Month: September 2021

The Crookston School District, like most districts in the state, will be starting classes Tuesday, September 7. After a strange year of social distancing, wearing masks, and distance learning, Crookston School District Nurse Stacey Grunewald discussed how some COVID practices may still be needed for the beginning of the school year.

Grunewald talked about some recommendations that she has at the beginning of the school year. “I would love those who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated,” said Grunewald. “That helps us out tremendously with regards to quarantining and keeping track of close contacts. The other thing would be masking up. It isn’t required, but it is recommended and a great mitigating strategy to try and contain the virus.”

Grunewald, who spent 26 years at the University of Minnesota Crookston before coming to the Crookston School District a year ago in the middle of the pandemic, says it wasn’t difficult to get the students on board with the ideas last year, and they were great with the changes made. She also expects them to be great again this year. “Honestly, kids are a lot more resilient than adults when it comes to wearing masks,” said Grunewald. “Most don’t question and do wear it correctly. The kids here follow directions great; the biggest concern will be with the social distancing because kids like to gather, so will see it that creates a challenge.”

Highland Elementary will be following the health and safety measures issued by the Crookston School District throughout the year. The health and safety measures that the schools will start with for the upcoming school year will include students and staff masking while on school buses (which is required by the federal government) and elementary students’ social distancing up to three feet apart which includes Highland. Those safety measures can change at any time based on new data that is released.

Grunewald mentioned how close the schools will be working with Polk County Public Health with decisions that will need to be made. “We have worked very closely with Polk County Public Health in the past, and we will see again this fall,” said Grunewald. “They’re such a valuable resource to us. We figure out what their trends are, and once we look at the county’s numbers, we can make the best decision possible.”

Grunewald mentioned what the quarantine guidelines will be for Highland and some potential shorter quarantine options. “Starting this fall, we will be giving a seven-day shortened quarantine option,” said Grunewald. “You’ll have to show a negative test around five days after potential exposure, and if that’s negative and you’re showing no symptoms, we will let you back into school sooner this year.”

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The deadline for Deer lottery applications in Minnesota is September 9.

Firearm and muzzleloader deer hunters: If you want to harvest an antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as an antlerless permit lottery this hunting season, please purchase your license by Thursday, Sept. 9.

Also, if you want to participate in a special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts you need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery, and that application deadline is Sept. 9.

More details: DNR deer hunting page 

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Minnesota waterfowl hunters will have a new opportunity to hunt teal during an experimental early-season starting tomorrow through Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The DNR reminds hunters to follow all applicable laws, including not hunting in areas that are posted closed. Shooting hours will be from sunrise to sunset. Hunters may harvest six birds per day in any combination of blue- and green-winged teal.

Hunters need to know that the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe plans to restrict hunting on waters with actively harvested wild rice beds during the early teal season and the September Canada goose season (Sept. 4-19). Additionally, the White Earth Band closed all active wild rice beds utilized by White Earth Band members and under the jurisdiction of the White Earth Indian Reservation to the early teal season.

The DNR believes that these closures may be inconsistent with state/tribal agreements and potentially in conflict with state statute and federal case law. However, the legal question raised by the bands’ actions are very complex, and cannot be resolved before the season opens.

The DNR advises waterfowl hunters to be aware of these recent tribal restrictions on wild rice lakes and encourages hunters to avoid putting themselves in situations of potential conflict. Waterfowlers who have planned to hunt on the Leech Lake or White Earth reservations should contact the respective tribal natural resource departments for more information.

For details: 

• Leech Lake Division of Resource Management website or by calling 218-335-7400  
• White Earth Tribal Government website or by calling 218-983-3285
• DNR waterfowl hunting page

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COVID-19 cases continue to increase throughout Minnesota and in Polk County. From August 20 – September 2, Polk County has had an increase of 124 new cases and one new COVID-19 related death. During this time four individuals were/are hospitalized and two of these individuals were/are in the ICU. Throughout the course of the pandemic, Polk County has had a total of 4,120 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 75 COVID-19 related deaths.

The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at protecting people from COVID-19, especially at preventing severe illness and death. To get vaccinated schedule with your primary care provider, local pharmacy or register for upcoming vaccine clinics on the Polk County Public Health website: https://www.co.polk.mn.us/191/Public-Health

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Today, Governor Tim Walz announced an allocation of $106 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds, including funding to support Minnesota students, drive workforce development, and provide shelter to the most vulnerable Minnesotans before winter.

“President Biden’s American Rescue Plan delivers direct relief to Americans by providing resources to beat this pandemic and build a stronger economy for generations to come. That’s exactly what we’re prioritizing here in Minnesota,” said Governor Walz. “With this funding, we are helping students recover from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, driving workforce development in critical, good-paying fields, and providing safe shelter to the Minnesotans who need it most before our harsh winter months.”

“The COVID-19 virus continues to impact Minnesotans in every corner of the state,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “I am grateful for the federal American Rescue Plan, as Minnesotans need support following one of the most challenging periods in our history. We will continue to prioritize students, families, and Minnesotans experiencing homelessness as we work to recover and rebuild together.”

Highlights of the Governor’s $106 million allocations include $29 million to support students across the state, $35 million to increase the number of workers for critical industries, and $10 million to help homeless shelters respond to COVID-19 outbreaks and keep the most vulnerable Minnesotans safe.

Supporting Students

$29 million of the Governor’s allocation will provide a one-time investment to ensure that enrollment loss in Minnesota’s schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic does not negatively impact students. The per-pupil nature of the education funding formula means that—without additional support—last year’s drop in student enrollment would impact the number of funding schools receive to operate their schools and support student learning. On average, one student in Minnesota public schools generates roughly $10,286 in general education revenue. 

Driving Workforce Development

The Governor’s allocation of American Rescue Plan funds will boost Minnesota’s economy by increasing the number of qualified workers for high-need career areas, like health care, business, education, and industry and technology. The $35 million investment will provide tuition-free paths for students at a Tribal College or public institutions earning a credential or degree for jobs such as nursing, accounting, teaching, engineering, and firefighting. Eligibility for Minnesota Future Together Grants will be determined based on a student’s financial aid profile and awarded starting in spring 2022. For more information, visit the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

Sheltering the Most Vulnerable Before Winter

$10 million in American Rescue Plan funds will be managed through an interagency, interdisciplinary state homeless shelter emergency response team focused on helping shelters prepare and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, particularly as the Delta variant increases case counts across the state. The funds will cover staffing and hazard pay to keep shelters operating with the needed personnel, room leasing costs to establish shelter capacity to deconcentrate shelters or create protective or isolation options for people experiencing homelessness, and other costs for supplies needed to sustain congregate shelter operations, including air filtration, personal protective equipment, or food for those residing in isolation space.

In total, President Biden’s plan provides $8.5 billion to Minnesota to support COVID-19 recovery efforts. This includes $2.132 billion to local governments, $2.833 billion to the state government, and $3.505 billion for existing federally-funded programs to help Minnesotans impacted the most during the pandemic. State leaders agreed to divide the state’s $2.833 billion into three categories: immediate COVID-19 response ($500 million, which includes Governor Walz’s allocation of $106 million announced today), long-term pandemic recovery ($1.150 billion, to be allocated during the 2022 state legislative session), and state revenue replacement ($1.183 billion).

Additional allocations of the $500 million reserved for immediate COVID-19 response will be announced in the coming months as the state continues to navigate the challenges brought by the COVID-19 virus.

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The Minnesota Department of Health has released the COVID numbers for today (September 3, 2021) and the State is reporting 2,138 new cases with 5 new deaths. Polk County has 17 new cases, – Pennington County 31, – Marshall County 8, – Red Lake County 5, – Norman County 3, – and Mahnomen County 1.

All the information is below.

Updated September 3, 2021
Updated weekdays at 11 a.m., with data current as of 4 a.m. the previous business day.
In observance of the holiday, we will not be updating the data on this page on Monday, September 6. Updates will resume on Tuesday, September 7.

Testing

Minnesota Case Overview

Patients no longer needing isolation

Deaths

Hospitalizations

Case Demographics

Age

Gender

Race & Ethnicity

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.

Residence Type

• MN DOC: COVID-19 Testing of People Incarcerated in MN Prisons

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