By Teri Knight, News Director
Gov. Walz is closing public and charter schools as of Wednesday. We have a link to the full audio of the Governor and State officials HERE. Faribault schools chose to close today through March 27th. It’s important to note that this two week hiatus will be used by educators to come up with plans, “it’s not just the childcare for emergency workers, it’s how do we prepare for distance learning, how do we take into consideration the lack of access to broadband in all corners of our state, care for children with family of emergency workers nutrition, meals and instructional material pick-up and how we will deliver it,
mental health support resource…”. He continues. That audio clip, as all audio clips are below in the full newscast. Commissioner Ricker assured the public that students will have what they need should there be a long term closure of schools. She explained distance learning, “it’s a student receives a daily interaction with their licensed teachers and receives appropriate, equitable materials”. There will be no instruction during this 2 week planning period, however, they are making arrangements for childcare for Elementary students of parents who are First Responders and healthcare professionals. This is a very fluid situation and they are working to cover all the bases including food delivery for those on free and reduced lunch and, “the Governor, the Lt. Governor and expect schools to continue to pay their hourly workers like paraprofessionals, nutrition staff and school bus drivers and that they are incorporated into our state’s distance learning plans”. Superintendent Hillmann will be on with Congresswoman Angie Craig tonight at 7o’clock for a constituent briefing. There is a dial-in number for the community to listen in. That information is HERE. Unemployment benefits due to coronavirus
Nfld Council to hear update on local coronavirus preparations – stream the meetings live
The Northfield City Council will hold a regular council meeting tomorrow but first will be a closed meeting at 5pm regarding the purchase of land for a park on the north side of town. They’ll receive an update on the NCRC building where FiftyNorth resides. This phase of work will assist in planning for the entire building and the space that is being vacated by Community Education/Recreation. There will also be another update from officials on preparations for the coronavirus. They are encouraging the community to view the meetings online. They are streamed live at ci.northfield.mn.us.
Community Action Center open and setting up COVID assistance fund
While FiftyNorth is closed the Community Action Center and their food shelf is NOT. From their website, CAC is concerned how COVID-19 will impact our greater community, but first and foremost, we are concerned with how this virus will disproportionately impact our neighbors with the lowest incomes. More than ever, we need your help to ensure a safe, caring, and just community for our neighbors. CAC has set up a COVID-19 Assistance fund. The purchasing power of the CAC is greater than the average shopper. They can buy more items for the same price. You can also donate In-Kind items. We have links to numerous sites and sources for fact-based information and are keeping it as up-to-date as possible.
Nfld offers rebate for rain garden installation
Rain gardens are a great way to manage runoff. In that light, the City of Northfield will cover 50{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of the installation of a rain garden up to $250. Northfield Water Quality Technician, Cole Johnson explains that a homeowner can use the money for plants, rental equipment or other necessary items. The reimbursement will come once the installation is complete and receipts have been turned in. It comes as a utility bill credit, so if your utility bill is $50 a month, you won’t have to pay it for 5 months if you get the full credit. They expect homeowners to maintain the garden for at least five years. The workshop scheduled for March 19th has been cancelled.
