Month: November 2024

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, and Crookston resident Matthew Rosu informed KROX Radio that he will be a write-in on the ballot for City Council.  Morgan Hibma was running as incumbent for Council Member at Large but will now be opposed by Matthew Rosu in the race for the spot on City Council.  We sat down with Rosu and asked him a series of questions

Tell us a little about your family.
Rosu – My name is Matt Rosu, I live here in Crookston with my family, me and my wife, Heather Rosu, and our three boys, Richard, John, and Brian.  My three boys are special needs kids; all three of them have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  They all go to school here at the Crookston Public Schools.  My wife works at Washington Elementary, and I work for the school district as a grounds-keeper, and I’m working towards getting my CDL for my bus license.  We’ve lived here since 2021 and bought our one and only house up on the Gold Terrace Loop. We’ve loved coming to know Crookston and being a part of the Community.

Why are you running for City Council?
Rosu – I was just shocked the other day, on Monday, when the City Council came out with the announcement that they are planning on closing the pool down.  I’m just shocked.  My kids Richard and John just love going to the pool.  They go to the pool all the time through the school district, and it surprised me that eight days before the election, the City Council would make this decision.  Two City Council members don’t have anyone running against them and it was just shocking to me that they would wait until this last minute to announce this.

What experience do you have that will help you if you win?
Rosu – I think that’s kind of the beauty of it, I don’t have a lot of experience in city government, in any sort of government.  I don’t have the experience high up in a company, a salesperson, HR, or anything like that.  I have kids with special needs who have gone to this pool and gotten swimming lessons and love going to this infrastructure in our town that has been here for 50+ years, and it’s just going to be another thing they are going to tear down.  I want to build this town instead of tearing it down.

Do you have any topics/issues you are concerned about?
Rosu –I think the City keeps making decisions that are short-sided.  I’m no expert. There are things I see in this town since I moved here, they are trying to grow, but it’s not very smart growth. Our kids, we want them to stay here, we don’t want our kids to graduate from Crookston High School and then fly off to the cities or fly off to the West Coast or the East Coast, we want them to stay here. We need more amenities to grow this town, to bring people here, to give them a reason.  We need to come up with a plan for growth, to grow this town, because this is a beautiful town.                                                                                                                       

Anything you would like the voters to know?
Rosu – I am a newcomer to Minnesota. To the Midwest. I am originally from Portland, Oregon.  I chose to come here.  I came up here in the winter of 2021 and looked at my current house.  I looked at a couple of houses in Thief River, and I felt nothing, and when I walked into the house that I bought, I felt something. I drove into town, and I felt something. I fell in love with Crookston. I love that water tower by Wal-Mart that says, Welcome to Crookston.  People feel hopeless. There is hope.  If you partake in government, you can shape the government to your needs.  There is no reason to feel hopeless.  We can be the change; we can make the change, at our local level. Please write me in, City Council Member at Large, for the City of Crookston. Please.

The post Meet the Candidate – Matt Rosu, write-in for Council Member at Large first appeared on KROX.

As of Friday, November 1, 2024, local election officials have accepted 989,807 ballots for the November 5 Election. Local election officials have distributed 1,205,363 absentee and mail ballots in Minnesota since voting began on September 20. The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State will update absentee voting statistics again on November 4 and 5.    

Nearly 175,000 ballots have not yet been returned. Minnesotans are encouraged to return their ballots in-person to their local election office as soon as possible to ensure their vote is counted. It is no longer recommended to return a mail or absentee ballot by mail. All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Minnesotans can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/track. 

Minnesotans can vote in-person at their local polling place on Tuesday, November 5. Find a polling place at mnvotes.gov/pollfinder. All polling places are open until 8 p.m. As long as voters are in line to vote by 8 p.m. they can vote. In Minnesota, people can register to vote on election day.

The post Minnesota has accepted nearly 1 million ballots as of November 1 first appeared on KROX.

The Internal Revenue Service announced today that the amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) plans in 2025 has increased to $23,500, up from $23,000 for 2024.

The IRS today also issued technical guidance regarding all cost‑of‑living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2025 in Notice 2024-80, posted today on IRS.gov.

Highlights of changes for 2025
The annual contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is increased to $23,500, up from $23,000.

The limit on annual contributions to an IRA remains $7,000. The IRA catch‑up contribution limit for individuals aged 50 and over was amended under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) to include an annual cost‑of‑living adjustment but remains $1,000 for 2025.

The catch-up contribution limit that generally applies for employees aged 50 and over who participate in most 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan remains $7,500 for 2025. Therefore, participants in most 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan who are 50 and older generally can contribute up to $31,000 each year, starting in 2025. Under a change made in SECURE 2.0, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62 and 63 who participate in these plans. For 2025, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $7,500.

The income ranges for determining eligibility to make deductible contributions to traditional Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), to contribute to Roth IRAs and to claim the Saver’s Credit all increased for 2025.

Taxpayers can deduct contributions to a traditional IRA if they meet certain conditions. If during the year either the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse was covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction may be reduced, or phased out, until it is eliminated, depending on filing status and income. (If neither the taxpayer nor the spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work, the phase-outs of the deduction do not apply.) Here are the phase‑out ranges for 2025:

 · For single taxpayers covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is increased to between $79,000 and $89,000, up from between $77,000 and $87,000.

· For married couples filing jointly, if the spouse making the IRA contribution is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is increased to between $126,000 and $146,000, up from between $123,000 and $143,000.

· For an IRA contributor who is not covered by a workplace retirement plan and is married to someone who is covered, the phase-out range is increased to between $236,000 and $246,000, up from between $230,000 and $240,000.

 · For a married individual filing a separate return who is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains between $0 and $10,000.

· The income phase-out range for taxpayers making contributions to a Roth IRA is increased to between $150,000 and $165,000 for singles and heads of household, up from between $146,000 and $161,000. For married couples filing jointly, the income phase-out range is increased to between $236,000 and $246,000, up from between $230,000 and $240,000. The phase-out range for a married individual filing a separate return who makes contributions to a Roth IRA is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains between $0 and $10,000.

· The income limit for the Saver’s Credit (also known as the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit) for low- and moderate-income workers is $79,000 for married couples filing jointly, up from $76,500; $59,250 for heads of household, up from $57,375; and $39,500 for singles and married individuals filing separately, up from $38,250.

· The amount individuals can generally contribute to their SIMPLE retirement accounts is increased to $16,500, up from $16,000. Pursuant to a change made in SECURE 2.0, individuals can contribute a higher amount to certain applicable SIMPLE retirement accounts. For 2025, this higher amount remains $17,600.

· The catch-up contribution limit that generally applies for employees aged 50 and over who participate in most SIMPLE plans remains $3,500 for 2025. Under a change made in SECURE 2.0, a different catch-up limit applies for employees aged 50 and over who participate in certain applicable SIMPLE plans. For 2025, this limit remains $3,850. Under a change made in SECURE 2.0, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62 and 63 who participate in SIMPLE plans. For 2025, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $5,250.

Notice 2024-80 provides a listing of dollar limitations applicable to qualified retirement plans as adjusted for cost-of-living adjustments for 2025.

The post IRS announces increase in 401(k) contributions for 2025 first appeared on KROX.

Bremer Bank’s lobby will be closed effective at 1:00 p.m. (Friday, November 1), due to a watermain break. Drive-up service will be available until 5:00 p.m. today.

Lobby access will be available by appointment or request for all non-teller transaction needs.

Bremer would like to thank you for your understanding and patience as they work diligently through this process.

The post Bremer Bank lobby in Crookston closed due to water main break – Drive up still open first appeared on KROX.

Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day.  Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.  

The polling places in Crookston are as follows.

Wards 1, 2, and 6 – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church 1214 University Ave.

Wards 3, 4, and 5 – First Presbyterian Church 510 N. Broadway

The post 2024 Polling Places in Crookston first appeared on KROX.