Halfway through the period that Minnesota Law Enforcement calls “The 100 Deadliest Days of the Year,” Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott is reciting a familiar refrain. Those behind the wheel need to slow down and pay attention.
Last year, across the state, there were fewer driving fatalities than there had been during the Covid years, when fatalities spiked. However, that was not the case in Rice County, where eleven people were killed in motor vehicle crashes. The trending number is down in Rice County so far this year, however across the state fatalities are back up. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, just through May, 225 people had died as a result of a motor vehicle crash.
Elliott said the Rice County Law Enforcement Community, including the Northfield Police Department, is doing its part in order to keep people safe. He said they have been working with the Toward Zero Deaths organization for several years and are using many of the techniques TZD has developed to help law enforcement agents slow things down.
On July 3rd, Elliott said the Northfield PD participated in a border-to-border speed reduction effort on Highway 19 by adding extra patrols in their jurisdiction that day. In all, he said, 23 speeding tickets were issued, along with 11 warnings. For many who received the warnings, however, they were also cited for expired license tabs, no insurance, or violation of the hands-free driving law. Elliott called the initiative “Education Through Enforcement.” While the citations were an inconvenience to the people who received one, he said they all took the message in the spirit it was meant.
“I think the message was well received. Several of the people that received citations said, ‘Yeah, I wasn’t paying attention. I should have been watching my speed closer,’ or, ‘I didn’t realize I was going that fast.’ So, we’re really asking folks to pay attention while they’re driving for their safety and the safety of others.”
The Northfield Police Department will participate in another speed reduction event later this month on Highway 3. He said they are also using the signs that show a driver how fast they are going, and message boards to help people slow down.
While the 100 Deadliest Days of the Year run between Memorial Day and Labor Day, he said he hopes that people will begin to pay attention to what they are doing every day of the year.
Northfield Shares a Dinner is a free event, but registration is required
Registration will open on Sunday for Northfield Shares a Dinner, the massive outdoor dinner party thrown by Northfield Shares.
This will be the second time Northfield Shares has done something like this. In 2019 1000 Northfielders were seated at a table in the middle of Division Street and had dinner. This year the goal is for 1600 people to participate.
Northfield Shares Executive Director Carrie Carroll and marketing consultant Kati Reak Sletten said the goal is to seat 1400 people on Division Street and deliver dinner to another 200 people who are unable to turn out.
The point of the evening, Carroll said, is simply to inspire community. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, to connect with old friends, and to learn more and get closer to acquaintances.
The evening will feature locally sourced food, live music, and a unique interactive banner that Reak Sletten and Carroll called an “interactive art project.”
“It’s an interactive art project. It’s a black and white sketch. And then our community members that come downtown will be able to color it in and make it come to life with color. And then we will be able to display it. I think it’s going to be displayed after the event at the library and then possibly in City Hall and around town and other places. So, it’s really just, I would call, it’s really an interactive. And it’s huge. It’s really cool.”
The full event is completely volunteer driven. Carroll said the Steering Committee is made up of 20 people, each of whom chair their own committee of 5-10 people. Alongside the 150 people involved in the planning are the 150+ people who will volunteer the day of the event, setting things up, cooking the food, and serving. She said the organization is always looking for more help and directed those interested in helping out to the Volunteer Hub on the Northfield Shares website at northfieldshares.org.
While the event is free to the full community, space is limited. Carroll said they have capped the number of seated diners at 1400 people, because that is the capacity for the undisclosed indoor option should they be met with inclement weather the night of the event.
Those who would like to attend will be able to register beginning Sunday morning on the Northfield Shares website.
KYMN Daily News 7/19/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
