By Rich Larson, News Director
As the members of the legislature prepare for earnest budget conversations, Senator Rich Draheim said he is busy sorting through the federal aid
money that has come to the state through three separate federal aid packages, trying to figure out what funds should go where.
Draheim said the guidance on how to apply the money is very cloudy. The bills passed by Congress, especially the most recent American Rescue Plan, are long and complex. Legislators are leaning on the non-partisan staff at the Capitol to interpret how the money should be allocated, and then it becomes incumbent upon the elected officials to come to agreement within those parameters, which is never an easy process.
Draheim said the American Rescue Plan was more economic stimulus than Covid relief, and he has inflation concerns about the sheer amount of money being injected into the economy at once. He feels that the plan is offering more help to a lot of areas than is necessary.
“We got more money for the zoo, we got more money for art. I know they were impacted by Covid, but I wouldn’t say that that’s the best use for [the money]. It’s not PPE or other health related things.”
Draheim noted that gas and energy prices are on the rise and that interest rates are beginning to rise as well. He said this is something to keep an eye on.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Senator Rich Draheim can be heard here
NH&C adds Wound Healing Center
Northfield Hospital has recently added a Wound Healing Center that has the President and CEO of Northfield Hospital & Clinics, Steve Underdahl, very excited.
With the addition built at the hospital last year for the new birth center that will open shortly, Underdahl said there was space to add a wound healing program, which is something the hospital has discussed for some time. The hospital has partnered with an organization called Healogics, which Underdahl said has locations in 600 medical centers across the country and treats 300,000 patients each year.
The Wound Healing Center will treat patients with chronic and slow healing wounds, a condition according to the hospital website, that affects nearly 7 million people in the U.S. annually, particularly among those dealing with obesity and diabetes. The new addition offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, debridement, and a host of topical and dressing techniques that can create positive results when nothing else has worked.
Underdahl said the new center is going to help many people in the area.
“I was, tangentially, part of starting a wound program in one of my assignments in another location, and it was one of the most magnificent things I was ever a part of. Some of these folks, that have been dealing with wounds that wouldn’t heal for years can get really great results.”
Patients coming to the wound healing center do not require a referral. The wound healing center can be reached directly at (507) 646-6900. For more information, visit northfieldhospital.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Steve Underdahl can be heard here
Northfield PD sees rise in overnight theft
The Northfield Police Department is asking the community for help in stopping some overnight thefts that have been taking place over the last two
weeks.
Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott said on Thursday that there has been an uptick in the thefts of catalytic converters from parked cars, due to the platinum and palladium inside the converters. The Chief also said that metal plow markers, the rods used to tell a driveway plowing service where a driveway meets a lawn, are also being stolen.
Chief Elliott said as winter turns to spring, the police department tends to see more crimes like these.
“I think what we see – and it’s the same thing with all of us – it’s just more comfortable to be out when the temperatures are a little warmer. We do see thefts and that type of thing drop in the winter, throughout the state. The uncomfortableness of being out in the cold is part of that. So it’s not all that surprising that we see an uptick when the spring comes and the weather gets nice.”
Chief Elliott is asking anyone who sees what they would consider suspicious activity, particularly someone climbing underneath a car with tools in hand, to please call 911.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Police Chief Mark Elliott can be heard here
