Month: March 2020

The following is a Thank You from Polk County Wellness Coalition – 

Thank you to all our community volunteers and partners who helped host four family-fun and active Fitness Fever events throughout February with nearly 400 participants!

The Polk County Wellness Coalition would like to thank the following partners and organizations for sponsoring and supporting February Fitness Fever and for their role in helping to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our community members. Without their contributions, these events would not be possible: Community FFF Champions (Dale Knotek, Ardell Knudsvig, Linda Knutson, Laura Martinson, & Shannon Stassen), Crookston Parks & Recreation/Community Pool/Sports Center (CSC), CrookstonTimes, KROX Radio, Crookston Chamber of Commerce, Crookston “Noonday” Lions, Crookston School District #593, Golden Link Senior Center, Crookston Championship-Tae Kwon Do/Rick Quirk & students, Lisa Kiel, Lynsay Benson, Jason & Kerri Brantner, SunOpta, UMC Student Center/Student Clubs & Volunteers, Bremer Bank, American Federal Bank, Polk County Public Health/Polk County Wellness Coalition, Widseth Smith Nolting, Sisters in Spirit, Ye Ole Print Shoppe, Tri-Valley Opportunity Council/T.H.E. Bus for providing free transportation to local events, and all the participants throughout the month of February!

Connection to the outdoors and active living continues to improve mental health and well-being and social connectedness; we encourage the community to keep the “fever” going as the snow beings to melt and Spring is upon is! Our region has so many options to stay active all year long both indoors and outdoors – join Tae Kwon Do, take a fitness class, jump in at the swimming pool in Crookston or Fosston, take a walk on the indoor track at the CSC or East Grand Forks Civic Center, or take it outside to walk the trails of Castle Park, Kreutzberg or Aunt Polly’s Slough in Crookston, the Greenway in East Grand Forks, the Fosston Fit Trail or many of the nature areas in the region including Rydell Refuge in Erskine or Agassiz Environmental Learning Center in Fertile.

If you would like more information or resources on where and how to stay active in your community, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Polk County Public Health. If you have further ideas for future February Fitness Fever events, please share with us at 218-281-3385 or email amanda.lien@co.polk.mn.us.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed Minnesota’s first presumptive case of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, health officials announced today.

The case is an older adult resident of Ramsey County who recently traveled on a cruise ship with a known COVID-19 case. The patient began to develop symptoms on Feb. 25 and sought health care yesterday. Samples were collected from the person and sent to the MDH Public Health Laboratory for testing today. The test was found positive earlier today. MDH is awaiting confirmatory testing from CDC, but health officials consider the presumptive results actionable.

The patient is currently in isolation at home and is recovering. MDH is working in partnership with St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health to provide essential services and support to the patient. MDH is working to identify and contact all those who may have come in contact with the infected person. These people will be asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days from their exposure and will be monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms.

“The State of Minnesota has been working around the clock to prepare for this and I am confident that our Department of Health is up to the challenge,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said. “Our Administration is collaborating across state agencies and remains in close contact with both federal and local partners as we monitor developments with this outbreak. Our state is fortunate to have a strong public health sector and world-class health care providers who are working hard to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy.”

Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said the appearance of the virus in Minnesota has been expected. Now is the time to remember that we all have the ability to help slow the spread of the illness and protect our fellow Minnesotans.

“State and local public health officials are working hard to slow the spread of this virus and protect Minnesotans, but based on how the outbreak has developed elsewhere we need to be prepared for some level of community spread,” Commissioner Malcolm said. “It is critical that all of us do our part to slow the spread of this virus by covering coughs, washing hands, and staying home when sick with cold or flu-like symptoms. We also need to prepare for community mitigation measures like telework arrangements and temporary school closures should they become necessary.”

Since the outbreak started in China in December 2019, more than 100,000 cases and 3,400 deaths have been reported in more than 80 countries. That total includes 233 U.S. cases and 14 deaths as of this morning.

MDH’s Director of Infectious Disease Kris Ehresmann said MDH is working with the CDC and Ramsey County Public Health on the case and contact investigation.  

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spread by respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how flu and other respiratory diseases spread, or when people touch surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected person, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.

“The most important thing Minnesotans can do right now to help protect themselves, their families and their communities is to take those tried and true, everyday steps to prevent respiratory illnesses,” Ehresmann said.

Those include:

• Covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or into your sleeve, and then throwing the tissue in the trash.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom or before eating. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your face – especially your eyes, nose and mouth ‑ with unwashed hands.
• Stay home if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, and avoid close contact with people who are sick.

If COVID-19 disease begins to spread in Minnesota communities, state and local public health authorities would consider community interventions such as temporary closures of child care facilities and schools, workplace social distancing measures such as replacing in-person meetings with teleworking, and modifying, postponing or cancelling mass gatherings. Decisions about the implementation of community measures would be made by state and local officials based on CDC guidance as well as the scope of the outbreak.

More information about the coronavirus situation in Minnesota, the U.S. and internationally can be found on MDH’s Coronavirus website.

A hotline for the public has been established. The hotline is open until 8:00 p.m. tonight, March 6. It will be open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm. Saturday and Sunday. The hotline number is 651-201-3920.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson announced today that he will run for re-election in 2020. Peterson has served Minnesota’s Seventh District in Congress since 1991 as a champion for farmers, veterans, rural economic development, rural hospitals and schools. He also is Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and has guided the last three farm bills that have shaped food, agriculture, energy and rural economies throughout the United States. 

“This wasn’t an easy decision for me because our country is so polarized right now, but that’s also why I want to ask the voters of western Minnesota to support me again. There aren’t many like me left in Congress. Rural Democrats are few and far between and I’m concerned that rural America is getting left behind,” Peterson said.

“I’m focused not just on agriculture, but on helping our rural health care facilities, lowering interest rates on student loan debt, taking care of our veterans, and making sure we have good roads and good broadband access across rural Minnesota.”

“Those of us living in rural communities are lucky to have someone like Collin representing us in Washington DC,” said Cheri Gunvalson from Gonvick. “As an RN with more than 30 years of experience working in rural Minnesota, we need our critical access hospitals. For us, an hour to drive to the hospital in Bemidji can mean life or death, and because of Collin, our hospital in Bagley is still open and serving our communities.”

Curt Knutson, a farmer, and rancher from Fisher said, “There’s no better news for farmers and agriculture than to hear that our Chairman Collin Peterson is running again. I’ve said many times that I hope he lives to be 100 years old and that I die with him as my Congressman. He’s the one person we know and trust who can thwart any efforts to challenge the sugar industry and we’re not going to have that experience and knowledge if we elect someone else to this seat.”

“Collin Peterson is a staunch supporter of veterans, working to get them all of the benefits they deserve.  He’s a stalwart in that area,” said Marv Garbe of Montevideo. “I’ve seen Collin go to bat for our veterans home — he’s in there fighting for us on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. I’m retired after 37 ½ years in the Minnesota National Guard and I know how hard Collin Peterson works for veterans, I know he cares about us.” 

“Collin has earned great respect and clout from his colleagues in Washington DC and continues to fight for and deliver meaningful results for our part of the country, using his Minnesota Common Sense values and often against partisan pressure to get the job done,” said Ada farmer Neil Rockstad, President of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. “No one has done more for the people of rural Minnesota–working families, farmers, and small businesses–than Collin Peterson. I’m pleased to support such a tried and true candidate for re-election.

Fosston teacher Paul Peltier said, “I support Collin Peterson because he supports rural education and educators. From traditional programs to innovative Career and Technical Education, Collin understands the importance of college and career readiness in preparing young people for a future in rural Minnesota. Half of all millennials living in rural Minnesota are graduating with college debt. Collin understands the burden these graduates face when they train for the careers our rural communities need. Congressman Peterson is committed to addressing the student loan crisis.”

The Crookston High School Concert Band participated in the Large Group Contest last week at the Crookston High School Auditorium.  The bands receive scores out of 40, with 35 and up being a Superior Rating.  The three judges award Crookston scores of 36, 38, 38 giving them a Double Star Superior Rating. 

While the bands are not competing against each other, they are striving for the highest score they can achieve.  Crookston received the highest scores of any ensemble that performed that day and the marks were also the highest score Crookston has received since Matt Torgerson became band director. 

Torgerson said the scores weren’t too surprising because of the work ethic of the students and the difficulty of the pieces.  “This wasn’t too much of a surprise because these are some of the hardest working students I’ve ever worked with,” said Torgerson.  “The music that I programmed wasn’t easy, however, the students didn’t whine or complain about the difficulty.  Instead, they rose to the challenge and it paid off.  I’m so proud of the work that all the students put into this music.  Student’s taking part in music and the arts is so important.  And it’s not just about the finished product, the entire process helps students to build imagination and intellectual curiosity, learn teamwork, help develop language and reasoning, and so much more.  I believe that these students are better for being a part of the Crookston music and I believe that I am better for getting to work with these students.”