The Headlines of 2024 – Part 3: The People to Whom We Said Goodbye

By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net

Editors Note: As 2024 comes to an end, the news cycle begins to slow down. However, this is also a time to sit back on the news this year and the moments that defined Northfield. Instead of the regular newscasts for today, December 27th, 30th, and 31st, we will be taking a look back at the headlines from 2024; the moments, the people, and the events that defined Northfield this year.

I wish you all the best time this holiday season. 

See you in the new year,

– Logan 

Wayne Eddy

(left) Wayne Eddy in studio interviewing then Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn (right) Wayne Eddy. KYMN File Photos

Wayne T. Eddy, the broadcast founder of KYMN Radio, a co-founder of the Northfield Historical Society, a dedicated member of the Defeat of Jesse James Days, and perhaps the single biggest promoter of Northfield itself over the last half-century, has passed away Saturday, August 17th, at the age of 83.

Wayne came to Northfield in the late summer of 1968 as the first hire by Stan Stydnicki of the yet to be launched 1080 AM KYMN radio. Over the next few weeks, he spent time working throughout Northfield, getting to know seemingly every person in the community and promoting KYMN. 

On September 27th, 1968, it was Wayne’s voice that was first heard on our airwaves, playing Up, Up and Away by the 5th Dimension. Over the next five decades, Wayne’s voice would be heard on KYMN nearly every day as host of the KYMN Morning Show and later the Wayne Eddy Affair, on sporting events, and on special community event broadcasts, including the Defeat of Jesse James Days Grand Parade.

Wayne’s impact on the community will be remember and felt for many years to come. 

In September of 2014, Wayne sat in as a guest on his own show where Jeff Johnson interviewed him, here’s the series:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

DJJD Special:

Charles “Chip” DeMann

This year, we said goodbye to two of the DJJD’s leaders; Charles “Chip” DeMann passed away the week after the celebration. Chip was dedicated to the area’s historic preservation as the director of the Northfield Historical Society, president of the Rice County Historical Society, a member of the Save the Northfield Depot Committee, and a Valley Grove Preservation Society member. His love for history resulted in contributions as expert, editor, or actor in countless books, articles, TV shows, and movies. He served as the general chair of the DJJD Committee and as a raider reenactor from 1973 to 2014, and he is credited as one of the key players in helping to create the success and longevity of Northfield’s signature event.

Active in local politics he was also elected Mayor of Dundas in 1973. 

Chip’s like impact on this area’s historical preservation is greatly appreciated and will be remembered for years to come. 

Jeff Johnson

After 37 years on-air, 16 as the Morning Show Host and Owner, Jeff Johnson signed off the air and stepped down as the owner of the company at the end of September. 

Johnson was hired at KYMN in 1987 by the owner and manager, Wayne Eddy. Eddy became his mentor and taught him, as Johnson puts it, “everything.” Jeff has held most of the positions a radio station can offer. He’s been a DJ, a sports director, a salesman, the program director, and, at times, the handyman and custodian. He has done play-by-play for sporting events, worked remote broadcasts, and of course hosted the morning show. Along the way, he himself has been a mentor to many people, including new KYMN owner Rich Larson. Larson said Johnson has led by both example and instruction, and he is very grateful for the time the two have spent working together.

“There’s nothing about Jeff that’s not likable. Jeff Johnson is just a truly amiable guy, very laid back with a very live-and-let-live attitude and outlook on life. That is what has made him such a good radio guy. I’ve hardly ever seen his opinions even filter themselves into an interview because all he’s trying to do is give the people sitting across the table from him an opportunity to talk to Northfield; to talk to our listening audience. He has set the bar incredibly high.” – Rich Larson, The New Owner of KYMN

Johnson intends to get on his motorcycle and head south of the border in his retirement, doing his best to avoid winter for the rest of his life. He said he will be back in Northfield in the summertime, but “not until the temperature is over 75.”

Mark Elliot

Another Northfielder that retired to warm places while traveling on their motorcycle was Police Chief Mark Elliot who retired the same day as Johnson. Elliott, who succeeded former Chief Monte Nelson in July of 2020, has had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, serving as Chief of Police in Prior Lake prior to his time in Northfield, and as a Bloomington police officer prior to that.

He said early on that there was a need for better communication by the department with the community, and followed through with more programs geared toward community policing. He was part of a city task force that made a thorough evaluation of department policies, resulting in the Northfield Police Department policy manual being posted online to the department’s website, and his advocacy for a body camera program resulted in a modernizing of the department that brought more transparency to the work done by Northfield police.

He has also paid special attention to issues of mental health both within the department, and in the community. He instituted a mental health check-up policy for all Northfield police officers, noting that cops in good mental health make for a better and safer community. He has also been a tireless supporter of county programs that deal head-on with mental health and addiction, particularly with regard to the fentanyl crisis.