Local Issues
Habitat for Humanity needs YOU!
Submitted by hfhricecounty on Wed, 01/14/2015 - 4:29pmRice County Habitat for Humanity needs your help to finish our twin home in Lonsdale! We're working Thursdays from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m.
Carleton hosts public dialogue on racial justice
Submitted by Jessica Paxton on Mon, 01/12/2015 - 2:11pmIn solidarity with the growing national movement #BlackLivesMatter, Carleton College invites the public to a campus dialogue on racial justice in America. On Tuesday, Jan. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, Carleton will host “BlackLivesMatter: Conversations for Change,” a panel discussion with faculty and guest speakers followed by a Q&A session.
Across the nation, the tragic deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner has mobilized communities to respond to individual and collective loss as well as to pave the way for racial justice, a world where #BlackLivesMatter.
2nd Annual Soup and Cycles
Submitted by Betsey Buckheit on Fri, 01/09/2015 - 3:32pmJoin BikeNorthfield and representatives of local bike groups and bike-interested community leaders Thursday, January 15, 2015 from 6:00-9:00 pm at Carleton College's Weitz Center (Room 236) for soup, socializing and strategizing.
We'll celebrate the successes of 2014 and explore how we might work together in 2015 on projects relating to bike education, infrastructure and bike/recreational tourism. Tandem Bagels will provide soup (and bagels), local bike shops will be on hand with bike demos (6:00-7:00 pm), local bike groups (CROCT, Northfield Pedalers, Friends of the Milltowns Trail, Bike Northfield and more) will present updates (7:00-8:00), and then your input is needed for planning for a more bike-friendly Northfield (8:00-9:00)
Northfield Area Community Solar Invites Conversations During Winter Walk
Submitted by Jane B McWilliams on Mon, 12/08/2014 - 11:08pmNorthfield Area Ccmmunity Solar will have a table with information about the proposed solar garden at Winter Walk on Thursday evening outside Goodbye Blue Monday Coffee House. Winter Walkers are invited to stop by and talk about the proposed Northfield solar garden and to grab a brochure. Anyone in the Xcel service area is eligible to subscribe, whether in Rice County or any adjacent county. The NACS goal is to subscribe one megawatt of solar generation locally.
NOMINEES SOUGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
Submitted by Corinne Smith on Sat, 11/15/2014 - 10:59pmWith Thanksgiving approaching, this is a good time for the Northfield area to consider those in the community who have served generously in the area of Human Rights. Each year, the Northfield Human Rights Commission gives an award to an individual, group, or organization that has contributed to the advancement of human rights. The award is presented during the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Celebration held in January.
The Northfield Human Rights Commission is actively soliciting nominees for this award. Community members are encouraged to think about those in the area who have contributed locally to the cause of human rights. A diverse slate of nominees is sought. The Northfield Human Rights Commission will evaluate all nominees, and is ultimately responsible for choosing the award recipient.
Candidate Forums Available Online
Submitted by Jane B McWilliams on Fri, 10/31/2014 - 10:37pmArchived videos of the League of Women Voters of Northfield/Cannon Falls candidate forums are now available.
• Northfield City Council Candidates - At-Large Dale Gehring & Rhonda Pownell
• Northfield City Council Candidates - Ward 1 Joe Gasior & Suzie Nakasian
• Rice County Attorney Candidates Paul Beaumaster & John Fossum
• Northfield School Board Candidates Fritz Bogott, Margaret Colangelo, Julie Pritchard & Jeff Quinnell
Carleton Hosts Northfield City Council Candidate Forum
Submitted by Jessica Paxton on Thu, 10/30/2014 - 2:08pmAre you familiar with the many local races that will be on the ballot come November? Want to meet the candidates who may end up deciding Northfield's future? Join us on Thursday, October 30th from 7:00-8:00pm in the Carleton College Boliou Hall Auditorium for a public forum with all your local city council candidates. Audience members will have the ability to submit questions during the forum and hear how potential City Councilors would respond to issues that are important to them.
There will four candidates present from the two contested city council races in town. Running for the Ward 1 City Council position will be Joe Gasior and Incumbant Suzie Nakasian. Running for an At-Large City Council position will be Dale Gehring and Incumbant Rhonda Pownell.
Thank you, Northfield
Submitted by Erin Carson on Thu, 10/23/2014 - 11:34amHealthFinders Shoe Drive. Ever try working out in sandals? Not Good. Donate your gently used athletic shoes to patients who need them!
Submitted by katy hargis on Wed, 10/22/2014 - 10:21amMany underserved members of our HealthFinders community have been exercising in inadequate footwear, resulting in painful and expensive injuries! Especially affected are Somali women, who work out in sandals very similar to flip-flops. Imagine running on a treadmill in sandals!
Volunteer puts brakes on Meals-On-Wheel route
Submitted by Scott Richardson on Fri, 10/17/2014 - 2:18pmGuy Kalland won’t be hitting the road again anytime soon, at least not for Northfield’s Meals-On-Wheels program.
After 20 years of owning the Tuesday “Blue Route” September through May, he is rolling to a stop.
“It was always an enjoyable hour,” said the long-time varsity basketball coach at Carleton College as he reflected on his weekly regimen. “I couldn’t wait to get to Tuesdays. It was a mini-sabbatical for me, especially if we were coming off of a Monday night loss.”
Northfield Reads Hosts First Amendment Conversation
Submitted by Jane B McWilliams on Thu, 10/09/2014 - 5:53pmHave you been mulling over issues of Free Speech as they relate to the public use of Bridge Square? Have you been debating the concept of Freedom of Religion as it relates nationally to issues of health care? If so, Corinne Smith invites you to join with your neighbors for a Northfield Reads! on these subjects. This will be a time to read, discuss, connect, and learn.
Northfield Shares Grant Application Deadline Approaching!
Submitted by Becky Carlson on Thu, 09/25/2014 - 12:14pmNonprofit organizations seeking grant funding from Northfield Shares in 2015 are encouraged to submit their applications soon. The deadline to apply is October 1. Formed as a result of the merging of 5th Bridge and Northfield Area Foundation, Northfield Shares disbursed over $38,000 in grants in its 2014 cycle.
TORCH awarded College Ready Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation
Submitted by Zach Pruitt on Thu, 09/25/2014 - 9:03amThe start of the new school year brought news of an exciting wave of additional resources for Northfield students. The Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes (TORCH) initiative was among the 10 recipients of the $1.3 million in College Ready grants awarded by Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. A $55,660 grant will fund rigorous extracurricular instruction in math and English to help 56 Northfield high school juniors and seniors ultimately pass college-level courses. The 56 students will be members of the TORCH cohort, which serves youth who are low-income, students of color, and/or potential first-generation college attendees.
Discover why some of the richest people in the world are not millionaires, they are volunteers.Volunteer for HealthFinders Collaborative!
Submitted by katy hargis on Tue, 09/02/2014 - 3:27pmHealthFinders Collaborative is seeking volunteer nurses, providers, interpreters (Spanish and Somali), and receptionists.
Who are we? HealthFinders is a non-profit located in downtown Faribault and Dundas dedicated to providing quality healthcare, advocacy and wellness education to people with limited healthcare alternatives.
Summer PLUS and BLAST Programs Engage Record Numbers of Youth
Submitted by Zach Pruitt on Thu, 08/21/2014 - 9:58pmBy JoyRiggs, freelance journalist
More Northfield students attended free programs this summer designed to support academic achievement and enrichment – and these programs expanded their offerings thanks to increased community involvement.
“The kids seem to be enjoying it,” said Daryl Kehler, coordinator of Northfield Public Schools Targeted Services. “We’ve had new students, and new referrals, well into the program. Word is spreading.”
In past years, Summer PLUS provided academic instruction and enrichment activities for students in grades K-8 at one site for six weeks during the summer. The program is free, but students must qualify for Targeted Services or be referred by a teacher.
