A report issued by Rice County last week showed the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force had a busy and productive year in 
2022.
The task force, which focuses on reducing crime and improving safety and security in Le Sueur and Rice counties, is an effort of the Rice County and Le Sueur County Sheriff’s offices, and the Faribault and Northfield Police departments.
Task force agents opened 154 cases and executed approximately 178 controlled substance-related search warrants, resulting in 128 arrests. Task force operations resulted in the confiscation of nearly 17,600 grams of controlled substances. Approximately 3,081 counterfeit prescription pills containing the powerful opioid fentanyl were also seized.
Agents also seized $154,131 in U.S. currency related to profits from the sale of the controlled substances and 18 firearms.
The most notable seizure of 2022 was in May where task force agents passed on information to Faribault Patrol officers regarding an individual involved in the sale of fentanyl who also possessed firearms. Faribault officers later located that individual and utilized a K-9 officer. During a search of the vehicle, officers found approximately 3,000 pills suspected of containing fentanyl as well as a nearby firearm.
Agents continue to assist in investigations regarding overdose deaths. Earlier this month, a Faribault man was charged in Rice County with third-degree murder for providing controlled substances contributing to the overdose death of a Northfield man. Agents worked diligently with Northfield investigators and patrol officers, and the public to bring a successful conclusion to the investigation.
The report said the task force is also focused on providing support, training and education to the community about the effects of illegal drug use and abuse. Agents made presentations to more than 400 people in Rice and Le Sueur counties at local businesses, government entities, educational institutions and civic organizations, discussing drug trends and the effects of drug abuse in the community.
Vote for conversion therapy ban was in line with other Northfield elected officials
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would ban conversion therapy. 
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) said she voted in favor of the bill and was proud to do so.
Conversion Therapy is a controversial form of treatment for those who identify as gay that seeks to turn them away from homosexuality. Critics of the practice say it can be harmful and cause lifelong mental health issues, particularly when used with children.
The legislation would ban the practice on children or vulnerable adults. It would prohibit conversion therapy from being offered under medical assistance coverage and it would eliminate the misrepresentation of services or products associated with conversion therapy. As an added measure, state health plans will no longer cover conversion therapy.
Twenty states and the District of Columbia have a conversion therapy ban in place, as do many Minnesota municipalities, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth and Northfield. In 2021, Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order banning the use of conversion therapy with minors and urged the legislature to pass a ban.
The practice is opposed by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatry Association, and several other medical associations across the country.
Opponents of the bill say there is a danger in legislating the type of care that can be offered to someone looking for help and believe this raises questions of free speech.
Pursell said she was moved by much of the testimony heard on the House Floor during the debate. In casting her vote, she said she was falling in line with other elected officials in the community.
“It was a proud vote to ban conversion therapy in the state of Minnesota, following the lead of many of our cities and towns, including Northfield, which banned conversion therapy in July. [It was good] to follow in the footsteps of our local leaders to protect our kids.”
The House has passed similar bills in the past, only to see the companion bill stall in the Senate. This year the lead sponsor of the Senate bill, Senator Scott Dibble (D-Minneapolis), believes it will pass.
As Governor Walz has asked the legislation, he will most likely sign it should it reach his desk.
Poetry event honoring Northfield planned for May 13
Northfield’s poet laureate, Rob Hardy, along with the Northfield Arts & Culture Commission and the Northfield Public Library, is inviting 
local poets to contribute to a topographical poem, one that describes and celebrates a specific place, for a poetry project honoring Northfield.
The purpose is to create a communal topographical poem about Northfield consisting of individual poems by Northfield poets. The capstone event on May 13, will include readings of individual poems in the places they celebrate. Those interested in experiencing the entire reading will progress from one location to the next according to a pre-arranged schedule.
The subjects of the poems have been chosen to facilitate the progress of the reading from west to east. Poems about places not on this list may be included in the program if those places can be incorporated into the plan of the reading but would first require approval. Multiple poems about the same place may be accepted, depending on the quality of the work.
Areas that have been selected include Way Park, The Northfield Depot, Bridge Square – including the mill dam and other locations within the downtown historic district, the Northfield Public Library, Central Park, including the Weitz Center and the old Northfield Middle School, the Carleton Arboretum, and Oaklawn Cemetery
Submissions are due by Friday, April 14. For more information on how to submit a poem, visit northfieldmn.gov/poem
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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