Northfield City Council Rewind

Northfield Council Approves Raises for City Employees, Moves Ahead on Safety Center Bonds and Domestic Partnership Registry

Here is a look back at Tuesday's Northfield City Council meeting.

Here's a look back at Tuesday's Northfield City Council meeting, courtesy of KYMN. The agenda and packet for the meeting are attached as PDFs. At Tuesday's meeting, council: Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

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Washington Post: Second Congressional District "Surprisingly Competitive"

The fate of the U.S. House of Representatives rests on a few battleground districts, including Minnesota's Second Congressional District, according to the Post.

Rep. John Kline's (R) race against Democratic challenger Mike Obermueller has caught the eye of the Washington Post. Minnesota's Second Congressional District may be "surprisingly competitive" this year, according to a May 11 article in the Post highlighting battleground districts across the country. Kline "drew the short straw" in redistricting, the Post said, and faces tighter re-election chances. The Post also cited the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's decision to provide support to Obermueller through its Red to Blue Emerging Races program as a factor. Kline, a five-term incumbent, has for years won re-election by double-digit margins in the congressional district. Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook…

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Northfield Street Construction Update

An update of the street construction projects throughout Northfield.

Editor's note: From the City of Northfield Public Works department Mother Nature was a little unkind to us this week, but considerable progress was made on all areas under construction. The following is a rundown of work completed last week, and work scheduled for next week.  Division Street and Eighth Street Utility crews finished with all the sanitary sewer, watermain and storm sewer on the Eighth Street portion of the job this week. Crews also pressure tested the watermain, and are waiting for the results of the bacteria test before the Eighth Street watermain area is turned on. Grading crews were on-site late in the week to work on sub-cutting the top 28” of material out of the existing roadbed in preparation for the new select …

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Legal Speak

Beaumaster: Prescription Drug Abuse Needs Everyone’s Attention

"Accumulating prescription medications at home can invite people with drug habits to look at your home as a source for drugs."

For the last year Rice County has waged a “Take It to the Box” campaign, encouraging people to bring unused prescription drugs to black boxes found at law enforcement stations in Northfield and Faribault. You simply drop medications into the secure black box to dispose of them - no questions asked and all medications welcome. The effort has accomplished much by educating the public about the dangers of prescription medications and the need to properly dispose of them. A common notion exists that prescribed drugs fall into a different class than street drugs. We presume they are safe to have around the house. While medication prescribed for patients may be necessary and safe for them, it is usually not safe for others, and can be deadly if …

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VIDEO: County Commissioners Kick Off Budget Process

Here is a look back at Tuesday's Rice County Commission meeting.

Here is a look back at the May 8 Rice County Board of Commissioners meeting. The agenda for the meeting is attached as a PDF. At the meeting, county commissioners kicked off the 2012 budget process with by approving a series of motions during the meeting. According to the Faribault Daily News, the board unanimously approved budget priorities designed to increase the county’s efficiency while growing the tax base. Other items on the agenda include: • Awarding a bridge contract for County Road 59 • Discussing county issues with Youth Government Day participants • Conducting public hearings on ditch projects • Reviewing liquor license and lawful gambling applications. Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our …

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PHOTOS: Northfielders Dump Junk During Clean-Up Day

Garbage trucks stood at the ready at the city maintenance facility Saturday morning for the second of two city clean-up days this spring.

Northfielders lightened their loads at the city’s maintenance facility on Riverview Drive Saturday morning. The city’s second—and final—clean-up day of the spring was conducted Saturday, and residents brought carloads, truckloads and trailer-loads of refuse to be disposed of in Waste Management garbage trucks and recycling bins. Waste Management employees, wearing fluorescent yellow vests, stood at the ready to empty garbage cans and the contents of pickup truck beds into the fleet of trucks. Residents were able to drop off most of their junk free of charge. However, they paid fees for items like appliances, computers, TVs and tires. One Waste Management worker said the number of residents participating in Saturday’s clean-up seemed fewer …

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Corey Butler Jr.

11:49 am on Monday, May 14, 2012

Depending on what you're trying to get rid of, I think the Community Action Center takes some, otherwise there's probably other nonprofits in the area that will take stuff if you don't want to simply junk it.   more ›

Rice County Property Taxes Up; Residents Paying Sooner as Deadline Looms

While first-half property taxes are due May 15, officials at the Auditor-Treasurer Office say fewer people are waiting until the last minute to pay.

When they pay their bill, many homeowners in Rice County and throughout the state of Minnesota are shelling out more. That’s the case even though the value of their homes probably are falling or staying flat because of the nation’s housing continuing woes. The Minnesota Legislature’s decision last year to change the way homestead property taxes are calculated—eliminating the Market Value Homestead Credit and replacing it with the Homestead Market Value Exclusion—has put property owners on the hook for a larger portion of the cost of government. Under the new calculation, the state no longer pays local governments a credit for property taxes. The tax base, though, is smaller because a portion of the value of properties valued below $418,300…

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(POLL) Are You Happy to See the Vikings Get a New Stadium?

The plan was approved by the Senate on Thursday.

With Senate approval coming on Thursday by a 36-30 vote, a new Minnesota Vikings stadium is on its way. After plenty of twists and turns throughout the legislative session, debate intensified this week, as the House and Senate both held several late-night sessions to discuss the bill. All that remains now is a signature from Gov. Mark Dayton, who has been an ardent stadium supporter. Dayton is holding a press conference at 5:45 p.m. today with stadium bill authors, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and team owner Zygi Wilf, and Dayton could sign the bill then. The new stadium will cost roughly $975 million, with the team slated to pay a little less than half. The state will pay about $348 million by expanding gambling. The city of Minneapolis …

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Mike Carlier

10:28 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Vikings are already great. Can you remember the last time they lost a playoff game? Me neither;)   more ›