Month: June 2020

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) plans to release funds from the CARES Act to school districts on June 30 through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER).   Schools in Crookston will receive a total of $328,422.

Of that total, $302,697 comes from ESSER funding based on Title Ia allocations, with which MDE would like the districts to prioritize technology, summer school, and mental health support. The MDE has the authority to direct the remaining $25,725 in funding from GEER and is targeting those funds for technology and summer.

Besides MDE still working on guidance for how the CARES Act funds can be spent, Crookston Superintendent Jeremy Olson also stated the district would need to create their plan for spending the funding. “The whole idea of these dollars is to help get kids back on track academically,” said Olson. “So, bringing kids that are maybe struggling during the distance learning back on track. The second aspect is to support title programs. The third is to provide technology to schools for possible future distance learning plans or to enhance technology. And then there is another component, to help districts with emergency supplies, protective gear, things like digital thermometers, facemasks, the additional cleaning supplies we’re using to make schools whole for the COVID-19 issue. The state is still providing guidance as to the detail of how those can be spent, but those are the general principles.”

Because private schools also receive Title Ia funding, a share of the $328,422 allocated in Crookston will go to Cathedral School and Our Savior’s Lutheran School.  The amount of money allocated to private schools has still yet to be determined by the state. “There is a debate at the state level at this point based on are those dollars going out to private schools based on the number of free and reduced lunch counts of those schools or is the allocation going to be based on the total number of students private schools have,” said Olson. “That’s going to be resolved at the state level. This is a state-wide conversation, not a local conversation, because we very much work in partnership with our private schools here. Once that happens and is decided will have a final allocation the district will be planning for. While we’re waiting for that discussion to happen, we are planning for how we spend those dollars. Those dollars are going to be allocated to us over several years, so we have time not only to plan but to execute that plan.”

A day after Governor Tim Walz announced police reform would be a top priority for the special legislative session, he stood with House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent, and members of the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus to announce a comprehensive set of police reform and accountability measures.

“Minnesotans are demanding real change,” said Governor Walz. “We stand united with House and Senate leaders and the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, ready to get to work during the upcoming special session. I stand with the legislators who have coordinated a powerful set of reforms to make meaningful changes to our law enforcement system in Minnesota.”

“Every branch of government has a role in building systems that work for all Minnesotans, and I am excited to do this work in partnership with legislative leaders,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “The problems we are facing are not new. Many of the solutions before us are not new. It is our role now to make sure these proposals are heard, acted on, and implemented to make meaningful change.”

Modeled on recommendations from the POCI Caucus and the Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters Working Group chaired by Minnesota Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison and Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner John Harrington, the proposals support use of force reform, funding for alternatives to policing, and greater police oversight.

Police Accountability and Reform Legislative Priorities

Use of Force
Reform of the keystone statute that defines when law enforcement is justified in using deadly force to prioritize sanctity of life. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.

Alternatives to Policing
Creates new models of ensuring public safety by: 1) Creating a new office within DPS to administer grants to community-based violence-intervenors and problem solvers to intercept violence and reduce interactions with law enforcement, and 2) Providing funding for a co-responder form of policing that pairs officers with social worker when responding to crisis calls and welfare checks. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.

Police Oversight Reform
Creates a robust framework of accountability of the law enforcement profession through: 1) Expansion of the POST board and creation of a Police-Community Relations Council at the POST Board, 2) Reforming how arbitrations of the termination of law enforcement officers are handled, and 3) Requiring robust, real-time data collection and analysis of complaint, discipline and use of force data and use it to inform reforms at the POST Board, particularly as it relates to licensure decisions.

Voting Restoration
Ends the disenfranchisement of over 50,000 Minnesotans. Those who are not serving a sentence in a prison facility – who are in their communities and contributing to their families and rebuilding their lives – must be provided their right to vote, regardless of supervision status.

Community Healing
Creates a grant program to fund professional community healers trained to respond to systemic oppression-induced historic and present-day trauma through supportive services. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.

Independent Prosecution and Investigation Reform
Provides the AG with independent jurisdiction for the prosecution of police-involved deaths and create an independent investigation unit within Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for police-involved cases. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.

Training Expansion
Expands training in de-escalation and mental health crisis intervention. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.

Warrior Training and Choke Holds Prohibited
Prohibits the use of all restraints or holds by law enforcement that purposely restrict a person’s airways or blood flow and ends the use of warrior-style training.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will begin accepting nominations for county committee members on Monday, June 15, 2020. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2020 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 1, 2020.

“I encourage America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards to nominate candidates to lead, serve and represent their community on their county committee,” FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce said. “There’s an increasing need for diverse representation, including underserved producers, which includes beginning, women and minority farmers and ranchers.”

Agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in an FSA program, and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year, may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee. Individuals may nominate themselves or others, and organizations, including those representing beginning, women, and minority producers, also may nominate candidates.

Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well as conservation, commodity and price support programs, county office employment, and other agricultural issues.

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made of three to 11 members and typically meet once a month. Members serve three-year terms. Producers serving on FSA county committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the agency.

Producers should contact their local FSA office today to find out how to get involved in their county’s election. Check with your local USDA service center to see if your LAA is up for election this year.  To be considered, a producer must sign an FSA-669A nomination form. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters beginning Nov. 2, 2020. Read more to learn about important election dates.

At approximately 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, the Crookston Police Department responded to the Golf Terrace Motel at 1731 University Avenue on a report of an active domestic situation.
While responding officers were advised a window was being broken and a car was being damaged. Upon arrival, a male, later identified as Joel Fesler, 60 years old from Keokuk Iowa, was observed entering room 37. Officers spoke with the victim and a witness and learned Fesler and the victim knew each other, and the incident actually took place at room 34 prior to Fesler retreating to his room (37). Officers were advised that Fesler has a history of fighting with law enforcement, has been known to be armed and should be considered dangerous. Officers made multiple requests for Fesler to open the door and come out of the room. Fesler refused.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s office, a Minnesota State Trooper, and Crookston Area Ambulance arrived to assist. Officers were able to enter the room using a back door. Commands were given to Fesler to get on the floor; he refused and showed aggressive indications he wanted to fight. Two less-lethal inert pepper-ball rounds were deployed striking Fesler in a thigh but they had no effect on him. A taser was deployed and Fesler was immediately handcuffed with no other physical resistance.  Fesler was then transported to the Northwest Regional Correction Center in Crookston.
At the time of booking Fesler was being held for the charges of Domestic Assault, Damage To Property, and Obstructing the Legal Process. There were no injuries to Fesler or officers.