Month: August 2022

The Northwest Regional Corrections Center in Crookston reported the following arrests.

Allen Ronald King, 20, no address provided, for Possession of Burglary or Theft Tools

Chad Richard Nelson, 42, of Crookston, for 2nd-Degree Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

Bradley Jon Jessen, 61, of Washburn, ND, for 3rd-Degree Drug Possession in a Public Housing Zone

Stephen Bruce Tupa, 58, of East Grand Forks, for Public Nuisance

Alexander John Kokeny, 19, Waterford, MI, for DUI

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT- AUGUST 2, 2022 appeared first on KROX.

Back at the beginning of July, Crookston High School Assistant Principal Matt Torgerson took over as the school’s principal in place of Nicki Martinez after her resignation, with former Activities Director Greg Garmen being promoted up to the position of Assistant Principal. After a month of officially becoming the school’s principal, Principal Torgerson gave an update on some of the things he and the school have done so far and what they have planned for the upcoming 2022-23 School Year.

Torgerson has been with the Crookston School District for six years and has done many positions in the High School, ranging from a teacher to the Dean of Students and Assistant Principal. He officially took the position of School Principal on July 1 and began with a transition process with Martinez and Garmen to the new responsibilities they would be partaking with their new jobs. Soon after they were settled in their new offices, Torgerson got to work to begin preparing for the upcoming school year with the rest of the High School Office and School District staff. “July is our month in the district where the principals, the superintendents, and the business office gets our plan put in place for what’s going to happen this year and set it up. Because this week, starting in August, is when it starts getting busy. The teachers come back in. We’ve already started some of those meetings to get what our district and school goals are going to be,” said Principal Torgerson. “We can start looking at some of our test data and start discussing that. It’s still embargoed at this point but becomes unembargoed, and we can make it public towards the end of August, but we can use it for planning purposes amongst ourselves to figure out where we need to work and what attention our students need as far as academics come.” Torgerson says that many of the conversations he has had so far have been about how the school and administration will continue to help with the student’s mental health and make the school a safe space for them. He noted that it’s very likely that there will be some differences that will happen with him as principal, but he plans to work closely with the teachers and with the community’s parents to hear their input on how they can support the students.

With becoming the new principal of the High School, Torgerson noted that it’s a different shift from some of the work he did when he was assistant principal. Noting how when he was the assistant principal, his job was to oversee the student’s side of things, such as the attendance, their behavior, and working with the Student Council and National Honor Society to help the students keep their Pirate Pride up with things like the Pep Fests. On the other hand, the principal role oversees the adult and teacher’s side of things. “As the principal role, it’s a little more adult-focused in how I support the teachers, get them the professional development that they need, and how can we work as a team to make sure that Crookston High School is the best school in the area or the state,” said Torgerson. Some of these items include working with Assistant Principal Greg Garmen and Activities Director Nate Lubarski on the gym floor being redone and creating systems for the incoming students transitioning from Highland for the new Middle School addition that will begin construction next summer. Other than the current construction happening for the 2022-23 School Year, Torgerson hopes that he can work to enforce and clarify some rules in the student handbook. Mainly to create an appropriate yet fair gender-neutral dress code and to qualify students’ grade level based on their earned academic credits rather than their age or class they started with. “We put wording into our handbook of qualifying students’ grade level based on their academic credits earned rather than what age or class they started with,” said Torgerson. “It’s an accountability system that shouldn’t affect most of our students but hopefully will help us as the school, and the students and families, catch some of our struggling students earlier on.” He explained that the system will help prevent students from being short on credits for graduation due to struggling in courses when they were a freshman or sophomore and put the supports in place so they can pass the classes and help the students much sooner.

Along with Principal Torgerson, the school has also hired Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn, in which Principal Torgerson has said so far, he has worked well with. “Dave and I have gotten along very well. I think that we can trust each other and have open conversations about where we need to go as a school or district, and I’m looking forward to it. I think he also is very aware that he’s here for the year to help us transition over to who our, hopefully, longer-term superintendent will be, but I’m glad that he’s the one here leading us this year.” Torgerson also mentioned that the district would begin making decisions on searching for a new Superintendent by December to have their request in earlier so they can have more applications to choose from.

Principal Torgerson is very excited to have this opportunity to work with the students and teachers and be the principal for the upcoming school year with the upcoming projects and incoming students. Torgerson will regularly attend the Crookston School Board meetings on the fourth Monday of every month, with the next one taking place on August 22 at 5:00 p.m. in the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra room.

The post LOOKING AT MATT TORGERSON’S FIRST MONTH AS CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL’S PRINCIPAL appeared first on KROX.

RiverView Health will offer a first aid class on Thursday, August 4. The class is open to the public. It will cover first aid for acute injuries and sudden illnesses such as burns, bites, poisoning, and seizures.

The four-hour class will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the RiverView Home Care building, 721 South Minnesota Street, Crookston. The class cost, including the book and card, is $50. You must pay in advance to hold your spot.

After the August 4 class, the only remaining class for 2022 will be on November 3.

The class is an American Heart Association (AHA) Community Training Center-affiliated course. Contracted Community Training Centers (CTCs) and their affiliated sites are the only facilities permitted to offer AHA courses to the public and professionals through their affiliated instructors and programs.

To register or for more information on this class or other courses offered through the CTC, call 218-281-9405.

The post RIVERVIEW OFFERS AUGUST 4 FIRST AID CLASS appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston Public Schools is holding community meetings to educate and answer questions regarding a referendum to construct a multi-use facility for the school district and community. The next meeting will be Wednesday, August 3, at 5:30 p.m. at the Crookston High School Auditorium. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.

In 2021, the district partnered with Zerr Berg Architects and drafted a plan for the facility to solve the current issues associated with leasing facilities from the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). Putting the ownership of the facility directly in the hands of the school district will increase their ability to host events and offer the space to student and community groups who could make use of it.

The proposed facility will include:

• Artificial turf field
• 8 lane track
• Pressbox
• Seating for 750+
• Concessions & Bathroom

This build will significantly impact the Crookston School District and the community by allowing adequate and safe space for students and community members to gather and compete. The facility will expand the school district’s available space for sports, extra-curricular activities, and outdoor events. This will also allow the high school to host competitions and the MSHSL playoffs. These events were previously impossible due to the state of the facilities at UMC. The school district will have the opportunity to partner with the parks district for recreational leagues in the spring, summer, and fall.

The meeting will provide community members with information about the build and its community impact and will serve as a space for questions and concerns about the project. The school district is moving to seek voter approval of the project on the August 9 ballot. If passed, the district will have access to up to $3,915,000 in bonds for construction. This is the final community meeting before the vote on Tuesday, August 9. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. at the Crookston High School Auditorium.

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The post CROOKSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO HOLD FINAL COMMUNITY MEETING DISCUSSING ATHLETIC FIELD REFERENDUM appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston Police Department reported an accident on July 29, 2022, at 10:48 a.m. on 3rd Ave S/S Main St.

Vehicle #1 – 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Ralph Montreuil, Crookston.

Vehicle #2 – 2014 Nissan Rogue, driven by Emily Benson, Grand Forks, ND.

There were no injuries caused by the accident, and there was moderate damage to both vehicles.

No citations were issued.

The post CROOKSTON POLICE RESPOND TO ACCIDENT ON 3RD AVE SOUTH AND SOUTH MAIN STREET appeared first on KROX.