Rice County Attorney John Fossum has conceded his race for re-election to Assistant County Prosecutor Brian Mortenson. Fossum will step 
aside in January when Mortenson assumes the office.
“The good thing, I guess, is a lot more people were interested in the race for County Attorney,” he said. “It was a close race, but people cast their votes.”
The County Canvas board will certify the results of the election today and will notify candidates of their rights to seek a recount if they choose to do so. There were 24,704 votes cast for County Attorney this year, the highest vote total for the office in recent memory, and Mortenson defeated Fossum by 118 votes. While the margin is extremely close, it is outside of the 0.25% margin that would trigger an automatic recount. Fossum has said he will not seek a recount on his own.
And, in fact he said he believes Minnesota elections are the most accurate in the country.
“We really do have the gold standard for elections in the country. We have our optical scan ballots. People mark their ballots, they run through the optical scanners. The scanners count them. We check those numbers and make sure that the number of ballots that were counted were the number of ballots that went in, and we get the results same day not, you know – when is Arizona going to be done? I mean, they’re still going.”
He said there have been a few complaints that have come into his office, but nothing that he believes would be considered major problems or violations. Mostly, he said, the complaints revolve around comments allegedly made by election judges, but there have been no complaints about vote tabulation or the operation of the voting equipment.
Complaints are made through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website to the County Attorney’s office. Once reviewed they are forwarded to the Sheriff’s office for investigation. If they are found to have substance, they are then referred back to the County Attorney’s office for prosecution.
Fossum noted that there are different practices for different violations. Campaign finance complaints, for example, are investigated by the Campaign Fair Practices Commission.
“There are much more complicated processes depending on the violation,” he said.
Fossum is unsure of what he will do next. For now, he said, he will wrap up his obligations to the county and then consider the future.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Attorney John Fossum can be heard here
Carleton archeology class requesting help from community members
Students of a Carleton Archeology class are inviting Carleton alumni and members of the Rice County Community to help them identify 
artifacts they have uncovered and learn more about life in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sarah Kennedy, a professor of archeology at Carleton College said students have been working at the former Olin farm, which was purchased by the college in 1916, and is now part of the Carleton Arboretum. They have been digging around the area to learn the fundamentals of the discipline and receive hands-on experience.
“The class teaches them about excavating, survey, and how to work with the community,” sad Kennedy. “They have to learn how to interpret the artifacts they uncover, and how to tell the stories to the larger community.”
Kennedy said that archeology has been offered by Carleton for many years, but it has been a part of the classics department until now. Most of the work has been done in the teachings of ancient Greece, and it is only recently that the school has offered a more expanded view of things.
Bianca Lott, one of the archeology students, said the Olin farm site has proven to be an interesting place to dig. Not only have they uncovered farm tools, but they have also turned up some pieces of Carleton history, as well.
“We uncovered what we think was a trash dump that Carleton used after the farm was put out of service,” she said. “We found plates and silverware that we know were obviously from Carleton, but we don’t know exactly when.”
That, said Kennedy, is where the larger community comes in. She said they are hoping some people who come to the presentation will be able to help them identify the things they have found.
“A lot of the work archaeologists do when we interpret artifacts actually comes from local community members, and so we can only learn so much by looking in books. A lot of it is asking local people ‘What do you think this pot skirt is?’, and then they’re like, ‘Oh I. Saw that you. Know my grandma used to have that.’”
The Carleton Archeology presentation will be tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon from 2-4pm in rooms 121 and 122 at Anderson Hall.
Rotary Turkey Trot Registration still open
And with Thanksgiving upon us next week, the Northfield Rotarians are reminding one and all that registration remains open for the 2022 
Northfield Rotary Turkey Trot. The event is one of Rotary’s biggest fundraising events of the year. According to the Rotary website, this year’s Turkey Trot will benefit multiple Rotary programs including their youth exchange program, polio eradication, and several international projects. Rotary will also be collecting food for the Northfield Food Shelf during the event. Non-perishable food donations can be dropped off the morning of the race or when participants pick up their bibs and T-shirts.
Jim Loe of the Northfield Rotary Club said while the Turkey Trot is an important fundraiser for the club, it’s also a great homecoming event during the holidays.
“It’s been a great homecoming event for college students coming back for Thanksgiving, or for people who grew up here and come back for Thanksgiving. They get to see friends they haven’t seen in a while. And there’s a lot of runners in this community that can get together and feel good about eating a lot of turkey when you get a good start to the day.”
The Rotary Turkey Trot is set for Thanksgiving Day, November 24. For more information visit the Northfield Rotary website at northfieldrotary.org.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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