Griff J Wigley's blog

SpeechGear has moved into the old Montessori school building on Hwy 19. Left photo: a pile of new furniture in their break room, overlooking Malt-O-Meal and Kwik Trip. Right photo: they're testing the release of their Summer Weather V1.4 software on the landscaping around their building.

CEO Rob Palmquist sent me this email re: their need for some temp help:

I received a phone call this morning from a government official, informing me that the Dundas City Council last night voted 3-2 to not renew the contract of City Administrator Sue Kyllo.

Elvis was on hand in a big way at ARTech's Thanks-Give fundraiser last week.

Over $5,000 for the school was raised.

Click the photo to enlarge and see dozens more in the Thanks-Give photo album.

Dan Borek, St. Olaf student, sent me this photo "... of our November 3rd migration herd to Senator Coleman's office. We were a delegation of Oles and Carls who met up with U of M caribou for the migration."

The issue?

Drilling in the ANWR.

Click photo to enlarge.

Friday's blanket of snow has been wiped out by a warm rain, punctuated this morning at about 9:30 with an on-again off-again rainbow, seen here (faintly; click photo to enlarge) over the Country Inn.

The League of Women Voters Northfield is hosting their 4th Monday forum tonight at the Northfield Public Library.

The topic: Transportation Safety Issues in our Community. Capt. Randy Slinger of the Minnesota State Patrol and Rep. Ray Cox are featured guests. See Marcia Walters' blog post for more details.

The November issue of the Rice County Report, the county's quarterly newsletter, is available online.

I ran into USPS mail-carrier Tom Kotula on his new beat yesterday: downtown Northfield, as of three weeks ago. I seem to take a photo of Tom every December. Center photo: presenting to the city council about Way Park at a meeting in December, 2003. Right photo: being attacked by Sue deMalignon in the produce section at Just Food Co-op's member opening night, December, 2004. Click photos to enlarge.

City crews plowed downtown streets last night and several cars that were left parked on Division were tagged, including this one in front of Quality Bakery. Right photo: Bridge Square at 6:30 this morning, under a blanket of fresh snow, a crescent moon and a lightening eastern sky. Click photos to enlarge.

Snow started falling around 6 am this morning when I was having coffee downtown. By the time it ended and I went for a walk in the Arb mid-afternoon, four inches or more of fluffy had blanketed the area. Center right photo: the spooky old tree in the lower Arb along the Cannon River that's been a source of climbing pleasure for decades of Northfield's kids collapsed a year ago or longer. But the tracks of kids playing on it were still evident everywhere today. Click photos to enlarge.

This morning, over 200 runners and walkers participated in Northfield Rotary's 5K Turkey Trot at the Northfield Golf Club. Over $3,000 was raised to benefit the Jeff Amerman Pavilion at the Spring Creek Fields. Left center photo: the back of the race t-shirt showing the local business sponsors: Winners: Women: 1st: Sally Paulson; 2nd: Christine Peters; 3rd: Megan Kelly. Men: 1st: Colin O'Neill; 2nd: Nathan McCann; 3rd: Dan Westlund. Fastest Rotarian (right photo): Greg Carlson gets a high five from his niece Abby. Click photos to enlarge.

See 8 dozen more (in thumb, medium, large sizes) in the Northfield Rotary Turkey Trot 2005 photo album.

The 2005 State Girls' Swimming & Diving Meet was held today at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. In the Class A finals:

Girls 50 Yard Freestyle
3rd place: Maggie Perrott

Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
3rd place: Northfield
Maggie Perrott
Kim Brodziak
Claire Perrott
Tanya Thomforde

Northfield finished 8th overall.

The City put up Christmas lights on the trees in Bridge Square yesterday and put up the holiday/seasons greetings banners and wreaths on the downtown poles.

NDDC Executive Director Ross Currier told me this morning that this is the last time time those banners will be used, as they're getting tattered. Fundraising for new banners will begin soon. I took this photo (click to enlarge) this morning from the Northfield Historical Society's Scriver Building stairway.

I met painter Fred Somers and his wife Avis at last Friday's Bead Days, Studio Nights show at Art on Water and they invited me to their 30th Anniversary open house at their Somers Studio & Gallery, about 5 miles south of town on Hwy 246. Robbie and I went last Saturday and got the grand tour of their 95 year-old granary studio, as did (right photo) Peter and Mary Schmelzer of Vivus Architecture and Design (see their recently launched weblog, Vivus News). The Somers' open house started last Saturday and runs weekends through Dec. 4. Click photos to enlarge.

Dick Daymont and Curt Swenson approached me yesterday morning in the Bittersweet coffeeshop, wondering about the lane markings on the newly opened section of Hwy 3. (Click photos to enlarge.)
Left: Why is the southbound left turn lane at 3rd St. marked by a double-yellow, which usually means "do not cross"?
Right: Why is there no right-turn only markings for the northbound right turn lane at 2nd St.? And how are right-turning vehicles supposed to know when it's permissible to cross the bike lane, in essence, sharing that space?
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