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David W. Paquin – OBIT

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David W. Paquin, 79, of Fertile, MN, died Thursday, November 28, 2024, at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND.

David William Paquin was born on August 4, 1945, to Arthur and Leora (Krueger) Paquin in Grand Forks, ND. He was a graduate of East Grand Forks High School.

Upon graduation, Dave enlisted in the United States Navy in June of 1963. He was an Engineman until September of 1966 when he was honorably discharged.

After the service, Dave became a potato buyer for Frito-Lay. In 1974 he moved to Mentor, MN and farmed seed potatoes with his brother Dick.

On November 1, 1985, Dave married Nancy Panzer in Crookston, MN and gained a loving family with this union.

Dave loved spending time at the lake with his family. He enjoyed cooking, telling jokes, and sharing stories of his time in the Navy but his greatest enjoyment was his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. They were his life. As well as his golden doodle, Ollie. David was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church and the Mentor American Legion Post 421.

Dave is survived by his wife, Nancy; children, Kim (Tim) Larson, Karin (Chad) Braun, and Jodi (Dan) Lene, all of Fertile, MN; grandchildren, Sydney (Jon) Bertelsen, Wahpeton, ND, Payton (Matthew) Howell, Badger, MN, Camryn (Ryan) Benson, Beltrami, MN, Jakob Braun, Mason Pearce, Dylan Pearce, Katie Pearce, Preston Hovde, and Jordyn Berhow, all of Fertile, MN; great grandchildren, Peyton, Paisley, Cora and Colton Bertelsen; Hadley Howell along with baby Howell, due in January of 2025; and baby Benson due in April of 2025; sister-in-law, Patti (Murray) Tiedemann, Crookston, MN, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Richard Paquin.

Celebration of Life Service: 1:00 PM Thursday, December 5, 2024, at Erikson-Vik-Ganje Funeral Home, Fertile, MN.

Visitation: One hour before the service at the funeral home.

Burial: Oakdale Cemetery, Crookston, MN.

The post David W. Paquin – OBIT first appeared on KROX.

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Man wielding chainsaw at Illinois senior-living facility is fatally shot by police

'Police Line Do Not cross' yellow tape. Analyzing the crime scene. Shot of a crime scene investigation in progress.

State and local law enforcement confirmed that a man wielding a chainsaw inside a senior-living facility in St. Charles, Illinois, was shot and killed by police early Sunday. Officers and residents of the assisted-living facility were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The man, who has not publicly been identified, was allegedly attempting to cut down a tree on the facility’s property at about 8:45 a.m. on Sunday.  The St. Charles Police Department said in a press statement that when police arrived at the facility at the 900 block of North 5th Avenue, the man was ‘shirtless’, adding: “just before police arrival, witnesses advised the subject had now gained entry to the lobby of the building and began confronting residents with the chainsaw …the suspect continued his attempts to use the chainsaw against residents of the building,” as well as against responding officers.

The Illinois State Police said in a press release that officers used a taser on the man, “but his attack continued,” and then an officer fired his gun, striking the alleged attacker, upon which “the male suspect was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”

According to local ABC affiliate WLS-TV  a spokesperson for River Glen of St. Charles said the person was never authorized to enter the facility. They added:  “We are deeply grateful for the swift action of our team and law enforcement. We want to emphasize that our community is secure, and all of our residents and staff members are safe. We are working closely with law enforcement as they continue their investigation of this isolated incident.”

The Illinois State Police said it was continuing to investigate the cause of the shooting.

Editorial credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock.com

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White House defends President Biden’s decision to pardon son Hunter amid backlash

President Biden and son Hunter^ boards Marine One for a weekend at Camp David. Washington DC USA - July 26^ 2024

The White House is defending President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, after the President had repeatedly insisted that he had no plans to grant such executive clemency. Biden issued the sweeping pardon on Sunday evening before heading off on an official trip to Africa, and it covers any potential federal crimes that 54-year-old Hunter may have committed over the course of a decade.

Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting US president to be criminally convicted in June, after a jury in Delaware found him guilty of three charges for lying about his drug use on a form when buying a handgun. He also pleaded guilty to federal tax charges that included failure to file and pay his taxes, tax evasion and filing a false return just this past September. The pardon covers any potential federal crimes that Hunter Biden may have committed between January 2014 and December 2024, spanning a period beyond the tax and gun offenses.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that Biden had “wrestled” over the decision during the family’s Thanksgiving break on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, at the weekend. Jean-Pierre said that Biden had pardoned his son, who was facing sentencing later this month in two federal cases, to shield him from potential persecution by the outgoing president’s political foes.

As recently as last month, Jean-Pierre was still telling reporters that Biden would not pardon his son; however, she told reporters on Air Force One en route to Angola: “He said he came to this decision this weekend, and he said he wrestled with this and, because he believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice  .. Hunter was singled out, and because his last name was Biden, because he was the president’s son. That’s what we saw. And so the president believed enough is enough, and the president took action, and he also believes that they tried to break his son in order to break him.”

President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans have lambasted the move, with Trump calling it “an abuse and miscarriage of justice”, and House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that “trust in our justice system has almost been irreparably damaged by the Bidens and abuse of it”.  

Editorial credit: Andrew Leyden / Shutterstock.com

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Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones star in the trailer for ‘The Brutalist’

Adrien Brody at the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles^ USA on October 15^ 2022

A24 has shared the first trailer for the new film The Brutalist, a historical drama co-written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold and directed by Corbet.

Described as “a staggering American epic,” The Brutalist follows László Toth (Adrien Brody), a visionary Jewish Hungarian architect who escapes post-World War II Europe and arrives in America “to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…”

The Brutalist premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September, and also stars Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé and Alessandro Nivola.

The Brutalist will open in theaters Dec. 20.; see the trailer: HERE.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

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See first-look photos of Leo Woodall, Quintessa Swindell in Apple TV+ series ‘Prime Target’

Quintessa Swindell attends the UK Premiere of "Black Adam" at Cineworld Leicester Square on October 18^ 2022 in London^ England.

Apple TV+ is teasing the new series Prime Target, sharing first-look photos and revealed a premiere date of January 22, 2025.

The conspiracy thriller is created and executive produced by ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Doctor Who’ writer Steve Thompson, with Leo Woodall starring as Edward Brooks, a brilliant young math postgraduate on the verge of a major breakthrough. The cast also includes Stephen Rea, David Morrissey, Martha Plimpton, Sidse Babett Knudson, Jason Flemyng, Harry Lloyd, Ali Suliman, Fra Fee and Joseph Mydell.

An official synopsis reads:  “If he succeeds in finding a pattern in prime numbers, he will hold the key to every computer in the world. Soon, he begins to realize an unseen enemy is trying to destroy his idea before it’s even born, which throws him into the orbit of Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell), a female NSA agent who’s been tasked with watching and reporting on mathematicians’ behavior. Together, they start to unravel the troubling conspiracy Edward is at the heart of.”  

The eight episode series will launch with the first two episodes on Jan. 22, followed by one episode weekly, every Wednesday through March 5.

Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com

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Crookston Charter Commission meets and discusses decreasing the number of Council Members and Council Member absences

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The Crookston Charter Commission met Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers. 

Item one on the agenda was to approve the December 4, 2023, Meeting Report.  The Commission voted unanimously to approve the meeting report from last December. 

Next on the agenda was to discuss an option to decrease the number of Council Members on the Crookston City Council.  Talking with the acting chair for tonight’s meeting, Nick Nicholas, after the meeting, he explained where this item finished for the night. “Discussions were about decreasing the number of Council Members if that was going to stay at eight, go to six, or what it was going to do,” says Nicholas. “It was decided to stay at eight going forward.” No action was required from the Commission.

The next item on the agenda was whether or not a Council Member should give up his/her seat if running for Mayor.  After discussion, the Commission members on hand tonight decided not to make any changes to how things are now.  Currently, a Council Member does not have to give up their seat if running for Mayor. No action was required from the Commission.

The table was now open for discussion on any Charter items the Commission wanted to discuss or address.  There was a lengthy discussion about absences by City Council Members and how to address this issue. Nicholas explains what was decided by the Charter Commission. “Recommendation from the Charter Commission, that’s going to the Council, is that if you have three consecutive unexcused absences, you could be removed from the council.”  The Charter Commission voted unanimously for this to be brought to the City Council. This will now be handed to legal to draft up for a future City Council meeting.

The Crookston Charter Commissions meeting was adjourned at 5:53 p.m.

The post Crookston Charter Commission meets and discusses decreasing the number of Council Members and Council Member absences first appeared on KROX.

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The Community Christmas Food Basket continues to help those in need this holiday season

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The Community Christmas Food Basket Committee is busy preparing to help individuals and families in need this holiday season. Committee members Jerry and Jackie Lindsay stopped by KROX to spread the word on how people can benefit from the program and support its efforts. ” We came down to give an overview and opportunity for people in need to get a gift card in the mail for buying groceries for Christmas from Hugo’s,” says Jerry.

Jerry explains that, as with many things, the program had to evolve and change due to Covid. “We used to pack the boxes, get food from Hugo’s, Wal-Mart, and sixth-grade kids from all the schools in the town would purchase groceries and bring them, and we would sort them, and then on a Friday night, we would put those foods into baskets depending on the size of the families,”  Jerry says that there were a lot of community people and churches involved and that they did add all sorts of things like gloves and mittens to the boxes as well. “Because of Covid, we had to stop that,” says Jerry. “We could have restarted it, but we decided to stay with the gift cards because people have allergies.”  The Lindsays said that it seems more beneficial for people to shop themselves as they can choose things that everyone can eat and enjoy.

We asked Jackie how people can get involved either as gift card recipients or by donating to the program. “If you want to receive a gift card, just call this number: 218-289-9039.”  The committee started taking calls Sunday, December 1 and will continue to take calls through December 10. “The hours are from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and someone will have the phone, and you will just give them your information,” says Jackie. “If they don’t pick up, they can’t answer the phone, or they are already on a call, just leave a message, and they will call you back.” 

The Community Christmas Food Basket Committee asks that you only request one card per address/family.  The cards will be mailed out the week before Christmas in time for the recipients to get out and do their shopping.

Jackie tells us how we can donate to the program as well. “If you would like to donate, we are always looking for monetary donations; you can just send a check to Trinity Lutheran and make a notation on the bottom that it is for the food baskets.”  The address to which donations are sent is Trinity Church, Box 598, in Crookston.

The post The Community Christmas Food Basket continues to help those in need this holiday season first appeared on KROX.

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Polk County Government Center Closed Due to Water Main Break

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Due to a water main break, the Polk County Government Center will be closed to the public until further notice. It will reopen once the building’s water service is restored.

The 1:00 p.m. December 3 County Board meeting and the 6:00 p.m. 2025 Budget Public Hearing have been moved to the Crookston Transfer Station. Both will convene at their scheduled times, and the public is welcome to attend.

The County Board meeting and the Budget Public Hearing will be live-streamed on the Polk County website: www.polk.mn.us. You can find the meeting by clicking on “Board Packets.”

For any questions regarding County services, please call 218-281-5408.

The post Polk County Government Center Closed Due to Water Main Break first appeared on KROX.