By Teri Knight, News Director
The City of Dundas has a new Police Chief. Administrator Jenelle Teppen explained that the Dundas Council interviewed Todd Hanson last week. Retiring as a Police Officer in Faribault, he’s been a part time Officer for Dundas and Lonsdale. Teppen said, “and because we already completed the background investigation, the psychological, the medical evaluation there wasn’t a big wait time between my making him a contingent offer and his being able to accept it and approve it. So the Council considered it last night and they appointed him the Police Chief”. They expect him to start fulltime on October 26th. Officer Wade Murray has been Interim Chief since Eric Kline took another position
late last year. Teppen’s full interview is HERE. Dundas police on Facebook.
Craig files suit on 2nd Congressional District vote
With the death of Adam Weeks, Congressional District 2 candidate with the Legal Marijuana Now party, the State of Minnesota voters in the District that is now led by DFLer Angie Craig, may have to vote again in February. Rice County Attorney John Fossum says he believes it’s an open question. The Federal statute says elections for Congressional Office are to be held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon, referenced a statute passed in 2013 by the Legislature due to issues following the death of Paul Wellstone 11 days before his 2002 Senate election which pushed that election out 3 months. Craig’s term ends at the end of December, that would mean no representation for that District. He added there’s a lot of unintended consequences. The question is does Federal law eclipse State law. Simon says those votes already cast for CD2 and those that will be until Election Day on November 3rd won’t count, however, Fossum said the Court will have to decide, “I expect as long as there’s a dispute about that, someone’s going to have to commence litigation to determine how this is going to end”. And in fact, Craig has already filed a suit to allow the election to move forward. Simon is named as defendant in the lawsuit. Regardless of the outcome, right now you should still cast your vote in the General Election in any way you choose, mail-in or in-person. Fossum’s full interview is HERE.
NH&C Underdahl looks for “bright side” and sees the challenges of Flu season in a pandemic
Northfield Hospital and Clinics President and CEO, Steve Underdahl, talked briefly about rising cases of Covid-19 increasing in rural areas, saying it makes him a little nervous but he does look for the bright spot, if there is one with the approaching flu season, saying, “one of the things that might be helpful is, perhaps ironically, the precautions that we’ve all gotten used to for covid may actually help prevent some of the spread of influenza and some of the other respiratory diseases that we see in the Fall and the Winter”. He does still suggest getting a flu shot. With the colleges and other local schools back to school, albeit in varied situations, NH&C has been planning, “for a couple of things that we’ve tried to do to be helpful, we’ve got two of our Pediatricians, Todd Amunrud here in Northfield and Kelly Meyer, one of our Pediatricians in Lakeville, they’ve been really trying to make themselves available for families, daycare providers, community folks about safe practices”. They’re focusing on continued diligence in mask wearing, handwashing, social distancing and so on. There’s also discussion regarding nurturing wellbeing for kids, including limiting screen time, adding, “now in the next breath we’re telling some kids that they’re going to school on their screen and to spend five and a half hours staring at it, so it’s replete with challenges”. Underdahl said he believes this will be with us through the school year, adding it’s a strain on everyone. His concern regarding a covid vaccine is centered around the politicization of the virus, saying, “even if we get a good vaccine, I’m concerned there will be people that will be too nervous to take it. If we get vaccines that pass trials appropriately well and they’re well vetted, many of them may protect you about 40 to 60% of the opportunity to get disease, so it’s not like a 100% thing”. And distributing the vaccine around the world, he added, is daunting. Underdahl’s full interview is HERE.
