After a broad daylight armed robbery of the Downtown Tobacco Store, Northfield Police have a suspect in custody. 
18-year-old Seveth Owen Baker of Northfield was taken into custody on Friday afternoon after an armed robbery was reported at the tobacco store at the corner of 5th and Division Streets.
According to a statement issued by the Northfield Police Department, at 2:37pm on Friday, Northfield Police received a 911 call reporting a male was robbing the Downtown Tobacco store located at 429 Division Street.
The caller reported that the male displayed a handgun and demanded THC products. He also took cash, and then fled the store on foot. With a detailed description of the suspect provided by the caller, Northfield police officers quickly located the suspect about 2 blocks away and arrested him without incident. Officers located a handgun style bb gun, THC products and cash inside of a backpack that the suspect was carrying.
Investigators interviewed the suspect, Owen, and gathered additional evidence as well as statements from the robbery victim and from witnesses.
Baker is currently being held in the Rice County Jail. Formal charges are expected to be filed by the Rice County Attorney’s office in the coming days.
The NPD statement reported that no one was injured in the robbery.
Human Rights Award winner will be announced tonight at MLK Day event
Today is the third Monday in January, making it Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the Northfield Human Rights 
Commission is inviting the community to an event celebrating and honoring Dr. King’s enduring legacy.
A statement issued by the HRC said the Commssion is pleased to be hosting the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration this evening at 7pm at Emmaus Church in Northfield.
The theme of the event is “Welcoming and Inclusive Communities.” It will feature musical performances, an open microphone for audience members to share a brief memory or vision inspired by Dr. King, and a keynote address presented by Professor Daniel Williams.
Dr. Williams is an associate professor at Carleton College and St. Catherine University, who is currently working on an oral history of race, homeownership, and community in the Twin Cities Metro Area, and someone who has supported human rights and housing issues in Northfield.
The event will also announce the recipient of the Northfeld Human Rights Award. The award is given to a local individual, group or organization that has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the advancement of human rights in the Northfield area, either through volunteer or professional efforts.
This is the first time since 2020 that the event has been held in-person. The last two years the Human Rights Commission has been forced to hold a virtual event due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which will make the occasion that much more enjoyable.
The MLK Day event will be in English and Spanish. More details on the event can be found online at the Northfield city website.
Loon Liquors would create ‘Destination Distllery’ in the historic Post Office building
As the City of Northfield explores a major expansion of Downtown Northfield and activation of the Riverfront area, 
one of the ideas that has created conversation is the potential acquisition of the Historic Post Office building by Northfield Craft Distillery, Loon Liquors.
Speaking last Friday on Public Policy This Week, Loon Liquors co-owner Mark Schiller said his company has plans to expand, and he and his partner, Simeon Rossi, would like the Post Office building to be a major part of that plan.
Seated in between Bridge Square and the Cannon River, it occupies a space that could become a very important economic driver for nt just Downtown Northfield, but for the entire community.
Schiller said Loon Liquors would look to create a world-class experience for their customers that could drive Northfield tourism year-round.
“What we’re looking at is a Destination Distillery that is focused on tourism. So, it’s focused on going in and experiencing local agriculture, how we work with local farmers, and getting that full experience. Destination Distilleries have been a huge asset for the communities, and we hope that we can put something on the table to benefit everybody in [the Northfield] community.”
City Administrator Ben Martig said the plans Loon has for the building could bring some 31,000 people to Northfeld each year and could create as many as 100 jobs.
The building is owned by the United States Post Office, which has moved most of its local operations to a facility in the Southern section of Northfield, West of Highway 3. The USPS has made attempts in the past to close the building, and rumors have been circulating through Northfield for many years about what could become of the building.
Because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, there are several restrictions on what can be done to it. Schiller said he and Rossi, do not see those restrictions as a detriment, but rather as a benefit to the kind of experience they would like to create. He also said, with the plans for Bridge Square and the Riverfront, and the removal of the section of Water Street that runs between 4th and 5th Streets, he believes that the USPS will find even less use for the building. Martig has echoed that statement, saying the postal service would like to maintain a presence downtown, but not necessarily in a 6500 square foot facility, where they are currently using less than a third of the space.
Destination Distilleries are widely seen as an effective means to drive tourism, and Schiller said Loon has been approached by several other communities about relocation. The City of Lilydale, in fact, has offered the company a 10,000 square foot building and the land underneath on a riverfront location if they would move their operations. Schiller said, he and Rossi, both of whom grew up in Northfield, would prefer to keep their company in Northfield, but they have to look at what is best for their business. However, he said the City of Northfield has been very helpful in facilitating a conversation with the USPS, and he and Rossi are hopeful that they will be able to acquire the building and keep operations in Northfield.
Loon Liquors co-owner Mark Schiller’s appearance on KYMN’s Public Policy This Week can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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