Month: October 2020

One year after beginning the formal permitting process, the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC) has received a crucial air permitting approval from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), clearing a major hurdle as the value-added crushing facility prepares to break ground in the coming weeks.

“This is a very big milestone for us,” AIC Project Manager Jim Lambert said. “MPCA approving our air permit is really one of the key steps in this project.”

Lambert applauded MPCA’s diligence in approving the permit in a mere 30 days, much quicker than expected in what is typically an arduous, drawn-out process.  

“We give MPCA a lot of accolades and appreciate the attention MPCA afforded our permit application,” he said. “To approve an air permit in 30 days is unheard of, really.”

In 2019, spurred by a passionate advocacy push from Minnesota Soybean Growers Association directors, the Minnesota Legislature approved $5 million toward the AIC in the omnibus agriculture finance bill. The funding was released to the AIC in September 2020. 

“This project has been – and will continue to be – a top MSGA priority,” MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek said. “Our farmer leaders have put a lot of work into speaking with legislators about the AIC, and we’re grateful for the bipartisan support we’ve received from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Gov. Walz, and the Legislature.”

Lambert also credited MSGA’s work with MPCA to ensure a smooth, timely permitting approval process.

“MSGA did a lot of work on our behalf and did an outstanding job,” he said. “Like with every other step in this process, it’s been a collaborative effort with our board, MSGA, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, and the City of Crookston.”

The AIC will host a specialty crushing facility, allowing universities, commodity groups, and private seed developers access to affordable processing that aims to lower costs while promoting the growth of value-added products. Once established, the Campus will be home to private industries to create products from the co-products of the four facilities, benefitting all parties from the farm gate to consumers. A fully operating AIC will employ up to 70 staffers. 

“This Campus will be the first of its kind in the nation,” MSR&PC CEO Tom Slunecka said. “Farmers drive agriculture with their innovation, and this project will serve that same purpose.”

In addition to securing state funds and crucial work permits, the AIC continues making progress toward a late 2020 groundbreaking ceremony and late 2021 production goal despite the ongoing pandemic. The group has purchased equipment, along with 10 acres of land for construction in Crookston. The AIC will be opening an office in the Crookston area, and a website and social media campaign will be launched later this year.

“You can’t start any construction until you have an air permit, so this allows us to move ahead with the project,”  said AIC Board Chair Mike Skaug, who farms in Beltrami. “We’re being pragmatic about things, but we’re certainly excited to keep moving the Ag Innovation Campus forward.”

The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 14 more COVID-19 related deaths and 918 new positive tests, including eight additional cases in Polk County. The positive results were found in 13,473 completed tests for a positive rate of 6.8 percent.

Updated October 7, 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.

Other Statistics

• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MIS-C) Statistics
• Minnesota COVID-19 Public Dashboard
• Minnesota’s COVID-19 Response and Preparation Capacity
• Dial Back Dashboard
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases in the U.S.
• Minnesota COVID-19 Modeling

Data in the data tables is correct as of 11 a.m. daily. Dynamic images and maps will update shortly after 11 a.m. daily and will not work if your browser is in compatibility mode.

On Tuesday, October 6, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Officers of the Grand Forks Police were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash in the 600 block of 1st Ave. So.

Officers responded and found a red Chevy Blazer. The vehicle was going around the curve when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle struck the curb then struck a tree. Officers located a single victim in the vehicle that was pronounced deceased on the scene.

The next of kin were notified of the crash. The driver of the vehicle was 18-year-old Marley Ferguson of Grand Forks.  There were no other occupants in the vehicle. At this time, it is unknown if speed was a factor in the crash. The use of a seat belt is unknown.

The Grand Forks Police Department was assisted by members of the Northeast Regional UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) team, the GFPD CART team (Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team), University of North Dakota Police, Grand Forks Fire Department, and Altru paramedics.

If anyone has any additional information, please call the Police Department at (701) 787-8000.

RiverView Health will be holding a grand opening ceremony tonight (Wednesday, October 7) at 7:00 p.m.  KROX will be broadcasting the ceremony live, and we will also have the ceremony and fireworks display live-streamed at the top of the page.  The stream will go live around 6:30 p.m.  It will also be available on the KROX YouTube channel.

The public is invited to celebrate the new state-of-the-art facility at the grand opening celebration Wednesday, October 7 at 7 p.m. The event will take place in the parking lot on the east side of the new building at 323 S. Minnesota Street, Crookston.

Attendees can stay in their vehicles and listen to the program on KROX radio (1260 AM or 105.7 FM) or may get out of their cars if they wish but must follow COVID-19 safety guidelines. Best practice social distancing will be observed. Masks will be required to be within six feet of others.  Or if you want to stay at home and watch the ceremony, we will have the video stream at the top of this page.  We will also live stream the fireworks display.

A video tour of the facility will be shown on an outdoor screen during the program. Refreshments will be distributed. A fireworks display will begin at approximately 8:15 p.m. to cap off the festivities.

RiverView 2020 is a $51 million project consisting of an 80,0000 square foot, two-story building to replace RiverView’s current hospital and clinics. The upper level of the building consists of the Inpatient Unit with 18 universal patient rooms, three labor and delivery rooms, and four family suites. Every room has a private bathroom and a large floor plan to allow caregivers adequate space to provide patient care and room to ensure family and friends are comfortable. The ground level is home to all three of RiverView’s current Crookston clinics consolidated into one large clinic. The new clinic has 48 exam rooms, four procedure rooms, and four consultation rooms. The project also includes a lobby café, relocated gift shop, and an 80-occupant training and conference center.

The new facility is scheduled to open on October 25.

The Northwest Regional Corrections Center announced the arrests of the following individuals:

Jeffrey Lee Thomas Sharland, 30 of Ardoch, ND, for misdemeanor contempt of court for willful disobedience of a court mandate. Bail supplied.

Blakely Christopher Bradley, 37 of Monroe, LA, for felony second or subsequent carrying or possession of a pistol without a permit in a public place.