A Northfeld man died yesterday morning after suffering injuries when his car collided with a utility truck at the Intersection of 
Highway 3 and Honeylocust Drive.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at 9:50 yesterday morning, 83-year-old Gerald Maas was driving his car West on Honeylocust Drive, when he collided with the truck, which was moving North on Highway 3. Maas was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died of his injuries.
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said the State Patrol is continuing its investigation into the incident.
Habitat for Humanity teaming with Age Friendly Northfield for ‘Aging in Place’ education
As the single largest generation of the 20th Century gets older, Senior Housing has become a large priority for communities 
throughout the country, including Northfield, and that has not gone unrecognized by some of the vital non-profits in the area.
Dayna Norvold, the Executive Director of Rice County Habitat for Humanity, said her organization has put an Aging in Place program together, and that has led her to join the Age Friendly Northfield Steering Committee.
The Aging in Place program, said Norvold, was started because the most affordable place for a senior citizen to live is the home they already own. Rather than sell that home in order to move into a more senior friendly setting, Habitat for Humanity will help seniors make modifications to their homes to suit their needs.
The most requested modification she said is in the bathroom, where a standard bathtub can be converted to a walk-in shower, but Norvold said they can help with building handrails, better lighting, moving laundry to the main level, and anything else that would make the home more accommodating.
Habitat’s Aging in Place program is not unique, she said. The City of Northfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority also has an Ageing in Place program. The trick, according to both Norvold and Nancy Just of Age Friendly Northfield, is getting the word out that these programs exist.
To that end, Norvold said, Age Friendly will work with Habitat for Humanity to offer a series of Aging in Place Community Education Classes.
The first, in November, will center around Accessory Dwelling Units, which are supplemental living spaces in a home where an aging relative can live relatively independent, but be close to help if that is needed. The second, in January will discuss the services the Aging in Place programs can provide. The third part of the series will offer help and suggestions on the best way to downsize. Finally, the fourth class, which will come in the spring, will be a tour of homes that have been through the process.
Along with publicizing the classes, she said the best way to educate the public on the things Age Friendly Northfield can do, is to grow the organization itself. Norvold said anyone who would like to get involved will find it to be a rewarding experience.
“I’ll just say I know that age friendly Northfield has been around for several years, and it is powered by volunteers. It’s an impressive group that has really done a nice job of pulling together services, and I think one of the big goals is really, really highlighting to every organization, every, entity within the city, to churches, to civic groups and all the great nonprofits that we have in Northfield, ‘how do we highlight the needs of our seniors in our community?’”
Norvold said the classes are not quite in place yet. There will be an RSVP requirement, she said, and the best way to know when to sign up is to watch the Age Friendly Northfield website at agefriendlynorthfield.com.
‘Speak Your Values’ workshop will help better communicate with political leaders
The All Saints Episcopal Church of Northfield is sponsoring a workshop entitled How to Speak Your Values. 
Christopher Ennis of the All Saints congregation said the idea behind the workshop is to help people gain the confidence they need to speak their opinion on an issue in a clear and civilized manner.
“Often people feel like they aren’t good at it, or they think ‘I don’t know how to do this,’” he said. “But you don’t have to be William Shakespeare.”
Ennis sad there are basic things that can be done for a person to get their message across effectively. The workshop will go through various strategies and scenarios. Attendees will learn how to write an effective letter to their member of Congress. It will also discuss how to speak at a public forum, among other topics.
The workshop has been put together by an organization called Interfaith Power & Light. He said, while Interfaith Power & Light is a faith-based organization, the workshop is not a faith-based program.
“It’s not proselytizing in any sense of the word. It’s a technical workshop about how to write a good letter on a subject of your choice. It is being sponsored by two faith-based organizations who feel this is part of their mission, Care of Creation, but it’s for anyone that who wants to write on very political or secular issues.”
The How to Speak Your Values workshop will be offered on Thursday evening at 6:30. The presentation will include audience participation and a question & answer session. Ennis said attendees should plan on it lasting about an hour and 15 minutes.
No RSVP is required, he said, and the workshop is free.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Christopher Ennis of All Saints Church can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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