The City of Crookston is holding the City Toys for Tots drive again this year. As in the past, The Crookston Firefighters and Auxiliary, along with the City of Crookston Employees, will be delivering toys to kids in Crookston who otherwise would not get anything for Christmas.
This week was the final week for donations. The Donations received as of Thursday, December 22, 2022, are listed below –
The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Hockey team is fresh off a weekend sweep over Rock Ridge and at International Falls to improve to 8-1-1 on the year, which has them at #7 in the last Minnesota State Class A Girl’s Hockey polls. Game time is 7:00 PM at the Crookston Sports Center and it will be VIDEO STREAMED on kroxam.com
The Crookston Pirate Boy’s Hockey team will be in Thief River Falls this evening to battle the Thief River Falls Prowlers in a Section 8A game. Crookston is 1-6 thus far and the Prowlers are 2-5-1. Both teams are riding three game losing streaks and will be going for their first section win of the season. The drop of the puck will be at 7:30 p.m. and we will have the action on KROX following the conclusion of the Climax-Fisher Boy’s basketball game vs Northome-Kelliher that will be on at 6:00 p.m. You can listen on 1260AM/105.7FM or anywhere around the world by clicking Listen Live at the top of this page.
The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Hockey team has won three games in a row after defeating East Grand Forks at home on Tuesday night with the last two wins over Section 8A opponents. Crookston will try to extend that streak to four games when they host another Section 8A opponent, the Detroit Lakes Lakers. Detroit Lakes won on Tuesday night over Morris-Benson, 3-2 for their second win of the season and puts them at a 2-9 record. Game time is 3:00 PM this AFTERNOON at the Crookston Sports Center and it will be on KROX RADIO, the kroxam.com streaming app and on a third KROX RADIO platform, VIDEO STREAMED!!
The RiverView Health pre-game show will start at 2:30 PM on all the platforms.
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 minutes of their meetings on December 13 and their Commissioner Warrants and Sign Audit List. It also included approving several payments. The first was to the US Bank in St. Louis, MO, for $74,303.70 for procurement card purchases. The second was to Johnson Controls, Fire Protection LP, Palatine, IL, for $603 for panel alarm issues for the Facilities Management Department. It also included approving a resolution accepting Financial Donations on Behalf of Polk County Sheriff’s Association from Mary Filipski and a payment to Widseth, Smith, Nolting & Associates, Inc. in Crookston for $1,800 for a boundary survey of forfeited land. The board approved the items unanimously.
POLK COUNTY SHERIFF JAMES TADMAN
Polk County Sheriff James Tadman first approached the board with the monthly Sheriff Reports for November. He reported they had 102 Civil Document Service reports, with $3,384.07 for Paid Services and $911.52 for No Charge Services. They had also documented 4,837 miles for the month of November, to give them a total of 75,879 miles for the year. They had also received 695 calls for emergencies and 1,715 for non-emergencies. They had received a total of 696 cases for November, with 203 for Traffic Stops, 188 for Civil Process, and 67 for School Patrol. Commissioner Mark Holy asked that with the recent snowstorms, he was concerned that many people in his district were falling in the ditches, and many roads were impassable. But the snow the snowplows were pushing had residue going off the sides, which built up along the sides of the road and drifted back into the street. Tadman explained that the department has shut down some roads and highways, mainly Highway 2, but there were many avenues people could take that they couldn’t do much else to stop people from traveling.
PROPERTY RECORDS-SAM MELBYE
The board was then approached by Property Record Director Sam Melbye, who came forward with 2023 Tobacco Licenses for seven returning vendors around the county for $75. They included The Corner Bar & Café in Climax, Farmers Coop Fuel in Fisher, Dollar General Corporation in Garfield Township, Dean’s Bulk Service in Knute Township, the clinic of Lengby Inc. in Lengby, and the Mentor Municipal Liquor Store in Mentor.
HIGHWAY-RICHARD SANDERS
The board was then approached by County Engineer Richard Sanders, who first came forward with a contract with Safety Compliance Service for the county’s safety needs. These included annual training, safety meetings, and shop inspections for $17,400 for the year or $1,450 per month. The board approved the motion unanimously.
County Land Surveyor Appointment
Sanders then brought forward the County Land Surveyor Appointment contract again, reporting that the current Grand Forks Police Department surveyor’s contract with WSN would expire on December 31 and recommended Derek Martin from Widseth to become the new surveyor until the end of 2026. However, after much discussion about the process being late, potentially done improperly, and after hearing concerns from a county citizen who joined the meeting, the board voted 3-1 in favor of appointing the new surveyor, but it was not enough to be approved (four votes are required for a motion to pass). With this, the board tasked Sander to work with the County Highway staff to look over the process of appointing a County Land Surveyor and find another one for the board to approve in a future meeting.
DTN Weather Forecasting System
Sanders then brought forward a contract with DTN services for a Weather Forecasting System to help the department prepare their work and maintenance with the weather. “Polk County and 18 other counties in the state contract with DTN for weather service. They give us more accurate, up-to-date weather of not only just precipitation but also winds and other weather elements, which helps us with our maintenance during the winter and even during the summer with rainfall events. We can then look at what’s coming, determine our staffing needs, and when we need to be out plowing snow and when we won’t be able to plow snow.” Sanders explained the county would pay the entire bill of $60,000 for all the services to the counties and bill the other counties for their share of the bill. The board approved the motion unanimously.
PUBLIC HEALTH-SARAH REESE
The board was next approached by Polk County Public Health Director Sarah Reese with a resolution to appoint the members of the Youth Advisory Board Members. She explained that in December 2018, the Polk County Board approved the formation of a Youth Advisory Board (YAB). She explained that the YAB provides ways for young people in Polk County to become involved in governmental public health services, merging civic engagement and leadership development for high school students by discussing current health events in their communities. “Our Youth Advisory Board comes together and discusses Public Health matters, advises us on what’s happening in their schools and communities, and works on Public Health initiatives that are important to them. Today, we spoke to the board to appoint some new members because some of our prior members had graduated from high school, and we had the reappointment of one member. It’s so exciting to have most of our Polk County schools represented, and great to have the leadership of students to share their knowledge and experience and to guide us in our work. It’s very important that we hear right from young people; it helps us do our work and engage in the community the best we can.” On behalf of Public Health, she recommended a list of students for appointment as a Youth Advisory Board Member for two years. She recommended they reappoint senior Kallie Hand and appoint Lilah Zavoral, Sarah Thoreson, Olivia Ystenes, Katelyn Vesledahl, Julia Buhler, Erin Bowman, and Kyran Moen to the Advisory Board. A picture of the students with the commissioners and their plaques can be seen below.
Pictured left to right: Commissioner Mark Holy, Lilah Zavoral, Olivia Ystenes, Commissioner Joan Lee, Sarah Thoreson, Julia Buhler, Commissioner Gary Willhite, and Commissioner Warren Strandell.
Public Health Core Site Agreement
Reese then came forward explaining that it was matched/selected to serve as a Minnesota Public Health Core Service Site through AmeriCorps with Reading & Math, Inc. DBA Ampact from January 16 to December 1, 2023. This contract will have Polk County provide the worker with a laptop and host site email address for use during the service period, with all other expenses paid from AmeriCorps.
Out of State Travel Request Reaching Rural Initiative
The final item Reese brought forward was a one-year Reaching Rural Initiative with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, State Justice Institute, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen cross-sector partnerships to respond to the impact of substance use prevention in rural communities. Polk County Public Health, along with Commissioner Joan Lee, County Attorney Greg Widseth, Sheriff James Tadman, Andrew Larson, Molly Paulsrud, Sarah Reese, and Shannon Kronlund, were selected to partake in several meetings and trainings for the initiatives and the roles the partners have in substance use prevention. These out-of-state meeting requirements included a National Conference Center in Loudoun County, Virginia, from February 21-24, 2023, and other dates in May, June, and December to areas yet to be determined. The board approved all motions unanimously.
ADMINISTRATION-CHUCK WHITING
The board finished the meeting with County Administrator Chuck Whiting coming forward with a change order for the Red River Juvenile Detention Center construction project with some minor changes added to it. Some of these changes included electrical revisions for $15,754, the addition of a water valve access panel for $234, and a Smoke Damper JCI Hook up for $4,807. These small items came together for a total of $18,391 to make a new contract price of $1,337,191, and the projects would be completed by the third week of January. The board approved the Change Order unanimously.
2023 Budget Resolutions
The final items Whiting brought forward were four related resolutions for them to act on for 2023. The first was setting the levy for 2023 at $26,897,712, which was a 3.95251% increase over 2022’s levy. The second included adopting the 2023 budget for a total of $69,881,941. The third was setting the Commissioners’ salaries and per diems for the year, which was a 3.25% increase from 2022, with the per diems remaining at $75. When asked if their insurance would change with the new year, he explained that the policy terms would remain the same as it was for 2022 as well. The final resolution was to set the non-represented employee wages for 2023. “For all of the non-union county employees, the board passes a resolution on their compensation for the next year, which includes any new positions that we have budgeted for next year, which we have two of those,” County Administrator Chuck Whiting explained. “It ends without a lot of excitement because we’ve done so much work, but if folks want to get a summary on the levy, it’s in the packet and on our website, so they can take a look at it to see how it affects them.” The board approved the motion unanimously. The presentation on the county’s 2023 levy can be seen below.
The Polk County Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, January 3, at 8:00 a.m. in the Polk County Government Center.
President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the White House on Wednesday for a meeting and presented a united front against Russia, with Biden announcing an additional $1.85 billion in support for Ukraine with more military aid to bolster Ukrainian forces and repel Russian airstrikes.
At a press conference, the U.S. president said he would continue to support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” and denounced Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as the brutal winter cold sets in. Mr. Biden said, standing next to Zelenskyy in the White House East Room: “We should be clear about what Russia is doing — it is purposefully attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, destroying the systems that provide heat and light to the Ukrainian people during the coldest, darkest part of the year. Russia is using winter as a weapon. It’s important for the American people and for the world to hear directly from you, Mr. President, about Ukraine’s fight and the need to continue to stand together through 2023.”
Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington was his first known trip outside Ukraine in the 300 days since the Russian invasion began. After his meetings at the White House, Zelenskyy left for Capitol Hill, where he met with congressional leaders and addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
The city of Crookston’s City Hall will be closed on Monday, December 26, 2022, in observance of the Christmas Holiday.
Garbage Collection for Monday, December 26, 2022 (Christmas Holiday) will be collected on Tuesday, December 27, 2022. Tuesday’s garbage collection will remain the same.
Police in Columbus, Ohio, have located one of two twin infants abducted from a parking lot on Monday night, but are issuing an urgent plea for the public’s help in locating the suspect, a homeless woman, and the missing twin baby. Authorities have released a picture of suspect, Nalah Jackson, 24, and are asking for the public to be on the lookout for the stolen black 2010 four-door Honda Accord that had two 5-month-old twins inside at a Donatos Pizza around 9:45 p.m. on Monday. The stolen vehicle has a ripped temporary tag and a bumper sticker that says Westside Toys on the back.
The mother of twins Kason and Ky’air Thomas was working as a DoorDash delivery driver at the time and had run inside the restaurant to pick up an order at 9:45 p.m. EST Monday, leaving the two infants in their car seats inside the running vehicle. When she returned, the car was gone, leading to an Amber Alert for the missing twins. Ky’air Thomas was found on Tuesday outdoors sitting in a car seat in a hotel parking lot at the Dayton International Airport, but Kason Thomas remains missing.
Police confirmed on Wednesday they interviewed witnesses who saw Jackson near the airport parking lot on Tuesday. An AMBER alert was issued for Ohio, while a BOLO alert was also issued for several surrounding states. Police have not speculated on what prompted Jackson to abduct the children; during a joint news conference with the FBI Wednesday, they appealed for Jackson to return the missing child unharmed. Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said at a news conference: “You can return him to any safe location. Fire department, hospital, shopping center, any public place where someone will find the baby. We are begging you. Please return Kason…We are exhausting every tip.”
Anyone with information pertaining to the search can call the Columbus Division of Police Special Victims Bureau at (614) 645-4701.
After recently leaving his roles as DC’s ‘Superman’ and in Netflix’s ‘The Witcher,’ Henry Cavill is joining an adaptation of the popular tabletop game “Warhammer 40,000.” Cavill will star in and executive produce the franchise for Amazon Prime Video, which acquired the global rights to the IP from Games Workshop. The acquisition – the first of its kind for Amazon Studios – includes the “Warhammer 40,000” rights across film, TV and more. A press release read: “‘Warhammer 40,000’ is set in the far future, where humanity stands at the edge of what might be its brightest future, or its darkest age. The threats to humankind’s empire are many — traitors driven by the fires of ambition, alien empires sworn to reclaim the stars, and the corruption of reality by malevolent gods.”
Cavill said in a statement: “I have loved ‘Warhammer’ since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me. The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honor and the responsibility.”
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios, added: “’Warhammer 40,000′ has captured the imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world. We are excited to work with Henry, Vertigo Entertainment, and Games Workshop across our Amazon entertainment businesses on this brilliant, immersive franchise for our global customers to experience for years to come.”
The upcoming NBC special ‘Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party’ has added additional talent to its lineup. NBC confirmed Wednesday that co-hosts Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton will be joined by singer-songwriter Fletcher, rapper Latto, Los Angeles rock band Liily, hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd and Grammy Award nominee Sia. Additionally, Saturday Night Live’s Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman and the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy will also appear.
Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, executive produced by SNL’s Lorne Michaels and Cyrus herself, is returning to NBC for the second year in a row. Cyrus will be joined by her godmother, Dolly Parton, as co-host to ring in the the new year (Parton replaces Pete Davidson, who co-hosted the special with Cyrus last year). Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Live Events, Specials and E! News, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement: “The inaugural ‘Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party’ was an unqualified success and we know this year’s show will be just as spectacular, with plenty of surprises and lots of fun. We can’t wait to get the party started.”
Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party will air live on NBC from Miami on Saturday, Dec. 31 from 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET and will also be livestreamed on Peacock.
Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
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