Month: May 2024

Longtime Crookston resident Mike Christopherson, unanimously endorsed by the DFL, officially filed his candidacy on May 21, 2024 for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B. In early May, he was nominated by former Senator Roger Moe at the Polk/Red Lake County DFL Endorsing Convention in Crookston.

“I am excited and honored to receive this endorsement,” Christopherson said. “I’m also eager to get out in District 1B and talk to people about what they’d like to see happen at the legislature that could do some good for them as well as our region.”

Christopherson, 54, and his wife, Michelle, have been married for almost 28 years. They have two adult sons, Ethan and Trey. Michelle has worked for the University of Minnesota Crookston for almost 25 years, serving in a variety of leadership roles. She is currently the director of Outreach and Engagement on campus. Ethan is a senior admissions counselor at UMN Crookston, and Trey, after starting with First Community Credit Union in Crookston, recently transferred to FCCU’s Grand Forks branch, where he is a business associate.

Christopherson earned a bachelor of science degree in communications/broadcast journalism from Moorhead State University in 1992. He spent the bulk of his professional career as a reporter and then managing editor at the Crookston Times, with two stints at the newspaper, from 1994 to 2001, and again from 2004 to 2021. Between those two stints at the Times, he worked in the Service Learning program at UMN Crookston and was also a teaching specialist on campus. Feeling that corporate media’s mission was drifting too far from the importance of small-town, local journalism, Christopherson resigned from the Times in the summer of 2021. Since October of that year, he has been the full-time substitute teacher at Fisher Public School and holds a Tier 1 Minnesota teaching license in 5th-12th grade Communication, Arts and Literature.

Following his endorsement, Christopherson and his team have been busy ordering a variety of campaign materials. Facebook, Instagram and X campaign social media accounts have been launched, as well as a website, mikechristopherson.com. There, visitors can learn more about Christopherson and his stances on various issues important to residents of District 1B, as well as submit donations towards his campaign. An account, “Christopherson for House 1B,” has also been opened at First Community Credit Union.

While he’s being advised by local and area DFL leaders and officials, Christopherson has also formed a campaign committee, chaired by area farmer and Crookston School Board member Tim Dufault.

So why is Christopherson seeking the Minnesota House District 1B seat as a DFLer?

“Because I love it here and I’m a proud Minnesotan,” he stated. “I want to be a voice of reason in St. Paul, and a champion for the things that truly matter to us in northwest Minnesota.”

Some of those things include:

– Economic growth and a strong, stable, reliable, well-trained and adequately compensated workforce;

– investments in public schools so that they are equipped to prepare young people from all cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds for successful futures;

– public infrastructure investments that are more proactive than reactive;

– the vitality of rural Minnesota and communities not just maintaining their populations but growing them;

– caring for and supporting our growing elderly friends and neighbors;

– strong, stable family farms and ag operations, and thriving agribusinesses;

– accessible, exceptional healthcare, whether it’s our physical or mental health;

and,

– the importance of our great outdoors and Minnesota’s natural resources.

Christopherson is hitting the campaign trail, and, on Saturday, June 1, he and members of his team will be at the Small Town Saturday event in Climax and also at the Erskine Water Carnival parade.

In his spare time, Christopherson loves spending time at Maple Lake, where his parents, Mark and Kathy Christopherson, reside. He also enjoys golfing, playing pool, reading, listening to music, standing around backyard bonfires, following Minnesota’s professional sports teams and the Gophers, and obsessing over fantasy football.

The post MIKE CHRISTOPHERSON FILES CANDIDACY FOR DISTRICT 1B REPRESENATIVE appeared first on KROX.

The Northwest Regional Corrections Center reports the arrest of the following-   

Tommy Joe Sundquist, 43, of Crookston, for Drug Possession in the third degree, methamphetamine/amphetamine in a school/park/public housing zone.

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT May 24, 2024 appeared first on KROX.

Crookston High School will hold graduation at 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 24 in the Crookston High School gymnasium. 78 seniors will participate in the graduating ceremony, with a few graduating who chose not to participate.

Four students will speak, High School Principal Matt Torgerson will give a speech, and Brett Brenden will be the facility speaker.

“I’m proud of the work that they’ve done; they’ve got a lot of things to look forward to in their adult lives after high school,” said Torgerson. “They’ve just accomplished a lot in their high school lives.”

Principal Torgerson also wanted to note some of the achievements from this year’s graduating class. “There are so many things that they have done. We have students who have already earned associate degrees for college, they have earned college certificates, we have students going on to play athletics in college, we have a student who is already a business owner,” said Torgerson. “They put in so many volunteer hours when they have been here; they’re awesome, they worked hard and smiled and were nice while doing it, so I’m going to miss the class of 2024.” 

Congratulations to those graduating this school year. KROX will video stream the graduation and will also take pictures of each student receiving their diploma.

The post CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL WILL HOLD GRADUATION FRIDAY appeared first on KROX.

University of North Dakota Forensic Pathology has identified the man killed May 16 in a use-of-force incident in Crookston. According to the forensic pathologist, Andrew Scott Dale, 35, of Crookston died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified two Crookston police officers and one Polk County sheriff’s deputy who used force during this incident. 

• Officer Nick Fladland fired his department handgun. He has five years of law enforcement experience and is on critical incident leave.

• Officer Alex Rudnik deployed his Taser. He has 10 years of law enforcement experience.

• Deputy Matt Benge fired 40 mm foam less-lethal rounds. He has five years of law enforcement experience.

According to the preliminary investigation, just before 1 a.m. on May 16, the officers came upon Dale walking in the road with a hatchet. They made contact with him, and he ran toward them, still holding the hatchet. Rudnik and Benge used less-lethal force, but it was ineffective. Fladland fired his department handgun, striking Dale multiple times. The officers provided life-saving care, but Dale later died at the hospital. 

BCA crime scene personnel recovered a hatchet and cartridge casings at the scene. Body-worn cameras captured portions of the incident. BCA agents are reviewing all available video as part of the active investigation. 

The Crookston Police Department asked the BCA to investigate this incident. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Polk County Attorney’s Office for review.

The post BCA RELEASES CROOKSTON POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING appeared first on KROX.