Former UMC Baseball player, Jake Dykhoff names American Association Pitcher of the Week

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After striking out 12 batters in a complete-game, two-hit shutout against Lincoln on Saturday, Former University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball player and current Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks pitcher Jake Dykhoff was named American Association pitcher of the week Monday for the first time in his career. 

Dykhoff threw 102 pitches in his first start of the season Saturday after coming out of the bullpen to begin the year, facing two batters over the minimum and posting a career-high 12 punch outs while walking none. 

The Wadena, Minnesota, native is the first RedHawks player to earn player/pitcher of the week honors since Davis Feldman was named pitcher of the week for the week ending May 26, 2024. 

In 18 appearances this season, Dykhoff is 4-3 with a 1.90 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He has struck out 38 batters and walked six in 33 innings of work in 2025. 

Photo courtesy of the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks

Non-Profit Organization Linus’s Legacy is doing what it set out to do one animal at a time

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Four months ago, Linus’s Legacy, a local animal rescue, was formed in Crookston to help care for animals who are strays or surrenders with the objective of getting them healthy and adopted out to their new forever homes.

The rescue started slow and with a few hiccups, but is now a busy and fulfilling non-profit organization making a difference in Crookston and the surrounding area, says Secretary Lori Carlson. “It’s going well. It’s just been a slow but steady increase in foster families we have available, pet intakes we can take and donations and fundraisers, “says Carlson. “It’s been exciting.”

Linus’s Legacy has started to pickup and is happy they have been able to adopt out seven animals, and have many more animals awaiting adoption. “We have had seven total adoptions, one adult cat, four kittens, an adult dog, and a puppy,” says rescue director Cassandra Torkleson. “Adoptable, we have two adult cats, 11 kittens, we also have four adult dogs, one senior Springer spaniel, two French bulldogs, one pit-bull mix, and eight puppies.” Not all are quite adoptable, Torkleson says, as some of the younger animals still need to get up to a healthy weight to be fixed, as all animals are fixed before they are adoptable.

The Linus’s Legacy team has been working hard to get the word out about their organization and will be out and about this summer at different events with a few of the animals and information on Linus’s Legacy. “We did the Farmer’s Market just a few days ago. It was nice to get a couple of our puppies out into the community and engage with some of the adults and little kids,” says Carlson. “We had Fleet Supply a couple of days ago. The puppies got to play, and we got lots of love from Fleet Supply. Thank you so much. There were so many donations from community members at Fleet Supply. We took a bin home and divided it up for puppy fosters.”

There are more opportunities to catch Linus’s Legacy out and about with animals and information. “Coming up soon, it will be the Polk County Fair. We will be there as many days as possible,” says Carlson. “We are going to have our board meeting this week to figure out how much volunteer support we have to cover our booth.” Carlson says people have been asking about Linus’s Legacy merchandise, and they will have that available at the Polk County Fair for anyone who wishes to purchase items as part of their fundraising. Linus’s Legacy will also be around during Ox Cart Days.

As a non-profit organization, monetary donations are one of the most significant needs for Linus’s Legacy, as they cover all medical care for the animals. Yet, the community can help Linus’s Legacy thrive in so many other ways. “I think we would be grateful for anything. Whether it is spreading the word about our rescue, wanting to fill out a foster form, wanting to adopt, or wanting to donate because you are unable to foster or adopt,” says Torkleson. “Even to just be an advocate for the animals in our community. If you see something, say something. Speak up, because they don’t have a voice.”

One of the many ways that Linus’s Legacy has been able to help animals has been through working with other agencies in the community to find the proper care and placement for the animals they rescue. “Besides adoptions that we have had or intakes into foster homes, we did have one rescue transfer on May 31. The collie trapped in the junkyard that I was looking for, for a few weeks, after her capture, she was transferred to Minnesota/Wisconsin Collie Rescue,” says Torkleson. “We are a big believer in networking and working together as a team with all area rescues and shelters because it’s best when everyone works together.”

Look for Linus’s Legacy at the Polk County Fair and the Crookston Farmers Market this summer. The animals available for adoption can be seen on PetFinder and Linus’s Legacy Facebook Page. If you have questions about any of the animals, feel free to call 218-280-8904.

Crookston Legion Baseball hosts Grand Forks – on KROX

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The Crookston American Legion Post 20 Baseball team hosts the Grand Forks Blues Junior Legion at 6:00 p.m. Jim Karn Field in Crookston.

FIRST INNING-
Grand Forks’ Pribula reached on an error and after the next two batters popped out, Widstrup tripled to the left-center field gap to score a run for a 1-0 lead. The next batter grounded out.
Crookston was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.

SECOND INNING-
Grand Forks struck again in the second inning when Twedt singled and scored on a Harms triple on a line drive over the right fielder’s head for a 2-0 lead. The next batter struck out.

THIRD INNING –

FOURTH INNING-

FIFTH INNING-

SIXTH INNING-

SEVENTH INNING-

Crookston improves to 8-7 on the year, but more importantly 8-1 in league play and they remain in first place in the south pod.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Grand Forks 1 1 2 2 0
Crookston 0 0 0 1

 OFFENSIVE LEADERS –

Crookston –

Grand Forks-

Pitching IP H R ER BB/HBP K
Blake Melsa-Crox 2.0 2 2 1 0 1
Rylan Waldorf-GF 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
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Dr. Bhavik Upadhyay, D.O., is Altru’s Physician of the Quarter

Altru is excited to announce Dr. Bhavik Upadhyay, D.O., a hospitalist specializing in Internal Medicine, as Physician of the Quarter. This accomplishment recognizes his high standards of compassion, medical education, and quality care. Dr. Upadhyay makes patients feel cared for and comfortable.

“A million gold stars to Dr. Bhavik Upadhyay! He is the most amazing, caring doctor I have ever encountered!” shared a recent patient. “When he did not feel that I understood something, he came back a short while later to verify and to re-explain. This brought an extreme level of comfort and confidence to myself and my family.”

Dr. Josh Deere, Altru president, said, “Dr. Upadhyay creates an excellent care environment for his patients and coworkers. A clear focus on compassion and attention to detail is something we all strive to emulate.” These sentiments align with Dr. Upadhyay and his motivation to provide care at a high level.

Dr. Upadhyay describes his medical philosophy as, “The intersection of what I love to do, what I am good at doing, what the world needs, and something that I could be valued for. The ability to use objective evidence to improve the lives of others motivates me, inspires me, and satisfies me.”

“I was totally relaxed as the care I received was exceptional,” said a recent patient.

The Physician of the Quarter recipients are selected after reviewing survey results submitted by patients. Altru started this award in 2021 as a way to recognize outstanding care given by Altru providers.

From left: Sara Dvorak, director of Nursing Services; Dr. Josh Deere, Altru president; Todd Forkel, Altru CEO; Dr. Bhavik Upadhyay, Physician of the Quarter; Dr. Yvonne Gomez, Family & Internal Medicine Practice; Nessa Lequire, manager of Patient Care; and Cory Geffre, Altru chief nursing officer

Warren Allen Bakken – OBIT

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Warren Allen Bakken, 61 of Crookston Mn, formerly of Mentor MN, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday June 26, 2025

 Warren Allen Bakken was born on November 17, 1963, in Crookston, MN, to Allen and Linda (Lenhart) Bakken. Warren grew up in Mentor, MN. During his teenage years, he worked for a farmer near Erskine, MN. Warren moved around quite a bit after high school. He met Rachel’s mother Ella St. Peters in the early 90’s and in February of 1991 Rachel was born. Warren had worked various jobs around the Warren, MN area and the Crookston, MN area; he could never sit still for very long! On June 22, 2012, Warren Married Frances Malinowski; they made their home together in Crookston, MN.

 Warren enjoyed visiting friends and family around the area. He didn’t care if he knew you for years or just striking up a new conversation with a complete stranger. Over the years he spent quite a bit of time with his friend “Big O” in his prized Peterbilt riding around the states with him. He very much enjoyed his time out on the road with him and would tell all kinds of stories of trips they had. He loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time riding bicycle around town. He had a love of going to the casino, loved playing slots, bingo, Pull tabs and of course scratch offs! You could always tell where Warren was by following the Mountain Dew Can trail. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

 Warren is survived by his wife, Frances; Daughter, Rachel Bakken (Tom Olson) of Thief River Falls, MN; Mother Linda Bakken of North Branch, MN; Brothers Brian (Laura) Bakken of Warroad, MN; Clayton (Jen Tvedt) Bakken of Mentor MN; And Sister Janelle Bakken (Josh Agnes) of Harris MN. Along with several Nieces, aunts, uncles and friends.

 Warren is preceded in Death by His Father Allen Bakken in 2008; Grandparents, Louis and Amanda Bakken, George and Ella Lenhart, Several Aunts and Uncles, and his dear friend “Big O” (Larry Olson) 

 Funeral Services will be held on Monday June 30, 2025, at 11:00 Am at Stenshoel-Houske funeral home in Crookston. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. Interment will take place at Hope Lutheran Cemetery in Fosston MN following the service.

 The Family would like to thank all who came today to celebrate the life of Warren Bakken.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announces he will not run for reelection

Senator Thom Tillis watches as the Senate Intelligence Committee examines the nomination of Kashyap Patel for Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. January 30^ 2025 - Washington DC

One day after he drew criticism from President Trump for opposing the party’s sweeping domestic policy package, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Sunday that he would not run for re-election. The decision opens up seat in battleground North Carolina that is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the 2026 midterms.

The announcement came just hours after Pres. Trump said he will start fielding primary challengers to run against Tillis following the senator’s vote against advancing Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ to a vote in the Senate.

Trump attacked Tillis in a series of social media posts after the Senator voted against advancing the GOP’s massive domestic policy bill Saturday, and threatened to meet with potential primary challengers. Trump said on Truth Social: “Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History! Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina! Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against “Senator Thom” Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America”

Trump’s criticism came hours after Tillis said in a statement that he “cannot support this bill in its current form,” pointing to expected cuts to Medicaid he said would “result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities.”

Tillis wrote a lengthy statement announcing his decision, shaing that he has not been enthusiastic about seeking a third six-year term in the Senate: “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species .. As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term. That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”

Republicans will now seek to find a replacement for Tillis, with Reps. Richard Hudson and Pat Harrigan are seen as potential candidates. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott said the party was confident they would be able to defend the seat without Tillis in the race: “President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade. That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security.”

Editorial credit: Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com

Israeli military orders more evacuations as Pres. Trump calls for ceasefire in Gaza

Palestinians evacuate wounded after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah refugee camp^ southern Gaza Strip^ on October 13 2023.

Israel has ordered Palestinians to evacuate from parts of northern Gaza ahead of increased military action, with President Trump urging for the two sides to agree to a ceasefire deal that would potentially halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict in Gaza.

People in neighbourhoods across Gaza City and Jabalia have been told to move south towards the coastal area of al-Mawasi as Israeli military operations “intensify and expand westward”. The Hamas-run health ministry said that at least 86 people were killed as the result of Israeli attacks in the 24 hours before midday on Sunday. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Sunday that the Israeli military was operating in north Gaza “to eliminate terrorists and terrorist infrastructure”.

Trump had told reporters in the Oval Office last week that there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week, saying “We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.” Over the weekend, Trump again pleaded in a post on Truth Social: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

Israeli officials said that a top adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire. Plans are also being made for Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal.

Reuters reported that military bombardments increased in Gaza in the early hours of Sunday, destroying several houses. Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency told news outlets that at least 23 people had been killed on Sunday alone.

In March, a two-month ceasefire collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza, stating that they wanted to put pressure on Hamas to release its hostages. Israel also imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March, which it partially eased after 11 weeks following pressure from US allies and warnings from global experts that half a million people were facing starvation.

Editorial credit: Anas-Mohammed / Shutterstock.com

Spike Lee shares trailer for ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ starring Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky

Denzel Washington at the premiere for "The Equalizer 2" at the TCL Chinese Theatre LOS ANGELES^ CA - July 17^ 2018

Director Spike Lee has released the trailer for his new crime thriller“Highest 2 Lowest” starring Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera.

The project marks the fifth time that Lee and Washington have collaborated on a feature film; they previously worked together on the projects: Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998) and Inside Man (2007).

Written by William Alan Fox, “Highest 2 Lowest” is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” which follows a businessman deciding whether or not to use his wealth to further his career or save a child’s life. Both “Highest 2 Lowest” and “High and Low” are reinterpretations of Ed McBain’s mystery novel “The King’s Ransom.”

An official film synopsis reads: “When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the ‘best ears in the business,’ is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.”

The movie will be released in theaters August 22 and stream on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 5 ; see the teaser trailer – HERE.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

NBC’S ‘MACY’S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS’ special to feature Jonas Brothers, Eric Church, Lenny Kravitz and more

Jonas Brothers perform at Global Citizen Festival NYC in Central Park New York^ NY - September 24^ 2022

NBC will air ‘Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Special,’ hosted by Academy Award-winning actress/singer Ariana DeBose, live on Friday, July 4 from 8-10 pm ET on NBC, and simulcast live on Peacock. An hourlong encore presentation of the show will air at 10 pm on NBC.

The show will feature a star-studded lineup of special guests – including performances from The Jonas Brothers, Ava Max, Eric Church, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer and Trisha Yearwood.

According to a press release, a 25-minute fireworks display featuring 80,000 shells and a projection show will follow, with Ahmir Thompson (better known as Questlove) and James Poyser producing the music for the fireworks display, which will be held at New York’s Brooklyn Bridge and the lower East River.

Will Coss, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks executive producer, said in a statement: “We light the sky and create tradition, bringing millions across the country together for shared experience and memory.”

Jen Neal, NBCU Entertainment’s executive vice president of live events and specials, commented on the special in a statement: “It’s the kind of unforgettable national live event that brings us together as a country while showcasing the power and uniqueness of both our NBC and Peacock brands.”

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

RiverView Health could see a positive impact if the “Big Beautiful Bill” passes

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RiverView Health has had busy year so far and with the Big Beautiful Bill looking to be passed just around the corner here it has been stressful at times as well.  We sat down with RiverView CEO Carrie Michalski recently to discuss how things are going over at RiverView and what is ahead for the future.

“It’s been a busy year, but it’s also been a great recruitment year for RiverView Health,” says Michalski. “The climate, I think, in healthcare just continues to be financially challenging, although we are improving our operating margin from what it has been.” The new RiverView Hospital building will celebrate its five-year anniversary of being open this fall. What was projected to be around three lean financial years was extended for unforeseen reasons.

“When we went into that, we projected we would have three really really lean financially years coming out of that, just with new expenses and new depreciation of the building,” says Michalski. “That all happened, but that trough or negative margin for those three years was deeper than what we had projected because we didn’t project Covid and what the impacts of that would be when we were doing the building project.”

It wasn’t until recently that the operating margin started going in the right direction. “Year four is the year that we projected a turn on that, an improvement of our operating margin, and thus far we have four months to go in our fiscal year, but we are seeing that improvement over time, so that’s been good, that we’re on plan with our business year.”

RiverView has also been making itself a go-to by bringing on new doctors and even bringing back some favorites. “We’ve been excited about the recruitment at RiverView Health and the talent that we have been able to bring into the community. Dr. Sekundiak changed his employment arrangement. He’s a very talented orthopedic surgeon and does lower extremity work for us. We were so glad we could retain him,” says Michalski. “The addition of Dr. Parikh and the growth of our pain management services have been something we really value.”

Michalski made sure to mention that well-known family physician Dr. Erik Kanten is soon retiring, kind of. “We are preparing for Dr. Kanten, who has been in our community forever in family practice and OB to retire. He will be retiring from his full-time practice in July,” says Michalski. “And then coming back, this fall, to help RiverView Health out. We will see him around here one or two days a week starting this fall, so we will have more announcements for the community in that regard, and that’s going to be really great for us too.”

Michalski says several new physicians will also be joining RiverView in the near future. She says they are expanding their internal medicine team, which consists of physicians who specialize in working with adult patients ages 19 and over, and also adding a family practitioner.

“We are excited about all of the new physicians and just our ability to successfully recruit to our community,” says Michalski. “It’s big for RiverView Health and the patients we serve. It’s also a positive for Crookston and the region.”

There has been a lot in the news lately about the Big Beautiful Bill that Trump and his administration are trying to get passed before July 4. This has been a worry for rural hospitals, including RiverView. “We have been deeply concerned about some of the components of the Big Beautiful Bill and, in particular, reforms or changes that the Federal Government has been looking at and proposing to deal with Medicaid and how Medicaid is funded to states,” says Michalski. “This is deeply concerning because we have at any time 10-15% of our patient population that relies on Medicaid as a funding source for their care.”

Michalski says that Minnesota does not fund particularly well already with Medicaid, and that Medicaid is primarily a responsibility of the states, but that there is Federal investment and matching programs to states. “These matching programs that the Federal Government has with states are kind of what is being debated in the Big Beautiful Bill.”

Not everything that was put into the Big Beautiful Bill originally will make it to a vote, Michalski says. “Thursday of last week we saw Senate Parliamentarians rule that the way that the Federal Government wanted to reduce the spend on Medicaid, they were proposing to reduce or remove the ability for states to generate provider taxes, that are then matched by the federal government,” says Michalski. “There were cuts to those programs in the Big Beautiful Bill. The Big Beautiful Bill is a reconciliation bill, so it’s making small changes to previous legislation, and I’m not an expert on everything, of course, that’s why the parliamentarians in D.C. and their respective bodies are overlooking this.” The Parliamentarians ruled that a change to any state’s ability to have a provider tax that then supports Medicaid and is matched federally, such changes to that part of the legislation are not allowed in a reconciliation bill.

With the cuts to Medicaid being pulled from the reconciliation bill, if it is still a cut the government wants to make, they will have to do it in a different bill. “With their inability to cut Medicaid through the state provider tax, which was ruled last week, coming out of there, they are going to need another solution to get all of the goals they wanted to accomplish in the bill,” says Michalski. “At least short term, we feel like we have had a reprieve because there will need to be  a free-standing bill to deal with Medicaid, and it will need more than just a simple majority to pass.”

Not only was it good news that the Big Beautiful Bill could not remove any Medicaid funding, but the end of the recent State Session also brought good news. “Minnesota, in our State Special Session, that just ended, we successfully advocated, the Minnesota Hospitals did, for actually an increase in the provider tax so that we could fully leverage the Federal Matching available,” says Michalski. “That’s just going to DC now for approval. We were at a real precarious place with this Big Beautiful Bill that was looking to eliminate that program when we just successfully advocated and made a decision through our legislature in Minnesota that, yes, Minnesota needs to invest more in Medicaid.”

If the provider tax increase goes through, it will reduce the Medicaid losses for RiverView Health in Crookston from about $3.5 million to about $1.2 million per year. “So we are still not going to be fully compensated for the cost of Medicaid care, but it really does a lot to stabilize the program, and it’s really important because we are continuing to see services that are no longer available for Medicaid recipients,” says Michalski. “Sometimes, when those services are no longer available for Medicaid recipients, they are no longer available to anybody because the service goes away completely.”

Michalski says it’s important to remember that almost everyone, if they thought about it, knows someone, whether a friend or family member, who relies heavily on Medicaid.  It’s also important to realize that almost half of those on Medicaid are children. “These are not people who are on Medicaid who can’t work, or don’t work, these are children. Whether they were born with special needs or chronic conditions that are very costly and have needed the support of Medicaid, or if it’s a temporary situation in their family dynamics,” says Michalski. “Medicaid primarily serves children and the elderly. We are pretty passionate about protecting Medicaid, and it protects our local hospitals.”