by Rich Larson
The Rice County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy, Jesse Thomas, has been named interim Rice County Sheriff by the County Board of Commissioners.
Chief Deputy Thomas will assume the role when Sheriff Troy Dunn retires next month.
When Sheriff Dunn, who announced his retirement on September 14, steps down, he will do so with about a year left on his term, which made it necessary for the board to name an interim sheriff. Dunn said he is very pleased that Thomas has been named to the position.
“That’s what I recommended to the county board and administration and I’m very happy that they went with that. I just feel that it makes the most sense. Jesse’s been with the sheriff’s office for 25 years, and he’s been my Chief Deputy for the last seven. I think that’s going to make the easiest transition for everybody.”
Sheriff Dunn said, in fact, that he has worked with Thomas for many years so that when the time came, Thomas would be ready to move into the position. According to Dunn, Thomas told him some time ago that he planned to run for sheriff when Dunn retired. To that end, Thomas has been put in charge of the department when Sheriff Dunn has been on vacation or out of town. Dunn has also had Thomas heavily involved in the budgeting process over the years, to help round out his experience.
With the board naming Thomas as his immediate successor, Dunn said he feels like he is leaving at the right time. “I have all the confidence that I’m leaving our agency in a good place, and that things will continue to go well.”
Dunn’s final day as Rice County Sheriff will be November 12.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Sheriff Troy Dunn can be heard here
Ruth’s House Executive Director discusses help for women in need
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. Suzzanne Fox, the executive director of Ruth’s House of Hope in Faribault said that one in three women nationwide has experienced, or will experience, domestic violence. Across the United States, she said, a woman suffers physical abuse every 15 seconds.
Covid-19 has only exacerbated the problem. Fox said that since the beginning of the pandemic, domestic is up a full 40% in Minnesota. “Folks were told to stay home,” she said. “But home is not always a safe place.
“There is a lot of need for our services.”
For nearly two decades, Ruth’s house has provided transitional housing and a safe, supportive environment to women in need. Fox said last year, more than half of their residents were fleeing a domestic violence situation, and a full 80% of their residents have experienced domestic violence at one point in their lifetime, at least. Residents of Ruth’s House receive shelter, basic food and supplies, and support from a staff that is ready and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “We’re just there for them,” said Fox. She said their residents go on to receive permanent housing and education as they find ways to lead a better life.
The organization also operates Sarah’s House, in Northfield, which provides a safe and sober living space to women in recovery from addiction. The residents of Sarah’s House, said Fox, work on setting their goals and getting healthy. Cases managers help them locate resources, find employment and develop coping skills.
Fox said these services are not inexpensive. Ruth’s House can serve up to 9 women with children at one time, and she said the average stay runs from 4-6 months, but some stay much longer. Between all the services they provide Ruth’s House’s expenses are high, and the shelter depends greatly on the donations of supporters. They try, she said, to make giving help as easy as possible.
“You can visit our website. It’s ruthshousemn.org, and we have volunteer opportunities there and there’s also a way to donate to Ruth’s House as well. With the pandemic, we had to cancel some of our fundraising events. It costs over $1000 a day to operate Ruth’s House, so we really rely on the support from our individual donors and grants.”
Fox said there are resources for those who need help that are readily available. The HOPE Center in Faribault operates a 24-hour safe line at 1-800-607-2330. Ruth’s House can be contacted at 507-334-5043, or by visiting ruthshousemn.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Ruth’s House Executive Director Suzzanne Fox can be heard here
Lippert says special session will require agreement from Senate GOP
Last June as the extended regular session of the legislature was wrapping up, the House and Senate agreed to allocate $250 million of the
money received from the federal government in the American Rescue Plan to give bonuses to front line workers. A joint task force was put together from members of the house, senate and Governor Tim Walz’s administration to better define “front line workers,” and decide who should receive a bonus from the allocated funds. The idea was for the group to work through the summer, Governor Walz would call a special session in mid-September, the plan would be approved, and the legislature would adjourn.
Things did not go according to plan. The task force as of yet has still not been able to come to an agreement on who should receive the money. State Representative Todd Lippert said that from what he is hearing, a deal may be close, and the special session could be called at any time.
Complicating matters, however, is the rumor that Senate Republicans, many of whom have been very unhappy with the way the state responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, plan to hold a confirmation hearing on State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. Despite having held her job for nearly two years, Malcolm was never formally confirmed by the senate. The Republican held Senate could call those hearings before adjourning from a special session in order to remove her from her position.
Governor Walz has said he will not call a special session if he thought it would put Malcolm’s job in jeopardy, and Lippert said an agreement would have to be in place before a special session began.
“In our view we would have to get an agreement that that would not happen. Jan Malcolm is one of the best Health Commissioners in the country, and we just had 40 reported deaths [on Wednesday] that were due to Covid. So, we’re still in the middle of dealing with this pandemic, and we need our best people on the job.”
Lippert also said there could be approval of $10 million in drought relief for state farmers during a special session, and he hopes something can be worked out very soon.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with State Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net.
