Month: June 2020

The Crookston City Council and Ways & Means Committee will meet Monday night at 7:00 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.  The Council agenda includes five items on the consent agenda, approving the May 26 meeting minutes, approving bills and disbursements totaling $213,782.21, approving a fireworks license renewal for Walmart, approving the Valley Technology Park building improvement reimbursement, and approving the non-bargaining employment agreement.

The Ways & Means Committee agenda will include approving the May 26 and June 1 meeting reports and discussions on pool water softener, garbage collection in mobile home parks, a Crookston Chamber marketing proposal, and alternatives for operating the Crookston Visitor’s Bureau.

The University of Minnesota Extension Youth Development (MN 4-H), UMC’s Office of Outreach & Engagement together with resources from Minnesota Ag In the Classroom, will host a free, five-week, virtual, 15 minute, on-demand weekly series that will touch on regional, agricultural-based content sharing basic concepts in science, food and agriculture. This series is open to all youth and families and will be hosted virtually on June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, and July 6. 

The first session on Monday, June 8, from 9 – 9:15 a.m. is titled “Quick & Dirty – Explore the soil in your backyard environment.” Varying grade levels will be supported by local/regional community and Extension experts with varying curricular resources from the University of Minnesota Extension 4H at Home and the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom.

To register click on the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044aa9a92e5-minnesota

More information can be found on https://youthcentral.umn.edu/ as well as https://www.crk.umn.edu/units/outreach-and-engagement  

Minnesota Monday is a collaborative partnership between the University of Minnesota Crookston’s Office of Outreach & Engagement, the University of Minnesota Extension Youth Development (MN4-H), and Pine Lake Wild Rice Farms, Inc. 

“Increasing agricultural literacy is the goal of this virtual series along with showcasing the multiple virtual programs supported through the University of Minnesota,” says Michelle Christopherson, UMC Director, Outreach & Engagement. Supported by UMC and a regional gift this five-week virtual series is free. “We hope to spark an interest in a variety of activities that can strengthen the understanding of one’s food and fiber system,” says Christopherson. 

Minnesota Monday’s will allow participants to gain a stronger appreciation of agriculture, explore northwest Minnesota resources, and discover STEAM career pathways. 

A quick-moving severe thunderstorm moved through Gentilly and Red Lake Falls during the 3 p.m. hour today.  The thunderstorm was moving north, northeast at 55 mph with strong winds, rain and some hail.  

In Gentilly, we have had two reports of dime size hail.  We haven’t had any reports from Red Lake Falls yet, but if we do we will add it here.
Crookston had heavy rain for less than a minute without anything measurable in the rain gauge at KROX.

To send us storm report information (pictures, hail size, damage, etc) send it to kroxnews@gmail.com, text it to 218-280-4021, or send it to us via Facebook.  

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A Facebook post by Crookston resident Derek Brekken on Monday sparked significant discussion in the community. Brekken posted photos of dandelions, thistle and other weeds in Carman Park. Brekken said he first took notice of the weeds last year and it was just as bad this year. “I noticed it last year and it bugged me,” said Brekken. “Never really put too much effort into it and this year it’s looking just as bad if not worse. I thought it was time. I shouldn’t have to make it noticed because if you drive around you see everything.  But to get it out and I guess by the traffic on the Facebook post it definitely got traction pretty quickly.”

He said hopefully the response, there have been over 100 comments and shares, will create some leverage for a change. “I was really happy with it that other people saw it too,” said Brekken. “Hopefully, that will get more leverage on something possibly happening.”

Brekken said he hasn’t contacted City Hall or Parks and Recreation recently and he wasn’t currently planning to attend a city meeting with his concerns, “I don’t at the moment but if it continues up, I think I’ll have to try to do something.”

One commentator said they were told by the city hasn’t sprayed in ten years because of the cost and lack of personnel and didn’t plan to start.  Parks and Recreation Director Scott Riopelle confirmed it had been many years since parks were sprayed for weeds. “It’s been many years because it wasn’t cost-effective,” said Riopelle. “With over 300 acres that care for it’s pretty difficult and pretty costly to do all of those parks. Highland Park is sprayed and fertilized. We’ve limited it to that the last quite a few years along with we may do some stuff around some playground equipment that needs some stuff or some poles. We do some spraying that way but it’s more of sterilant then a weed spray.”

Asked about alternative weed control strategies, Riopelle said he’d have to look into it. “I guess we’d have to look at it,” said Riopelle. “We’ve had people pull them yearly. When it’s in the playground equipment we have had some people do some spraying in there and take care of it. But that’s about the only stuff we have done.”

Brekken said he hopes the city sees the discussion and takes pride in making the town look nice. “I hope the city sees it and takes some pride in making the town look nice,” said Brekken. “I did do some research and try to find some more on the discussion that was brought up on the gateway through town that included Highway 2, Fairfax, Fisher Ave, Main, and Broadway.  And I think there were a few other streets where most of the traffic goes through town. They wanted to hold businesses accountable for their storefronts and their boulevards making sure it looks nice for people to come through town. How can you hold somebody accountable for stuff like that if you don’t do it yourself?”

COVID-19 has caused quite a few changes the past few months and Brekken said he thought there might be some knowledgeable people who could help clean up parks available. “As far as the city doesn’t have the personnel, I realize we have a lot of crazy stuff going on right now,” said Brekken. “And with Park and Rec not having any activities and the amount of temporary help the city hires in the summer, I imagine there’s some knowledgeable people that would be willing to clean up parks, pull weeds, paint things, clean stuff up. I realize we can’t justify hiring all the normal staff but if there is work to be done and people willing to do it, it would make a lot of sense.”

The Parks and Recreation Department is working with about half their normal staff, many moved over from other positions explained Riopelle. “In a normal year we have twice as many people working in the offseason to care for everything,” said Riopelle. “Right now, we’re working with half of the staff and a lot of the staff, it’s new to them because we’ve changed duties. So, there is a learning curve. They are doing well and doing their best and that’s all we can ask for.”

Addressing summer youth programs, Riopelle said, before Friday’s updates were announced, they hadn’t yet discussed the possibility of having some type of programming this summer. “We have not,” said Riopelle. “The changes that have come into effect are similar to what they were a week or two weeks back because it’s still in phase two or whatever. So, there is no contact, still have to do stuff in pods. There are a couple of private groups doing stuff with ball on their own but in order for them to do that, we asked that they abide by those rules. We are always looking at what we can in the future. We just aren’t sure how we’ll go about it and how we can get enough personnel to work it.”

He added that he has been in contact weekly with East Grand Forks and a concern they have is staffing, which Riopelle said allowing the staff time to find other jobs was why Crookston made an early decision on summer activities. “I know that East Grand Forks is starting stuff the beginning of July,” said Riopelle. “And they’re doing it for approximately one month, and so is Grand Forks. They’ll be doing the same at least through the Park District is my understanding. I have spoken with East Grand Forks and I speak with them probably each week on what they’re going to do.  I think the big thing is they’re going to hope they can get enough personnel to work at this point in time because most people have taken other jobs.  And that was part of our reasoning, and I’ve said this before, part of our reasoning for trying to make the call early was to give our employees the benefit of the doubt and let them find other work which we feel is only right. We don’t want to keep them hanging. So, that’ going to be interesting to see how we can do that should we try to come up with some programs in the future.”

A Tornado Watch has been issued for northwest Minnesota and portions of eastern North Dakota until 10:00 p.m. Sunday night (June 7) for the following counties.  Polk, Norman, Red Lake, Pennington, Marshall, Kittson, Roseau, and Clay.  The watch also includes many of the eastern North Dakota counties, including Grand Forks county.
A watch means conditions are right for possible severe thunderstorms and tornados.  Stay tuned to KROX Radio, KROXAM.com throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks is warning people in northwest and west-central Minnesota and eastern North Dakota of possible severe thunderstorms and maybe even tornados in the KROX listening area Sunday afternoon.

Severe thunderstorms are expected with hail over two inches in diameter, wind gusts over 75 mph, tornados are possible, and heavy rainfall that could lead to localized flash flooding. The storms are expected in northwest Minnesota generally after 4:00 p.m. and continue through the evening and into the overnight hours. Stay tuned to KROX Radio (1260AM/105.7FM), online, and on social media. We will keep you updated as the afternoon progresses.
Reminders on the difference between a watch and a warning –

Reminders on the difference between a watch and a warning –
Severe Thunderstorm Watch – Is issued when conditions are favorable or severe thunderstorms to develop. When a watch is issued, it is time to prepare and stay weather aware.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning (Severe Thunderstorms are officially defined as storms that are capable of producing hail, straight-line winds. Some thunderstorms have produced wind gusts in excess of 100 mph and have created widespread wind damage similar to that of a tornado) – Is issued when a thunderstorm poses a threat to life or property. When a warning is issued, it is the time to act.
When a warning is issued – Go indoors and stay away from windows. If you are caught outside, do not seek shelter underneath a tree – they are prone to lightning strikes. A hard-topped vehicle may offer some protection as a last resort. Do not touch the sides of the vehicle.

Representative Deb Kiel of Crookston released a legislative update and it is below – 

One of the biggest reasons that I ran for office is that I wanted to bring a voice that values life to the Capitol. To me, being pro-life does not just mean the lives of the unborn – it means valuing all human life.

This past week has been a tragic and tumultuous one, where we’ve seen multiple lives senselessly lost to violence. You are probably aware of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, followed by protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Sadly, one of the lives lost recently was a part of our community. Unrelated to the violence in the Twin Cities, Grand Forks Police Officer Cody Holte was killed in the line of duty on May 27th, leaving behind his wife and 10-month-old son. Officer Holte was called upon to assist Grand Forks County deputies who had been fired upon, heroically giving his life to help his fellow law enforcement officers keep his community safe.

Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”

We have seen a lot of death in recent months as we weather this pandemic. I am deeply grieved by the lives we have lost, both in our community and across the state, and I am praying for an end to this violence.

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

On Thursday, June 4 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already approved more than $545 million in payments to producers who have applied for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. FSA began taking applications May 26, and the agency has received over 86,000 applications for this important relief program.

“The coronavirus has hurt America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, and these payments directed by President Trump will help this critical industry weather the current pandemic so they can continue to plant and harvest a safe, nutritious, and affordable crop for the American people,” said Secretary Perdue. “We have tools and resources available to help producers understand the program and enable them to work with Farm Service Agency staff to complete applications as smoothly and efficiently as possible and get payments into the pockets of our patriotic farmers.”

In the first six days of the application period, FSA has already made payments to more than 35,000 producers. Out of the gate, the top five states for CFAP payments are Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota. USDA has released data on application progress and program payments and will release further updates each Monday at 2:00pm ET. The report can be viewed at farmers.gov/cfap.

FSA will accept applications through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

In order to do this, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain available.

GETTING HELP FROM FSA
New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.

Producers can download the CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help producers identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential payments. Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so producers should retain the information used to complete their application.

Those who use the online calculator tool will be able to print a pre-filled CFAP application, sign it, and submit it to your local FSA office either electronically or via hand delivery through an office drop box. Please contact your local office to determine the preferred delivery method for your local office. Team members at FSA county offices will be able to answer detailed questions and help producers apply quickly and efficiently through phone and online tools. Find contact information for your local office at farmers.gov/cfap.

POLICY CLARIFICATIONS
FSA has been working with stakeholder groups to provide further clarification to producers on the CFAP program. For example, the agency has published a matrix of common marketing contracts that impact eligibility for non-specialty crops and has provided a table that crosswalks common livestock terms to CFAP cattle categories. Updated information can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the CFAP website.

MORE INFORMATION
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/CFAP or call 877-508-8364.

USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.