Month: February 2021

The Minnesota Department of Health released its COVID-19 Weekly Report (here) on Thursday.  All information is updated through 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17 unless noted. Information on Polk County and the KROX listening area was pulled from the report and is below – 

Update from Polk County Public Health – 

Polk County Public Health, along with our local healthcare and pharmacy partners, is making great progress with COVID-19 vaccine distribution in our community. If you or someone you know is 65 years of age or older and have not been vaccinated, please reach out to your healthcare provider, pharmacy, or Polk County Public Health at 218.281.3385.

“As vaccine availability continues to increase, we are committed to working closely with our local partners to vaccinate eligible individuals as quickly as possible following the guidance from the State of Minnesota,” said Sarah Reese, Director, Polk County Public Health. As more vaccine becomes available, everyone will have the opportunity to receive it.

Please continue to do your part by slowing the spread of COVID-19 by practicing preventative habits such as wearing a mask, staying 6 feet from others, washing your hands often, and staying home if sick. 

For more COVID-19 Vaccine information, visit the Minnesota Department of Health Vaccine page at https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/vaccine.html

Visit the Polk County Coronavirus Response Hub (https://coronavirus-response-pcg.hub.arcgis.com/ ), the Minnesota Department of Health (https://www.health.state.mn.us/ ) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/ ) websites for more COVID-19 information. Follow Polk County Public Health on social media for local updates.

**Positive number of tests and positivity calculations include only tests reported by labs that report both positive and negative results. Percent positive is the percent of positive tests from the total number of tests by county of residence.

SCHOOL LEARNING MODEL OPTIONS

CASE RATE PER COUNTY

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Harvest Church and Trinity Lutheran Church will be holding a food distribution event at the Crookston High School Saturday until the boxes are gone. The churches are hosting the event with their partners from the Farmer to Families USDA program and SunOpta.

Jason Tangquist from Harvest Church said they hope to start distributing boxes at 10:30 a.m. “We were able to find out that there is another phase of these food truck deliveries,” said Tangquist. “So, we put in to get one and we’ve got one scheduled for this Saturday. We told people we’d like to start around 10:30 a.m. There is a window where the truck is supposed to get into the high school parking lot between 8-10 a.m. So, if they are on time, we will start at 10:30 a.m. So, it’s a Farm to Families Food Box event sponsored by Harvest Church and Trinity Lutheran Church. People can start lining up around 10 a.m. and get a box.”

The boxes contain an assortment of products explained Tangquist. “It’s been a variety and it’s a little different every time,” said Tangquist. “I think this last time there were cartons of whole eggs, some cheeses, dry goods, some ready to eat items. I think we gave a jug of milk. There has been some really good produce in the last ones. It all depends on what they have available at the time through the USDA.”

Tangquist also said there are no restrictions on who can pick up a box. “It’s for anyone,” said Tangquist. “I know there were some people who showed up last time to get a box for someone else who couldn’t get out and get it. That’s fine as well. There are no restrictions on who can get a box. If we find out the truck is early or something, we’ll let people know.”

Tangquist added he will call KROX with updates on the distribution throughout the morning Saturday.

The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, which includes B Company soldiers based out of the Crookston Armory as part of the – 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Regiment, – will be deployed overseas to the Middle East in March. In total, approximately 5,000 National Guardsmen from across Minnesota will be deployed.

The Crookston Beyond the Yellow Ribbon organization is hoping Crookston residents and businesses will support the deploying troops by hanging flags, ribbons, and messages to them from March 8-16 o Jamie Cassavant. “What we’d really like is if people could hang a yellow ribbon on their flag poles or doors,” said Cassavant. “The businesses, if they could put a message in their storefront windows. The churches, if they could put the unit on their prayer list. We have some students from a couple of the schools that are going to decorate within their schools and put signs outside. We just want them to know when they come into town with their families and leave on the buses that Crookston supports them.”

Cassavant said Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is an organization that’s sole purpose is information and support. “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is a community-based organization,” said Cassavant. “We were formed in 2010 in Minnesota when Larry Shellito was the Adjutant General for Minnesota. We want to be a conduit for our veterans and military families if they need help or assistance or that type of thing. We do not fundraise. We are an education or information organization only. We draw on our organization within the community that may be able to help as help is needed.”

The City of Crookston will be declaring Support the Troops week with a Mayoral Proclamation by Mayor Dale Stainbrook at the March 8 City Council meeting, said Cassavant. “We are going to have a proclamation done by the mayor at the council meeting on March 8,” said Cassavant. “That will officially be Support Our Troops week. Our community has always been wonderful about supporting our military, our veterans, and their families. And we thank them for all that they do for us.”

C Company is based in Crookston and Thief River Falls. Other units in the Battalion are Headquarters Company in Moorhead and Fergus Falls, A Company in Bemidji and Detroit Lakes, C Company in Wadena, and I Company at Camp Ripley.

The Crookston High School FFA is celebrating National FFA Week. Krox talked with students Victoria Proulx and Jasmine Haglund about FFA Week earlier this week (here). Below are photos of the activities submitted by FFA Advisor Whitney Rupprecht –

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UPDATE 2/25/21 10:40 a.m.

The investigation of this incident has been completed. Toxicology reports indicate that the driver of the striking vehicle, Jenessa Kelley, did not have alcohol in her bloodstream at the time of the crash. Further information indicates that Jenessa Kelley likely suffered a medical emergency just prior to, or during, the initial crash that occurred in East Grand Forks, MN.

Kelley, 21 of Crookston, and two others, Laura Van Erem, 52, and Nancy Sand, 72, both of Fertile were killed in the crash on Saturday, January 9.

UPDATE 1/10/21 4:40 P.M.

On Saturday, January 9, at 12:21 p.m., officers were dispatched to 5th Street and Demers Avenue for an injury accident.  Upon arrival, it was discovered that the incident has resulted in three fatalities.  The following is driver and victim information with regard to the vehicles described.

The initial investigation showed that a 2011 Buick Regal, driven by Jenessa Kelley, 21 of Crookston, was traveling westbound on Demers Avenue at a high rate of speed.  The Regal was traveling in the center turn lane. The Regal struck a Chevrolet Impala, driven by Trisha Trousil, 42 of Oslo, causing minor damage and then struck a 1997 Ford Explorer, driven by Amanda Green, 45 of Grand Forks, as it was attempting a left turn from Demers Avenue to go south on South 5th Street The Regal glanced off the Explorer and then hit an eastbound Dodge Caravan van driven by Laura Van Erem, 52 of Fertile.  The Regal then rolled over onto its top.  The Caravan’s driver and front-seat passenger were killed.  A rear-seat juvenile passenger was transported to Altru Hospital.  The driver and passenger in the Regal were also transported to Altru Hospital and their condition is unknown at this time.

Kelley was later pronounced deceased at Altru Hospital, as a result of injuries sustained in this crash.
Van Erem was pronounced deceased at the scene, as a result of injuries sustained in this crash.
The front-seat passenger in the Dodge Caravan has been identified as Nancy Sand, age 72, of Fertile.  Sand was also pronounced deceased at the scene, as a result of injuries sustained in this crash. 

The preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle driven by Jenessa Kelley matches the description of a vehicle involved in a hit and run in East Grand Forks.  Witness accounts indicate the Buick, driven by Kelley, was westbound on DeMers Avenue at an extremely high rate of speed immediately prior to the initial collision.  Evidence on the scene suggests alcohol may have played a role in this incident.

This incident remains under active investigation.  Anyone with information on this, or any related, incident, is encouraged to contact the Grand Forks Police Department by one of the following methods:

Call: 701-787-8000
Online: Submit a tip via the GFPD’s Facebook or website
App: Submit a tip via the Tip411 app

ORIGINAL RELEASE

On Saturday, January 9, at 12:21 p.m., officers were dispatched to 5th Street and Demers Avenue for an injury accident.  Upon arrival, it was discovered that there were multiple vehicles involved with severe injuries.

The initial investigation is showing that a 2011 Buick Regal was traveling westbound on Demers Avenue at a high rate of speed.  The Regal was traveling in the center turn lane. The Regal struck a Chevrolet Impala causing minor damage and then struck a 1997 Ford Explorer as it was attempting a left turn from Demers Ave to go south on South 5th Street The Regal glanced off the Explorer and then hit an eastbound Dodge Caravan van.  The Regal then rolled over onto its top.  The Caravan’s driver and front-seat passenger were killed.  A rear-seat juvenile passenger was transported to Altru Hospital.  The driver and passenger in the Regal were also transported to Altru Hospital and their condition is unknown at this time.

The Grand Forks Police Dept. was assisted by the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Department, Grand Forks Fire Department and Altru Ambulance. The GFPD Crash Accident Response Team and UAS Team were called out and well as detectives from the Criminal Investigations Bureau. The crash remains under investigation and more information will be forthcoming.

U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-7) sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden urging his Administration to prioritize a bilateral plan to re-open the border between the United States and Canada, which has remained closed to non-essential travel since March 21, 2020.  The letter, which was sent in advance of Tuesday’s meeting between President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was also signed by Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-8) and Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-6).

“We write to express our serious concerns over the continued closure of America’s northern border. As you may know, Minnesotans along our Canadian border rely heavily on tourism and cross-border travel to support their businesses. They have been hit especially hard by the pandemic-related travel restrictions, devastating local economies,” the letter reads.

“The Northwest Angle (‘the Angle’) is an area of Northern Minnesota that is mainly accessible by land through Canada. As a result of border closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses there have been cut off from tourists critical to the economic livelihood of the community. To mitigate the effects of this border closure, residents of the Angle built a 22-mile ice road crossing over Lake of the Woods for tourists to use. However, this road will soon be unusable as the ice melts, yielding the community isolated from its livelihood once again.

“With widespread COVID-19 treatment options and vaccine deployment well underway, we believe it is time to safely reopen the route to the Angle, a 40-mile road through a remote and low-populated area, to provide a lifeline to its struggling businesses. There are many potential solutions, namely a trade corridor that would allow all economic activity to resume on the Angle safely and with accountability. As we approach a full year with a closed northern border, it is critical to this remote community that a solution is found before access points are once again closed off for tourists.”

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Get updates from Rep. Fischbach’s congressional office on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 785 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, 211 probable cases from antigen testing, and 7 deaths. The confirmed cases were the result of 35,845 completed tests for a positive rate of 2.2 percent.

Pennington County had 9 confirmed cases, Roseau County-6 cases, Polk County-4 cases, Mahnomen County-3 cases, Red Lake County-2 cases, and Marshall County-1 case.

Updated February 25, 2021
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.”

Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases. Positive antigen test results are considered probable cases.

All probable cases get the same public health follow up and recommendations as cases confirmed by PCR tests.

Other Statistics

• Minnesota COVID-19 Public Dashboard
  • Response and Preparation Capacity
  • Public Health Risk Measures (Dial Back Dashboard)
  • Minnesota COVID-19 Modeling
  • Vaccine Data
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases in the U.S.
• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MIS-C) Statistics
• COVID-19 Vaccine Data: Provider Registration

Data in the data tables is current 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.