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POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S AND WINGER FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPOND TO GARAGE FIRE IN MCINTOSH

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On July 27, at approximately 12:56 p.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Winger Fire Department responded to the report of a garage fire at 24352 400th St SE, rural McIntosh. Upon arrival, the garage and contents of the garage were a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is being investigated by the MN State Fire Marshal. There were no reported injuries resulting from the fire. No further information will be released at this time.

The McIntosh Fire Department and Essentia Ambulance also responded to assist.

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FORMER UMC STUDENT OLIVIA PUTTIN JOINS GOPHERS COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

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Olivia Puttin joined the University of Minnesota Athletic Communication staff today and will serve as the primary media relations contact for the soccer and softball programs.

Puttin returns to Minnesota after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia where she worked with the women’s basketball, soccer and equestrian teams. Puttin is a Rogers, Minn., native and played collegiate soccer at Minnesota Crookston. She was a goalkeeper for the Golden Eagles from 2016-18, and she also worked in the school’s sports information department.

Puttin spent 2019 as a student worker in the athletic communications office at Minnesota’s flagship campus. She worked with Minnesota’s women’s tennis team and worked numerous events and championships hosted by the Gophers. She also was a special events intern at the 3M Open in 2019 before heading to Georgia.

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POLK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS APPROVE FUTURE SPRING EXTERNSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA LAW SCHOOL

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The Polk County Board of Commissioners met inside the Polk County Government Center on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m.

JAMES TADMAN – SHERIFF

The meeting began with Polk County Sheriff James Tadman giving the Monthly Sheriff Reports for June. He reported that they drove a total of 8,990 miles in their transport vehicles for the month, and they took 3,064 calls for the month, with 715 being for Emergency calls and 2,349 being for non-Emergencies. He also reported that they had a total of 117 Services, with 37 of them being for Summons on a complaint. He reported that they had 888 total calls for service, with 252 of them for Civil Process, 248 for Traffic Stops, three gas drive-offs, and that they had found one missing girl. He said it was a busy time of the year, which is normal for June, with people vacationing and using the lakes while some officers try to take vacations themselves.

Retirements, Promotions, and Advertisements

Tadman then asked for a resolution to approve the retirement of Patrol Sergeant Randy Sendrol and to promote a Deputy from the Justice Center to Patrol Deputy. He then asked for a resolution to approve the beginning of the advertisement and the hiring of a new Transport Deputy. His final item was to accept the retirement of Telecommunicator Sheila Menard, who is retiring on Thursday, August 11, and begin the advertisement and hiring process for a new Telecommunicator. The board approved all motions unanimously.

KURT ELLEFSON – VETERANS

The board then heard from Polk County Veteran Service Officer Kurtis Ellefson on a resolution to award a CVSO Operational Improvement Grant of $10,000 from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to the Polk County Veteran Service Office for advertising and travel around the county. The board approved the motion unanimously.

COUNTY ATTORNEY – GREG WIDSETH

The board then heard from County Attorney Greg Widseth to request that the board pass a motion authorizing him to begin establishing a Student Attorney Externship with the UND Law School to employ students in the Government Center to work with and assist attorneys in the office under student practice rules and supervision. “Student attorneys will come in and work under the supervision of our assistants, work in our office and hopefully develop some talent,” Widseth explained. “Under the student practice rule, they can appear in court and draft documents, they just have to be supervised by an attorney, so they’ll be doing everything that an assistant would be doing other than trying serious cases. It allows them to get experience to see what the jobs like, and hopefully allows us to develop some talent that we can tap into in the future.” He said he would use his own funds to cover the student’s salaries and oversee them and their work to help prepare them for these or other offices. He heard there were many applications for the opportunity, but due to the University’s application process being close to closing for the semester, he believes that they will begin the externship program by the spring of 2023. The board approved the motion unanimously.

PUBLIC HEALTH – SARAH REESE

The board then heard from Public Health Director Sarah Reese, who first requested the board to move a contract with the Altru Clinic in Crookston to fill a vacancy of a Nurse Practitioner in the Public Health Department to ensure it still has services available to their clientele. “We are establishing a contract with Altru Clinic. Our medical consultant is also through Altru, so it’s a nice partnership that we have. We will have a Nurse Practitioner who will provide services for our clients, specifically in the reproductive and sexual health area.”

Public Health Nurse Advertisement

Director Reese then requested the board to begin advertisement and the hiring process for a 1.0 FTE Public Health Nurse (registered nurse) and any subsequent vacancies within Polk County Public Health until the end of December after the retirement of Judy Ophus. She explained that the program requires extensive training and focuses on family home visiting and the nurse-family partnership model, and wanted to bring the new nurse in as soon as possible to have the appropriate training and have the families, Judy, and the new nurse spend time together before the retirement at the end of the year. The board approved both motions unanimously.

COUNTY ENGINEER – RICHARD SANDERS

The board then heard from County Engineer Richard Sanders on the Wheelage and Local Option Sales Tax that he brought to the board’s last meeting on July 19 to raise the Local Option Sales Tax from .25% to .5% and the Wheelage Tax from $0 to $20, which they had stopped collected in 2020. Sanders predicted that it would bring about $700,000 to the county and department if it was implemented, depending on sales, and would implement them for both in-person and online sales. The board said they saw good reasonings for changing them for the budget but felt the current system was fine and had a better option with the ARPA funds that could help him with his budget and projects for 2023. “In 2020, when COVID first hit, our gas tax and motor vehicle sales tax receipts that came into Polk County, we lost about $1.2 million. Because of that, the board has decided that out of the $6 million in ARPA funds, the Highway Department will get that $1.2 million back,” Sanders explained. “So, my fund will be zeroed out from that $1.2 million that I lost, and I’ll be able to use that money on future construction.” After some debate, the board chose not to make a motion or action to raise the taxes but agreed to allocate the ARPA funds to the Highway Department.

The next Commissioner’s meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 2, at 8:00 a.m. in the Polk County Government Center.

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Terryl Leahtrice Garry – Obit

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Terryl Leahtrice Garry, 71, of Detroit Lakes, MN, passed away Monday afternoon, July 25, 2022, at Essentia Health-St Mary’s in Detroit Lakes with members of her family at her bedside.

Terryl, or Terri, as she was also affectionately known, was born in Crookston on July 24, 1951, one of six children of the union of Terrance “Terry” and Dorothy (Hegg) Garry. She was baptized and confirmed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and grew up in the Euclid-Crookston area. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Euclid and graduated from Crookston Central High School with the Class of 1969. Terryl continued to live in Crookston where her first daughter, Melissa, was born in 1971 and they moved to Denver, Colorado in 1974. After working there for two years she returned to Crookston, where her daughter, Shannon, was born. For many years Terryl provided daycare for over 70 children at different times and became a mom and grandma figure to so many children. In 1987 Terryl moved to Des Moines, Iowa where she was employed at various positions including pharmacy tech and manufacturing sales rep. She returned to the area in 1994, settling in Detroit Lakes, where she made her home to the present time. Terryl was employed by West Central Turkey in nearby Pelican Rapids, SJE Rhombus, and a large greenhouse company in Detroit Lakes. Her love for children and the satisfaction she received from caring for them brought her back to childcare. The number of little ones that loved her as much as she loved them continued to multiply.

Eventually with her health in decline, Terryl reluctantly gave up her childcare passion. She continued to dote on her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren who meant the world to her; and Molly, her pup who was as much like family as were the kids. Throughout her many years of traveling the country, she was especially proud to have never gotten a speeding ticket or even had so much as a ‘fender-bender.’ Terryl’s favorite hobbies included cooking and baking, crafting, doing word search puzzles, watching her favorite soap operas, playing casino games on her computer, visiting the local casinos, and going shopping!

Terryl will be very lovingly remembered and sadly missed by her 2 daughters, Melissa Knutson (Doug LaCrosse) of Fergus Falls, MN, and Shannon Garry (Aaron Presler) of Detroit Lakes, MN; her 5 precious grandchildren: Leah, Nicole, Tasha, Alex, and Zoey, and 6 great-grandchildren. She also leaves her sister and brother-in-law, Connie Lubinski and Lyle Lubinski of Fisher, MN; brother, Chris Garry (Patty Belgarde) of Euclid; and several nieces and nephews, including Chad (Brita) Lubinski of East Grand Forks, MN, Marc Lubinski (Ryan Poe) of Dallas, TX, Carrie Bergquist (Donavon Haaland) of Crookston, and Jennifer Garry (Jesse Kaiser) of Park Rapids; as well as, extended family and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Terry and Dorothy Garry; and 3 brothers: Jeff, Douglas, and Mark Garry. May God richly bless the memory of Terryl Garry.

Mass of Christian Burial for Terryl will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Monday, August 1, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Euclid with The Rev. Xavier Ilango, presiding. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the funeral. The Mass will be live-streamed by going to Terryl’s obituary page at www.stenshoelhouske.com and clicking on the prompt to view. Burial will take place in the Prairie View Cemetery, near Euclid.

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At least 1 person is dead after historic St. Louis rainfall results in flash flooding and evacuations

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At least one person is dead after historic rain fell on St. Louis, Missouri overnight Monday through Tuesday, leading to widespread flash flooding that left St. Louis motorists stranded and residents evacuating their homes. According to the National Weather Service in St. Louis, the city had recorded 8.06 inches of rainfall by early Tuesday, surpassing the previous daily record of 6.85 inches on Aug. 20, 1915.

Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson confirmed there was one fatality after a person was pulled from a submerged vehicle. The person’s identity was withheld until family members could be notified, he said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. About 70 people had to be rescued or assisted as rain drenched the city, Jenkerson said, adding,  “We’ve had a tremendous amount of cars that have been door-deep and also roof-deep in some of these low-lying areas. Now we’re seeing the weight of the water cause some issues with buildings. We’re having some partial roof collapse. Some of the vacant buildings are also suffering from the stress of this water.”

At least six people and six dogs were rescued by boat from flooded homes, the fire department said. Firefighters responded to about 18 homes because of substantial flooding. More than a dozen people chose to shelter in place, it tweeted. Numerous roads were also closed in metropolitan St. Louis, including parts of Interstate 70. Video showed cars stranded on the flooded interstate and firefighters rescuing drivers from their vehicles.

Gov. Mike Parson issued a state of emergency, allowing state agencies to work directly with local jurisdictions.  He said in a statement: “With record rainfall impacting the St. Louis region and the potential for additional rain and isolated thunderstorms, we want to ensure that our communities have every resource available to respond and protect Missourians. We urge Missourians to follow the direction of local authorities and emergency managers, never drive in floodwaters, and always use common sense to prevent injury.”

Editorial credit: Jon Rehg / Shutterstock.com

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President Biden discusses $22 billion investment in virtual meeting with South Korea’s SK Group

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Due to his ongoing recovery from his COVID-19 diagnosis, President Joe Biden met virtually on Tuesday with representatives of the South Korean conglomerate SK Group to introduce $22 billion of new investment in manufacturing. The White House said the new investment comes on top of $7 billion previously announced by the organization. The SK Group owns SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, and SK On, the electric vehicle battery maker.

Biden appeared on a television monitor as U.S. officials and business representatives from South Korea gathered in the Roosevelt Room.  As the president continues to isolate following his COVID-19 diagnosis last week, he said: “I’m feeling great. I hope it comes across that way. … I hope I look as good as I usually do, which is not that good.

Chairman of SK Group, Chey Tae-Won commended South Korea’s ongoing relationship with the United States while discussing the $22 billion in new investment in the United States in manufacturing and tech, which he said represented more than $30 billion total. Said Chey:  “Tomorrow, we commemorate 69 years since the end of the Korean War. So the American and Korean relationship is deep and longstanding. Today, we are here to talk about the investment in the U.S.”  Biden replied:  “Today’s announcement is further proof America is back to working with our allies. We’re going to continue to invest in the education side of this, so you can have the best trained and best equipped workers.”

Editorial credit: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com

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AFFIDAVITS OF CANDIDACY FOR CROOKSTON CITY COUNCIL AND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD GENERAL ELECTION WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM AUGUST 2 TO THE 16

With the summer reaching its second half and many places preparing for fall, the Crookston City Council and Crookston School District School Board are preparing for the General Election scheduled for Tuesday, November 8. With these upcoming elections, several City Council and School Board members are reaching the end of their terms, opening the filing period for new candidates that wish to run for the positions or offices.

The Crookston School Board is made up of six members, with each of them holding four-year terms. Half of the board members’ positions will be open this year for a term of four years each, while the other three will be up for their election in November of 2024. This way, there will always be some experienced members on the school board for every new set of terms. To be considered for the candidacy and have your name on the ballot sheet in time for the General Election, you must pay a filing fee of $2 to the Crookston Public Schools District Office in the Crookston High School. The candidates must also be at least 21 years old or more to run and must have been a resident of the Crookston School District for 30 days before the general election on November 8. They can also not have any other affidavit on file for any other office at the primary or next ensuing general election. “Candidates can file anytime between August 2 and August 16. They just have to stop here in the district office and see Marilyn. She has the packets and forms they have to fill out,” Crookston Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn explained. “It’s a $2 filing fee to get your official application in, and there’s a packet of information we give them that tells them about the responsibilities of a board member. There’s also some stuff about if they’re going to run a campaign, as they do in some bigger districts, you have to report your campaign finances, so there’s a little bit of paperwork, but it’s a one-page application that has to be filed here at the District Office by August 16.” Candidates have until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16, to file their candidacy to the school district clerk and pay the filing fee to enter for the nomination officially. Any candidates that decide to withdraw their candidacy for the board after they enter will have until Wednesday, August 17, to inform the school district of the decision and have them remove you from the ballot list.

For the Crookston City Council, there are five municipal offices open this term, the Mayor, Ward Two, Ward Four, Ward Six, and the At-Large Councilmember, with all of them being four-year terms as well. Many of the qualifications to be considered for candidacy are similar to the Crookston School Boards, such as having to be 21 years or older and paying the filing fee of $2. However, the living conditions for each office have their own special qualifications to become a candidate for them. “Our mayor is a four-year term, and Ward 2, 4, 6, and At-Large are four-year terms as well,” City Election Administrator Ashley Rystad explained. “To run for the Mayor and At-Large Offices, you have to live within the City of Crookston, and if you’re running for Ward 2, you would have to live within the Ward 2 boundary, and the same for Ward 4 and Ward 6.” Affidavits of candidacy for any of these offices may be picked up from City Clerk Ashley Rystad at City Hall beginning on August 2. They must be filed with her between August 2 and August 16 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday. With affidavits being accepted up until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16. If any candidates wish to withdraw their candidacy for the election, they will have until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, to inform Election Administrators Ashley Rystad and/or Ryan Lindtwed.

The General Election for the School Board and City Council will be held on Tuesday, November 8, with affidavits for candidacy being accepted from Tuesday, August 2 to August 16, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and until 5:00 p.m. on August 16. If candidates wish to withdraw their candidacy for either position, they have until 5:00 p.m. on August 17 for the School Board and 5:00 p.m. on August 18 for the City Council. If you have any questions about becoming a candidate for the School Board, you can contact Crookston School District Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn at davekuehn@isd593.org or via phone at 218-281-5313 ext. 2102, or if you have questions about running for the City Council, you can contact Election Administrators Ashley Rystad at (218) 281-1232 or Ryan Lintwed at rlindtwed@crookston.mn.us or also at (218) 281-1232.

To learn what Ward you can qualify for, for the City Council, the map of the City’s Wards can be seen below-

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THE 19TH CROOKSTON ANNUAL NIGHT TO UNITE CELEBRATION IS SET TO KICK OFF NEXT WEEK

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The 39th Annual nationwide and the 19th Crookston Annual Night to Unite celebration of communities and law enforcement will be held at the University of Minnesota Crookston Campus Mall on August 2 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

This year’s National Night Out (NNO), Night to Unite, is in its 39th year nationally and 19th in Crookston. Nationwide over 40 million people in over 15,000 communities attend the event every year. The event is a chance for the citizens to meet and interact with their local law enforcement and help understand each other better to help work together to keep their communities safe. “It’s where the police and the citizens of the community come together and gel. They get a chance to meet their police face-to-face and see that they’re just regular people like they are,” said Crookston Police Officer Don Rasicot. “When that happens, there are some amazing results, and the bottom line is, it takes a bite out of crime, I know it’s a cliché, but it’s a true story. People get to feel comfortable with their police department, and they always seem to work well with the department after they feel being around them.” Rasicot also noted that for a long time, the Night was held in Central Park, but for the past two years, the University of Minnesota has donated their Campus Mall and other facilities to host the event with the Walmart of Crookston, once again being the event’s main sponsor. “The nice thing about it is that it’s all in one area where the citizens can see the different vendors that come and meet their policemen. We even have games where they compete against the policemen, and of course, we have great demos where they get to see the police and the fire and ambulance workers in action,” said Rasicot. “We’ve got thousands of dollars donated in prizes that were covered by Wal-Mart.” Rasicot and the many other vendors at the event want to thank UMC and Walmart General Manager Dave Olson for financing the event. He explained that in the past, the event mainly was sponsored by the many local business owners with donations, but the Night to Unite planning committee couldn’t burden them with asking them for donations to fund the event during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and did not wish to slight them financially while many of them are still recovering.

Rasicot, along with Connie Wilkins, Cathy LaJesse, Fire Chief Tim Froeber, Police Chief Darrin Selzler, Dawn Brouse, James Brandon, Michelle Christopherson, Nell Deboer, Shane Heldstab, and Carrie Bergquist, comprise the Night to Unite planning committee, who have worked for about three months to plan this event. Rasicot says there will be action, events like yard games and soccer, and food vendors on the University of Minnesota Crookston Campus Mall. “We want our community to interact personally with our police officers, and we found the best way to do that is through games and demonstrations,” Rasicot explained. “We have a K-9 bite demonstration, the Grand Forks Bomb Squad, where they bring in their robot and do demonstrations. We’ve got the Tae Kwon Do teams that come and do their demonstrations and the Fire Department, who usually do two demos. So, we want our citizens to see exactly what first responders do.” The event kicks off with the 9th Walt Keller Annual Memorial Bingo Party at 2:30 in the Sargeant Student Center. Action begins at 4:30, with all funds going to the Walt Keller Educational Grant.

The Night’s schedule of events can be found below:

2:30-4:00 9th Annual Walt Keller Memorial Bingo

4:30-4:50 National Anthem sung by Kitty Barstad, a welcome and introductions of Crookston Police

Chief Darrin Selzler and Fire Chief Tim Froeber. This year’s event recognizes the 2022 local High water heroes.

5:00-5:05 First prize give-a-way (every 15 minutes after that-via announcement)

5:10-5:30 CFD Kitchen Flashover demo

5:30-6:00 Watermelon Eating Contest & Prize giveaway

6:00-6:25 CFD Hazmat/Decontamination demo

6:00-6:15 Classic Cruisers make their round on the Campus Mall

6:25-6:35 PCSO K-9 bite demonstration

6:35-6:45 Golf Ball Drop – (staff tallies up the winners)

6:45-7:30 Golf Ball Drop prize winners announced and awarded their prizes

7:30 End of event

Rasicot promises everyone three solid hours of fun, excitement, good food, and games and asks families to bring their kids for a fun night out. Public transportation to the event will be provided by T.H.E. Bus. Other than the food provided by the food trucks, all events are free to the guests. For more information about Night to Unite, to request a booth for your organization, or for more information on food vendors, contact Don Rasicot, at 218-281-3111 or drasicot@crookston.mn.us. You can also follow Night to Unite on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Crookston-Night-to-Unite.

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