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CDC Tells States “To Be Ready” For COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution By November

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified public health officials in all 50 states and five large cities to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine to health care workers and other high-risk groups as soon as late October or early November. President Donald Trump told the nation in his speech to the Republican National Convention that a vaccine might arrive before the end of the year.

Over the past week, both Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, who heads the Food and Drug Administration, have said in interviews with news organizations that a vaccine may be available for certain groups before clinical trials have been completed, if the data is overwhelmingly positive.

Public health experts agree that agencies at all levels of government should urgently prepare for what will eventually be a vast, complex effort to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans. 

U.S. CDC tells states to prep for COVID-19 vaccine distribution by November

Via www.reuters.com
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health…
 

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson And Family Recovering After Positive COVID-19 Diagnosis

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Dwayne Johnson and his family are recovering after having tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19.) Johnson revealed on social media Wednesday that he, his wife Lauren Hashian, and their daughters Jasmine, 4, and Tiana, 2, all have been sick with the virus, with the actor and his wife being particularly unwell. Thankfully, they are all now feeling much better. 

Johnson said in his video message on Instagram.: “I wanted to give you guys a little helpful update on things that have been going on on my end for the past two-and-a-half to three weeks now. So the update is this: my wife Lauren as well as my two baby girls and myself, we have all tested positive for COVID-19. I could tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me, too, personally as well.”

Johnson said that he and his family contracted the contagious respiratory virus from family friends, who he said are “devastated” that they unwittingly spread the virus.  He added that while his daughters “bounced back” from the virus pretty quickly, he and Lauren “had a rough go at it.”   He also urged his fans to exercise extreme caution when interacting with others to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dwayne Johnson Reveals He and His Family Are Recovering From “Relentless” Coronavirus

Via www.eonline.com
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed he, his wife and their two daughters are recovering after…
 

Editorial credit: Tsuni-USA / Shutterstock.com

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SPORTS FEEVER – September 3, 2020

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Welcome to another Sports Feever column.  North Dakota is now the state that has the biggest increase in the percentage of COVID cases.

The University of North Dakota had a bunch of cases when school started and I will give credit to the President of the UND as they are testing like crazy and will have half the campus tested already.  The President said they are trying to do there part to protect the community and he has suggested the students stay in Grand Forks over Labor Day weekend.  He gets “it” and has shown tremendous leadership by getting out in front and being transparent and open with the media and public.  Kudos!

NDSU is also having a little bit of a breakout and it has affected some local kids.  But all reports are good so far.

North Dakota isn’t the only place that is affected.  Sacred Heart School has announced they are postponing the start of school to September 10 after a staff member tested positive.

Winona High School has announced they are moving to distance learning which has canceled their sporting events until they get out of it because of a big uptick in COVID cases in the last week.

Thief River Falls Girls swimming might have a positive case that has forced the postponement of their swim meet with Fosston-Bagley.

The University of Minnesota Gopher Athletic Department has announced they have conducted 1,406 COVID-19 tests since June. There have been 43 total positive test results. (Not a bad ratio)

We have found out that UMC Athletics has at least one person that has tested positive and the possibility of a second.  While UMC won’t confirm nor deny because of all the privacy laws colleges have to abide by, Chancellor Mary Holz-Claus said the following-

To address preparedness, the University has developed a list of protocol and steps for cases when a student or employee would report a positive case.  All steps and efforts comply with the Center for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health guidance, and in close partnership Polk County Public Health.  All testing is conducted by our local health providers.
We have developed a dashboard that every Friday we will list the numbers of students who live on campus and are in quarantine (exposed) and in isolation (tested positive).  The URL is https://protectthenest.crk.umn.edu/ and will be updated on September 4.

We thank the Chancellor for her reply and know the last six months have been anything but easy on her and all the other Presidents, Chancellors, Superintendents, Principals and all the staff.

Knock on wood, so far Crookston Pirate sports haven’t been affected, but don’t be surprised when it happens. Key word….WHEN….it happens.

Stay safe and enjoy the sporting events that are happening now, because they aren’t guaranteed to happen!

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The Big 10 conference has talked about trying to play football starting in November.  ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt hit the nail on the head when talking about why the Presidents (including the University of Minnesota’s Joan Gable) voted to not have football this fall, but they are allowing 50,000 students on campus.  The video is below –

There is too much speculation about the Big 10 trying to play this fall, but we will not discuss it until we get more concrete information.  Maybe next week.

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A lot of great College Men’s Basketball coaches have passed away the last week. As you know, us media types like to show a local angle and we have that with Lute Olson.  I will pull off the ultimate in tying Lute Olson to one of our favorite people, coaches, Athletic Directors, and KROX fans of all time!

Olson started his high school career in Mayville, North Dakota before transferring to Grand Forks Central in 1951. He was was a star basketball player at Augsburg College and graduated in 1956. His first job after graduation was at Mahnomen High School where he coached basketball and baseball in 1957.  One of the members of the Mahnomen High School basketball team in 1957 was one of our favorite people, the one and only Jim Sims.  Jim, of course, was a former UMC football coach, and former Thief River Falls Athletic Director.  But he was most proud of being the grandpa of Crookston’s Bobby, Ally, and Catherine Tiedemann!
Now back to Lute.
Olson left Mahnomen to take a job teaching/coaching job at Two Harbors where he coached football and basketball for four years. He moved to Colorado, then took a head coaching job at Long Beach City College in California from 1969 to 1973. He was head coach at Long Beach State in 1973-74, before coaching at the University of Iowa in 1974 to 1983. He wrapped up his head coaching career at the University of Iowa from 1983 to 2007.
Olson coached the following – Sean Elliot, Chris Mills, Richard Jefferson, Andre Iguodala, Steve Kerr, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, Damon Stoudamire. He even coached Kenny Lofton (yes the baseball all-star for Cleveland), and many, many more!
Lute Olson had 46 NCAA tournament wins. One less than John Wooden and one more than Bobby Knight!!

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We have the Crookston Pirate Girls Soccer roster below –

Seniors (3) – Danielle Haake, Makenze Epema, Joslynn Leach
Juniors (7)– Rylee Solheim, Aleah Bienek, Clara Meyer, Dillynn Wallace, Olivia Huck, McKayla Brown, Mallorie Sundeen
Sophomores (3) – Kailee Magsam, Hannah Brouse, Megan Haugen
Freshmen (3) – Cassie Solheim, Nashalie Tellez, Reese Swanson
8th graders (3) – Maddie Harbott, JoJo Wallace, Hattie Weiland

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Following careful consideration of the NCAA Division III Administrative Committee’s recommendation that member schools not compete in the fall term to avoid potential increased health and safety risks, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced today that it will postpone all competition until January 2021.

Though both the MIAC Athletic Directors’ and Presidents’ Councils felt that MIAC institutions have made every reasonable effort to return to competition as safely as possible through stringent on-campus and conference planning, guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health, and NCAA resocialization requirements, the latest NCAA Administrative Committee recommendation led the conference to reach the difficult decision to postpone competition through the fall term.

The delay in competition will grant institutions, staff, and students additional time to adjust to new safety protocols on campus in the COVID-19 era while also allowing for continued testing and treatment developments, which remain a key factor for the return of athletics across the nation.

The MIAC previously announced the postponement of all medium- and high-contact risk fall sports (cross country, football, soccer, and volleyball) to the spring season on July 28. This latest decision will push competition in golf and tennis back to the second halves of their split-season schedules, while the basketball, hockey, indoor track and field, and swimming and diving competition seasons are now planning to begin in January. The MIAC Golf Championships, previously set for October, will be rescheduled for Spring 2021. All MIAC teams will maintain the institutional autonomy to practice, train, and conduct other athletic-related activities throughout the academic year in accordance with NCAA and campus protocols.

MIAC winter-sport coaches have begun work on building a framework and schedules for a compressed conference season beginning in January 2021. The MIAC will release schedules for all postponed seasons in the coming months.

In addition to the decision on competition, the MIAC also approved legislation for a five-year eligibility relief package to match NCAA Eligibility Bylaws and accept all NCAA blanket waivers, allowing student-athletes impacted by COVID-19 to plan their academic paths with maximum flexibility. The legislation is effective immediately and will be in place through the 2024-25 academic year. The conference granted a similar exception for graduating seniors impacted by COVID-19 this past spring.

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The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) has announced 2021 spring schedules for the sports of football, men’s and women’ soccer and volleyball after the fall conference season was postponed in those sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference has also tentatively rescheduled the UMAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championship for April 29-May 1.

UMAC football member institutions plan to compete under a modified divisional model with a four-game regular season schedule over a six-week period with a tentative final championship crossover weekend. The “North” division will feature College of St. Scholastica, Crown College, Martin Luther College, University of Minnesota Morris and University of Northwestern with all teams participating in a single-round robin schedule with two home and two away games each. The “South” division includes Greenville University, Iowa Wesleyan University and Westminster College with all three teams participating in a double-round robin schedule with one home and one away game against each divisional member.

The regular season football schedule is slated to begin the weekend of March 26-27 and conclude April30-May 1. The conference tentatively plans to host a final weekend at a neutral site, should institutional policies allow, where the top three seeds from each division would compete against each other while the No. 4 and No.5 seeds from the “North” division would compete. The No. 1 North vs. No. 1 South game would determine the conference champion. If the championship weekend games cannot be played, a champion would be named for each division.

In men’s and women’s soccer, conference institutions will compete in an eight-game single-round robin schedule over five weeks with all nine teams qualifying for the postseason tournament. Each team will play in four home and four away contests during the regular season.

The UMAC men’s and women’s soccer regular seasons are planned to begin Saturday, April 3 and conclude Saturday, May 1. The postseason tournament will be held the week of May 3. The top four teams from the regular season will compete in a four-team tournament with high-seed hosting the semifinal rounds and championship game to determine the playoff champion. The remaining five teams will play in a consolation tournament. The No. 8 and No. 9 seeds will play in a quarterfinal game (Monday, May 3) with the winner advancing on. The semifinals for both brackets will take place Monday, May 5. The championship games, along with a third-place game and seventh-place game, will be contested Saturday, May 8.

The UMAC volleyball season will consist of an eight-game single-round robin format over five weeks with each team playing in four home and four away contests. Contests are scheduled to begin Saturday, March 6 and will conclude Saturday, April 3. UMAC volleyball coaches are exploring options for a conference postseason tournament.

At this point in planning efforts for the spring, institutions have the autonomy to schedule non-conference competition at their own discretion during the spring semester. Final schedule dates may vary due to institutional adjustments for weather, facilities and scheduling conflicts with other sports.

Potential plans for additional competition in the spring segment for golf – beyond the UMAC Championship – and for cross country will continue to be explored and announced as additional competition is finalized.

The UMAC continues to monitor changing circumstances related to COVID-19. Potential plans for conference competition in golf and cross country will be announced at a later date. Any further decisions for 2020-2021 made by conference governance groups will continue to be driven by available guidance from local and state health officials and the NCAA SSI and are subject to change.

2020-21 UMAC Football Schedule
2020-21 UMAC Men’s Soccer Schedule
2020-21 UMAC Women’s Soccer Schedule
2020-21 UMAC Volleyball Schedule

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Minnesota Hockey announced it will move to Phase 3 of its Return to Play Guidelines beginning Tuesday, September 1. Phase 3 is intended to provide guidelines for Minnesota Hockey’s community-based associations as programs enter the regular season.

The guidelines are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Local rinks and associations must follow the guidelines set forth by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and its Sport Guidance for Youth and Adults, as well as local government officials in determining when, and how, it is appropriate to return to the rinks, including requirements or guidelines for physical distancing, size of gatherings or number of people permitted in a facility, or wearing masks, etc.

Below is a summary of the major updates for Phase 3. To view the full document, click here. All updates to the document are in red font.

  • Each association and team must have a designated contact who is responsible for concerns and communications related to COVID-19.
  • Masks are now required inside arenas, per Governor Walz’s Executive Order, for players, coaches and spectators, with the exception of players on the ice for team activities.
  • A maximum of two spectators per player should be allowed for games. If facility policies are stricter, teams must adhere to the facility policy.
  • Inter-state travel and competition in Minnesota must be approved by the appropriate District Director.

Remember we can contribute to helping eliminate COVID-19 by doing these four things:

  • Physical Distance
  • Wash Hands and Practice Safe Hygiene Habits
  • Clean Surfaces and Equipment Between Uses
  • Staying Home When Sick or Experiencing Any Symptoms

The knowledge and circumstances around COVID-19 are changing constantly and, as such, Minnesota Hockey encourages all affiliates to stay up-to-date on state and local government guidelines and recommendations from the CDC. Minnesota Hockey will also continue to provide updates and adjust these guidelines as more information develops.

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JOKES

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A burglar broke into a house one night. He shone his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,
‘Jesus knows you’re here.’
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.
When he heard nothing more , after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a be*l he heard
‘Jesus is watching you.’
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.
Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
‘Did you say that?’ he hissed at the parrot.
‘Yep’, the parrot confessed, then squawked, ‘I’m just trying to warn you that he is watching you.’
The burglar relaxed. ‘Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?’
‘Moses,’ replied the bird.
‘Moses?’ the burglar laughed. ‘What kind of people would name a bird Moses?’
‘The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.’

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How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST email me at  chrisjfee@yahoo.com

Paul Bittner is playing for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Bluejacket.

Brady Heppner, is playing hockey for the Roanoke Raildogs in the SPHL.

Aleece Durbin, is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.

Brita Fagerlund, is a Senior on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team.

Ben Trostad, is a Junior member of the University of Minnesota Crookston golf team.

Elise Tangquist, is a Senior golfer for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul.

Mason LaPlante, a sophomore, is playing soccer at the University of Jamestown.

Rachel Hefta, a sophmore, is playing volleyball at Hastings College in Nebraska.

Cade Salentine is a redshirt Freshman playing football at the University of North Dakota. 

Nick Garmen, is a sophomore playing basketball and tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.

Caden Osborn, is a freshman playing basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris.

Thea Oman, a sophomore, is swimming at St. Ben’s.

Crookston School District Coaches –
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach and assistant volleyball coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Cody Brekken is the Head Pirate Girls and Boys Tennis coach and Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach
Mitch Bakken is the head Pirate Baseball coach.
Brock Hanson is the Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach
Wes Hanson is the Pirate Wrestling Head Coach and assistant boys golf coach
Kevin Weber is a Pirate Boys Basketball volunteer assistant coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Blake Fee is an assistant wrestling coach
Colton Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach

Non-Crookston High School coaching –

Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown

Kaylee Desrosier is a softball coach for Fargo Davies Middle School.

Justin Johnson is an assistant softball coach at the University of Minnesota Crookston.

Josh Edlund  is an assistant football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.

Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach in Champlin Park

Jeff Olson is Head Wrestling coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.

Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.

Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson, is Head Volleyball coach at Little Falls High School.

Katy Westrom, is Head Girls Tennis Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Monticello High School.

Matt Harris, is a Director of Athletics at the British International School of Houston.

Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.

Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming

Mike Hastings is the Minnesota State Mankato Men’s head Hockey coach

Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Thief River Falls High School

Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football and volleyball and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for the Bison media relations

Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College

Chris Myrold is a Tennis Pro on Nevis Island in the West Indies

Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis

Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy

Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.

Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and also a grad of West Point and is currently is serving in the U.S. Army.

Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.

Philip Kujawa class of 2004 from Crookston High School.  He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.

Scott Riopelle is head of Crookston Parks and Recreation

Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome

That’s it for this week.  Thanks for the comments and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call.  Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com

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GOVERNOR TIM WALZ ANNOUNCES TEACHERS AND STAFF, AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO FREE COVID-19 SALIVA TESTS

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Today, Governor Tim Walz announced that teachers, school staff, and childcare providers across the state have received access to their free COVID-19 saliva test, totaling more than 250,000 tests. The saliva tests are part of the Safe Learning Plan for the 2020-21 School Year and consistent with Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan’s commitment to providing access to COVID-19 testing for Minnesotans working in child care and prekindergarten to grade 12 schools.

“As a classroom teacher for more than 20 years and a parent of a child in public schools, I know that a safe classroom is the foundation for learning,” said Governor Walz. “Those educating and caring for Minnesota’s next generation deserve the peace of mind that these COVID-19 tests will provide.”

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has emailed thousands of unique codes that can be used to request a saliva test, which schools will distribute to all staff currently employed by Minnesota’s school districts, charter schools, tribal schools, and nonpublic schools. Additionally, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has provided codes to all staff currently working in licensed child care settings and certified centers.

“All families in our state, including our littlest Minnesotans, want to know their teachers, school nutrition workers, and child care staff are supported. This means if they are exposed to COVID-19 as a frontline worker, we work to make sure they have access to testing,” said Lt Governor Flanagan. “Our goal is to create safe in-person learning for as many children as possible, and saliva tests are one piece of the puzzle to support that plan.”

The tests are provided through a partnership with Vault Health and Infinity Biologix (formerly RUCDR Infinite Biologics, a unit of Rutgers University Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey), the nation’s leading providers of saliva testing. Governor Walz recently announced that the state would be partnering further with the company, to make saliva testing available to all Minnesotans.

Providing testing to roughly 250,000 education and child care professionals is estimated to cost the state $6 million. Insurers will first be billed for medically necessary tests and uninsured individuals will be covered via federal Health Resources and Services Administration funding. The state will act as a payer of last resort, backstopping the cost of tests not covered by other payers so that education and child care professionals will not be responsible for payment.

“A central part of our state’s COVID strategy is testing,” said Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. “Adding saliva testing to our testing ecosystem both grows and diversifies our testing capacity. Teachers, school staff, child care center employees have a responsibility to get tested if they believe they’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or are feeling symptoms themselves. We hope this test will provide a convenient, reliable, and quick option for them.”

Teachers and staff are not required to take the tests before coming back to the classroom or to continue working in a child care setting. State officials urge them to get tested when they need it, such as when they’re feeling symptomatic or when they believe they may have been exposed to someone who is COVID positive. The tests must be used by the end of 2020, though the state is exploring options to extend access for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

“Every single educator and school staff member across our state has worked tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming school year and we need to make sure we have their back,” said Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker. “I’m pleased we are able to offer this resource to every school district, charter school, tribal school, and nonpublic school employee providing in-person instruction or support to our students, so they can have access to a COVID-19 test.”

“Child care has remained open throughout this public health crisis ensuring that children have the nurturing and safe care they need while families need to be working,” said Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “They are heroes during these unprecedented times putting in the extra time to implement the public health guidance. We must ensure that each provider has access to a test whenever it is needed.”

School and child care staff are currently limited to one test per person under this program. They will use the same process for anyone taking a Vault Health COVID-19 saliva test, which includes spitting into a funnel while connected with a Vault test supervisor over a Zoom video call. Education professionals and child care staff will still be able to seek testing at their regular medical provider, local testing location, or when the state offers community collection events. Home schools are not covered by this program.

Vaulth Health is the go-to testing company for major Fortune 500 companies, sports leagues, and universities, including the PGA and Purdue University. State officials expect to open a saliva lab in Oakdale, Minnesota by early October, which would be capable of processing up to 30,000 samples a day.

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NO MEASURABLE BLUE-GREEN ALGAE FOUND ON OPEN WATER ON MAPLE LAKE, BLOOMS ALONG SHORE SHRINKING

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Earlier this summer blue-green algae blooms on Lake Sarah, just outside of the Red Lake River Watershed District, prompted tests of shallow lakes in district. Blue-green algae are types of bacteria that are normally present in bodies of water and common in Minnesota. When conditions are right, the blue-green algae can grow quickly forming “blooms.”

The RLRWD’s Corey Hanson said because of the proximity of the bloom on Lake Sarah they began testing other lakes within the district. “We implemented this plan for our area where if we know of one lake that has algae blooms we’d test some other ones that could possibly have one,” said Hanson. “They are shallow lakes where the nutrients could get mixed up from the bottom or have lots of nutrients and regular algae blooms. We tested Maple, Oak, Cameron, Badger lakes, and Sand Hill River.”

Hanson said Oak Lake had a severe bloom throughout the lake when tested and residents along Maple Lake began notifying the Watershed District about blooms along their properties. “Oak Lake had a severe bloom throughout the lake and had some measurable toxins in it,” said Hanson. “Probably, a moderate risk level.  When we posted that information we got replies from residents along Maple Lake who had significant blooms of blue-green algae occurring at their residences, particularly the southwest end of the lake, and also a bloom at the Polk County Park. We verified them.”

While a couple of blooms had formed along the shore by some residents, Hanson said on-going tests of the open water haven’t shown much for measurable toxins. “We didn’t find any measurable toxins in the August 3 sample on Maple Lake,” said Hanson. “We also didn’t find measurable toxins in the open areas from the samples on August 5. It seemed like the blooms were occurring in these bays, shallow areas, where there was more disturbance. In the open water, the toxins are more diluted.”

Hanson said they’ve continued to test the water on Maple Lake and monitor the existing blooms. “After that, we’ve continued to do semi-weekly testing and haven’t seen measurable algal toxins,” said Hanson. “The last one was August 21, we sampled at Trinity Point and didn’t find any measurable toxins. That same day I checked on the Polk County Park bloom and that had gotten better or lessened. But there was still possibly a little bit there with some florescent green scum. I sampled that and confirmed there was still some in that bay there, but not as much as before.”

Like the bloom at the Polk County Park, Hanson said he expects the other blooms to grow smaller and disappear as the temperature falls because the algae require warm water to grown and survive.  The Red Lake Falls Watershed District can be reached at http://www.redlakewatershed.org or at 218-681-5800.

Picture by the Red Lake Watershed District
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FIRST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING AS PART OF GRAND OPENING CELEBRATIONS

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First Community Credit Union held its ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday evening as part of its two-week Grand Opening Celebration.  The grand opening includes giveaways, door prizes, lunch on Thursday, September 3, and account specials, explained Branch Manager Dana Jonsson. “It started Monday, August 31, and goes through Friday, September 11,” said Jonsson. “We invite everyone to come on out, check out the new building. We are going to have account specials going on during this two-week period. We will have cash prizes, door prizes, all of that. We are having a free community lunch tomorrow that we invite everyone to come out to. We are going to try to stay as COVID safe as we can, so we will be giving smaller group tours. And we look forward to seeing everyone.”

Jonsson said there are loan rates with an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) as low as 1.99 percent as part of the grand opening. “Some of our account specials going on right now, we have a consumer loan special where we can get rates as low as 1.99 percent APR,” said Jonsson. “Obviously, you’d have to credit qualify for those. We also have some CD specials going on as well during our grand opening two weeks as well. We can refinance existing loans to get you a better rate that way, so it doesn’t have to be brand new purchases or anything like that. We are a full-service financial institution as well. What that means is we can offer you mortgage loans, business, consumer loans, all the accounts that go with that. We do ag loans. Everything a full-service financial institution can do, we offer as well.”

First Community Credit Union Vice-President and Fargo Market Manager Nate Medhus said the new credit union building is an investment in the Crookston community. “We’re excited to be a part of the community,” said Medhus. “We look at this building as an investment in the community of Crookston. When the opportunity came for us to merge with Agassiz, we jumped at the chance. First Community has been around for over 80 years, and we primarily have an agricultural background. So, looking at a community like Crookston, it’s a strong agricultural background, a good economy here, so we felt it would be a wonderful fit for us. We felt we could come in and serve the people of Crookston really well.”

Jonsson said the new building looks more like a financial institution should, and has room for expansion as the local membership grows. “Our new building is a lot brighter, it’s open, it’s professional,” said Jonsson. “It looks how a financial institution is supposed to look. It is larger than we currently need. We do have some empty offices, but we are making a commitment to Crookston and the surrounding area. We want to be here for the long-term, and we are excited about the future, the growth, and helping everyone in the community.”

Medhus added that First Community Credit Union looks forward to serving and growing in the community. “We’re just really humbled that the people who are our current members here in Crookston have chosen us as their financial institution,” said Medhus. “We look forward to serving them to the best of our ability and continuing to grow in this community.”

The community lunch will be available Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the new First Community Credit Union Building located at 2315 North Acres Dr.

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Evelyn Halverson – Death Notice

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Evelyn Halverson, age 80, of Crookston, MN, passed away on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at the Sanford, Medical Center in Fargo, ND. Services are pending at this time.

Arrangements entrusted to Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home of Crookston, MN.

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DR. HUY NGUYEN JOIN RIVERVIEW HEALTH

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RiverView Health is excited to welcome Huy Nguyen, MD, to its medical staff. Dr. Nguyen is a general surgeon with a practice at the North Clinic, Crookston. Dr. Nguyen joins the team of Dr. Brett Vibeto, general surgeon, and Dr. David Gutman, gastroenterologist, in offering upper and lower endoscopy services, including colonoscopies.

Dr. Nguyen received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis; a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; and completed his General Surgery Residency at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis.

“I know that the relationship with my patients is a special one that requires a significant amount of trust,’’ Dr. Nguyen shared. “I’d like my patients to know that I’m committed to earning that trust by providing excellent care, the same care I’d want my loved ones to receive. I am excited to offer a wide variety of care and services to improve the health of the community.’’

Dr. Nguyen is a native of Minneapolis, where his parents continue to reside. His younger sister also has a love of medicine, and works as a surgical physician assistant.

“I enjoy the challenging aspects of medicine and that you become a life-long learner as a physician,’’ he stated. “General surgery offers the immediate gratification of making patients feel better. There is also a creative component of doing procedures, which I enjoy.’’

In his free time, Dr. Nguyen enjoys exercise, photography, international travel, and hiking.

To make an appointment with Dr. Nguyen, call 218.281.9595.

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MINNESOTA REPORTS 7 DEATHS, 761 NEW COVID-19 CASES INCLUDING 2 IN POLK COUNTY

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The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 761 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths. Two new cases were reported in Polk County. The 761 new positive results cam from 27,487 completed tests for a positive rate of 2.8 percent.

Updated September 2, 2020
Updated daily at 11 a.m., with data current as of 4 p.m. the previous day.

Data is for cases that were tested and returned positive. All data is preliminary and may change as cases are investigated. Many data points are collected during case interviews. Data presented below is for all cases, regardless of interview status. Data for cases pending interview may be listed as “unknown/missing.”

Not all suspected cases of COVID-19 are tested, so this data is not representative of the total number of people in Minnesota who have or had COVID-19. Cumulative numbers are since Jan. 20, 2020.

Daily Update:

Because all data is preliminary, the change in number of cumulative positive cases and deaths from one day to the next may not equal the newly reported cases or deaths.

77,085
Total positive cases (cumulative)
761
Newly reported cases		 7
Newly reported deaths

Testing

Total approximate number of completed tests: 1,525,555

  • Total approximate number of people tested: 1,150,854

Testing data table

Date reported to MDH Completed tests reported from the MDH Public Health Lab (daily) Completed tests reported from external laboratories (daily) Total approximate number of completed tests
3/28 470 1,054 18,081
3/29 245 963 19,289
3/30 156 890 20,335
3/31 176 1,341 21,852
4/1 300 703 22,855
4/2 102 1,880 24,837
4/3 56 1,292 26,185
4/4 108 1,555 27,848
4/5 30 1,435 29,313
4/6 46 1,133 30,492
4/7 90 1,461 32,043
4/8 80 1,373 33,496
4/9 93 1,738 35,327
4/10 107 1,651 37,085
4/11 93 1,532 38,710
4/12 56 1,134 39,900
4/13 39 746 40,685
4/14 128 1,063 41,876
4/15 137 1,559 43,572
4/16 110 1,344 45,026
4/17 126 1,340 46,492
4/18 123 1,356 47,971
4/19 66 1,165 49,202
4/20 124 716 50,042
4/21 214 1,535 51,791
4/22 230 1,899 53,920
4/23 216 2,273 56,409
4/24 296 2,791 59,496
4/25 172 2,447 62,115
4/26 71 2,492 64,678
4/27 149 1,870 66,697
4/28 268 3,077 70,042
4/29 253 6,824 77,119
4/30 429 3,915 81,463
5/1 277 4,205 85,945
5/2 302 3,534 89,781
5/3 70 3,091 92,942
5/4 231 3,836 97,009
5/5 266 2,899 100,174
5/6 323 4,156 104,653
5/7 336 4,674 109,663
5/8 254 4,621 114,538
5/9 232 4,678 119,448
5/10 68 5,228 124,744
5/11 278 5,024 130,046
5/12 355 3,659 134,060
5/13 301 6,994 141,355
5/14 1,074 5,655 148,084
5/15 548 8,583 157,215
5/16 717 7,248 165,180
5/17 232 5,746 171,158
5/18 132 6,256 177,546
5/19 601 5,771 183,918
5/20 531 6,422 190,871
5/21 394 7,858 199,123
5/22 742 8,978 208,843
5/23 1,069 7,828 217,740
5/24 86 6,893 224,719
5/25 86 6,562 231,367
5/26 162 6,773 238,302
5/27 254 9,274 247,830
5/28 652 9,241 257,723
5/29 667 9,710 268,100
5/30 0 8,438 276,538
5/31 0 6,889 283,427
6/1 0 4,182 287,609
6/2 1,061 6,620 295,290
6/3 653 15,256 311,199
6/4 379 10,556 322,134
6/5 930 10,106 333,170
6/6 1,085 9,314 343,569
6/7 733 8,755 353,057
6/8 44 7,724 360,825
6/9 300 8,577 369,702
6/10 673 11,341 381,716
6/11 765 12,627 395,108
6/12 1,030 11,770 407,908
6/13 826 8,953 417,687
6/14 253 4,775 422,715
6/15 22 6,175 428,912
6/16 357 19,130 448,399
6/17 486 12,001 460,886
6/18 915 13,257 475,058
6/19 1,111 15,631 491,800
6/20 822 11,299 503,921
6/21 401 8,177 512,499
6/22 23 7,183 519,705
6/23 340 9,346 529,391
6/24 766 12,034 542,191
6/25 1,058 13,543 556,792
6/26 458 12,453 569,703
6/27 820 14,045 584,568
6/28 187 7,340 592,095
6/29 0 12,355 604,450
6/30 264 11,674 616,388
7/1 465 13,067 629,920
7/2 871 13,806 644,597
7/3 409 13,589 658,595
7/4 207 14,200 673,002
7/5 32 5,619 678,653
7/6 0 5,886 684,539
7/7 226 7,370 692,135
7/8 508 13,417 706,060
7/9 1,150 18,047 725,257
7/10 457 15,596 741,310
7/11 505 14,229 756,044
7/12 112 11,903 768,059
7/13 30 8,856 776,945
7/14 223 12,174 789,342
7/15 480 14,297 804,119
7/16 693 14,029 818,841
7/17 693 15,840 835,374
7/18 392 16,391 852,157
7/19 97 13,935 866,189
7/20 0 9,503 875,692
7/21 329 11,929 887,950
7/22 686 15,762 904,398
7/23 1,060 15,674 921,132
7/24 783 17,243 939,158
7/25 435 15,801 955,394
7/26 282 13,252 968,928
7/27 18 9,352 978,298
7/28 345 13,156 991,799
7/29 658 14,140 1,006,597
7/30 1,061 15,562 1,023,220
7/31 509 14,481 1,038,210
8/1 273 14,874 1,053,357
8/2 444 15,308 1,069,109
8/3 12 8,049 1,077,170
8/4 276 11,631 1,089,077
8/5 763 14,173 1,104,013
8/6 690 15,211 1,119,914
8/7 41 17,664 1,137,619
8/8 755 19,233 1,157,607
8/9 330 12,335 1,170,272
8/10 22 6,279 1,176,573
8/11 75 10,869 1,187,517
8/12 506 14,259 1,202,282
8/13 482 16,160 1,218,924
8/14 325 16,790 1,236,039
8/15 115 16,547 1,252,701
8/16 77 12,620 1,265,398
8/17 316 7,040 1,272,754
8/18 406 34,218 1,307,378
8/19 342 13,468 1,321,188
8/20 549 18,246 1,339,983
8/21 381 16,327 1,356,691
8/22 185 16,531 1,373,407
8/23 287 12,025 1,385,719
8/24 36 8,817 1,394,572
8/25 381 10,578 1,405,531
8/26 356 20,807 1,426,694
8/27 460 15,865 1,443,019
8/28 441 16,651 1,460,111
8/29 206 17,262 1,477,579
8/30 462 10,876 1,488,917
8/31 0 9,151 1,498,068
9/1 207 27,280 1,525,555

Due to delays in deduplication of results data are subject to change.

More about testing data

Minnesota Case Overview

  • Total positive cases: 77,085
    • Number of health care workers: 8,445

Graph of confirmed cases of COVID-19 by specimen collection date, data in table below.

Positive cases by date specimen collected data table

More about positive cases

Patients no longer needing isolation

  • Patients no longer needing isolation: 69,521
More about patients no longer needing isolation

Deaths

  • Deaths: 1,830
    • Deaths among cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities: 1,345
  • Probable COVID-19 Deaths*: 52
    * COVID-19 listed on death certificate but a positive test not documented for the person.

Deaths of confirmed cases in Minnesota, data in table below

Deaths data table

More about deaths

Hospitalization

Total cases hospitalized: 6,566

  • Hospitalized as of today*: 297
    • Hospitalized in ICU as of today*: 135
      * Refer to “More about hospitalizations” for notes.

Minnesota COVID-19 hospitalizations, data in table below

Hospitalization data table

More about hospitalizations

Case Demographics

Age

Age group data table:
Including age group of deaths

More about age

Gender

Gender data table

More about gender

Race & Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity data table:
Including race and ethnicity of deaths

More about race and ethnicity

Likely Exposure

Likely exposure data table

More about likely exposure

Not all cases among health care workers have a likely exposure as health care staff.

Residence

Cases by County of Residence

County of residence is confirmed during the case interview. At the time of this posting not all interviews have been completed.

County of residence data table:
Including county of residence of deaths

More about location data

Residence Type

Residence type data table

Weekly Report

This report includes more detailed information on testing, demographics, syndromic surveillance, and more. Updated every Thursday.

Care Facilities

Congregate Care Facilities with Exposures, by County

Other Statistics

Data in the data tables is correct as of 11 a.m. daily. Dynamic images and maps for case demographics, likely exposure, residence, and residence type will update shortly after 11 a.m. daily and will not work if your browser is in compatibility mode.

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New York City Delays School Reopening Amid Pressure From Educators, Potential Teacher Strike

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New York City public schools, the largest school system in the United States, has postponed the start of school for more than 1 million students amid pressure from a teachers union, which said there was not enough time to ready educators and school buildings to teach students safely during the pandemic.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he had reached a deal with the unions representing teachers, principals and food workers to delay reopening for nearly a week, beginning virtual classes for all students on Sept. 16 and in-person classes for some students five days later. School was originally slated to start Sep. 10. Students were given the option of full-time remote classes or a hybrid model – returning to school part-time but taking classes virtually the rest of the time. About 37 percent of students have opted for the all-virtual classes.  de Blasio’s decision came after increasing pressure from the United Federation of Teachers, whose members threatened to strike or take the city to court if the mayor fell short of meeting their health and safety demands.

The city’s school system faces a number of challenges, including ensuring that classrooms have adequate ventilation and staggering attendance to allow for social distancing. The city was also still working through how teachers would provide both in-person and virtual instruction.

NYC was once the nation’s epicenter of the pandemic, and has lost more than 19,000 people to Covid-19.

New York City delays school start in deal with unions over coronavirus concerns

Via news.yahoo.com
New York City’s public school system, the country’s largest, reached an agreement on Tuesday…

Editorial credit: Life In Pixels / Shutterstock.com