President Biden announced Wednesday that the United States will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, which will provide a major boost to Ukrainian firepower over the coming months. Flanked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the President said at the White House: “Today, I’m announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.” The Pentagon said the security package is worth roughly $400 million. The delivery of the Abrams tanks will take several months, given the time needed to procure them and train Ukrainian troops on their use.
The move comes after Germany said it is providing 14 of its own Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow Western partners to re-export their own. Biden noted that France, the U.K., Finland, the Netherlands and other nations are also sending key security assistance, and said that the United States’ move is part of a concerted effort by Western allies: “Today’s announcement builds on the hard work and commitment from countries around the world, led by the United States of America, to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. That’s what this is about, helping Ukraine protect and defend Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia. There is no offensive threat to Russia. If Russian troops return to Russia … where they belong, this war would be over today.”
Biden said the M1 Abrams is the U.S. military’s main tank system and “the most capable tanks in the world.” The Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles are key to helping Ukraine fight the Russians on open terrain, like that found in the mostly flat Donbas region, which has seen intense fighting between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
Social media giant Meta announced Wednesday that former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are being reinstated, over two years after he was suspended from the platforms over incendiary posts on the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) said Trump’s accounts will be reinstated “in the coming weeks … with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.” Clegg said on the company’s website that those guardrails will include “heightened penalties for repeat offenses — penalties which will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol. In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation.”
The move comes weeks after the timeframe Facebook gave itself to re-evaluate the 2021 decision. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to “rein in big tech power over our speech” after Facebook announced the duration of Trump’s suspension in 2021. Additionally, Trump’s presidential campaign officially petitioned Meta to allow Trump back on to the platform earlier this month, writing in a letter dated Jan. 17th: “We believe that the ban on President Trump’s account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse.”
Facebook announced in June 2021 that it was banning Trump from Facebook and Instagram until at least January 2023 for a “severe violation of our rules” stemming from his role in the Jan. 6 riot. The ban was initially slated to last 24 hours, but was extended until the end of his term by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who said the “risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great … therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.” Trump was also permanently banned from Twitter at the time, but his account was reinstated on Nov. 19 by the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk. About a year after leaving office, Trump launched his own social media site called ‘Truth Social.’ Trump’s reach on Truth Social is not nearly as large as it was on the other platforms. He has slightly more than 4.8 million followers on Truth Social, compared to nearly 88 million on Twitter and 34 million on Facebook.
Good Morning America and Fox NFL Sunday host Michael Strahan received the 2,744th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — the first sports entertainment star to achieve the honor. Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a statement: “We are very excited to inaugurate the first sports entertainment star for Michael Strahan. Sports fans will be thrilled to be able to see their favorite sports figures who are involved in the entertainment business receive their stars. Michael’s extensive background in sports and sportscasting makes him the perfect choice to add to the famed sidewalk.”
Actor and former NFL player Terry Crews, along with his ‘GMA” co-hosts, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Fox NFL Sunday hosts Jay Glazer, Curt Menefee, Howie Long, rap star Wiz Khalifa, and Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier were there to support Strahan at his Walk of Fame ceremony. Strahan’s three daughters, Tanita, Isabella and Sophia, also attended the ceremony along with his mother, Louise. You can see the ceremony honoring Strahan at the link – here.
Paris Hilton announced that she and husband Carter Reum have welcomed a baby boy together via surrogate. The 41-year-old Hilton posted the news on social media, sharing a picture of her son’s hand holding onto her thumb with the caption: “You are already loved beyond words.”
Hilton later confirmed to People that her baby boy had arrived via surrogate, less than two months after she revealed that she and Reum had started IVF treatment toward the beginning of the pandemic. The couple were married in November 2021. Hilton told People: “It’s always been my dream to be a mother and I’m so happy that Carter and I found each other. We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy.
Hats off to the Crookston High School Boys and Girls Hockey teams and their family, supporters, and friends as they raised over $14,200 in the Minnesota Hockey Fights Cancer drive. The money was driven by a friendly bet between the Boys and Girls teams. Whoever raised the least money would have to clean the other team’s locker rooms. The brains behind the bet was Pirate Boys Hockey Coach Josh Hardy, knowing darn well the girl’s team moms weren’t going to let the girls clean the boy’s locker room, so the massive fundraising started. We heard donations of $1,000, $500, and many other large donations, along with anything from $5 to $10.
All the money raised goes to the Northwest Minnesota Cancer Crusaders. The Crusaders help cancer patients make it to their appointments with rides and other important things like that. It serves residents in northwest Minnesota. Both teams have had family members impacted by cancer, and the best thing about it. Win or lose, the Pirate Hockey teams are winners no matter what their records end up this year.
Last we saw, Crookston is in second place in the state for money raised in the Minnesota Hockey fights cancer fundraising total.
— — —
We will take a look at the area Section standings according to the QRF, provided by Minnesota-scores.net.
SECTION 8AA GIRLS BASKETBALL –
Perham looks to have a lock on the top seed, but the next 10 to 13 teams are still up in the air as every game the rest of the season is going to be big for seeding purposes.
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Perham
9-0
15-1
116.5
3
Pelican Rapids
9-2
13-3
87.4
20
Thief River Falls
7-3
12-4
78.3
28
Hawley
4-4
10-5
75.4
33
Fergus Falls
1-2
5-9
69.8
41
Crookston
6-3
9-6
69.4
42
Barnesville
6-4
7-8
64.7
49
Dilworth-G-F
2-5
6-9
62.1
55
Park Rapids
2-3
7-6
59.5
58
East Grand Forks
2-5
8-7
58.5
60
Wadena-DC
2-3
9-5
58.1
61
Menahga
1-3
6-7
52.0
73
Roseau
3-4
9-8
50.4
78
Frazee
1-9
5-11
41.6
89
Warroad
0-5
3-13
25.1
120
Red Lake
0-0
3-10
24.9
121
— — —
SECTION 8A GIRLS BASKETBALL –
The Section 8A West Sub-Section is still up in the air. BGMR is leading the way, but almost everybody can literally beat everybody in this sub-section so it is going to be a fun final month of the regular season.
WEST SUB
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Badger/G-MR
8-1
13-3
73.1
13
Goodridge/Grygla
9-2
11-2
60.6
33
Red Lake Falls
6-6
8-7
50.4
48
Kittson Co. Central
7-2
8-5
49.8
49
Sacred Heart
8-3
8-7
47.3
56
Warren-A-O
6-8
7-9
39.0
81
Northern Freeze
6-8
7-10
37.1
86
Climax/Fisher
4-6
6-12
30.1
104
Lake of the Woods
4-5
4-10
24.4
116
Stephen-Argyle
1-7
2-8
24.3
117
SECTION 8A East Sub-section is wild. Right now I am going with Fertile-Beltrami as the top team after its win over Fosston. There is a lot of games to play, but the Falcons have won 13 in a row and are rolling!!!
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Fosston
10-1
11-1
71.5
16
Kelliher/Northome
6-0
10-2
66.0
20
Fertile-Beltrami
13-2
15-2
64.8
24
Cass Lake-Bena
4-2
10-6
51.2
45
Mahnomen/Waubun
6-3
8-8
41.6
74
Blackduck
1-8
4-11
28.3
108
Red Lake Co Central
4-11
4-11
26.2
111
Bagley
3-8
3-14
22.6
122
Clearbrook-Gonvick
0-12
1-16
19.6
129
Win-E-Mac
1-10
1-13
18.8
134
— — —
SECTION 8AA BOYS BASKETBALL –
Even though the QRF has Thief River Falls in third, I am saying they are the top team so far. They have size, and athleticism and so far, are my top team. BUT there are five to seven teams that could with the championship in March at this point.
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Perham
7-1
13-1
100.3
6
Dilworth-G-F
8-1
11-2
91.9
8
Thief River Falls
9-0
13-1
83.4
18
Wadena-DC
3-1
10-3
64.5
43
Hawley
3-4
7-6
63.3
47
Pelican Rapids
6-3
9-5
61.4
51
Barnesville
3-3
8-4
60.0
52
East Grand Forks
2-5
6-7
59.6
53
Fergus Falls
0-2
5-9
55.6
57
Red Lake
1-0
10-6
53.6
62
Warroad
1-2
6-8
38.0
84
Crookston
3-6
6-10
37.5
85
Frazee
1-5
3-9
32.8
104
Park Rapids
1-6
2-10
32.3
106
Menahga
0-4
4-12
28.3
113
Roseau
0-5
2-11
22.3
122
— — —
SECTION 8A WEST Sub-section –
The QRF has this one right so far. Sacred Heart, the defending section champion, is the top team so far and also has the 8th best QRF in the state!! Warren-Alvarado-Oslo is a close second and they have been playing some great basketball, but have a 10 point loss to Sacred Heart.
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Sacred Heart
13-1
14-2
73.5
8
Warren-Alvarado-O
10-2
14-2
71.3
10
Northern Freeze
7-5
8-6
57.7
34
Goodridge/Grygla
7-5
9-5
52.7
44
Red Lake County
5-6
7-7
50.8
49
Kittson Co Central
3-5
6-6
46.6
56
Stephen-Argyle
4-6
6-8
39.8
76
Badger/G-MR
2-11
3-12
27.6
112
Lake of the Woods
2-4
4-10
23.4
126
Climax/Fisher
2-7
3-12
22.1
129
SECTION 8A EAST Sub-section –
This is another wild sub-section. Nobody has won more than two games in a row. While Cass Lake-Bena is at the top, I don’t think they are the favorite right now. You have five other teams in the section that is right there with them, and 8A could be the best tournament we have seen in some time as far as semi-finals and championship go. It is wide open, with at least six teams capable of winning the championship.
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Cass Lake-Bena
4-0
13-1
88.6
3
Ada-Borup-West
5-1
12-2
77.6
6
Fosston
7-1
11-2
71.0
11
Fertile-Beltrami
10-3
11-5
62.9
23
Mahnomen/Waubun
3-5
8-6
49.9
52
Blackduck
4-3
8-5
42.7
68
Win-E-Mac
4-9
8-9
41.1
73
Clearbrook-Gonvick
3-8
5-9
38.7
79
Northome/Kelliher
0-4
2-11
25.5
122
Bagley
0-9
1-13
16.5
142
— — —
SECTION 8A BOYS HOCKEY –
Warroad is the BEST team in Class A and probably AA right now. At least one of the top in AA. East Grand Forks is a legit second. After that, the QRF is a little screwy. There is NO way Park Rapids is a top-four team. Detroit Lakes and Thief River Falls round out the top four. After that….who the heck knows.
Here is how the middle of the pack has done.
Park Rapids –
Beat LOW 5-2
Beat KCC 3-2
Beat RLF 5-3
Beat Bagley/Fosston 6-5 OT
Lost to Crookston 3-2
KCC –
Beat Red Lake Falls 8-7 OT and 5-3
Beat Crookston 6-4 and 8-1
Beat LOW 8-2
Lost to Bagley/Fosston 6-3
Lost to Park Rapids 3-2
RLF –
Beat Bagley/Fosston 10-3 and 8-6
Beat LOW 9-1 and 10-4
Beat Crookston 8-7 OT
Lost to KCC 8-7 OT and 5-3
Lost to Park Rapids 5-3
I would go with Park Rapids at 5, KCC at 6, RLF at 7, Bagley/Fosston at 8, Crookston 9 and LOW 10. But there are a lot of games left and the Crookston vs Lake of the Woods game will be big for seeding.
Team
Section
Overall
QRF Value
QRF Rank
Warroad
3-0-0
17-0-0
109.0
1
East Grand Forks
3-0-0
11-6-0
80.1
5
Detroit Lakes
4-2-1
12-4-1
65.0
10
Park Rapids
4-2-0
9-5-0
49.3
30
Thief River Falls
4-2-1
8-9-1
45.6
34
Kittson Central
5-4-0
9-8-0
45.5
35
Red Lake Falls
5-4-0
9-7-0
42.9
41
Bagley/Fosston
5-3-0
11-7-0
42.0
43
Lake of the Woods
0-7-0
4-12-0
29.9
63
Crookston
1-10-0
2-15-0
27.6
66
— — —
SECTION 8A WRESTLING –
Here are my thoughts on Section 8A as of today.
1. Frazee
2. UNC
3. Fosston-Bagley
4. Crookston (lost to FB by three in the only dual they have)
5. BGMR
6. Barnesville
7. Mahnomen-Waubun
8. Fertile-Beltrami
—
Congratulations to Thief River Falls Boys Basketball’s Jack Manning for breaking the TRF All-Time Boys Basketball Leading Scorer record!! The previous record stood at 1,549 points by Kyle Sanden. Manning has scored a total of 1558 points and counting. Sanden graduated in 1996 and was 7 feet tall and played for the Gophers. He suffered concussions and wasn’t able to finish his playing career.
Jack Manning and Kyle Sanden
— — —
Congratulations to Red Lake Falls Girls Basketball’s Gabby Casavan for scoring her 1,000 career point this week.
— — —
Do you want to be an official? The Minnesota State High School League will be co-hosting a recruitment forum. There will be opportunities to ask questions about officiating and you will be provided with connections to associations and mentors who can get you started. For more information, click below.
The Crookston Multi-Use facility Vote Yes committee has been actively trying to get signs made, and the school district is busy scheduling meetings with as many people as possible.
On January 30th, there will be a meeting/coffee for anyone interested at the Shanty at 10:00 am (This will be broadcast live on KROX Radio!)
The vote will be on February 14.
— — —
The 2023 East Grand Forks Sports Boosters Youth Basketball tournament will be held March 10-12. The registration link is up and ready. Go to greenwaveboosters.com and click on the Youth Basketball Tourney tab to get your team registered.
— — —
The Crookston Pirate Winter Sports schedule has been updated again. To see the latest schedules, click below.
— — —
JOKES
Lawyers should never ask a Southern grandma a question if they aren’t prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand.
He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”
She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”
The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”
She again replied, “Why, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.”
The defense attorney almost died.
The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, “If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you to the electric chair.
— —
A Jesuit was out for a drive and crashed into another car, only to discover that the other driver was a Franciscan.“It was my fault,” each insisted—as is only right and proper with religious men. Concerned, the Jesuit said, “You look badly shaken up, Father. You could probably use a good stiff drink right now to calm down.”He produced a flask, and the Franciscan drank from it and said, “Thank you, Father; I feel much better now. But you’re probably shaken up too. Why don’t you have a drink as well?” “I will,” the Jesuit replied, “but I think I’ll wait until after the police have come.”
— —
I asked elderly Violet how she lost her husband, and she told me her sad story….
“Well, he needed a blood transfusion, but his blood type was not on record, so the doctors asked me if I knew what it was, as they urgently needed to know in order to save my Norman’s life.”
Tragically, I’ve never known his blood type, so I only had time to sit and say goodbye. I’ll never forget how supportive my Norman was. Even as he was fading away, he kept on whispering to me. “Be positive, be positive!!!” That was my Norman! Always thinking of others.
— — —
How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Emma Osborn is a freshman playing basketball at Northland Technical and Community College in Thief River Falls.
Jacey Larson is a freshman playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Olivia Huck is a freshman playing soccer at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Brooks Butt is a freshman playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Aleah Bienek is a freshman playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Elise Tangquist is the Assistant Girl’s Volleyball and Assistant Girl’s Golf Coach this year at Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove.
Kaleb Thingelstad is a sophomore playing golf at North Central University in the Twin Cities.
Joslynn Leach is a sophomore playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.
Brady Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Ty Hamre is playing football at Bemidji State University.
Paul Bittner is playing professional hockey in Norway.
Kate MacGregor is senior swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Aleece Durbin is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Nick Garmen is a junior playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Emily Meyer is the Pirate head girls’ hockey coach and softball assistant coach. Lacia Hanson is the Junior High softball coach.
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls’ Soccer coach
Cody Brekken is the Crookston Community Pool Supervisor Marley Melbye is the Head Girls’ Swimming coach
Brock Hanson is a Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach. Ben Halos is a Pirate Baseball assistant coach.
Alex LaFrance is a Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach Wes Hanson is the Pirate Wrestling Head Coach and assistant boys golf coach Kevin Weber is a Pirate Boys Basketball volunteer assistant coach Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach Colton Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc –
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys’ Tennis coach at Delano.
Katy Westrom is the Head Girl’s Tennis Coach and Head Boys’ Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming.
Mike Hastings is the Minnesota State Mankato Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Ben Andringa is serving our country with the Army and is deployed to Iraq for nine months.
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy.
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and a grad of West Point and currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.
Philip Kujawa, class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com.
At approximately 3:34 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, the Grand Forks Fire Department was dispatched to 219 Seward Ave for a report of smoke billowing out of the roof of a detached garage.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, they encountered heavy smoke coming from the detached garage. When access was made into the structure, fire crews found a car parked inside, which was also on fire. The fire was quickly extinguished, but significant damage was sustained to the garage and the car.
No injuries occurred to the public or any personnel on the scene. The Grand Forks Fire Marshals investigated the incident and determined the cause of the fire to be accidental due to a faulty block heater cord.
The Grand Forks Fire Department responded with five engines, one truck, and one command vehicle, with seventeen personnel. The Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Ambulance assisted Grand Forks Fire Department.
Governor Tim Walz today signed a bill into law extending Unemployment Insurance benefits for workers on the Iron Range. The bill will provide an additional 26 weeks of benefits for over 400 workers who were laid off due to the idling of Northshore Mining last May.
“Amid a time of uncertainty, this is a critical economic support for workers on the Iron Range,” said Governor Walz. “We will continue to work together with our partners in the legislature to move Minnesota forward, strengthen communities across the Iron Range, and ensure Minnesota’s working families have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
Chapter 2, SF40, provides additional unemployment (UI) benefits to workers related to the idling of Northshore Mining by extending UI benefits for up to an additional 26 weeks.
The Crookston City Hall announced that it hired Jordan Bergquist as its new Human Resources Coordinator in June and has moved him into the public sector of the City Hall building. This is a new position that the city adopted and put Bergquist in charge of multiple important tasks for the city, such as recruitment and employee payroll.
Bergquist is a longtime resident of Crookston who attended the University of Minnesota Crookston to major in Business Administration before moving to the Twin Cities to finish his degree at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and find his first job. However, he soon returned to his hometown after he heard of the open position at City Hall. “I’m no stranger to the area. I lived here back in 2013 when I attended UMC, where I studied Business Administration,” Crookston Human Resources Coordinator Jordan Bergquist explained. “I moved down to the Twin Cities to finish my degree at the U of M and accept a role as the Human Resources Director over in the Twin Cities area for Wal-Mart while I finished my degree. I love the area, I love living in Crookston, and I have family in the area, so when I saw there was an opening with the City of Crookston, it was a very easy decision for me to apply and take this position.”
Bergquist has spent the first three months of the job getting to understand City Hall and taking over the payroll system from the City Accountant. He has been working with the City’s Department heads to advise any planning and organizational structure, recruitment, and career advancement to facilitate the city’s recruitment policies and fill any open spots remaining in City Hall.
While Bergquist did work as a Human Resources Director in the Twin Cities before returning to Crookston, he has noted that being a Coordinator for the city does have some significant differences from his experiences at Wal-Mart, mainly that he has to do much more with the city’s hiring infrastructure with a much smaller team to help him in handling certain aspects of hiring. “It’s a change of pace. There’s a whole new set of rules for the Public Sector that I had to learn on the job here. City Administrator “Corky,” Reynolds, Kathy, and Ryan have been huge helps in getting my handle on that. With Wal-Mart, one of the biggest retailers and number one employer in the nation, I had an entire infrastructure,” Jordan Bergquist explained. “I had a payroll team and a benefits team that handled those for me, so being hands-on with our payroll and benefits system and being the point of contact in charge of both of those, not having that corporate infrastructure behind me, has been a huge change of pace but I like it. The city’s been wonderful for my development and my career here, so this is a great learning opportunity for me.”
Bergquist revealed that he and the city are working to create a more automated and modernized payroll system or looking for a better streamline option to get more efficient results for the city and its employees.
During his time as the Human Resources Coordinator, Bergquist has worked to fill in a couple of crucial positions within the city. Most notably, the Community Development Director, Kari Kirschbaum, Crookston Fire Chief Shane Heldstab, and a new IT Technician working under Director Chad Palm. However, he has noted that the search is still difficult thanks to the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The job market has been difficult in this area for the last six to ten years, where originally, I started in recruitment over in Grand Forks. I’m no stranger to the smaller town/rural recruitment strategy. Particularly, the pandemic really reset the job market,” Jordan Bergquist explained. “People are looking at compensation, benefits packages, and remote work, so it’s across the board, not just one department or this area. Even down in the Twin Cities, when I was working for one of the biggest companies in the world, there’s been difficulties. So I think getting those positions filled has been a priority since I got here in June, but I’m not someone who likes just to slide people into roles. I will conduct a thousand interviews until we find the right fit, so finding someone who is a right fit for the positions and the city has been a huge priority for me.”
Crookston City Hall Human Resources Coordinator Jordan Bergquist
This week we have two Athletes of the Week, Crookston Pirate Dancers Mady Knutson and Makenna Kopecky. The two helped Crookston take 4th Place this past weekend at the Conference Meet and were named All-Conference selections
All-Conference – Mady Knutson and Makenna Kopecky
Mady is a freshman at the Crookston High School and has been dancing for as long as she can remember. “Mady not only dances with Varsity but also choreographs which is huge because she has extra practice she needs to do,” said Pirates Dance coach Grace Espinoza. “She is here all the time working hard, putting in countless hours, while also keeping up with her grades, and on top of that, she is a positive role model to everyone and always brings a great energy and attitude.”
Outside of participating in Dance, Mady also plays soccer and is involved with the LEO Club at the High School.
Makenna is a sophomore who has also been dancing from a very young age. “Makenna is by far the most improved Dancer I have seen in the past couple of years,” said coach Espinoza. “She has grown so much over the years, and her kick height has gone up by like three feet. The thing I really appreciate about Makenna is that she is always asking questions and looking for different ways to improve.”
Outside of Dance, Makenna also plays Volleyball in the fall and is involved in the Crookston High School LEO Club.
MADY KNUTSON
First started participating in Dance – When I was 2 years old
What is your favorite event to compete in – Jazz
What event do you want to see improvement on – Kick
Do you have a pre-meet ritual – Drink a Bubbl’r
Favorite Dance Meet – Detroit Lakes
Favorite sports team – Minnesota Vikings
Favorite Movie – Finding Nemo
Favorite food – Chicken Alfredo
Something people don’t know about you – A garage door fell on my foot once
What music are you listening to – Country
You’re stranded on a deserted island, and you can have ANY three people with you – Avery Trudeau. Morgan Larson, Logan Brekken
Family – Stepdad – Kirk Luckow (Farmer) Mom – Amy Luckow (Teaches in East Grand Forks) Stepbrothers – Zander (Freshman)
Cohen (Fifth-grader) Brother – Luke (Fifth-grader)
MAKENNA KOPECKY
First started participating in Dance – When I was 3-4 years old
What do you feel is your best event – Kick
What event do you want to see improvement on – Jazz
Do you have a pre-meet ritual – Just listen to music
Favorite Dance Meet – Detroit Lakes
Favorite sports team – I just like watching basketball and hockey
Favorite Movie – The Harry Potter Series
Favorite food – Spaghetti
Something people don’t know about you – I can play piano
What music are you listening to – Taylor Swift
You’re stranded on a deserted island, and you can have ANY three people with you –Morgan Larson, Calleigh Fanfulik, Mackenzie Funk
Family – Dad – Mike (Farmer) Mom – April (Villa St. Vincent) Sister – Brenna (Sixth-grader)
