Earlier this month, a man identified by police as 41-year-old Kyle Everett Cranston, of Northfield, was charged with 1st degree aggravated robbery, 1st degree Damage to Property, 3rd degree Burglary, and Theft after he allegedly broke into the Chuck & Don’s pet store and stole a bag of dog food, set a fire in the parking lot of Big O Tire, and threatened an employee of Kwik Trip with an axe after stealing a carton of cigarettes, a small case of beer and a newspaper. Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said Kranston was peacefully taken into custody a little while after the incidents.
While no evidence of mental health problems or substance addiction issues has been produced with regard to Mr. Cranston, Elliott said it would not be unusual for a person in a situation such as this to be suffering from either or even both conditions.
“We frequently see, not only issues with substance use disorders, but also with mental health. And a lot of times we have co-occurring conditions in these folks where they have both mental health and substance use.”
Situations like these are among the reasons Rice County has embedded Community Based Coordinators with the Northfield and Faribault Police Departments and the Rice County Sheriff’s Office. The trained social workers can co-respond to an incident with law enforcement or follow up afterward, offering services that may include assistance with mental and/or chemical health issues, housing and food insecurity. Officers can also refer residents about whom they are concerned to the coordinators who can then build relationships with the people who are struggling and get them the support they need before they experience a crisis or commit a crime.
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha said the Community Coordinator program which has been in place for roughly 18 months, has been a positive development for many people who struggle with mental illness.
“By being able to work with those individuals, we can kind of help steer them in the right direction and get them help before they have any more contact or even worse end up having to go to jail, because jails and hospital emergency rooms are no place to put somebody with mental health issues.”
Malecha said every person who is incarcerated in Rice County undergoes mental health and substance dependency screening, and the county will offer people help depending on those results.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha can be heard here
District Enrollment is stable for ‘23-’24, drop coming
Last week the Northfield School Board received the first major enrollment report of the 2023-24 school year. While the Northfield School District continues to plan for a 10% enrollment reduction over the next few years, the report showed that enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is stable with the numbers from the 2022-23 school year.
Northfield School Board President Claudia Gonzalez-George said declining enrollment is something that every school district is facing across the country, and at every level. As an employee of St. Olaf College, she said she is aware of many colleges facing declining enrollment as well.
The report showed that 476 students are attending Northfield Public Schools from other school districts during the 2023-24 school year compared to 464 in 2022-2023. Meanwhile, 817 Northfield students are attending school elsewhere, including other public schools (287), charter schools (244), home schools (174) and non-public schools (112). Last year 839 students attended school elsewhere. The numbers show the Northfield School District with a net loss of 341 students.
Most Minnesota School districts, like the Northfield School District, receive about 70% of their total funding from the State government, and those numbers are figured largely on a school district’s enrollment. A net loss of 341 students, then, is very impactful.
Because of declining enrollment, over the past two years, the Northfield School Board has gone about the business of reducing the overall school district budget by about 10%, to just under $60 million. Gonzalez-George, said the budget cuts are working, but she would not guarantee another round of cuts might not happen at some point. She did say that the budget prioritization process has had the desired effect, and she is happy to see the district on an upward trajectory for this year, at least.
“We are seeing the results of that in a healthier, more sustainable budget. The hope, of course, is that we don’t do more of these prioritizations, but this district is a great steward of our finances. And so, if we need to do more in the near future, then we will. I don’t see that happening this year.”
The School District will not know the final enrollment numbers until late next spring.
Carleton Women Cross Country wins NCAA Division III National Championship
Carleton College announced last week that it has been forced to cancel its women’s basketball season due to a rash of injuries that depleted an already small roster.
Carelton Director of Athletics, Gerald Young, said the roster began to shrink during the summer, and then a few season impacting injuries, including a torn ACL and a broken hand, eventually brought the number of healthy players to six. At that point, Young said they had to make a very hard and disappointing decision.
“We have to do what’s in the best interest of those kids, and for their safety. And so, we knew that we just couldn’t go on. And a lot of people say, ‘Well, can’t you just get somebody just to come in and be bodies?’ But that’s not fair to anybody, and it’s actually not safe for just somebody that we’re going to bring in.”
Women’s Basketball Coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen said in a statement issued by the school, that she is “heartbroken” for her players.
“The reality is that playing games two or three times a week simply was not sustainable with the number of healthy players who remained,” she said in the statement. “As coaches, we are already focused on preparing our players for next season as they will be practicing as their health allows throughout the remainder of this season.”
Young said the recruiting class for next year provides some optimism in an otherwise gloomy period.
“She’s already got off to a great start. That’s the shame about this. She already has a great recruiting class. Some early decision kids are going to be coming in. So, the future looks bright. It’s just this year we just have to get through this.”
The news is not all bad, however, for the Carleton Athletics Department. On Saturday, the Carleton Women’s Cross Country Team won the first NCAA Division III National Championship in program history. The Knights posted a team score of 151 to edge No. 1-ranked NYU by three points.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Carleton College Athletic Director Gerald Young can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
