Last week, a Faribault man that prosecutors call one of the county’s most notorious criminals was sentenced to 75 months in prison for possessing nearly a pound of methamphetamine.
Apolinar Osvaldo Hernandez-Silva, 40, was given the sentence on Wednesday at the Rice County Courthouse by Judge Karie M. Anderson.
Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson expressed his frustration to the court, emphasizing how despite a guilty plea, Hernandez-Silva continued to deny the methamphetamine found in a Northfield hotel room last March was his.
Hernandez-Silva’s lack of accountability is in direct conflict with the testimony he provided when he entered his guilty plea. At that time, Hernandez-Silva stated the hotel room had been rented in his name, he was the only person who had a key to the room, no other person had been in the hotel room, the methamphetamine was found under the hotel room bed and
that he knew the methamphetamine was in the room.
Since 2019, prosecutors have faced challenges in holding Hernandez-Silva accountable for the plethora of crimes that have been brought against him. Prior to sentencing Hernandez-Silva had one felony conviction.
Anderson also credited Hernandez-Silva with 325 days served in Rice County Jail and fined him $575.
‘Cows, Colleges, and Contentment’ will become Northfield’s ‘legacy’ slogan
The Northfield Branding Commission has unveiled some of the materials designed by the Minneapolis design firm Replace, that will be used by the city for an updated look and in marketing materials.
Part of the new approach will be a fresh take on the city slogan, Cows, Colleges and Contentment. While the phrase has been a popular one for decades in Northfield, designer Jeff Johnson and the Branding Commission are recommending to the City Council that it be re-adapted as Cows, Colleges and Community as the official slogan, and Cows, Colleges and Contentment be recognized as what they are calling the “legacy” slogan.
Moreover, Johnson’s firm is strongly suggesting that the idea be put to use in several different iterations and applied to specific aspects of the community.
For example, he said, when discussing the Defeat of Jesse James Days and Joseph Lee Heywood, the phrase could become Cows, Colleges and Courage.
When recruiting companies for the long-sought expansion of the city’s commercial industrial base, the phrase could be Cows, Colleges and Careers.
Discussion of the Riverfront Activation plans could use Cows, Colleges and the Cannon.
Johnson pointed out that members of the community have been adapting the phrase for their own use for generations, anyway, so why shouldn’t the city embrace the concept and own it.
“Really, we’re just trying to expand that language and just get inside of the wind in the sails that’s already happening. Because people in the community are already rewriting that line, we want to take a different approach where now it’s a little bit more open for the needs that we know are coming and the needs that we don’t know are coming.”
He is recommending that the official phrase use “community” instead of “contentment,” because the word contentment can be, he said, “polarizing,” and has connotations of complacency, which is not an idea an active and vibrant city wants to convey.
Johnson said his organization used the same idea when working with the Minnesota State Fair. The tag line “Twelve Days of fun, ending on Labor Day,” was adapted to “Twelve days of horses ending on Labor Day,” or “Twelve days of pronto pups, ending on Labor Day.” He said the idea has been used by the Fair to great success.
Johnson’s organization and the Branding Commission continue to refine the ideas they have created and will make a final presentation to the City Council in the Spring.
Pumper truck delivery expected in the summer of 2025
The Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service has ordered a new pumper truck as a part of its Capital Equipment Plan, which they expect to have delivered sometime in 2025.
When the joint powers agreement that established NAFRS was put together several years ago, the plan was for all capital equipment, and specifically firefighting apparatus, including the fire trucks, to be replaced every ten years.
The department has tried to stay with that plan, but there have been a few bums in the road. Financing and the Covid-19 pandemic caused a slight delay on purchasing the Heavy Rescue Vehicle that was delivered in December of 2020. The current pumper truck is eleven years old, but supply chain difficulties have delayed the ability for the fire department to replace it on the schedule they would prefer.
Nelson said the department signed a purchase agreement for the vehicle last year and was told at that point there would be a two-year waiting period. Northfield fire-fighters have not had any public problems making do with the current truck, and Nelson said, candidly, that the delay makes things a little bit easier to purchase an $800,000 piece of equipment. Half of the money was paid when the purchase agreement was signed and worked into the 2024 budget. The other half will be paid upon delivery of the truck, so that portion will be figured into the 2025 budget.
Despite the long lead time, Nelson said the manufacturer is keeping the organization up to date, and they are keeping the schedule that was agreed to at the time of purchase.
“The truck manufacturer said they did get a vin number for the chassis, which is made by one company, and then it ships to the truck builder in Osceola, Wisconsin. So, the good news we learned last month is, yes, we do actually have a VIN number for the chassis. So, we’re hitting our milestones.”
The pumper truck will be used to transport fire-fighters to the scene of a fire, as well as water, hoses and other firefighting equipment. Nelson said the hope is that the new vehicle will be delivered prior to the Defeat of Jesse James Days next year.
Public Information/Perspective Meeting on high school facility set for tonight
A public meeting to seek feedback from district stakeholders regarding the future of the high school facility, will be held tonight at 6pm in the Northfield High School auditorium.
There will be a brief presentation about the decision-making process, the problems identified with the facility, and potential options to address those problems.
Attendees will break into groups, led by board members and administrators, where they will be able to share their ideas and feedback. They will then have the opportunity (two minutes each) to share their perspective with the full board in a public comment-style setting.
The board will then debrief what it has learned from attendees to close the session.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
