By Rich Larson, News Director
The Rice County Sheriff’s Office is advising people to be aware of a mail fraud scam that has victimized Rice County residents. 
Sheriff Troy Dunn said notifications have been received requiring the addressee to pay a traffic violation fine after having been caught on MnDOT cameras. However, the Sheriff said, that’s not the way things are done in Minnesota.
“The State of Minnesota does not use cameras for traffic enforcement. So, if you’ve received one of those letters, don’t pay it. That’s a scam. Call your local law enforcement and share the information. But don’t pay it, don’t click on those links, and don’t call those people and say, ‘Here’s my credit card number.’”
Sheriff Dunn went on to say that the only photograph traffic enforcement the state allows comes from body worn or squad mounted cameras.
A legitimate traffic citation received in the mail would direct the person to contact Court Administration for a court date and/or payment information. Anyone who does receive a notification like this should contact local law enforcement to see about its authenticity.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn can be heard here
Northfield schools prepare for full-time in-person learning
Saturday will mark one year since Governor Walz made his shelter in place order, effectively shutting down many businesses in the state and sending Minnesota students into distance learning. A year later, the hope is that tomorrow will mark the end of the final full week of distance learning for the Northfield School District.
Since the end of January Northfield Public Schools have been slowly bringing students back to campus, beginning with the youngest learners, and then higher elementary classes. Shortly thereafter the middle and high schools resumed a hybrid schedule which has students rotating between in-person and distance learning. The plans now are to have all students in full, in-person, five days per week instruction after spring break is over on March 31st.
Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said that a lot of things have had to happen to make this possible. Most of the staff is now fully vaccinated, the Governor has made adjustments to the state Safe Learning plan allowing for smaller distances between students, and the rate of new Covid-19 cases among students has dropped to the point where students can come back.
Dr. Hillmann said the district is both excited and anxious to return to full in-person learning, saying it’s a good sign that the end of the pandemic is in sight. However, he said, it is important that the community as a whole, not let its collective guard down just yet.
“I heard someone say the other day that we’re on mile 18 of a 24-mile race. And so, the finish line is in sight, but of course the last third of a race can sometimes be the most difficult. So, we need to double down. We are looking forward to bringing kids back, but we have to commit to making sure we follow the protocols.”
It remains as important as ever, if not more so that people wear masks, keep distancing, wash their hands, and, when their number comes up, get vaccinated. Dr. Hillmann asked the public for grace, flexibility and understanding right now. He said he hopes this will be the end of distance learning, but things can change in a snap. If the public health circumstances change, the district will not hesitate to move back to distance learning in order to protect its students.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
Martig says strategic planning takes balance and teamwork
In a work session on Tuesday night, the Northfield City Council heard presentations from City Administrator Ben Martig and Strategic Planning
Consultant Craig Rapp on the makeup of the city and the issues that are top of mind with the public right now. The council will use that information, along with even more data, to form the city’s new strategic plan for the next three years.
The plan will give the council and city staff a sort of road map over that time, defining priorities for the city and pointing to where the council should put their attention. Mayor Rhonda Pownell has discussed the plan at length since her re-election last fall, calling it some of the most important work she and the council will do.
Administrator Martig said the challenge now is sorting through the priorities of so many different people. He said the surveys revealed a variety of opinions within the general Northfield public, all of which are completely valid. The responsibility now falls to the council on the best way to balance those priorities.
“So, what did we hear? What are the priorities? And then ultimately the tricky part is, whenever you’re dealing with these community issues on these types of topics, it’s not easy work. It’s going to take a full team with the council, our boards and commissions, city staff and the community to get behind things in order to effectively move ourselves forward.”
Martig said the process will take a little bit of time to complete. The council has planning sessions scheduled for March 24th and March 30th. He said he expects the plan to be in place by next spring.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
