Month: October 2020

The Crookston Police Department had two vacancies to fill on its force this summer. To fill it’s ranks, the police department hired two young officers with local ties.

Cody Bannert joins the Crookston Police Department by way of the military but grew up in northwest Minnesota. “I’m originally from Thief River Falls, was born in Roseau,” said Bannert. “I came over here the last month, two months ago now. I started July 27 I believe. I wrestled (in high school) and graduated in 2012. I joined the Marine Corps and got out in 2017, when I started going to college for law enforcement.”

Banner said law enforcement resembles the military, and he chose Crookston because it’s a more active area. “It closely resembles the military,” said Bannert. “I chose to do Crookston because I know they are a busier area. I was in Roseau beforehand. It was a good time over there, but I wanted to build up a little bit more experience faster.”

Bannert said he’s enjoying meeting people in Crookston. “You get to meet a bunch of different people,” said Bannert. “It seems like I haven’t met anybody that’s really been bad. There are a lot of good around here in Crookston, that’s for sure.”

Taylor Clark said he always knew he wanted to be a first responder. “I’m from Fertile,” said Clark. “I lived there pretty much all my life. My dad was on the Fertile Fire Department, so first responders were pretty much in my life. I wanted to be a first responder, whether firefighter, EMS, or police, and thought police was the best way to go. I went to UND for a little bit, ended up going to Northland and graduating there for skills. While I went there, I worked at the jail (NW Regional Corrections Center) for five years, so I really got that Crookston was a good place for me. I kind of got a rapport with a lot of people that got in trouble and felt like I could work with them pretty well. My roommate, Taylor (Znajda), who works here (with CPD), worked with me at the jail. And learning what he learned here, I thought Crookston was a pretty good place for me to start.”

Clark also talked about why he chose law enforcement over the other first responder positions. “Being the first one on the scene, driving fast,” said Clark. “I liked more of the criminal side to be honest. I did want to be a lawyer, but I thought that was a little bit too much schooling for me. But the police/criminal side just interested me a little bit more.”

Crookston Police Chief Paul Biermaier said the 12-week field training starts with new officers observing their field training officer and ends the new officers being observed as they handle all the calls. “They both started around August 1,” said Biermaier. “And our field training is about 12-weeks, give or take, depending on how they do. When I started 30 years ago, my field training was about one week. Then it was here’s the keys, go ahead. It is so different now and has changed so much. There is so much more in our cars too. So, 12 weeks of training to cover everything, and they go through a couple of phases. They start just watching, and by the end of the program, the Field Training Officer is in street clothes, and they’re in uniform, so everything is directed at him. He gets to make all the decisions, call the shots, that sort of stuff.”

When Bannert and Clark complete their field training, the Crookston PD will be back to a full staff of 16 officers, including the school resource officer.  After completing their training, a small ceremony will be held, likely during a November City Council meeting welcoming them to the department.

Everyone remembers a favorite teacher, someone who motivates and inspires students for a lifetime. Minnesotans have the opportunity again this fall to nominate that unique educator for Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Nominations open today and can be submitted online through November 15. The 2021 Teacher of the Year will be named at a ceremony on May 2, 2021, at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year also becomes Minnesota’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

Eligible nominees must meet these criteria:

1. Teach in a public or nonpublic pre-kindergarten – 12th-grade school, or in an Adult Basic Education or ECFE program, working at least 50 percent of the time directly with students.
2. Hold a bachelor’s degree and a Minnesota teaching license.
3. Have completed five years of teaching by the nomination deadline.
4. Intend to teach during the 2021-22 school year.

Anyone may nominate a teacher. Self-nominations are also accepted.

The state program has been highly successful nationally – Minnesota ranks second behind California with four National Teachers of the Year. For more information or to receive a nomination form, contact Ashley Behrens at ashley.behrens@edmn.org. 

Organized and underwritten by Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year program receives support from Education Minnesota ESI, Educators Lifetime Solutions, EFS Advisors, Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, and United Educators Credit Union.

Altru will soon treat cancer patients using its new Radixact® System, joining renowned hospitals across the United States, Europe, and Asia in offering radiation treatments with this leading-edge system. Altru is focused on giving our patients the latest radiation treatments in order to keep them close to home. The Radixact System is capable of treating virtually any radiation therapy indication, including breast, lung, prostate, and head and neck cancers, in addition to complex cases such as total marrow irradiation, providing more patients with the opportunity to benefit from the fast, highly precise radiation treatments it delivers.

“Altu is committed to helping our patients on their journey to gaining control over their cancer,” said Dr. Grant Seeger at Altru Cancer Center. “We use advanced technology to provide customized, precise treatments tailored to each patient’s needs. Our aim is to effectively control the cancer while minimizing the impact of the treatment on patients’ quality of life.”

The use of radiation as part of cancer treatment is increasing, both during initial treatment and re-treatment, so the ability to deliver the correct amount of dose precisely to the tumor will become even more important. In addition, as the cancer patient goes through the treatment process, anatomical changes such as the tumor shrinking or the patient losing weight may occur. Clinicians need to be able to quickly determine when these types of changes warrant modifying the treatment and easily create new treatment plans that enable them to accurately deliver radiation.

The Radixact System is a non-invasive treatment option developed to deliver image-guided intensity-modulated (IG-IMRT) radiation therapy, an extremely precise form of radiation therapy. The system provides continuous delivery of radiation from 360 degrees around the patient, which increases the control doctors have in getting radiation where it needs to be and helps to decrease the damage to surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Sophisticated imaging technology is seamlessly built into the way the Radixact treatment is delivered, giving our clinical team the ability to clearly see the shape and location of the patient’s tumor — anywhere in the body — in real-time before each treatment session. The most innovative new feature is the Synchrony tumor motion tracking system that can adjust for tumor motion and decrease the size of the radiation field for further precision and decreased side effects.

To find out more about non-invasive radiation therapy options, including the Radixact System, go online to the Altru Cancer Center’s website.

RiverView Health is offering CPR classes to the public with the next classes scheduled for Thursday, October 8 from 6 to 10 p.m.

RiverView’s HeartSaver CPR AED class is offered for those needing certification. The cost of the course is $50; this includes the HeartSaver CPR AED eCard and book. This class is 4 hours long with a test at the end of the session.

The other CPR class offered at RiverView monthly is the Friends and Family course for those that do not need certification. No test or card is issued for this course. Each participant receives a Friends and Family CPR book. This course is free of charge thanks to the generous support of the Crookston American Legion Post 20. The course contains basic information about what to do in life-threatening situations and is designed for participants of all ages. This class is four hours long.

Other class dates in 2020 are November 12, and December 10. All classes are held in the RiverView Home Care Building at 721 S. Minnesota Street, Crookston. Registration is required. To register or for more information, call 800-743-6551 extension 9405 or 218-281-9405.

Due to COVID-19, class sizes are limited. No walk-ins will be accepted. Participants are required to provide/wear their own masks.

RiverView offers these classes as part of its American Heart Association (AHA) Community Training Center. Contracted Community Training Centers, like RiverView, are the only sites permitted to offer AHA courses to the public and professionals through their affiliated instructors and programs.

Fall Clean-Up Week in Crookston will be October 26 – October 30.  Clean-up items will be picked up only on your regular garbage pickup day and must be placed on the street boulevard. 

Please note: Compost material – grass clippings, lawn, or garden waste – WILL NOT have to be in City compost bags for this week only.  Cleanup items should be separated into the following piles:  Garbage, clothing, cardboard, etc.; Appliances; Branches and yard waste; Furniture, metal items, demolition, etc. and Tires.  Placing these items out in separate piles will help speed the clean-up process. 

Polk County Public Health advises to not bring furniture, mattresses, box springs, or bed frames found on the street into your home in order to prevent the spread of bed bugs. http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/. As required by State Law, all video display devices (TVs, computer monitors, etc.) cannot be sent to the landfill.  Therefore, these items will not be collected during the clean-up.  These devices may be disposed of at Polk County Environmental Services (Transfer Station).

Concrete, batteries, partially full paint cans, other chemicals, or large amounts of demolition debris will not be accepted.  Branches must be cut in four-foot lengths and bundled.

Items should be placed on boulevards no more than 72 hours prior to your collection day. Remember, Fall Clean-Up Week is October 26 – October 30 in Crookston.