Month: April 2020

The Crookston Ox Cart Days Committee has put together an event for this week, “Crookston Cruisin’ Out to Eat,” to reward those people who are helping support local restaurants. 

Committee Chair Jess Bengston said with restaurants relying on pickup and delivery; the committee wants to support those businesses and reward those who are supporting them. “We were trying to think of a way we can give back and reward the people who are giving our local restaurants and food shops their business during this tough time,” said Bengston.  “So, we’re going to hosting an event April 6-10.  We’re calling it Crookston Cruisin’ Out to Eat.  Because of the state mandate, you know businesses are offering pickup or delivery only, basing their business on those types of orders.  We want people to cruise on out and while you’re at that establishment picking up your meal or while you’re home enjoying your meal, you’ll take a picture or check-in at that restaurant and share it on our Facebook page, Twitter page or Instagram page.  Then you can have a chance to win a gift card to your favorite restaurant or food shop.”

Bengston said restaurants might also have specials for the “Cruisin’ Out to Eat” event. “Restaurants also have the option of hosting a food special during the event week,” said Bengston.  “We will be posting menus and contact information for all the restaurants and food shops in Crookston on our website, which is www.crookstonoxcartdays.com and on our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.”

Hours, menus, and phone numbers for Crookston’s restaurants and other small businesses who are open can also be found by going to KROXAM.COM, click on NEWS and search for the KROX Small Business Directory or by clicking here.

Bengston also said the Ox Cart Days Committee is still hopeful summer will come and that many events and forms for Ox Cart Days 2020 August 17-23 are available online. “I want to take a second to let everybody know things are in a standstill right now, and things are crazy right now,” said Bengston.  “Everybody is either busy or staying at home and social distancing.  Hopefully, summer will be coming, and we are planning to still host our festival on August 17-23.  We have our full schedule of events, while not full yet because we still have some surprises to release.  But you can check out our website, again that’s www.crookstonoxcartdays.com. As well as you can check out our generous sponsor list, click to volunteer at the festival, and there are links for forms needed for any of the events as well.”

Mass at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception church is canceled until further notice. Please visit www.crookstoncathedral.com to watch this weekend’s Mass from our website. Our YouTube channel is “Crookston Cathedral” and can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YxQwnYF-bHaLeMbiIATUw. Subscribe to receive notifications when a new Mass is updated!

On Palm Sunday (April 5), parishioners may pick up blessed palms at the Cathedral parking lot (702 Summit Ave.) from 2:00-4:00 pm. Please remain in your vehicles as you are directed in line. Blessed palms will be handed to you through your open car window. Those distributing palms will be wearing masks and gloves for everyone’s safety.

Polk County Public Health has been notified by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) of the first lab-confirmed case of novel coronavirus, COVID-19 in Polk County. The patient in their 30’s is at home in isolation and being monitored by MDH. It is believed that the patient was likely exposed to COVID-19 while traveling internationally – and was not the result of community transmission.

“On behalf of Polk County Public Health, I’d like to extend our best wishes to the patient for a speedy and full recovery. While our first confirmed case in Polk County is travel-related, we know other cases have been discovered in neighboring counties and that there is community spread occurring in Minnesota. The virus is quite possibly circulating in our communities as well.” said Sarah Reese, Polk County Public Health Director.

As of April 4th, Minnesota has had 865 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, with approximately 25,423 tests completed. There have been 180 cases requiring hospitalization and 24 deaths.

Polk County Emergency Management and Polk County Public Health continues to stress the importance of following Minnesota’s Stay at Home order. As a reminder, it means to avoid going out in public unless necessary, like to get groceries, medicine, or medical care – and to use social distancing when doing so.

As we all work together to slow the spread of this virus, Polk County Public Health urges everyone to continue following the preventative measures to protect yourself and others such as washing your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering your cough and sneezes, cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces and staying home if you are sick.

If you are experiencing symptoms that you suspect are related to COVID-19, please call your local healthcare system.

Polk County Public Health is available to answer COVID-19 questions and connect Polk County residents to essential services by calling 218-281-3385, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Minnesota Department of Health has a COVID-19 Hotline available by calling 1-800-657-3903. The hotline is available 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Minnesota Department of Health websites for more COVID-19 information. Follow Polk County Public Health on Facebook (@pcphealth), Instagram (@polkcountypublichealth) and Twitter (@HealthPolk) for local information.

CDC website – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

MDH website – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):
https://www.health.state.mn.us/disea…/coronavirus/index.html

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have reached out to me looking for resources for self-employed individuals. Below, I have listed many of the new programs that will soon be available for these individuals.

If you have questions about an application or about whether your business is eligible for a program, please contact DEED using the resources available on their website for the fastest and most accurate answers. In addition, programs passed by the federal government may not yet be available — please keep checking the federal program websites for updates.

Different programs make sense for different businesses, so DEED is providing this summary guide to help small businesses quickly see which programs might be right for their situation.

THESE PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Summary of Program: Low interest, long term Economic Injury Disaster Loans for up to $2 million: The first payment is deferred for 12 months. The application has been simplified and can be completed 100% online through our improved web portal at www.sba.gov/disaster. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75% and the loans can be extended over 30 years.

SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Summary of Program: The SBA PPP is a new federal $350 billion loan program at SBA for small businesses, self-employed people, and gig workers to help them from going under due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If employers maintain payroll, the loans would be forgiven.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program
Summary of Program: Congress authorized a new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that covers those who do not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, such as independent contractors and self-employed people. The program was authorized but must be created by the states, so Minnesota must build out this program before it can be implemented. More information will be available soon, however, it could be several weeks before payments begin.

Minnesota Small Business Emergency Loan Program
Summary of Program: Minnesota Small Business Emergency Loans are made through an approved lender – you can find FAQs, application materials and lenders on the DEED website. These loans are for $2,500 to $35,000 and at a 0% interest rate. There is a total of $30 million available for this program.

Minnesota Small Business Loan Guarantee Program
Summary of Program: This program provides an 80% loan guarantee for loans up to $250,000 made by a qualified economic development lender within this program. Details for business are not yet on DEED’s website but DEED and agency partners are reaching out to lenders to make them aware of this new program – look for more details soon. This program is intended to incent the private market to make loans to small businesses and provides a guarantee for those loan dollars. The state is providing a loan guarantee of $10 million which is likely to leverage between $20 and $25 million in lending by private banks.

Unemployment Insurance Shared Work Program
Summary of Program: The Shared Work program offers an alternative to layoffs for employers facing a temporary downturn in business. Administered by DEED’s Unemployment Insurance Division, the program allows employers to divide available hours of work among a group of employees instead of implementing a full layoff. These employees may then receive partial unemployment insurance benefits while working reduced hours. The purpose of Shared Work is to avoid a layoff, not to subsidize wages.

For more information on any of these programs, visit the DEED website here.

PLEASE CONTACT ME
It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am here to serve you!

Deb Kiel

Governor Tim Walz today signed Executive Order 20-27 to lift hours of service requirements for truck drivers transporting livestock feed or fertilizer, in order to support Minnesota’s agriculture community while they work to keep Minnesotans fed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the ongoing spread of COVID-19 there are heightened concerns within the agricultural industry about the decrease in the commercial driver workforce and the risk it poses to efficient movement of agricultural commodities. Executive Order 20-27 lifts certain regulations on hours of service, helping to facilitate safe and efficient movement of critical supplies.

“Minnesota agriculture is critical to both our economic health and our ability to keep Minnesotans fed and healthy during this pandemic,” said Governor Walz. “This measure will help ensure essential agriculture supplies can be transported quickly and efficiently.”

Minnesota is one of the top agriculture states in the country—ranking first in grain sales, second in hog sales, and fourth in dairy sales. Commodities such as animal feed and fertilizer are needed to ensure the continuity of essential farming activities and the supply of food in Minnesota and throughout the country.

This Executive Order will be effective immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State. 

Next Friday (April 10) and the following Monday (April 13) are not regular school days and therefore the Crookston School District will not have food services those days. 

“Because we understand the need some households may have for meals on Friday, April 10 and Monday, April 13 , we will be giving out three cold lunches and three breakfasts per student on Thursday, April 9,” said Crookston School District Food Service Director Anna Ogaard-Brekken. “These meals are intended for consumption on Thursday, April 9; Friday, April 10; and Monday, April 13. We ask everyone receiving these meals to please bring them home and refrigerate them immediately so they will be safe to eat at a later time. We also want to note that some of the three meals being served on Thursday, April 9 will contain peanut butter and if your student has a peanut allergy, to please let food services know when you pick up or prior to delivery so we can offer a substitute.” 

Please direct any questions regarding this service to 281-5600 and ask for food services between 9:00 am-1:00 pm and regular school day.

Lake Agassiz Regional Library is pleased to announce a call for entries in this year’s statewide contest for independently published Young Adult and Adult Fiction in Minnesota.

The winners will receive:

• $1000 each in adult and young adult categories. Prizes sponsored by the Minnesota Library Foundation and BiblioLabs.
• Honors at an Indie Author Project celebration reception in 2021
• Inclusion in a full-page print spread in Library Journal, one of America’s oldest and most renowned trade publications for library news

 For indie-published authors, the contest is a great way to elevate their careers and business. Being recognized by libraries creates credibility and visibility in the growing marketplace of digital content and indie-published books. Sarah Hanley, 2019 winner in the Adult Fiction category, describes how “the contest has connected me with readers from across the state and nation, and has opened up amazing opportunities.”

 According to Publisher’s Weekly, the number of self-published books increased by 40% in 2018, totaling more than 1.4 million titles. The Minnesota Author Project (combined with the MN Writes MN Reads suite of resources for writers to use to self-publish their work) allows libraries to encourage new work from this growing group.   

 Submissions will be accepted from April 1-May 31, 2020. Authors are invited to submit entries at indieauthorproject.librariesshare.com/Minnesota and to check out the free self-publishing resources at mnwritesmnreads.org. Each book submitted to the contest must be an independently published work of adult or young adult fiction, written by a Minnesota resident and available in either PDF or ePUB format. Multiple submissions are welcome.

The public encouraged to check out the indie Minnesota library.  Download the Biblioboard Library app or go to https://library.biblioboard.com/module/indie-minnesota

Members of the Polk County Assessor’s Office will be holding the Board of Appeal and Equalization at the Taxpayer Service Center – Government Center on April 20, 2020, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is an open book meeting. The purpose of the Board of Appeals and Equalization is to give people an opportunity to appeal their proposed valuations or classifications.

Due to the recent events, Governor Walz has declared an emergency under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 12. Because of this, Polk County will be following the guidance of the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Minnesota Department of Health to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Polk County offices are presently closed to the public and therefore Assessors will not be able to physically attend the Local Boards or go to the designated locations for Open Book Meetings.

If any taxpayers want to appeal the property values that they recently received in their 2020 Valuation Notices, please be advised that they need to contact the Polk County Assessor’s Office.

To contact the Assessor’s Offices for appeal, taxpayers have three options:

1. Telephone- (218) 281-418
2. Letter- 612 N Broadway, Crookston, MN 56716
3. Email- mark.landsverk@co.polk.mn.us or beverly.johnson@co.polk.mn.us