A former Northfielder has been identified as one of the two 18-year-olds who drowned in a cliff-jumping accident on Lake Superior on Sunday.
According to reports, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said 18-year-old Maximillian “Max” Williams, a recent graduate of Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights, drowned after he jumped into the water at Black Beach in Silver Bay. Williams had recently moved to Inver Grove Heights from Northfield.
The other victim has been identified as Austin Henning, also 18 of Inver Grove heights.
The incident happened around 1:25 pm Sunday after the two were reportedly seen struggling to swim after jumping from a cliff. According to reports by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Duluth News Tribune, at the time of the drownings, wind speeds were up to 23 mph and waves were three to four feet tall. Numerous emergency departments rushed to the scene, including a U.S. Coast Guard boat and helicopter, Lake County Search and Rescue, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the St. Louis County Rescue Squad.
According to authorities, the bodies were pulled from the water between 6pm and 8pm on Sunday night.
The Pioneer Press report described Williams as an ambitious person. It said he had intentions to study medicine and perhaps become a radiologist.
County Board expanding public comment opportunities
On Tuesday, the Rice County Board of Commissioners approved a schedule of monthly open forums.
These forums will provide opportunities for members of the public to speak on topics not on an agenda, but relevant to the county’s work and within its authority. According to a statement issued by the county, the 30-minute open forums will begin at 8 am on the second Tuesday of each month, though the board chair, at their discretion, may extend the comment period.
Each speaker will be allotted three minutes to address the board. To ensure a complete record of the meetings, speakers will be asked to fill out a card with their name, the issue they plan to address and whether they are a county resident. Online participants will be asked to provide that information verbally.
The newly established open forum schedule is in addition to expanded opportunities being provided for public comment on agenda items during county board and Committee of the Whole meetings.
The board adopted Rules of Public Participation at its June 13 meeting, part of a board effort to create additional opportunities for it to hear from constituents. The policy will allow time for attendees, in person and participating online, to address the board on items on the session’s agenda during Committees of the Whole and county board meetings.
The policy also includes rules of decorum intended to ensure members of the public can be heard in a fair and impartial manner and that meetings are conducted in a way that’s open to all viewpoints, yet free from abusive, distracting or intimidating behavior.
Ideas to make Downtown Northfield more Age Friendly
As the city of Northfield moves forward on its ambitious vision to redevelop and reshape Downtown Northfield, the city’s lead consultants on the project Bob Close and Bruce Jacobson are seeking input from every source they can find, including the folks with Age Friendly Northfield.
Age Friendly Northfield is, of course, an advocacy group for the older citizens of Northfield, seeking to ensure that the city is always considering the needs of its elder population in planning for the future.
CC Linstroth, the Age Friendly Northfield co-chair said she and her organization did recently meet with Jacobson and Close and offered a detailed list of suggestions:
- The city needs to have smooth walking surfaces and transitions from one paved surface to another, or from a paved surface to an unpaved surface, because canes and wheelchairs can get stuck in areas that are not smooth and kept up.
- All city signage should be in large fonts, with bright colors either in the background or in the lettering that will help the message stand out.
- Public seating should have arms to make it easier to stand back up and stay balanced, and any public seating space should also offer shaded areas.
- There should never be more than a 2% grade in public spaces to accommodate those in wheelchairs or people with mobility concerns.
- There should also be convenient drop-off areas close to seating for any public event
Linstroth said members of Age Friendly Northfield also met with City Engineer Dave Bennett and City Administrator Ben Martig to discuss the design of the proposed transit hub. The design features a long ramp for people who cannot climb stairs, and Linstroth said they have made a strong suggestion that the ramp be covered to preclude problems that can arise from bad weather.
Linstroth said the organization looks very carefully at projects such as these that will have a direct effect on the lives of older people in Northfield, and they are aided in their research by the American Association of Retired Persons.
“So that is our focus. We don’t really get into things that aren’t our wheelhouse, but we do know we’ve done a lot of research. AARP is a phenomenal resource. They have given us such helpful things so that we can get in at the early stages of planning in Northfield.”
Linstroth said the group is now seeking more people, of all ages, to join and volunteer with Age Friendly Northfield. Those who are interested can visit the Age Friendly Northfield website at agefriendlynorthfield.com
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with CC Linstroth of Age Friendly Northfield can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
