By Rich Larson, News Director
The Rice County Board of Commissioners will meet tomorrow morning at 8:30, and among the items on the agenda is the selection of a location for a
potential new jail and law enforcement center.
For almost two years, the Board has been wrestling with the question of what to do about the jail situation. The county was notified in 2019 that the current jail, which was built in 1975, no longer meets the standards of the Department of Corrections, and will be downgraded to a 90-Day Lockup facility if wholesale changes are not made. A jail study task force recommended earlier this year that the county build a new jail and law enforcement facility at a cost of $46 million dollars.
In search of more options, the board held a joint meeting with the Steele County Board of Commissioners last week to explore the possibility of forming a regional jail based in Steele County where Rice County inmates would be housed. At the end of that meeting, the Rice County Board asked the Steele County Board to make their final presentation during tomorrow’s meeting.
It is unclear if the board will vote on the measure tomorrow or wait until their next regular meeting on May 11.
Lippert says Public Safety bill will help to ‘rebuild trust’
When the verdict was read in the Derek Chauvin case on Tuesday, State Representative Todd Lippert said there was a strong feeling of relief among his DFL colleagues. And, he said it reinforced the determination they feel to accomplish the work that needs to be done within the areas of public safety and social justice.
On Wednesday, the day after the verdict, the House passed a Public Safety bill which included, in direct reaction to the shooting of Daunte Wright, a narrowing of traffic stop parameters for police. The bill stipulates police will no longer be able to pull a car over for a broken taillight or having an air freshener hanging from a rear-view mirror, which have long been suspected by civil rights groups to be related to racial profiling. Representative Lippert said that provisions like this have been put in place in other cities and states with good results. He also said that there was bi-partisan support for that provision. Republican Representative Jeremy Munson, he said, made one of the better points during the debate.
“When you haven’t paid your property taxes, you don’t get pulled over for that. The state has a way to contact you if you’re late on payments, and the state can contact you if you have a broken taillight. A policeman can take that down and make sure that note is sent in the mail. The same with license tabs. So, there are other ways that people can be contacted for these things.”
Lippert said he hopes the Chauvin verdict will be a turning point in history. And while not directly connected, the Public Safety bill does keep moving toward justice in Minnesota and re-building trust between communities of color and police. He said that is the long-term work that needs to be done both within the legislature and the greater community.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
Three-Links inching back to ‘normal’ operations
The Rice County Public Health Director, Deb Purfeerst, said last week that 94% of all residents 65 and older have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. So, as things begin to look a little bit safer for the most senior residents, long term care facilities, in all their different locations and areas of service, are starting to see a relaxation of the most stringent covid safety protocols.
Pam Tidona and Julee Daniels of Three Links said things are starting to look a little more like the days before the pandemic. The different Three Links facilities have now allowed for families to visit residents both indoors and outdoors, and those that have been fully vaccinated are allowed to leave the facilities with their loved ones and come back as they choose.
The last fourteen months have been challenging to all aspects of the community, but the pandemic has been especially hard on long term care facilities. Daniels said at first there was no “playbook” for a situation like this. Safety of the residents was always the top priority, followed by the safety of the staff. She said, while Three Links has had its struggles, the leadership and the staff have all come together to ensure that the residences are as safe as possible for the people who live there.
Tidona said that one of the things they have seen during the pandemic is a drastic increase in feelings of isolation among seniors, and for that reason alone, now is a very good time for people of a certain age to begin considering the services that Three Links can offer. Tidona said that social activities are one of the top priorities at all their locations.
“We employ an activities person, or a like enrichment director at each location. That’s really their sole job is to enrich the lives of the people that we serve. So, we have performers come in. We have Coffee chats, we have crafts, hobbies. Just a real variety of things.”
Daniels said with all the different services Three Links offers, from independent living apartments to assisted living to memory care and more, it can be difficult for a family to determine the level of care needed for their loved one, but the organization will always work with them to make that decision. Three Links currently has openings in all its locations. For more information visit threelinks.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Pam Tidona and Julee Daniels can be heard here
