by Rich Larson
The Northfield Community College Collaboration will offer a new program this fall designed to help Northfield students become law enforcement
professionals.
Having identified a need to help interested students, particularly female students and students of color receive an Associate’s Degree in Law Enforcement, the NCCC has partnered with Riverland College and the Northfield Police Department to offer a three-year, part-time program, with the bulk of the classes taught in Northfield and in-person.
Minnesota requires that all law enforcement professionals have at least an associates law enforcement degree, and Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott said that can be a barrier for a number of students of color, who work to help their families make ends meet. The NCCC has partnered with Riverland Community College, which has a law enforcement program that is taught in Austin, to bring professors to Northfield to teach the necessary classes.
NCCC Executive Director Sarah Lee said the program is open to anybody. But as the NCCC’s mission is to make higher education more equitable and accessible, they see this program attracting more women and more students of color.
Chief Elliott said the Northfield Police Department wants the makeup of the department to become more racially diverse, and they like to hire Northfielders to become officers. This program checks both boxes.
“Thirty percent of our current Northfield police officers are Northfield public school graduates. We love that. We love that we’ve got a lot of local kids who wanted to become officers. And we think this program I really going to help our force become more representative of the population. And it’s going to help us hire more Northfielders to become officers.”
Lee said thanks to a significant grant from Wings Financial, they will also be able to offer scholarship money to women and students of color who are interested in the program.
The New Law Enforcement program begins this fall. Classes will be taught at the Northfield Community Resource Center. For more information, visit northfieldccc.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott can be heard here
Rice County Fair returns after one-year layoff
The Rice County Fair will begin tomorrow. After a year off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the carnival rides, livestock showings, demolition derby, and fried foods, mostly on a stick, are all back.
John Dvorak, the Fair Manager, said skipping last year was tough, but they have been able to take some time to plan this year’s event and create something that feels brand new.
Dvorak said all the old favorites will be back. The 4H Barn will be busy each day of the fair, showing everything from cows and swine to rabbits and llamas. The carnival, Dvorak said, might be a bit smaller than usual, because Gold Star Amusements is dealing with a labor shortage, but he said they will debut a brand-new ride, which should pique the curiosity of midway enthusiasts.
This year, the grandstand events are starting off with Autocross on Wednesday night, an event that is new to the fair. That will be followed on successive days by Enduro Races, the Barnes PRCA Rodeo, the truck and tractor pull, and things will wrap up on Sunday with the demolition derby.
And Dvorak said there is quite a bit of free entertainment and live music this year, including the White Sidewalls who will be appearing at the Rice County Fair for the 16th time. The Minnesota Rennaissance Festival has developed a traveling exhibit that will be at the fair, as well.
Dvorak said that the fair is not just a great place to have fun, but it’s also a great place to learn something.
“We have a lot of entertainment and a lot of things to learn about. The thing that I tell people is not only do I want them to come to the Rice County Fair and enjoy the entertainment, but I also want it to be educational for them. And there will be a lot of things that people will be able to come and learn about.”
The Rice County Fair begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. The buildings open at 11am and will close at 10pm daily.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Fair manager John Dvorak can be heard here
Council to discuss security measures, ARP funds, strategic plan/budget alignment
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight at 6pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
Among the items on tonight’s agenda, they will consider a budget amendment and award a contract to make safety and security improvements to City Hall. They will also consider a resolution to establish a special advisory committee to discuss and identify recipients of the more than $2 million dollars the city will receive from the American Rescue Plan. Finally, as the council moves closer to budgeting discussions, they will review the new strategic plan, and how that should align with the coming budget.
As always, the city and the council want to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the Agendas section of the City Council website.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
