By Rich Larson
Two suspects are in custody and authorities are still pursuing another in connection with a murder in Greenvale Township on Friday. 
On Friday afternoon a family member went to check on Chris LaFontaine at his home on the 31500 block of Foliage Avenue in Greenvale Township. That person saw three people leave LaFontaine’s home in what was believed to be his car. The witness called law enforcement, and when deputies arrived, they discovered LaFontaine had been the victim of an apparent murder.
At 5pm Friday afternoon, Northfield Police stopped the vehicle believed to be LaFontaine’s car on the south side of Northfield, near Maurice’s clothing store. The suspects bolted from the car, two people were detained, while one more evaded arrest and is still being sought by authorities. An alert was sent to the community saying the suspect at large was to be considered armed and dangerous, however a later statement issued by the Dakota County Sheriff’s office said the public is not in danger.
Currently, authorities are still seeking a white male in his mid-thirties, approximately 6’0” tall, weighing about 155 pounds, with blond hair shaved on both sides wearing a ponytail. Authorities warn to not approach this man. If he is spotted, please call 911.
One of the suspects is being held in Rice County on charges of fleeing an officer and an outstanding warrant not connected to the case. The other suspect is being held in Dakota County on pending charges of 2nd and 3rd degree murder, 1st degree burglary and theft of a vehicle. That person is scheduled to be in court on Tuesday.
Lippert looks forward to meeting with constituents
With a new state budget passed and the 2021 Legislative session, including the special session over the past two weeks behind him, Representative Todd Lippert took some time to reflect on the things he was happy with in the new budget, and the things he would have liked to have seen changed.
Overall, he said he was pleased with the E-12 Education budget, pointing out that it is the largest increase in the state’s education spending in 15 years. Funding to the basic formula will increase by 2.45% in 2022, which will equate to $161 per pupil, and by 2% in 2023 which will equate to $293 per pupil. He said the bill also gives money to school districts for Special Education and English Language Learners. Those programs are required under state and federal regulations but are both unfunded mandates. Lippert said he and his DFL colleagues had sought to make that funding ongoing but were blocked by legislative Republicans.
He was pleased with several facets of the Health and Human Services bill, beginning with the $250 million that has been allocated for bonuses to front-line essential workers during the pandemic. He said Minnesota families receiving MFIP payments will receive a cost-of-living increase which he said was important as there had not been an increase of that nature before. A program he authored to increase compensation for Personal Care Assistants and reform the rate framework will, as he put it, put PCA’s “on the path to a living wage.”
Among some other measures he was pleased with was in increase to soil health grant funding, legislation he sponsored protecting Ash trees against the Emerald Ash Borer and allowing for more planting of trees. He said he was very happy the tax bill included full conformity to the federal tax codes, eliminating taxes on federal PPP loans and unemployment payments. With those taxes having already been paid, he said the Minnesota Department of Revenue is now working to return that money back to the taxpayers.
Moving forward, he said he intends to spend the summer talking to constituents.
“I’m eager to have conversations with people in the district. We’ve been through so much through this pandemic and I’ve heard from so many of you, but I’m eager to hear more about what we need right now and where people in this district feel like we need to go. So, I think it’s a time of taking stock, of deep listening, figuring out where we are, and then having conversations and getting some ideas about what’s next.”
He said there will most likely be a special session in September to authorize payment and distribution of the front-line worker bonuses, and to discuss a possible bonding bill.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
Dundas EDA prepares for new opportunities
And after being revived by the Dundas City Council in April, the Dundas Economic Development Authority met to discuss new business last week.
The first item on the agenda was to reform the city’s business subsidy policy. Business subsidies are governed by state statute, and as the Dundas EDA had not met in over 20 years, the policy had to be updated to be brought in line with current Minnesota law. Moreover, said Dundas City Administrator Jennelle Teppen, the policy was re-prioritized to focus on initiatives focused specifically on Dundas. She said concepts and direction would be taken from the city’s Comprehensive Plan to be used as criteria as applications for help are submitted.
Teppen said the EDA also made the decision to levy tax dollars in 2022 to support economic development activities, totaling about $38,000 next year. That money will not be tied to any specific project right away, she said, which gives them the ability to be flexible as opportunities arise. And, she said, having the funds on hand will allow economic development programs to grow.
“Over time those funds will build. They don’t go away at the end of the year; they just roll over from year-to-year. Then we can do things like have a revolving loan fund, do some redevelopment, facade kind of loan partnership kinds of things.”
Right now, the members of the Dundas EDA are the members of the Dundas City Council. Teppen said the intention is to fill those EDA seats with other members of the community over time. A position on the board will come through mayoral recommendation and approval by the city council.
The new Dundas EDA will meet on the 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 pm, prior to the regular city council meeting.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dundas City Administrator Jenelle Teppen can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. He can be reached at rich@kymnradio.net
