Month: December 2021

Anglers in some parts of Minnesota have been venturing onto the ice for several weeks, while water remains open in other parts of the state. So far in December, weather in the state—which has included rain, snow, and fluctuating temperatures—has affected ice-making and impacted ice that’s already formed.

As a result, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stresses the importance of checking ice thickness with a spud bar, auger, or other devices before stepping out onto it. Do not rely on other people’s footprints, tracks, or social media posts.

Anglers and others who recreate on the ice should stay on shore until there’s at least
4 inches of new, clear ice. A minimum of 5 to 7 inches of ice is necessary to support an all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile, and there should be at least a foot before hauling out a truck or wheelhouse-type fishing shelter. People should check the thickness of the ice regularly since it can be highly variable even on the same body of water.

“The week between Christmas and New Year’s is typically the kickoff of the ‘wheelhouse season,’ and we anticipate it’ll be the same this year, especially in the northern part of the state,” said Col. Rodmen Smith, DNR Enforcement Division director. “Whether you’re walking onto the ice or hauling out a shelter you’ll sleep in, checking the ice thickness regularly is absolutely vital and one of the easiest ways to ensure tragedy doesn’t strike before you arrive at your fishing spot.”

Each year, unexpected falls through thin ice lead to serious injury or death. Wearing a life jacket is the best way to avert tragedy should someone fall through the ice, since the initial shock of falling into cold water can incapacitate even strong swimmers. A good set of ice picks will help a person get out, and a cell phone, whistle, or other communications device makes it more likely they’ll be able to call for help.

General ice safety guidelines
No ice can ever be considered “safe ice,” but following these guidelines can help minimize the risk:

• Always wear a life jacket or float coat on the ice (except when in a vehicle).
• Carry ice picks, rope, an ice chisel and tape measure.
• Check ice thickness at regular intervals; conditions can change quickly.
• Bring a cell phone or personal locator beacon.
• Don’t go out alone; let someone know about trip plans and expected return time.
• Before heading out, inquire about conditions and known hazards with local experts.

The minimum ice thickness guidelines for new, clear ice are:

• 4 inches for ice fishing or other activities on foot.
• 5-7 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle.
• 8-12 inches for a car or small pickup.
• 12-15 inches for a medium truck.
• Double these minimums for white or snow-covered ice.

The post MN DNR CAUTIONS ABOUT UNEVEN CONDITIONS AS ICE SEASON GETS UNDERWAY appeared first on KROX.

Altru will adjust hours and close clinics, outpatient and retail services during the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Some services will remain open, as detailed below:

The Express Clinic at Altru Professional Center located at 4440 S. Washington St. will be open through the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends with regular business hours:

• Monday – Thursday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday – Sunday | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Altru Retail Pharmacy will be open Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Patients also have the following options available during the holiday weekends:

Express Video Visits:

• Available every day 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Altru’s Emergency Department:

• Open 24/7

In the event of an emergency, please call 911.

All other clinics, support departments, and non-patient care areas not required to provide patient care support 24/7 will be closed Friday, December 24, and Friday, December 31.

The post ALTRU ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY HOURS IN OBSERVANCE OF THE WINTER HOLIDAYS appeared first on KROX.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, his wife and son have tested positive for COVID and today he released the following statement-

“Yesterday, my 9th grade son tested positive for COVID-19. Gwen and I were both tested that same day, and after initially testing negative yesterday morning, last night we received positive COVID-19 tests. Thankfully, my son has mild symptoms and Gwen and I have no symptoms,” said Governor Walz. “My son is vaccinated, and Gwen and I are vaccinated and have received our booster shots, and I am confident that these vaccines are protecting my family and me from serious illness. My family and I are isolating, and I will continue to work from home until I feel better and test negative for the virus. In the meantime, I encourage every Minnesotan to get tested before the holidays, and to roll up their sleeves and get their vaccine and their booster to ensure they, too, have strong protection against COVID-19.”

The post GOVERNOR WALZ, HIS WIFE, AND SON TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID appeared first on KROX.

The City of Crookston will conduct Downtown snow removal on all north/south streets beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and east/west streets beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday night/Thursday morning barring unforeseen heavy snowfall or other emergencies.

Vehicles on these streets will be towed if not moved.

The post CITY OF CROOKSTON WILL CONDUCT DOWNTOWN SNOW REMOVAL BEGINNING TONIGHT appeared first on KROX.

Staff from the Tri-Valley Opportunity Council’s Administrative Offices were recently able to donate over 40 pillows and non-perishable food items to the Crookston Care and Share.

Pictured below are Amy Theis, Brian Halos & Kristal Paul with some of the pillows.

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The post TRI-VALLEY OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL DONATES 40 PILLOWS TO CROOKSTON CARE AND SHARE appeared first on KROX.

Today, December 21, from approximately 12:00-4:00 p.m. the Grand Forks Regional SWAT Team, in conjunction with the Crookston Police Department, will be training in the 300 block of Hurlbut St. in Crookston near the intersection with Holly Ave.

This training will be a SIMULATED critical incident response scenario.

During this training you may see and hear the following:

• SWAT Operators, Uniformed Personnel, Training Officers,
• SWAT Vehicles, Fully-Marked and Un-Marked Law Enforcement vehicles,
• Yelling/shouting,
• Simulated gunfire,

The following is not intended to be a part of the training:

• Police Sirens,
• Light/Sound Distraction Devices,
• Outside exercises

One Crookston Police Officer is a member of the SWAT team and one officer is a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team. These teams are part of the larger Grand Forks Regional Special Operations Group that also consists of a Bomb and Explosive Response Team, Unmanned Aerial Systems Team, and Water Rescue and Recovery Team.

If you have any questions or would like further explanation of the training, please call the Crookston Police Department at 218-281-3111.

The post CROOKSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT CONDUCTING SWAT TRAINING TODAY appeared first on KROX.

Crookston Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Olson released a December Community Communication yesterday. It can be found down below –

Season’s greetings from Crookston Public Schools! The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year as it is a time when families come together and celebrate family traditions. It is my hope that the sense of coming together extends beyond our families this year and allows us to come together as a community and as a nation. The past two years have at times been divisive as differences in value systems and beliefs have been amplified. Now is a perfect time of year to put in the past the issues that have divided us and come together as a community as we celebrate this very special time of year. 

Here are a couple of highlights from Crookston Public Schools:

Crookston Public Schools is embarking on a vision to change our school’s configurations. We are developing a middle school model housed out of the high school that would be self-contained for 6-8th grade students. We are also planning on adding a Preschool addition onto Highland Elementary School which will allow Highland to house PreK-5th grade. 

Highland was recognized as a “Best Elementary School” this year. This designation means that Highland Elementary School is ranked by US News and World Report in the top 30% of elementary schools in Minnesota. This is a huge honor for all the students and staff at Highland as well as for the community of Crookston!

Crookston Public Schools Transportation Dept. has added a bus route app for parents. To download the app and for instructions in both English and Spanish, you can visit our website at https://www.crookston.k12.mn.us/departments-transportation . This app allows you to get texts when the bus is within a certain distance that you specify in the app settings. The app will also allow you to see where your child’s bus is at. This becomes especially handy during extreme weather conditions as we don’t want kids standing out in the cold for any longer than needed. We hope that you will enjoy this app as we continue to improve our transportation services to parents. 

When we come back to school, our school’s safety plan will look different. Required masking for K-6 will end at the end of the day on December 22. We will also be ending mandatory quarantines for school contacts. General letters will be sent out so that parents still will know if their child was potentially exposed to covid. Household contacts will still be required to quarantine due to the exposure duration and risk of spread within household contacts. As a school and community, we are working to learn to live with covid. A reminder that vaccination is available for all school-age children 5 years old and up. We do encourage parents to consider vaccination of their students as a measure to protect against covid-19. The district is not mandating this vaccine; however, we are asking parents to make an informed decision on whether or not to vaccinate your children.

At the last school board meeting, the School Board determined to under levy taxes for the upcoming school year. This decision was an attempt to reduce the impact that we are seeing with higher valuations throughout the district. The School Board has been extremely diligent in trying to be reasonable with taxation and judicious with the resources that we have. Earlier this year, the board refunded bonds to further decrease the tax impact on residents. 

If you have any questions or would like to talk further about Crookston Public Schools feel free to contact me at 218-770-8717 or email me at jeremyolson@isd593.org. Have a great holiday season and best wishes from Crookston Public Schools! 

The post CROOKSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS DECEMBER COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION appeared first on KROX.