Month: December 2021

The Minnesota Department of Health released the COVID-19 numbers for today and the state reported 3,378 cases with 52 deaths. 2 deaths were reported in northwest Minnesota, both in Beltrami County. Polk County reported 11 new cases with two probable, Roseau County had 5 with one probable, Mahnomen County had 3 with one probable, Marshall County had 3 with two probable, Norman County had 2, Pennington County had 1, and Red Lake County had 1.

All the information is below –

Data is for cases that were tested and returned positive. At-home test results are not counted by MDH.

All data is preliminary and may change as cases are investigated. Many data points are collected through an online survey or during case interviews; however, not all cases are interviewed. Case interviews are focused on people under 18 years old, hospitalizations, deaths, and people with vaccine breakthrough or variants. Data presented below is for all cases, regardless of interview status.

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.

Testing

Minnesota Case Overview

Cases no longer needing isolation

Deaths

Hospitalizations

Case Demographics

Age

Gender

Race & Ethnicity

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.

As of 10/28/21, likely exposure and residence type are no longer collected for all cases and therefore no longer reported. Archived data can be found in the COVID-19 Weekly Report.

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In an effort to increase accessibility to treatment options, RiverView Recovery Center offers chemical health assessments, also known as Minnesota Rule 25, on a telehealth basis over the Zoom application.

A chemical health assessment is the first step in receiving treatment and is often a requirement for those in the court system. The assessment helps determine whether the individual needs treatment and if so, what type of treatment will be most beneficial.

Telehealth assessments are provided at various times and on various days, originating from all four of the RiverView Recovery locations (Crookston, East Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, and Roseau). The assessment takes approximately two hours and is done by licensed staff.

RiverView Recovery Center accepts most insurances, credit/debit cards, check, or cash. Discounts may apply. For more information on a chemical health assessment or other services offered over telehealth at RiverView Recovery Center, call 281-9511.

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The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning inside the Polk County Government Center for their last meeting of 2021.

2022 BUDGET APPROVAL

The board officially approved the 2022 budget, 2022 Net Levy, 2022 Commissioners Salary/Per Diem, and set the 2022 Wage Grid for the County Administrator, Department Heads, and other Non-Union Personnel. The total operating budget for the County in 2022 is $74,127,971.

The initial Net Levy was set at 4.6% increase and has since been reduced to a 3.5% increase for the 2022 budget. Polk County Administrator Chuck Whiting discussed some of the cuts made to reduce the levy down to 3.5%. “It wasn’t as much cutting as it was just taking capital expenses out,” said Whiting. “We think we can finance those things differently for the 2022 budget. A lot of it was applying how we could use the American Relief Program money. It was pretty straightforward this year.”

Whiting said the bigger question this year had to do with setting the wage grids. “The real big question was what wages were going to be because we were negotiating our union contracts,” said Whiting. “Once those started to work themselves out, we were able to finish putting together the budget.”

Whiting said there were a few changes to the wage grids in this year’s budget, and the changes should help hire and retain employees moving forward. The board also approved the list of new positions and changes, effective in the 2022 budget.

JON STEINER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Jon Steiner of Environmental Services asked the board to authorize Polk County Environmental Services to apply for and participate in a Greater Minnesota Recycling Grant Project compromised of nine counties. Steiner explained what the grant project is. “We’ve applied for these grants before, and Polk County has gotten them before a part of our six-county group we participate in,” said Steiner. “It’s a competitive grant project, and it revolves around construction, demolition, and debris. There are a lot of facilities around the area that are going to be closing soon, so this is looking at options and proposals around the region. The benefit to Polk County is that if there are no options available, it will go out to Fosston and tear apart our processing equipment out there. So that’s a primary interest in the grant and trying to come up with solutions to the facilities closing.”

The board approved the request unanimously. Steiner was also asking the board to approve the releasing of retainage on the Polk County Transfer Site Improvement Project for $42,483. “The project was the expansion of the compost area,” said Steiner. “When we built the new transfer station out there, we constructed a temporary area for the compost, and it never set up the way it was supposed to. We enlarged the area, so it’s all concrete out there now. So now that the project is done, we owe the contractor R.J. Zavarol & Sons the rest of their money for completing it.”

Steiner noted it’s standard procedure to release the last 10% of what is owed to the contractor after the project, and the board approved the request unanimously.

RICHARD SANDERS HIGHWAY

Polk County Engineer Richard Sanders had two resolutions for the commissioners to approve. Both were related to the city of Fisher, and Sanders explained what the resolutions were for. “The city of Fisher is a town less than 5,000 in population, which means they can’t receive federal funds on their own,” said Sanders. “So, they go through us, and we sponsor their projects when they need federal funding. They will be doing a project where they’ll be redoing the city’s sidewalks, and the project would be 80% federally funded. So, they’ll need us to sponsor the project, and the board passed a resolution this afternoon so we can sponsor that project, and the city of Fisher can move forward in January with applying for the funds.”

The second resolution was a requirement from the federal highway department stating that the sidewalks must be maintained if federally funding is received for the project. The board also passed this request with the consent of the city of Fisher, stating they will maintain the sidewalks once the project is complete.

OTHER ITEMS

Other items included a ditch hearing for County Ditch #25. The hearing was held to discuss partial abandonment of parcels in sections 15 and 16 per the request of property owners Dennis Goodyke and Mike Gasper. They plan to operate the ditch as a private ditch instead of a county ditch. After the public hearing was held, the board had a time of discussion and voted 3-2 to postpone the approval of the partial abandonment until legal advice could be sought out. Commissioners Warren Strandell, Mark Holly, and Gerald Jacobson voted to postpone the approval, and Commissioners Gary Willhite and Joan Lee voted against the postponement.

Michele Cote of Property Records gave the board the annual report of the Payment In Lieu Tax. The report was informational only, and no action was needed from the board.

Karen Warmack of Social Services had nine different items and various contracts and agreements for the commissioners to approve. All nine items were approved by the board unanimously.

Polk County Assessor Mark Landsverk sought two approvals from the Board of Commissioners. The first was approval that the board of commissioners acknowledge the list of 2021 abatements. The second was acknowledging the receipt of notification stating that 2021 clerical changes have been made to assessments. The board approved both resolutions.

The meeting ended with the board approving the 2022 meeting dates. The next Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 4, inside the Polk County Government Center.  

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Altru, PCL/Community, a joint venture, JLG Architects and HPLEX are excited to report that the site planning and preparation for Altru’s new hospital is nearing completion, and work on the steel structure will soon resume.

“Over the past few months, our teams have been actively preparing the site, completing off-site fabrication and material preparation,” shares Jonathan Lowery, Area Manager at PCL/Community. “We are happy with our progress thus far and excited to continue the steel installation soon. The basement is currently being heated in preparation for recommencement of slab and steel placement during the winter months.”

Altru’s new hospital design includes seven floors, space for 226 licensed patient beds, a 16-bed observation unit and a focus on innovation, technology and a healing environment. It is slated to open in 2024.

“It is energizing to see the progress being made on our new hospital project,” shares Dr. Steven Weiser, President of Altru.” This facility symbolizes the growth and innovation ahead of us at Altru. We are grateful for the team on this project who have envisioned a state-of-the-art facility that will serve our region for generations to come.”

The post ALTRU PROVIDES UPDATE ON NEW HOSPITAL PROJECT appeared first on KROX.

After President Biden announced new steps to respond to the rising Omicron variant, Governor Tim Walz today reminded Minnesotans about the important, effective steps they can take to celebrate safely this holiday season.

“This week, Minnesotans across the state will gather with loved ones for the holidays, and we all want to celebrate safely. COVID-19 is circulating in Minnesota and the Omicron variant is here, but we have many tools at our disposal to make holiday gatherings safer,” said Governor Walz. “I took advantage of Minnesota’s testing network and learned that I was positive for COVID-19 even though I was asymptomatic. I’m grateful I took that test before gathering with family this year. Take it from me, get tested before you go, get a booster if you haven’t yet, mask when you’re in public, and let’s make sure all Minnesotans can have a safer holiday season.”

The state is encouraging Minnesotans to take the following steps:

• Get Vaccinated. Minnesotans age 5 and up can be vaccinated. Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season—especially those who can’t be vaccinated and children under 5. Find vaccines for the whole family at mn.gov/vaccine.
• Get Boosted. All Minnesotans 16 and older should get a booster when they are due (6 months after receiving Pfizer and Moderna, and 2 months after receiving Johnson & Johnson). Researchers believe the Omicron variant is more transmissible than previous variants, but getting fully vaccinated and boosted significantly increases protection against severe illness or death from infection.
• Get Tested. Even if you’re not experiencing any symptoms, test before holiday gatherings to make sure you’re not spreading the virus to loved ones unknowingly. Take advantage of one of the many free testing options the state has to offer, or head to your local clinic or pharmacy. If you are using an over the counter at-home rapid test, use it as close to your gathering as possible. Testing options are available at mn.gov/covid19.
• Stay Safe. Wear your mask while traveling and in indoor public settings like a grocery store, a shopping mall, or a school. Wash your hands and do your best to avoid crowded indoor spaces before getting together with family and friends—especially high-risk loved ones and children under 5 who can’t be vaccinated. Know the vaccination status of those with whom you are gathering to make sure the whole family is safer when together.

President Biden today announced several steps to respond to the Omicron variant, including expanding testing accessibility and distributing 500 million free rapid tests to Americans; surging vaccinator capacity to states; and deploying emergency federal medical teams to hospitals around the country. 

“President Biden’s announcement today is welcome news for Minnesotans,” said Governor Walz. “Affordable and accessible testing; widely available free and safe vaccines; and emergency assistance for our hospitals are key goals of our COVID-19 response. I urge the Biden administration to move quickly to get these new resources out the door so they can benefit as many Minnesotans as possible, as soon as possible.”

President Biden’s actions complement the Walz-Flanagan Administration’s efforts to expand testing and vaccination options and provide relief to the state’s overwhelmed health care providers:

Expanded Testing

Minnesotans have many testing options available to them:

• The Walz-Flanagan Administration has secured and provided approximately 1.1 million free rapid tests to Minnesotans through our schools, child care providers, and state-run Community Testing sites, 13 of which are now providing rapid testing.
• In addition to rapid testing, PCR saliva testing is available for free at the state’s 21 Community Testing sites.
• Minnesotans can order free, at-home PCR test kits shipped directly to them through the state’s At-Home Testing Program.
• There are over 480 testing sites around the state, meaning Minnesotans can find a convenient testing location near them.

Find a map of these sites and learn more about the at-home testing option, at mn.gov/covid19.

Available Vaccinations

• Minnesota has an extensive network of providers— health care systems, pharmacies, state community sites and clinics, local public health agencies, and tribal health agencies — to ensure the vaccine is accessible to all Minnesotans. A map of providers can found at mn.gov/vaccine.
• To meet the needs of families ahead of the holidays, the state’s Mall of America (MOA) community vaccination site has increased vaccination capacity to 2,300 shots a day. Governor Walz has also secured federal support in the form of 15 FEMA vaccinators to help administer shots at MOA. The MOA site is offering vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds, primary series doses to ages 12 and up, and boosters to Minnesotans age 16 and up. Walk-ins are welcome and appointments can be made here. 

Support for Hospitals

Governor Walz is enacting a multi-faceted campaign to support Minnesota hospitals and long-term care facilities facing high caseloads and worker shortages, including:

• Deploying National Guard skilled-nursing response teams to provide staffing support at long-term care facilities;
• Standing up four alternative care sites to treat non-critical patients who no longer need to be hospitalized;
• Launching an initiative to recruit, train, and deploy 1,000 new certified nursing assistants to Minnesota long-term care facilities;
• Securing federal emergency staffing teams to relieve staff at two Minnesota hospitals;
• Making $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding available for immediate emergency grants to long-term care facilities to hire and retain employees;
• Expanding the Emergency Staffing Pool so that short-term emergency temporary staff could be used to open additional long-term care beds for patients ready to be discharged from a hospital; and
• Directing the Department of Human Services to free up capacity at state-operated long-term care facilities.

“Minnesota has a robust testing and vaccination infrastructure and we’re doing all we can to continue to expand access to all Minnesotans. And we’re fully committed to supporting our healthcare heroes who are stretched thin, but still working so hard to treat sick Minnesotans every single day,” said Governor Walz. “We need the federal government to flood the market with resources to make sure we have the emergency support we need to manage the Omicron variant.”

The post GOVERNOR WALZ ANNOUNCES STEPS MINNESOTANS CAN TAKE TO STAY SAFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON appeared first on KROX.

The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) will convene its 119th annual meeting on January 12, 2022. The meeting, which MCIA encourages all its members to attend, will be held virtually, via Zoom. This virtual venue will be accessible to MCIA’s entire membership, who are located throughout the Upper Midwest.

MCIA staff and board members will lead the meeting from the MCIA office in St. Paul, Minnesota. An informative, 3-hour program is planned for seed producers, conditioners, and representatives from agricultural industries. Along with MCIA’s annual business meeting, the meeting program will include presentations by two guest speakers and MCIA’s Organic Services manager. The announcement of MCIA’s annual Premier and Honorary Premier Seed Grower awards and the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award will conclude the program.

Program Topics and Speakers

• Minnesota Department of Agriculture Update
  Thom Petersen, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• Seed Supply Issues, Unblock the Blockages
  Dr. Michael Boland, Professor, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
• Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of MCIA’s Organic Program
  Michelle Menken, Manager, MCIA Organic Services

Meeting registration is free. Non-MCIA members are welcome to attend. A Zoom meeting registration link and meeting documents are available on the Annual Meeting page of the MCIA website: www.mncia.org/annual-meeting.

Since 1903, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) has provided programs and services to meet the needs of an ever-changing agricultural world. These services include seed certification, organic certification, foundation seed production, and a variety of customized third-party verification programs for seed and identity-preserved grains. MCIA operates from facilities on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus with field staff located throughout Minnesota.

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This morning at Crookston High School, Santa and his elves were handing out candy canes to the students while the Valley Fiddlers played Christmas music! Some pictures can be found down below –

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