SPORTS FEEVER – September 19, 2024

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SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com

As you probably know, KROX Radio is a huge supporter of Crookston and the area schools and communities we serve. We donate to booster clubs, yearbooks, golf scrambles, after-prom parties, and so much more. A little over a year ago, interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn and Activities Director Nate Lubarski stopped by my office and pitched the idea of a partnership for KROX to have naming rights for the new sports facility. They said there isn’t a business that is associated with Pirate Activities more than KROX. Anybody who knows me, knows I am not a big self-promoter and don’t promote KROX as much as we should. But we don’t do things for recognition. We do it to serve the public. Serving the public is radio’s sole purpose, and we take that role seriously. I am also very selective in what we back, promote, and are associated with. I don’t want to be associated with something that isn’t good for the community, school, area communities, etc. I only want to be associated with things that are done right, good for the community, school, students, etc. When seeing the plans for the facility, the scoreboard, and having two press boxes, putting a softball diamond in the turn field, the track, and everything that they were doing was being done right. I heard this saying many times over the past year…..”If we are going to do this, we are going to do it the right way.” I haven’t heard that phrase very often in Crookston over my 47-plus years. Usually, I hear how and what wes work. cut to make thi That didn’t happen with this project and that is why we were all-in on this project.
We are thrilled to partner with the Crookston School District on the latest partnership. The announcement from the school district is below.

NAMING RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP – Crookston Multi-Use Facility
“It is with great pride and joy to announce the Naming Rights Partner for the Crookston High School Multi-Use Facility is KROX Radio. With its long and rich tradition of covering Crookston High School Sports and Events KROX Radio has brought and continues to bring Pirate Pride to each follower through radio broadcasts, their award winning website and now live stream as well. Thank you to KROX Radio for their continued support of all that is Crookston Pirates! Our new home to Pirate football, soccer, track and field and softball (when necessary) will be named: KROX RADIO STADIUM. We look forward to seeing all of you at the new KROX RADIO STADIUM beginning tomorrow night when girls soccer hosts Hillcrest Lutheran Academy at 4:00pm and again on Friday night when football hosts Pelican Rapids at 7:00pm.”

With that said, make sure to come out to the amazing KROX Radio Stadium. It isn’t 100 percent complete, but the stands, press box and most importantly playing field is ready. Bathrooms and the concession stand aren’t done yet, but they are bringing in porta-potties to help with the bathrooms.

— — —

We were finally able to track down high school football polls and there are a lot of area teams ranked in Football, Volleyball, and Tennis.

FOOTBALL –
Nine-player – Fertile-Beltrami at #3 and one first place vote, Goodridge/Grygla is #9, and Fosston is #10. Receiving votes was Stephen-Argyle.  (All teams are 3-0)
Class A – Mahnomen-Waubun is #3. Ada-Borup-West and Red Lake County received votes.
Class AA – Barnesville is #1 with six first-place votes.
Class AAA – Pequot Lakes is #6, Fergus Falls is #10. Morris and East Grand Forks received votes.
Class AAAA – Nobody from the area is ranked.
Class AAAAA – Alexandria is ranked #2, and Moorhead is ranked #3.
Class AAAAAA – Nobody from the area is in Class 6A.

VOLLEYBALL –
Class A – Kittson County Central is #10
Class AA – Wadena-Deer Creek is #8, Hawley is #10

GIRLS TENNIS
Class A – Staples-Motley is #7, Perham is #8, Thief River Falls is #9, Crookston is #10

— — —

Speaking of rankings, the Crookston Pirate Girls Tennis team is traveling to the Litchfield Tournament on Saturday and will see some top-notch teams.
Competing in the tournament are Annandale, Benson, CROOKSTON, Delano, Litchfield, Owatonna, St. Peter, and Staples-Motley.

Litchfield is ranked #4, Staples-Motley is #7, Crookston is #10. This is after Crookston plays #7 ranked Staples-Motley and #9 ranked Thief River Falls on Thursday and played undefeated Bemidji, who just missed the top 10 rankings in AA. Another challenging week for Crookston.

— — —

Minnesota-scores.net has released the QRF rankings after three weeks of football play. The area rankings are below.

Section 6 9-Player Standings

Fosston is off to its best start in a long time at 3-0 on the year and they currently lead three-time defending champ Fertile-Beltrami by less than a point in the QRF rankings. It is important to get in the top two spots because they will get a first round bye and advance to the semi-finals for a home game.
Fertile-Beltrami is the team to beat and everyone, including Fosston, would admit Fertile-Beltrami will be the top team barring a big upset. Fosston and Fertile-Beltrami don’t play each other, but Park Christian plays both teams and got beat up by Fertile-Beltrami.
It still makes ZERO sense that every team in the section doesn’t play each other, but the MSHSL is known to not make sense on so many things because common sense is at a shortage these days.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Fosston 0-0 3-0 27.1 1
Fertile-Beltrami 1-0 3-0 26.7 3
Park Christian 0-1 2-1 14.3 23
Clearbrook-Gonvick 1-0 1-2 7.7 44
Blackduck 0-0 0-3 3.4 45
Norman Co. East/UH 0-1 0-3 1.2 56

— — —

Section 8 9-Player Standings

Goodridge/Grygla is the defending Section 8 9-player champion and is well on their way to defending their title this year. They have started the season with three impressive victories. Stephen-Argyle is also 3-0 on the year and has had some nice wins. Kittson County Central is 2-1 and Win-E-Mac is 1-2 but had a close game with Goodridge/Grgyla and are a team nobody will want to play at playoff time. Goodridge/Grygla has a huge week 6 and 7 as they play Stephen-Argyle and Kittson County Central. We will likely know who will be the top seed going into week 8 after some big games in the two weeks before.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Goodridge/Grygla 2-0 3-0 27.1 1
Stephen-Argyle 2-0 3-0 23.2 9
Kittson Co. Central 2-0 2-1 16.0 19
Win-E-Mac 0-1 1-2 15.2 20
Warren-A-O 0-1 1-2 8.9 37
Badger/G/MR 0-2 1-2 8.3 42
Northern Freeze 0-2 0-3 2.3 49

— — —

Section 8A Standings

Weird….Mahnomen/Waubum is 3-0 again. Some things never change. Red Lake County is also 3-0. Red Lake County has three big games coming up with Menahga (Section 6AA) this Friday, host Mahnomen/Waubun next Friday, and Ada-Borup-West on October 11. The top seed will get a first round bye, so getting the top seed is something to play for, and you don’t want to be the second or third seed because your semi-final game would be against a very good team.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Mahnomen/Waubun 2-0 3-0 33.1 12
Red Lake County 1-0 3-0 31.0 13
Ada-Borup-West 1-1 2-1 25.4 18
Bagley 1-1 1-2 11.9 38
Cass Lake-Bena 0-0 0-3 2.9 48
Polk County West 0-2 0-3 2.5 49
Red Lake 0-1 0-3 1.7 53

— — —

Section 8AA Standings

Once again Barnesville is undefeated at 3-0 and everybody else is fighting for second place! Can anybody come close to Barnesville? It isn’t likely. The big question is who will finish second place. Going into week four, Hawley, Park Rapids, and Pelican Rapids are all 2-1 and that is not a suprise to anybody that they are the 2-4 in the standings. Hawley will play Park Rapids on Week 5 and Pelican Rapids on Week 6. Park Rapids will play Pelican Rapids in Week 8, which will be a huge game for seeding purposes for sure.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Barnesville 2-0 3-0 52.7 2
Hawley 2-0 2-1 31.2 21
Park Rapids 2-0 2-1 27.3 24
Pelican Rapids 1-1 2-1 24.0 28
Roseau 0-2 1-2 18.6 32
Frazee 1-1 1-2 15.1 34
Crookston 0-2 0-3 4.1 50
Warroad 0-2 0-3 2.2 54

— — —

Section 8AAA Standings

Section 8AAA is a three-way race going into the fourth week of play with Fergus Falls, Morris, and East Grand Forks off to 3-0 starts. All three teams are great teams and again, getting a top seed is going to be huge. East Grand Forks and Fergus Falls will play on Friday. Fergus Falls will play Morris in Week 8 and that obviously will be a big game for seeding purposes. East Grand Forks will play Morris on Week 6, DGF Week 7 and Detroit Lakes on Week 8. So needless to say, EGF has a tough schedule the rest of the way.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Fergus Falls 1-0 3-0 63.9 3
Morris/Chokio-Alberta 1-0 3-0 51.8 10
East Grand Forks 1-0 3-0 49.0 12
Perham 0-1 1-2 22.8 26
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 1-1 1-2 19.8 34
Thief River Falls 0-2 0-3 2.9 54

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The Boys and Girls Soccer seasons only have a couple of weeks left before playoffs, so we will take a look at how Section 8A is shaping up.

Section 8A – North Standings

Crookston is currently in first place even though they lost to second place Pelican Rapids 1-0, and Fergus Falls 1-0. Crookston has two games against East Grand Forks and one against Hillcrest. They also have Mesabi East and Hibbing and if they are able to win three or four of those five games they should be the top seed. They also have a game against Grand Forks Central, but that won’t count against the QRF rating. Pelican Rapids will play Fergus Falls at the end of the regular season and that will be a big game for seeding purposes.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
Crookston 3-2-0 5-2-0 32.8 14
Pelican Rapids 4-2-0 4-3-0 27.1 26
Fergus Falls 4-0-0 4-5-0 23.9 31
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3-3-0 4-5-0 23.9 31
East Grand Forks 0-4-0 0-5-0 4.9 76

Section 8A – South Standings

St. Cloud Cathedral is the top team and St. John’s Prep looks to be the second seed. There is a three team race for the third seed. Melrose, Central Minnesota Christian and Minnewaska Area.

Team Section Overall QRF Value QRF Rank
St. Cloud Cathedral 4-0-0 7-0-0 45.6 2
St. John’s Prep 2-2-0 3-3-0 29.8 17
Melrose 2-2-0 2-5-0 18.0 46
Central MN Christian 1-1-0 1-3-0 17.4 50
Minnewaska Area 1-6-0 2-7-0 15.9 53
Morris Area 0-2-0 0-2-0 7.0 69

— — —

Congratulations to Hawley Nugget Football’s Jack Ames on committing to play football at the University of North Dakota. I asked Hawley Head Football Coach Peder Naatz what makes Ames such a good football player and he said –

“Jack has a tremendous work ethic and deep love for football. His understanding of the game is at a high level and there isn’t a person that will outwork him. When he started checking out schools and hitting camps something about UND hit home and that is the place he really wanted an opportunity to play with!  Bubba landed a good one in Jack Ames!”

— — —

The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Volleyball team had its home and conference opener canceled. We are sad to report it is because of the death of head Bemidji State volleyball coach Kevin Ulmer after a battle with cancer. The BSU press release is below.

It is with a heavy heart and great sorrow that the Bemidji State University Athletic Department must share the news that Beaver Volleyball head coach Kevin Ulmer has passed away Tuesday afternoon after a long battle with cancer surrounded by his family. He was 41 years old.
 
We ask you to send your thoughts and prayers to the entire Ulmer family, his wife Kate and their three daughters.
 
“We are heartbroken to lose our colleague, our coach, and our friend Kevin Ulmer,” said Bemidji State Director of Athletics Britt Lauritsen. “The late Stuart Scott, an ESPN anchor who also battled cancer, said, “When you die that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” Kevin was a man of deep faith, of pure love for his family, of wholehearted dedication to his team and to Bemidji State Volleyball. The manner in which he lived will carry on in the lives of the women he has coached, and in all of us in the department, the community, and beyond who love and care about Kevin. It is a privilege, even in the midst of our grief, to carry on the light that burned so brightly in Kevin every day. We are sending all our love and light to Kate and their three beautiful daughters as they navigate this loss.”
 
Memorials services for Kevin will be announced at a later date.
 
Kevin was the head coach of the BSU Volleyball program for the past nine seasons after joining the Beaver family in June of 2016. Since taking over the program, he has guided 62 student-athletes to their successes on and off the court. 30 of those have earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Academic Team honors with six earning the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award which is bestowed to those with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate.
 
Kevin’s student-athletes have consistently been atop the ranks in the classroom and have won multiple American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Awards. He has also coached two All-NSIC selections in the toughest conference in Division II volleyball in Jessica Yost and Rylie Bjerklie.
 
Kevin came to Bemidji State after serving as the head volleyball coach at Bethel College (Ind.) for four seasons and served as an assistant coach at Georgetown College (Ky.).
 
He graduated from Northwestern College (Iowa) in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health education and earned his master’s degree in biomechanics and exercise physiology at the University of Kentucky.
 
Counseling is available through the Student Center for Health and Counseling at Bemidji State located in the first floor of Cedar Hall. More information is available, here.
 
Go Fund Me has been established to help the Ulmer family cover medical expenses during this troubling time as well as an NSIC Volleyball Rally for Coach Ulmer has been established and can be found here.
 
Friday’s match at University of Minnesota Crookston has been canceled.

— — —

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club will open training camp on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in downtown St. Paul.

The Wild’s training camp roster consists of 57 players, including the following 18 players that participated in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase:

Forwards: Caedan Bankier, Hunter Haight, Gavin Hain, Riley Heidt, Michael Milne, Pavel Novak, Ryder Ritchie, Matthew Sop, Luke Toporowski.

Defensemen: Carson Lambos, Stevie Leskovar, Kyle Masters, Kalem Parker, Jack Peart, David Spacek.

Goaltenders: Samuel Hlavaj, Kyle McClellan, Chase Wutzke.

The Wild invited forwards Gavin Hain, Ryan Sandelin and Matthew Sop, defenseman Will Zmolek and goaltenders Kyle McClellan and William Rousseau to training camp on professional tryouts and released forwards Kody Dupuis, Felix Lacerte, Luke Loheit, Brad Marek, Jack O’Brien and Mason Zebeski, defensemen Bogdans Hodass and Jordan Tourigny and goaltender Riley Mercer from their amateur tryouts.

The team also announced today that a number of training camp practices at TRIA Rink will be open to the public. Fans need to register at www.wild.com/openpractices to attend an open practice session.
Player media availability will occur after each practice session (Group A players will be available after Group A practice). Head Coach John Hynes will be available following the final practice session each day.

2024-25 MINNESOTA WILD PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sept. 21 at Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre – 7 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center – 7 p.m. CT
Friday, Sept. 27 vs. Winnipeg Jets at Xcel Energy Center – 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, Sept. 29 vs. Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center – 5 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Oct. 1 vs. Chicago Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center – 7 p.m. CT
Friday, Oct. 4 at Chicago Blackhawks at United Center – 7:30 p.m. CT

— — —

JOKES

A 17-year-old boy, who works part-time at Pizza Hut, pulls up to his house in a stunning Porsche.
His parents are immediately suspicious, knowing there’s no way his after-school job could have paid for such an expensive car. “Where did you get that car?” they shout, astonished.

“I bought it today,” the boy replies calmly.

“With what money?” his mom demands. “We know how much a Porsche costs, and there’s no way you can afford it!”

The boy shrugs. “It’s used, and I got a great deal. I only paid $20 for it.”

His parents are even more shocked. “Who would sell a Porsche for $20?!”

“The woman up the street,” the boy explains. “She just moved in. I delivered a pizza to her, and she offered to sell me the Porsche for $20.”

Baffled, his parents rush to the neighbor’s house, ready for an explanation. They find her calmly planting flowers in her yard. “I’m the father of the boy you sold a Porsche to for $20,” the dad says. “We need to know why you sold it so cheap!”

The woman, without looking up, responds, “I got a call from my husband this morning. I thought he was on a business trip in Florida, but it turns out he ran off to Hawaii with his secretary and doesn’t plan on coming back.”

The boy’s mom, still confused, asks, “But what does that have to do with selling our son a Porsche for $20?”

With a satisfied smile, the woman replies, “My husband told me to sell his new Porsche and send him the money—so I did.”

— —

A sweet grandmother telephoned St. Joseph ‘s Hospital. She timidly asked,

‘Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?’

The operator said, ‘I’ll be glad to help, dear. What’s the name and room number?’

The grandmother, in her weak tremulous voice said, ”Norma Findlay, Room 302.’

The operator replied, ‘Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse.’

After a few minutes the operator returned to the phone and said, ‘Oh, I have good news. Her nurse told me that Norma is doing very well.. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work is normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday.’

The grandmother said, ‘Thank you. That’s wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news.’

The operator replied, ‘You’re more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?’

The grandmother said, ‘No, I’m Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me s**t.’

— —

A man was driving home from work one evening when he suddenly realized that it was his daughter’s birthday and he hadn’t yet bought her a gift.

So, the man rushed off to the nearest toy store and asked the sales clerk, “How much is that Barbie in the window?”

The sales clerk replied in a condescending tone, “Which Barbie? We have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95, and Divorce Barbie for $265.00.”

The overwhelmed man asked, “Why is the Divorced Barbie $265.00 and all the others are only $19.95?”

“That’s obvious!” said the sales clerk. “Divorce Barbie comes with Ken’s house, Ken’s car, Ken’s boat, Ken’s furniture…”

— —

A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring.
This man knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative fellow and is curious about his sudden change in ‘fashion sense.’
The man walks up to him and says, ‘I didn’t know you were into earrings.’
‘Don’t make such a big deal, it’s only an earring,’ he replies sheepishly.
His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, “So, how long have you been wearing one?”
“Ever since my wife found it in my car.”
(I always wondered how this trend got started.)

— — —

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

Isabelle Smith is a freshman playing Tennis at Concordia College.

Isaac Thomforde is a freshman playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.

Emilee Tate is a Sophomore playing Softball at Northland Community and Technical College.

Halle Bruggeman is a Sophomore on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.

Ethan Boll is a Red-shirt Freshman on the University of North Dakota Football team.

Breanna Kressin is a Junior on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.

Emma Osborn is a Junior playing basketball at the University of Minnesota Crookston.

Jacey Larson is a Sophomore playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Aleah Bienek is a Junior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.

Joslynn Leach is a Senior playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.

Brady Butt is a Senior playing football at the University of Jamestown.

Brooks Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.

Ty Hamre is redshirt Junior playing football at Bemidji State University.

Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.

Crookston School District Coaches
Ben Parkin 
is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Amy Boll 
is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese 
is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is an assistant girls golf coach
Jeff Perreault 
is the Pirate Girls Golf head 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

Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc

Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND.

Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.

Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball

Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.

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.

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 Wisconsin Badgers 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 in the Army and is now a Ranger.

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.

The post SPORTS FEEVER – September 19, 2024 first appeared on KROX.

Pool is Hot Topic at The Crookston City Council Budget Workshop

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Crookston City Council immediately followed up its Special Meeting Monday evening with a Budget Workshop.  Many departments were covered in Monday’s workshop.  City Administrator Jeff Shoobridge reminded the Council and all attending in person or online that these workshops have no finality attached to them. “This is a preliminary budget; we are not setting anything in stone at this point,” said Shoobridge. “The state dictates that we must by September 30 issue a “not to exceed” levy rate.” After that point, the Council will start to cut where they can to get the budget numbers down where possible and appropriate.

Among the departments covered were Finance, Building Official, Legal, City Hall, Parks and Recreation, Airport, and Police.  The most notable departments that sparked discussion were City Hall, Police, and Parks and Recreation. 

The City Administrator is asking for $75,000 to upgrade security at City Hall. The Police Department is asking for funds to buy classroom and break room chairs, which they have removed from the budget plan in previous years, to cut back on the budget. The Police Department is also set to increase its monthly fee to Scruffy Tails Humane Society. They need to replace a retaining wall behind the Police Department, add a vehicle to its fleet, and purchase new interviewing/recording equipment.

Parks and Recreation was a hot topic, largely impart to Crookston’s Public Swimming pool.  The pool is closed at this time, as it has been off and on in previous years due to repairs.  The age, upkeep, attendance, and more were discussed by Council, citizens, and Parks and Recreation Director Jake Solberg. “A big topic item was the pool. We’ve had another issue at the building; our fire system went out,” said Solberg. “I’ve been in contact with our fire system company out of Fargo; I’m waiting to hear back from them on a quote.”

Support for the pool was apparent as Crookston citizens showed up to listen and get a chance to state their hopes for the pool.  Solberg says the condition of the pool itself is not the issue. “The pool has been running well, it truly has, and I think our numbers are up a little bit as we have been open a little more consistently.”
The future of the pool is at stake, and the Council did talk about this in depth and will continue to. “It’s a tough thing,” says Solberg. “Our revenues do not even come close to our expenditures, we’re roughly $300,000.00 in expense for that building with all your utilities, chemicals, staffing and being open all year round, it’s something to defiantly look at but for now the Council has instructed to keep as is.”

Solberg is waiting for a quote on the fire system fix, and if it can be afforded, that will be the next decision. “The future could look brighter, whether that’s closing the pool and looking at something new for the community or keeping the pool open.”

The City Council will hold its regular meeting on Monday, September 23, at 5:30 p.m.; immediately following will be a Budget Workshop.

The post Pool is Hot Topic at The Crookston City Council Budget Workshop first appeared on KROX.

Crookston and Area Cities Recieve Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) Grants

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The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that $21 million in Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) Grants will be disbursed to 31 cities, townships, and counties across Greater Minnesota. One of those cities was Crookston. These funds will be used for commercial and residential property rehabilitations, public facility improvements, and other economic development projects.

“We were really excited to hear the announcement last week that we received $1,198,000; how exciting is that,” says Karie Kirschbaum, Community Development Director for Crookston Community Development and Housing. “We started that project about a year ago,” Kirschbaum met with John Wynne of Northwest Community Action and Jason Carlson from Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, and they contracted John to write the grant on behalf of the city.

Kirschbaum says they went through the whole process, and residents and business owners in Ward 4, which is the downtown area, turned in applications saying they would be interested.  “It is first come, first serve, so for those of you who were first in line to submit your letter of interest, we are going to be looking at your application first,” said Kirschbaum. “There is a lot more paperwork to fill out, but we do have your interest.”

If you haven’t already, there is still an opportunity to apply, according to Kirschbaum, “You may decide to keep it or not keep it, but you will have your opportunity, and we’ll take other applicants as well until the funds are depleted.”

Since Ward 4 is primarily downtown, the types of projects that the grant can be used for fall into specific categories.  For the downtown commercial buildings, funds of up to $40,000 are available to do whatever you want to do to the envelope of your building.  For individual resident’s homes, whether it’s a rental or a residence the funds are up to $25,000. The third way the funds can be used is for apartments above the unit.  Up to $12,500 can be used to renovate an apartment.  These funds cannot be used to build a new apartment but instead to renovate an existing one. 

There is still a chance to apply and possibly get some grant funding for your downtown business or residence/rental. “There is absolutely a chance that somebody will get into the paperwork on it, and they’re like, it’s not worth it, or they’ve moved already, so those types of things can be happening,” explains Kirschbaum. “We will have that meeting today, so over the next few days, you should see some information coming out with a little more detail, and if you are already on the list, over the next month or so, you will be contacted to say hey, are you still interested.”

KROX will have more information on how to apply soon.

DEED Awards for area communities and counties are below.

City of Climax, $546,168.00
Public facility improvements to water distribution lines.

City of Crookston, $1,198,000.00
Rehabilitation of 16 owner-occupied housing units, three mixed-use rental housing units, and 13 commercial buildings.

City of Fertile, $600,000.00
Public facility improvements to water distribution lines.

City of Halstad, $600,000.00
Public facility improvements to water distribution lines.

City of Park Rapids, $1,003,900.00
Rehabilitation of 15 rental housing units, seven mixed-use units, and 18 commercial buildings.

City of Pelican Rapids, $948,750.00
Rehabilitation of 17 owner-occupied housing units and 10 commercial buildings.

Kittson County, $563,500.00
Rehabilitation of 20 owner-occupied housing units.

Marshall County, $575,000.00
Rehabilitation of 20 owner-occupied housing units.

The post Crookston and Area Cities Recieve Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) Grants first appeared on KROX.

UMC Club Hockey adds nine new players

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The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Club Hockey team has added nine new members this summer. Six forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie will be joining the team when they hit the ice this fall.

Ben Hines (So., F, Detroit Lakes) who was a member of the Jamestown Jimmies prior to transferring to UMC. Hines had seven goals and 12 points in 27 games for the Jimmies, in the Regional Tournament he scored two goals in two games.

Rudy Moser (Fr., F, Langdon, N.D.) spent last season with the Langdon Blades of the NDAHA, he was named to the Second Team Junior Gold All-State Team.

Mason Romfo (Fr., F, Langdon, N.D.) also played for the Langdon Blades. He was named to the First Team Junior Gold All-State Team.

Jackson Dodds (Sr., F, Watford City, N.D.) spent last season at Williston State College. Dodds played in 20 games for the Tetons last season, scoring 11 goals and 12 assists. His brother, Fox Dodds (Sr., F, Watford City, N.D.), is entering his second season with the Golden Eagles.

Aiden Morelli (Jr., F, Minot, N.D.) is a transfer from Dakota College-Bottineau. Morelli had a breakout season in 2023-24, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 33 games.

Connor O’Donoghue (So., F, Champlin) was a student at UMC last year and will join the team this year. He has not played since the 2020-2021 season, when he played 19 games with Champlin Park High

Alexander Bailey (Jr., D, Crosby, N.D.) is a transfer from Williston State College. Bailey led the Tetons in assists and points last year, scoring six goals and 22 assists for 28 points in 19 games.

Tyler Lorenz (Fr., D, Shakopee, Minn.) played last year for Junior Gold B Red in 2023-2024 for Shakopee.

Tyler Swanson (Fr., G, Fargo, N.D.) played for the Wisconsin Lumberjacks of the SIJHL two seasons ago. He had a 3-8-1 record, with a 5.47 goals against average and a .872 save percentage. He did not play last season.

The Golden Eagles will return to action October 11th at 7 P.M. when they faceoff with the Jamestown Jimmies to open the season.

The post UMC Club Hockey adds nine new players first appeared on KROX.

UMC Men’s Golf finishes 2nd and 10th at Fall Brawl in Wisconsin

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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s golf team placed second and 10th place out of 13 teams at The Fall Brawl at Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson, Wisconsin. Concordia-St. Paul won the invite with a two-round score of 577, seven strokes better than UMC’s “A” team. There were 10 schools competing with UMC, Concordia-St. Paul, and Minnesota State-Mankato fielding two teams each.

The UMC “A” team shot 297 and 287 in the two rounds. Ross Koerner (Fr., Grand Forks, N.D.) led the Golden Eagles with rounds of 73 and 70, which was one over par to finish in a tie for fifth place. Marc Balleste Bofarull (So., Barcelona, Spain) tied for eighth after shooting a 74 and 72. Lukas Justesen (Sr., Detroit Lakes) shot a 75 and 73 to tie for 18th. Andrew Wilhelm (So., Fargo, N.D.) tied for 23rd with scores of 75 and 74. Layton Bartley (Sr., Fargo, N.D.) shot a 78 and 72 and finished tied for 28th place.

The UMC “B” team shot rounds of 297 and 314 to finish 10th place.
Holdyn Evjen (Fr., Hermantown) finished his first collegiate tournament placing tied for 14th with rounds of 71 and 76. Carson Shultis (Jr., Fargo, N.D.) shot rounds of 74 and 78 and tied for 37th place. Gannon Walsh (Jr., Belgrade) recorded scores of 76 and 77. Connor Czirjak (So., Calgary, Alberta) carded scores of 76 and 83 and finished tied for 56th place. Gabe Weller (Fr., Alexandria, Minn.) shot rounds of 77 and 86 and tied for 67th place. Julian Nieto (Jr., Bucaramanga, Colombia) shot scores of 84 and 87 for 75th place.

UMC will compete at the Watkins Invite on September 23 and 24 in Lake City, Minnesota. 

TEAM RESULTS –
1. Concordia-St. Paul – 577
2. UMC “A” – 584
3. Augustana – 587
4. Winona State – 589
5. Minot State – 592
6. Sioux Falls – 593
7. MSU-Mankato “B” – 600
8. MSU-Mankato “A” – 601
9. U of Mary – 606
10. UMC “B” – 611
11. Concordia-St. Paul “B” – 613
12. Upper Iowa – 621
13. North Central – 634

The post UMC Men’s Golf finishes 2nd and 10th at Fall Brawl in Wisconsin first appeared on KROX.

RiverView Recovery Center adds services for co-occuring disorders

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Mental health disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) often occur together. That’s why RiverView Recovery Center (RRC) is working to support those with co-occurring disorders.

Co-occurring disorders mean that an individual has a diagnosis of a mental health disorder (e.g., depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders) along with a SUD (e.g., alcohol, drugs, or other addictive substances). When the conditions occur together, the effects of each can be amplified.

According to a 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 21.5 million adults in the United States have a co-occurring disorder.

East Grand Forks Adds Services, Moves
In May, RiverView Recovery Center-East Grand Forks was the first RRC location to receive its co-occurring disorder licensure by the State of Minnesota, allowing for treatment. Co-occurring disorder treatment includes treatment for the mental health disorder and the substance use disorder at the same time.
According to RRC Mental Health Practitioner Matthew Cookman, LADC, LAC, the process for co-occurring licensure is also in the works for RRC locations in Crookston, Thief River Falls, and Roseau. Licensure is expected by the end of the year.
Cookman, who has a Master of Arts in Counseling from the University of North Dakota and is under supervision for his licensed professional counselor licensure, oversees training and credentialing for RRC’s co-occurring program.

“Often, addiction and mental health concerns go hand in hand,” he shared. “As a person works on gaining sobriety, there are often mental health situations that show up. Or, sometimes, they have always been there, but the substances were suppressing symptoms. So, when the substance use is not happening, the mental health situation presents itself again.

“The benefit then is the opportunity for people with co-occurring disorders to work on both the substance use disorder and the mental health disorder simultaneously. This can be helpful if done in one location to reduce the stress of having to share their stories multiple times with different providers, which can lead to someone reliving trauma over and over again.”

With the new licensure, RRC-East Grand Forks now offers mental health assessments. Plans are also in place to establish a mental health-specific group, which Cookman says will greatly help some of the population RiverView Recovery serves.

Coincidentally, the new services in East Grand Forks come with an address change. RRC-East Grand Forks is now housed under the same roof as RiverView Clinic-East Grand Forks at 1428 Central Avenue Northeast.

A Combined Effort
With Cookman’s focus on RRC-East Grand Forks and weekly visits to RRC-Thief River Falls, the footprint for the new level of care is growing, reported RRC Director Curtis Hamre.
Hamre also credits Tim Denney, MS, principal trainer and consultant at Level 5 Services, as a great asset in moving forward with co-occurring disorder services. Denney travels to all RRC sites and speaks about mental health issues.
RRC team members are continuously training and learning more about changing addictive behaviors and gaining a deeper understanding of disorders such as mood and personality and how all factors can relate to SUD, Hamre stated.

Co-occurring Risk Factors, Treatment
Certain risk factors can contribute to both substance use disorders and mental health disorders, including –
Genetics: Both sets of disorders can run in families. Research shows many genes may contribute to the risk of developing either condition.
Environmental factors: Stress and trauma can be passed down through generations. These can contribute to the development of substance use or mental health disorders.

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which disorder came first.

Substance use disorders may contribute to mental health disorders. Alcohol, drugs, and other substances can trigger changes in the brain’s structure and function, making it more likely to develop a mental health disorder.

Mental health disorders can contribute to substance use disorders. If you have a mental health disorder, you may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to try to feel better or cope. Although these substances may temporarily help symptoms, they can worsen them over time. Mental health disorders may also change how the brain’s “reward” centers work, adding to the likelihood of becoming addicted.

Through RRC’s services, clients learn how each disorder affects the other and which treatment will be most effective.

For more information on services and contact information at each RRC location, go to https://www.riverviewhealth.org/services/chemical-dependency/.

The post RiverView Recovery Center adds services for co-occuring disorders first appeared on KROX.

Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens this weekend

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Minnesota’s regular waterfowl hunting season opens a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday, September 21, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters about season dates, regulations and changes to stamp requirements in effect this season.

New this year, electronically issued federal stamps are now valid for the entire season. Pictorial stamps will be mailed to purchasers after the close of waterfowl seasons. The stamps are available through the Minnesota DNR electronic licensing system, in person or online (mndnr.gov/buyalicense), and cost $29 per stamp. Federal duck stamps are also still available from local post offices. Federal duck stamps are required for all hunters ages 16 and older. Waterfowl hunters must also possess a small game license, state waterfowl stamp validation and Harvest Information Program certification. The state waterfowl stamp validation costs $7.50 and is a requirement is for residents ages 18 to 64 and nonresidents ages 16 and older.

Full season dates and hunting regulations are available in the Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting Regulations booklet, available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, and on the Minnesota DNR waterfowl hunting page (mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl). Information to help hunters properly identify waterfowl is available in an illustrated guide on page 18 of the regulations booklet.

The post Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens this weekend first appeared on KROX.

Meta bans Russian state-run media outlets globally due to ‘foreign interference’

Meta corporation headquarters glass building concept. Metaverse facebook virtual reality network company symbol on front facade 3d illustration. Menlo Park^ USA^ May 5^ 2023

Meta said that it is banning some of Russia’s largest state media networks from its platforms for using ‘deception to run an influence campaign and to hide its efforts.’ The ban on the state-run media networks will expand to all Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp platforms, beginning sometime this week.

Meta said in a statement: “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity.”

The latest restrictions come after the U.S. State Department earlier this month designated Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other Russian news outlets as foreign missions after accusing two RT employees of taking part in a $10 million scheme to finance a company that published English-language videos on Instagram as well as TikTok, X and YouTube.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded harshly to the ban, telling reporters during a daily conference call that “such selective actions against Russian media are unacceptable. Meta with these actions are discrediting themselves. We have an extremely negative attitude towards this. And this, of course, complicates the prospects for normalizing our relations with Meta.”

RT (formerly known as Russia Today) and Russia Segodnya (the parent company behind state news agency RIA Novosti and news brand Sputnikalso) also denounced the move.  RT shared in a statement: “It’s cute how there’s a competition in the West — who can try to spank RT the hardest, in order to make themselves look better.” While Rossiya Segodnya added that Meta’s decision “was not unexpected for us. Meta is a deeply politicized organization. We will continue our work in the countries where we are present and this decision will not affect our work.”

Meta had previously joined other social media outlets to block Russian state media outlets in the European Union, Britain and Ukraine after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced last week new sanctions against RT, alleging the Russian government had embedded “a unit with cyber-operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence” within the outlet.

Editorial credit: Skorzewiak / Shutterstock.com

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs held in custody, denied bail after indictment on sex trafficking, racketeering charges

Sean 'Diddy' Combs at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Sunset Tower on February 26^ 2012 in West Hollywood^ California.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail and will be held in custody after his indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution on Tuesday, September 17, one day following his arrest in New York.

Combs appeared at his arraignment Tuesday wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants, and entered a plea of not guilty in court.  But despite a bail proposal made by Combs’ attorneys, a federal judge in New York ruled that Combs be held behind bars during his arraignment on Tuesday, Sept. 17, while prosecutors alleged that Combs had drugs in the hotel room in which he was arrested on Monday, September 16.

The Southern District of New York had announced that Combs was arrested by federal agents on Monday, with ABC News detailed that the arrest took place at the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan by Homeland Security Investigations agents. In March, federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles.

According to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday, federal prosecutors allege that dating back to 2009, Combs, 54, ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes, adding that he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Prosecutors also allege that Combs “ensured participation” by giving them narcotics, holding sway over their careers, threatening to cut them off from financial support and using violence and intimidation.

Speaking outside the federal courthouse in New York, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said that the music mogul was “going to plead not guilty, obviously. He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers, and I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.”  In an additional statement, Agnifilo said: “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Editorial credit: Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs held in custody, denied bail after indictment on sex trafficking, racketeering charges

Sean 'Diddy' Combs at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Sunset Tower on February 26^ 2012 in West Hollywood^ California.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail and will be held in custody after his indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution on Tuesday, September 17, one day following his arrest in New York.

Combs appeared at his arraignment Tuesday wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants, and entered a plea of not guilty in court.  But despite a bail proposal made by Combs’ attorneys, a federal judge in New York ruled that Combs be held behind bars during his arraignment on Tuesday, Sept. 17, while prosecutors alleged that Combs had drugs in the hotel room in which he was arrested on Monday, September 16.

The Southern District of New York had announced that Combs was arrested by federal agents on Monday, with ABC News detailed that the arrest took place at the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan by Homeland Security Investigations agents. In March, federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles.

According to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday, federal prosecutors allege that dating back to 2009, Combs, 54, ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes, adding that he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Prosecutors also allege that Combs “ensured participation” by giving them narcotics, holding sway over their careers, threatening to cut them off from financial support and using violence and intimidation.

Speaking outside the federal courthouse in New York, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said that the music mogul was “going to plead not guilty, obviously. He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers, and I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.”  In an additional statement, Agnifilo said: “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Editorial credit: Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com