Month: January 2022

The Crookston School Board held an organizational meeting on Wednesday night inside the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra Room. The meeting began with electing the School Board Chair, Treasurer, and Clerk for 2022. The three individuals that were selected to serve in those roles are listed below –

• School Board Chair: Frank Fee
• School Board Treasurer: Tim Dufault
• School Board Clerk: Adrianne Winger

Fee, Dufault, and Winger are all keeping their role from 2021, and Crookston Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Olson explained the excellent job they’ve all done serving the School District. “Our board has done a great job of working together and getting things done,” said Olson. “So, I was very happy to see the positions stay the same. Frank (Fee) has done a great job in the past in the chair position and working closely with me, and he’s been a great leader. I think we’ve worked very well together strategically to move the district forward.”

The biggest item on the agenda was to approve a School Board Policy from the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) that will go into effect on January 10. The policy is regarding a COVID-19 mandate from OSHA that would require a business or organization with 100 or more employees to have all employees be vaccinated or wear a mask and provide a negative test once a week.

The Crookston School District has around 250 employees, and a policy will need to be put into place before January 10. Failure to comply will result in a fine for the district, with the exact cost of the fine unknown at this time. The board had two options to choose from, and Olson explained the policy that the School Board passed. “This new policy is to comply with the law,” said Olson. “This is a temporary measure from OSHA that all employers that have 100 or more employees must comply with. The board adopted the friendliest policy for our employees under the law. The policy gives staff members who are unvaccinated the opportunity to wear a mask and test weekly rather than simply be terminated.”

If a staff member refuses to get vaccinated or to comply with masking and testing, they will be sent home and subject to disciplinary measures. Olson noted some money has been secured to pay for the testing that would be required with the mandate in place, but alternative options and funding will need to be secured in the future. “This pod of money we have was actually for testing prior to this mandate,” said Olson. “We already have secured the funding for it, and we are holding it now so that we can use it for this and not put the cost on our employees because we want to keep our employees. We will need to have another conversation once that money runs out to discuss how we would like to proceed forward with providing testing.”

The School Board’s biggest concern is losing teachers and staff due to the mandate. The other policy the school district could have chosen would’ve required all staff to be vaccinated or simply terminated. The policy will go into effect on January 10 unless the courts stop the mandate.

The next item on the agenda was designating the School District’s official law firms for 2022. The board voted unanimously for Fischer, Rust, Stock & Rust. PLLC, and the law firm of Ratwik, Roszak, & Maloney, PA. to be the School Districts official law firms in 2022. The board then voted unanimously to designate KROX and the Crookston Times as the School District’s official media outlets.

Following that, the board also agreed on the proposed meeting dates and times for 2022. The School Board meetings in 2022 will be held on the fourth Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m., and the Truth in Taxation Hearing will be held on December 12 at 6:00 p.m.

A closed session was called after the adjournment of the meeting for the School Board to review Superintendent Jeremy Olson’s performance. School Board Chair Frank Fee said the board found Olson’s performance very strong. “It’s just like the last evaluation; he comes out very strong in all categories,” said Fee. “Covid has thrown a loop into testing scores, so we will need to improve that, but otherwise, he came out strong once again.”

The next school board meeting will be on Monday, January 24, at 5:00 p.m. inside the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra room.

The post CROOKSTON SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES MSBA POLICY FOR OSHA COVID-19 MANDATE appeared first on KROX.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning for their first meeting of 2022. The meeting began with the reappointment of Commissioner Warren Strandell to the MPO, which the board approved unanimously.

POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Administrative Sergeant Jesse Haugen sought approval to purchase 10 APX Portable 800 Radios, Chargers, and Wireless Microphones. Haugen explained the department’s need for the items. “Our patrolmen use these radios every day,” said Haugen. “In 2023, the model we have is going to no longer be replaced or able to be fixed. So, at this time, we need to purchase these new radios to offset that issue once we hit 2023.”

The board approved the request, and the money allocated to purchase the items is $56,280. Haugen also provided an Enterprise Vehicle Fleet Update. “Overall, our fleet is in pretty good shape,” We have a lot of vehicles that we use daily that are under 50,000 miles. Then there are a few between 75,000-100,000 and a couple over 100,000, but those aren’t being used every day. There are also a few that are in the process of being stripped down and being sold, but overall are fleet is in good shape.”

Haugen’s update was informational only, and no action was needed from the board.

RICHARD SANDERS HIGHWAY

Polk County Engineer Richard Sanders brought a few items for approval before the board. The first was for the board to approve out-of-state travel in 2022. The board approved the request unanimously. The second request was to designate a Ditch Inspector and Ag Inspector for Polk County. “State Statute requires the County to appoint someone as those inspectors each year,” said Sanders. “This year, I was appointed so that I will be doing it, and it will just fall under the County Engineer’s duties.”

The next item from Sanders was to receive approval for advertising and filling a Project Engineer Position within the Polk County Public Works Department. The board approved the request. Sanders then brought a resolution to the board for a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Project for the City of Fosston. “Fosston is applying for an SRTS grant,” said Sanders. “Because they are a city of less than 5,000, they need the county to sponsor the project to receive federal funding. The project will be some sidewalk work between the High School and Football field in town.”

The board approved the resolution for Polk County to sponsor the project.

POLK COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CHUCK WHITING

Polk County Administrator Chuck Whiting had a couple of smaller requests for the board to approve. The first was to approve the 2022 Mileage, Meals, and Lodging Reimbursement Rates. The board approved the requests unanimously. The federal government sets these rates in Minnesota.

Another request the board approved from Whiting was an amended Lake Agassiz Regional Library Joint Powers Agreement. The differences in the amended agreement will align with what other counties are doing and provide some cost savings. Whiting then presented the board with the 2022 Work Plan and a few things the county will be working on. “We are currently monitoring what we need to do to comply with OSHA Covid workplace requirements,” said Whiting. “This is happening very fast, so we have some work to do there. We are still working on ARP Funding and ways we can use that. We’re working on some capital building projects, filling some positions, so there is no shortage of things to do. Holiday break is over, so work begins again.”

OTHER ITEMS

Other items included Karen Warmack of Social Services and a resolution to designate a newspaper as the Polk County Official Newspaper. Warmack sought approval for a Social Worker Replacement Request and two Eligibility Worker Replacement Requests. The board approved all three requests unanimously. Warmack was also seeking approval on a Personal Money Management contract to provide money management assistance to eligible individuals to help stabilize economic functioning by providing financial counseling and vendor payments in the amount of $15,000. The board also approved this request.

The board then heard the bids for the Official Newspaper Publication for Polk County in 2022. The Fertile Journey has been designated by the board as the official Newspaper Publication for their offer of $2.45 per column inch.

The meeting ended with the board congratulating and thanking Laurie Anderson for 45 years of service with Polk County. Anderson has been the Administrative Assistant for the Polk County Veterans Office for the past 11 years. She worked in the Auditor’s office for the previous 34 years. She says it’s been some of the best years of her life. “When I first started, everything was manual,” said Anderson. “It’s been really interesting to see all the changes over the years. I always had a heart for our country and veterans, and this has been the best 11 years imaginable. I have loved working with the veterans, and I am going to miss them very much.”

Anderson’s last day will be on Monday, January 10. The next board meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 18.

 

The post POLK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HOLD FIRST MEETING OF 2022 appeared first on KROX.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol have lifted the no travel advisory on Highway 2 from East Grand Forks to Crookston. The highway was under no travel advisory due to blizzard conditions earlier today.

Motorists should continue to use caution when traveling, especially in open areas with no windbreaks and reduced visibility.

After a storm motorists should:

• Check road conditions at www.511mn.org or call 511; it takes time to get roads back to good driving conditions.
• Be patient and remember snowplows are working to improve road conditions for their trip.
• Stay back at least 10 car lengths behind the plow, far from the snow cloud.
• Stay alert for snowplows that turn or exit frequently and often with little warning. Plows may also travel over centerlines or partially in traffic to further improve road conditions.
• Slow down to a safe speed for current conditions. Snowplows typically move at slower speeds.

For additional tips on safe winter driving, go to www.mndot.gov/workzone/winter.html.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.

The post NO TRAVEL ADVISORY LIFTED ON HIGHWAY 2 FROM EAST GRAND FORKS TO CROOKSTON appeared first on KROX.

The Fertile Public Library will host two workshops highlighting the many ways a library card can improve a person’s life. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions and join library staff to learn more about the thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, eMagazines, movies, and more which can be accessed with a library card. The workshops will be offered free of charge with no registration required on Tuesday, January 11, at 11:00 a.m. and Thursday, January 13, at 1:00 p.m. Those interested in signing up for a free library card can do so by stopping by the library, located at 101 Mill St. S. or by visiting larl.org/applyonline. 

About Lake Agassiz Regional Library
Lake Agassiz Regional Library is a consolidated public library system comprised of 13 branch libraries and nine LINK sites serving the residents of seven counties in northwest Minnesota. For more information on this and other LARL events and services, contact the Lake Agassiz Regional Library office at 218-233-3757 or online at www.larl.org.

The post FERTILE PUBLIC LIBRARY HOSTING WORKSHOPS TO HIGHLIGHT THE VALUE OF A LIBRARY CARD appeared first on KROX.

The Minnesota Department of Health released the COVID-19 numbers for today and the state reported 4,149 cases with 71 deaths. 0 deaths were reported in northwest Minnesota. Polk County reported 6 new cases with five probable, Beltrami County 1 with twenty-five probable, Roseau County had 1 with five probable, and Red Lake County had 1 with one probable. All the information can be found down 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

Total approximate completed tests (cumulative)	16,343,174
Total approximate number of completed PCR tests (cumulative)	14,044,800
Total approximate number of completed antigen tests (cumulative)	2,298,374

Minnesota Case Overview

Total positive cases, including reinfections (cumulative)	1,049,310

Total confirmed cases (PCR positive) (cumulative)	920,532
Total probable cases (Antigen positive) (cumulative)	128,778

Total positive people (cumulative)	1,032,397

Total number of reinfections (cumulative)	16,913

Cases no longer needing isolation

Cases no longer needing isolation (cumulative)	1,005,213

Deaths

Total deaths (cumulative)	10,671

Deaths from confirmed cases (cumulative)	10,018
Deaths from probable cases (cumulative)	653

Total non-laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths (death certificate) (cumulative)	140

Deaths among cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities (cumulative)	5,183

Hospitalizations

Total cases hospitalized (cumulative)	51,323
Total cases hospitalized in ICU (cumulative)	10,053

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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The post MINNESOTA REPORTS 4,149 NEW COVID CASES AND 71 DEATHS, POLK COUNTY HAS 11 NEW CASES appeared first on KROX.

The Grand Forks Fire Department is asking residents to do their best to keep snow cleared around their neighborhood fire hydrants. This will allow firefighters quicker access to the hydrants in case of emergency.  

City crews from the Water Maintenance Department are also clearing snow around hydrants on the major thoroughfares in the city. They are asking for assistance in clearing hydrants in residential neighborhoods.  

With more snow sure to be on the way, this valuable public service will protect your family and neighbors.   

The post GRAND FORKS FIRE DEPARTMENT ASKING FOR HELP KEEPING SNOW REMOVED FROM AROUND FIRE HYDRANTS appeared first on KROX.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol announced no travel advised on Highway 2 from East Grand Forks to Crookston in northwest Minnesota due to high winds and blowing snow causing no visibility. Snowplows will continue to operate, but motorists are advised not to travel until conditions improve.

For tips on safe winter driving, go to www.mndot.gov/workzone/winter.html.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.

The post NO TRAVEL ADVISED ON HIGHWAY 2 FROM EAST GRAND FORKS TO CROOKSTON appeared first on KROX.