Month: September 2022

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning at the Polk County Government Center.

CONSENT ITEMS

The board began the meeting by approving the board minutes from their meetings on September 20 and 21. The Consent Agenda also included approving payments to 13 Towns Newspaper in Fosston in the amount of $35 for a one-year subscription for the Incinerator and to Mohamed-Mohamed in East Grand Forks in the amount of $240 for a Community Language Interpreter for CHA/Polk County Public Health. The board approved the agenda unanimously.

PUBLIC HEALTH-SARAH REESE

The board first heard from Public Health Director Sarah Reese, who requested the approval of the advertisement and the replacement of a Nurse Practitioner and a Clerk Typist, Cashier III. She noted that some Practitioners are currently not searching for full-time jobs, so they elected to make it a .8 FTE for the Department. For the Clerk Typist Cashier, this position had been open for about three months, and in response to the recent budget revision and organizational assessment of future needs, they had delayed the hiring of this position until now. The board approved both motions unanimously.

POLK COUNTY SHERIFF-JAMES TADMAN

The board then heard from Polk County Sheriff James Tadman, who came forward with the Monthly Sheriff Reports for August. He reported that the Department made $9,217.02 in Paid Services for the month. For their Transport Log, the Department drove about 8,186 miles for the month, giving them a total of 59,693 miles for the year. They had also received 2,763 calls, with 700 being for emergencies and the other 2,063 for non-emergency calls. They had also made 793 arrests, with 226 being for Traffic Stops and 244 for Civil Process. They also had six gas Drive Off Thefts, which was still a continuing problem for the county.

Lightbar request

Tadman then reported that the Fertile Fire Department had requested lightbars from Polk County for their fire trucks, so he requested the board if they could gift older lightbars to them. The board approved the gifting unanimously.

Emergency Management Trailer

Tadman then began a walk-through of the Department’s Emergency Management Trailer that had parked outside of the Center and invited the board members to see the inside of the trailer and how they used all of its additions to help them on various tasks. Pictures of the trailer can be seen below-

EAST POLK SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT-RACHEL KLEIN

The board then heard from Rachel Klein of the Clearwater River Headwaters One Watershed One Plan Policy Committee, of which Polk County is a partner of. She requested that the county approve their submission of the Clearwater River Headwaters Watershed Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan to the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Northern Committee and begin implementing the plan for the area the county identified within it. The board approved the submission unanimously. With the board’s approval, Klein revealed that she would bring the agreements from all of the partnered counties as a part of the plan to the next BWSR meeting. “The next step is it goes to the Board of Water and Soil Resources for approval,” Rachel Klein explained. “There’s a meeting next week with the committee, and they’ll bring it to the board, so it’s anticipated that it’ll be approved in October, and then our funding will come out after that.” Klein revealed that once they get the funding, outreach for this and other projects will begin in 2023.

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR-CHUCK WHITING

The board finished the meeting hearing from County Administrator Chuck Whiting, who came forward with a resolution from Environmental Services Administrator Jon Steiner, to set Polk County’s Market Price for remittal of the Solid Waste Management Tax for the county properties that have their solid waste go to the Fosston Incinerator. Whiting requested that the rate be the same as it was in 2022, about $28.50 per ton of waste, which will be submitted to the MPCA by October 31. The board approved the motion unanimously.

Setting Preliminary 2023 Property Tax Levy

The board finished the meeting with a resolution to set the 2023 Preliminary Levy. The board had set the 2023 levy to be $1,423,125 over the 2022 levy of $25,875,000 after their special meeting on Wednesday, September 21. Commissioner Joan Lee also noted that there were too many unknown factors in the levy and requests right now that made it so they couldn’t afford to lower it below a 5.5% increase. After some discussion, the board decided on a preliminary levy of a 5.5% ($1,423,125) increase on the 2022 budget, making a preliminary levy of $27,298,125. Commissioner Gary Willhite suggested that for the final tax levy, Whiting make three options for the levy between a 3 to 4% increase between now and the end of the year, which the board agreed was a good goal to try and reach. “The goal is to be under 4% and closer to 3%. 5.5% is about $1.4 million relative to the 2022 levy increase that was finalized last year. My guess is that we’re going to end 3 to 3.5%, which will be about another $1 million on the levy,” Whiting explained. “We’ll see how that develops. As we get closer, there’ll be some choices for the board to consider as they try to finalize the budget and the levy in December.” The board set the public hearing date for the final levy to be on December 13 at 6:00 p.m., with their meeting on December 20 being their last meeting to adopt all related budget resolutions.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, October 4, in the Polk County Government Center at 8:00 a.m. Pictures of the Commissioner’s inspecting the Polk County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Vehicle can be seen below-

#td_uid_1_63339a9711ac2 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IMG-6089-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63339a9711ac2 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item2 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IMG-6093-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63339a9711ac2 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item3 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IMG-6092-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63339a9711ac2 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item4 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IMG-6095-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63339a9711ac2 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item5 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IMG-6096-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}

1 of 5

The post POLK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVE PRELIMINARY TAX LEVY INCREASE OF 5.5% appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston American Crystal Sugar Agricultural District is planning to begin its “Soft Start” plan at their beet harvesting stations on Thursday, September 29, and Friday, September 30, for the Crookston District. The district plans to pile beets at all Crookston stations at the end of this week while following their heat policy, where they will likely be shutting down for heat on both days in the early or midafternoon part of both days. However, they may have to pile into the heat in several locations where their Transystems are reloading.

The intent of the “Soft Start” plan is to train their employees and the district’s truck drivers. The district stated that it has many new employees this year and may take extra time to train them as they are piling beets, and requests everyone to be patient with them as they may have to shut down a piler occasionally to hold quick training sessions.

All of the Crookston, Nielsville, Eldred, Scandia, O’Meara, and Warren stationswill open at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 29, and September 30 on Heat Policy.

The post CROOKSTON AMERICAN CRYSTAL DISTRICT PLANS TO BEGIN “SOFT START” PLAN ON THURSDAY appeared first on KROX.

If you love or work with someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), you understand the saying, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” In other words, every individual with autism is unique and has their own special abilities and difficulties.

Therapy for one individual on the autism spectrum may differ significantly from another. Those with ASD need to work with highly skilled individuals who understand what tactics work with patients of different abilities; this is where RiverView Occupational Therapy Assistant Maddie Nicholls comes in. Nicholls assesses each patient to determine what combination of therapy-related activities will produce the most successful outcomes.

Nicholls recently earned the designation of Certified Autism Informed Professional. To receive certification, Nicholls mastered core ASD areas related to diagnosis, behavior, communication, social skills, and how best to adapt to the physical environment for successful therapy outcomes.

“As a therapist here at RiverView, we have a wide variety of caseload, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, which I see more and more,” Nicholls reported. “Being part of the occupational therapy world, it is my highest priority to help these individuals. I work to improve their ability to self-regulate emotions and participate in social interactions. Through appropriate interventions, occupational therapists can help build on strengths and overcome limitations within the autism community.”

A Very Wide Spectrum

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify ASD as a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known. Scientists believe multiple causes of ASD act together to change the most common ways people develop.

People with ASD may behave, communicate, interact, and learn in ways that are different from most others. Often, nothing about how they look sets them apart from other people. The abilities of people with ASD can vary significantly. For example, some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills, whereas others may be nonverbal. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others can work and live with little to no support.

In 2000, the CDC estimated that 1 in 150 children had autism. The years since have seen the prevalence of autism go up significantly. Today, about 1 in 44 children is on the autism spectrum.

Helping Children, Families on the Spectrum

“People with autism are different, not less,” Nicholls shared. “Our main goals in occupational therapy are to improve quality of life for our patients through interventions that promote independence.”

Nicholls offers the following tips for anyone with a loved one on the autism spectrum:

• Focus on the positive. Those with autism often respond well to positive reinforcement.
• Use effective motivation. Take the special interests the individual enjoys and broaden them. Expose them to new things that can become bigger interests.
• Stay consistent and on schedule. Make sure you display consistent guidance and interaction, so the individual can practice what they learn from therapy.
• Put play on the schedule. Find activities that seem like pure fun, not more education or therapy based.
• Give it time. It takes a lot of trial and error; each individual has different techniques, treatments, and approaches as you figure out what is best for them.
• Get support. Support can come from family, friends, online groups, etc. Create a village of friends and family who understand your loved one’s diagnosis.

RiverView Health offers a wide variety of services to benefit patients with autism, including speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Services are available in Crookston, East Grand Forks, Red Lake Falls, and Fertile. Each location also houses a multi-sensory environment (MSE) for its patients.

Special Spaces Increase Positive Outcomes

Multi-sensory spaces stimulate an individual’s senses through the environment. The area creates a calming atmosphere that helps to reduce anxiety, agitation, and much more. The equipment used in the MSE provides visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory stimulation to assist with relaxation factors and help patients reach their goals.

The space accommodates patient needs, and not only those with ASD. If a stimulating and alerting environment is needed, that setting is created with the touch of some buttons. If a calming environment benefits the individual, the MSE is adjusted to meet those needs leading to a more productive therapy session.

Patients of all ages and abilities benefit from the spaces, especially those who struggle with self-regulation, such as being alert and calm during purposeful activities such as therapy. Equipment used in the MSE includes bubble tubes, fiber optics, a projector with many themes, a beanbag chair, and room-darkening blinds.

The therapeutic, fun environments are possible thanks to funding from the Dancing in the Sky Fund by the Jim Ingeman Family through the RiverView Foundation.

For more information on any services related to ASD, call Rehab Services at 281-9463.

#td_uid_1_6333381a46ddd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Nicholls-Madison-e1664295750888-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_6333381a46ddd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item2 {
background: url(https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.235/182.80d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/RiverView-sensory-room-image-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}

1 of 2

The post MADDIE NICHOLLS EARNS CERTIFICATION BENEFITTING RIVERVIEW PATIENTS WITH AUTISM appeared first on KROX.