Month: March 2022

The Polk County Veterans Benefit Fair is returning after two years at the Crookston National Guard Armory on Friday, April 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (and it is no April Fool’s joke either). The Fair is for veterans and their families to learn about benefits they and their families can receive for their service, but the Fair is open to the public to come as well, and admission is free to all. The Fair will also serve a free lunch for the veterans and their families, courtesy of the Irishman Shanty, which will be pulled pork and egg salad sandwiches for those participating in Lent.

According to Polk County Veterans Office member Kurt Ellefson, the Fair will have over 30 vendors with specific veteran benefits that veterans and veteran families can go to learn about and choose whatever benefit or benefits they wish to enroll for. “We have about 30 vendors coming, all of which have Veteran’s benefits that they specify with. Like Middle River Veterans Outdoors that takes veterans hunting and fishing.” Ellefson explained, “We have Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs coming as well, where they talk about education benefits and grants for dental to optical service. Out of all the 30 vendors, they’re here to represent the benefits they have for veterans. So, people can come and go to the vendors they want to see and ask questions of what they get.” Ellefson claimed that they have around 30 vendors but says that if there are any veterans benefit vendors that would like to participate in the event, to let him know before the day of the Fair to see if he can fit them into the Fair. Certain vendors and booths will also be accepting donations for their organizations, such as the Vietnam Veteran Motorcycle Association out of Polk County for their events, as well as the Disabled American Veterans Organization and other vendors that will have donation requests throughout the Fair.

The current list of vendors is: Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, Chapter 14 DAV Post, Auxiliary, and DAV Transportation, County Veteran Service Officers, Crookston VFW Post, and Auxiliary, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Fargo VA Health Care System with programs such as Suicide Prevention, Caregiver Support, My HealtheVet, Women Veteran Programs, and Medical Foster Home, and Veteran Administration Homeless Program. MDVA- Veterans Nursing Homes, Lutheran Social Service, Middle River Veterans Outdoors, MDVA/American Legion Regional Office, MDVA Education, ND Job Services, Polk County Social Services, Employers looking to hire Veterans, and many more.

Ellefson noted that while the event has been on an involuntary hiatus due to COVID-19, the event is coming back with more vendors than ever before and believes that this trend will continue into the future. “One thing I noticed is that in our last event in 2019, we had about 20 vendors, and this time we have 30.” Ellefson noted, “So, I’ve seen a big increase in vendors who want to be a part of this event, and I’m expecting that to grow every year. So, I’m thinking that every year that this event is going to keep growing.” Ellefson noted that not only has the number of vendors been growing over the years, but he expects the number of veterans to rise as well. Noting that in 2019, around 70 veterans came to the Fair and expects there to be as much if not more for this year’s event that are hungry to learn about the benefits they can receive. “Every Veteran’s a little different, so when a veteran walks into the door, they’re specifically looking for a certain vendor.” Ellefson explained, “So, I think that the Veterans love it, the ones that actually show and participate in them, they love it, and they always learn something new. I guarantee that if anybody comes to this event, you will learn one new thing about Veteran’s benefits. I guarantee it.”

The Polk County Benefits Fair will be held on Friday, April 1, in the Crookston National Guard Armory from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Admission is open and free to the public, especially veterans and their families. If you have any questions about the event or would like to be a vendor for the event, you can reach Kurt Ellefson and the Polk County Veterans Office at 218-281-3066.

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Crews will be closing S. 4^th St. from Bruce St. to the north entrance of the parking lot for the Grand Forks Courthouse on Tuesday, March 29.

The closure is to allow a crane to install equipment on the roof of the Grand Forks County Courthouse.

The closure will be in place for one day.

The post ROAD CLOSURE IN GRAND FORKS- S. 4TH ST. appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston City Council will meet on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. inside the City Hall Council Chambers.

The Consent Agenda includes the approval of the proposed City Council meeting minutes from March 14, and approval of all City of Crookston Bills and Disbursements in the amount of $121,075.76. The Consent Agenda will also include the continuation of a Resolution to approve 2022 license renewals for Gas Fitting and Cement Mason Licenses from their meeting on February 14th.

The Board will then listen to Public Hearings with respect to amending the City Code Chapter 11 Entitled “Ward Boundaries.”

The Regular Agenda includes a resolution establishing Precincts and Polling Places as well as the second and final reading of an ordinance of the City of Crookston, amending the “Ward Boundaries” section. It will then include a resolution to approve the Conservation Reserve Program contract located at Natures View Estate Plat. 5, a contract with S.E.H. for a Crookston Airport Zoning Ordinance update, and the authorization to execute a Minnesota Department of Transportation Agency Agreement for a Federal Airport Expenses reimbursement for the Airport Rescue Grant for up to $32,000. They will finish the meeting with a resolution Obligating and Authorizing Expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds and to approve the Crookston Sports Center Concession and Advertising Lease.

The next City Council meeting will take place on Monday, April 11th, at 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers.

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The Crookston School Board will meet on Monday night at 5:00 p.m. inside the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra room. The meeting will open with public hearings to any visitors that wish to share any concerns with the Board.

The Consent Agenda will include the approval of the meeting minutes of the meeting that took place on February 28th and all of the current bills. It will also include the acceptance of resignation letters from CHS Head Cook Christine Erdmann, Kitchen Helper Cassandra Torkelson, Special Services Administrator Assistant Jodi Clauson, Junior High Football Coach Don Edlund, and Paraprofessional at Washington Elementary School Shelly Pahlen. The Board will then approve the applications of Bus Driver Scott Johnson, Highland School Paraprofessional Sandy Seregin, and Activities Director and Head Football Coach Nathan Lubarski.

The Main Agenda will include approving an application for the Achievement and Integration Program as well as the purchase of a Safe Schools Zone sign for Fisher Avenue. The Main Agenda will also include the approval of a building lease between the School District and all four Learning Childcare Centers at Washington Elementary as well as a proposed trip to Europe in June 2024, and the second reading of Policy updates 703, 707, 709, 713, 721, 730, 802, 903, and 905 as recommended by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) and to remove policies 734 and 735. The Main Agenda will also include the approval of the certified Certificate of Compliance presented by the American Indian Parent Action Committee (AIPAC) as well as the revised Academic Calendar for the 2022-2023 School Year.

The Board will then hear Administrative Reports from Washington School Principal Denice Oliver, Highland Elementary Principal Chris Trostad, and Crookston High School Principal Nicki Martinez about events and progress at their respective schools. Crookston Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Olson will also give a report about actions and plans for the school district.

The next School Board meeting will take place on Monday, April 25, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. at the High School Choir/Orchestra Room.

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When Lynette (Amundson) Flage first arrived on the campus of the University of Minnesota Crookston, a two-year technical college, in 1981, she never imagined the career that would be in store for her. Flage initially had the vision of being a family and consumer science teacher. The development of the family, the home, and educating others always excited her. It just so happened her career turned down a different path, but still with an important lifelong emphasis on education. Flage has made a career as an extension educator and is currently serving as the Associate Director for North Dakota State University Extension. 

Flage, a Red Lake Falls native, had been very involved in the Future Homemakers of America (FHA) at the Red Lake Falls High School. When it came time to decide on her next step, she found her way to the University of Minnesota Crookston and the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management program.

“I have always felt strongly about the development of the home and the family,” Flage stated. “Whether it was family resource development, food and nutrition, or human development, they were all important life skills. I highly valued the work and highly valued those courses. The fact that Crookston was nearby and had the opportunity for Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, I knew I could learn more, and it could help me bring nutrition and human development together.”

After finishing her two years at UNM Crookston, Flage attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks to complete her bachelor’s degree in home economics education. Her path toward becoming a teacher changed near the end of her time at UND after she had the opportunity to back-fill a position in extension for Grand Forks County. That opportunity changed the trajectory of her professional life.

“I back-filled for an extension agent in the family and consumer science area, and I loved it,” Flage remarked. “That was it. Extension is what I wanted to do. I love that we can help people, which brought me back to my roots of feeling strongly about teaching others to have skills for life. I found extension to be an amazing opportunity.”

Though she went a different route with her career, Flage still holds her time at UMN Crookston dearly. One major takeaway from her time in Crookston was the importance of customer service.

“My time at UMC instilled many core values, including the importance of building effective teams and always providing exceptional customer service,” Flage stated. “Those are ideas I continue to value and talk about to this day within extension. When in Crookston and taking the restaurant operations course, I recall conversations about the importance of the team and great customer service to those who attended the restaurant scenario we provided. Regardless of what business you are in, teamwork and customer service are important.”

Flage’s career in extension has been at a variety of levels, including at the county level as an agent, and a specialist, working on special projects. A project she continues to hold close to her heart was entitled “Horizons,” where the focus was to build local leaders to help reduce poverty in communities.

“One of the most rewarding projects I was a part of during my time in Pembina Country was Horizons,” Flage said. “Horizons involved working with eight other states in the northwestern United States, a territory that spanned from Washington and Oregon in the west to Minnesota and Iowa in the east. The project was a partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation for a ten-year period, and the mission was to build local leaders to reduce poverty in rural communities. We had 46 communities in North Dakota that got involved, and I had the opportunity to lead this and partner with many other extension professionals from the eight states, as well as staff at the Foundation. We were able to do great work in our communities through leadership development and capacity building for people and communities. It was such a rewarding project for me, and while it ended in 2010, people from the communities involved still talk about it. I feel really good about the work we were able to do to help build leaders working to further develop healthy, thriving places.”

Flage’s focus within extension has changed slightly now that she is in a leadership capacity at NDSU. She misses the direct educational opportunities she had while serving in a county and as a specialist with Horizons, but now she has the opportunity to work with the entire NDSU Extension community.

“We have close to 250 people across North Dakota doing extension work,” Flage stated. “What is most rewarding for me now is that I get to share the great impacts extension personnel have, along with the public and private value they provide. I am very proud and honored to be able to serve the organization in this way and do not think I would have been prepared for this leadership role if I hadn’t been involved in the multiple positions I’ve had in extension. Starting my career in a county, transitioning to specialist work, and then to mid-management have all helped me in this role as associate director for NDSU Extension. Having all of these opportunities within the organization has helped me be able to talk about the incredible work that goes on in this system, in a way that is passionate and heartfelt.”

While Flage’s journey may have been different than initially planned, it has been a phenomenal one full of rewarding experiences. She never saw this opportunity within extension coming, but it has been a fulfilling time in her life.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams I would have the chance to do this, but I am excited that I can help share this important work across the state. Our mission at NDSU Extension is to empower people to change their lives and communities through science-based education, and because this mission and experiences are so rewarding, it makes it easy for me to come to work every day. Every day brings something new and exciting.”

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