived to find the victim shaken, crying and with red marks on her neck. She explained that they’d broken up and 31 year old Contrell Devoll Johnson had kicked her door open and knocked her to the floor, strangling her. She stated that he’s assaulted her twice before but did not report those incidents. He denies the assault. Bail has been set at $20,000 with conditions. His initial court appearance is March 11th.
Nfld Rotarians tackle human trafficking and sexual exploitation
The Rotary’s motto is Service Above Self and for Northfield Rotarians, they’re taking on a serious issue. Human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Northfield Rotarian, Todd Thompson explains, “human trafficking involves the sale of adults and children for commercial, sexual servitude or forced labor. Anyone can be a victim but the majority are girls and young women”. Forty percent of sex trafficking involves a minor. Rotarian Emily Fulton Foley is also the Executive Director of the Northfield Union of Youth, she added that there’s a difference between sex trafficking and sex exploitation, “trafficking involves a third person, so there’s the victim, the purchaser and then there’s the person who’s controlling the victim. Exploitation is a power differential where sexual favors are being exchanged for something else and often it’s basic needs”. She said social services see a lot of sexual exploitation and that it’s not often reported. In 2015, the latest numbers out, Foley says, Minnesota was in the top five in sex trafficking, adding, “we know that we had over 300 adults and almost a thousand young people, boys and girls, who were the victim of sex trafficking in the State of Minnesota, and that’s simply what was reported”. She said the issue is tied to several things including supply and demand, mental health, basic needs and power dynamics. The Rotary’s aim is a three-pronged approach to build awareness throughout the community, listen to our young people and then be able to react. Educating youth on understanding internet interactions and making sure they know about the safe harbor law are priorities. I have information on the Safe Harbor Law which was passed in Minnesota in 2011 to offer help to underage children. Click on that link for more complete information. In early 2017, the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force and the MN BCA were alerted by Northfield Police of possible prostitution at the Mystic Massage parlor on Hwy 3 operated by a Northfield man. Charges were dropped against Zuqiu Chen, however he was picked up by ICE and returned to China.
