Month: March 2025

The Northwest Regional Corrections Center reported the arrest of the following–

Sofine Dajia Divine Johnson, 27, of Crookston, Traffic Regulation/No Proof of Insurance

Stacy Marie Puppe, 37, of Grand Forks, for DUI

Tyler Leslie Tronnes, 39, of Shelly for Contempt of Court

Priscilla Joy Sohm, 30, was arrested in East Grand Forks, for Failure to Appear

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT MARCH 5 first appeared on KROX.

Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote a letter demanding answers about the potential termination of the Indian Health Service office lease in Bemidji. In a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Stephen Ehikian and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Senators highlighted the devastating impact this decision could have on the health and well-being of thousands of Native Americans across the region. 

“Thousands of members of federally recognized Tribal Nations receive healthcare within the Bemidji Area Office’s purview.  This includes emergency care, substance use disorder treatment, mental healthcare, primary, specialty, and dental care, and much more.  Without an operational Area Office, recipients of this care will face immediate disruptions in care and health consequences.  It is unconscionable to risk the healthcare of children and families in this way,” wrote the Senators.

The Bemidji Area Office is responsible for healthcare services for 34 Tribal Nations and 4 urban Indian health programs in 5 states. In the letter, Senators Smith and Klobuchar underscored that IHS services are provided under the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations and that any disruption in operations could jeopardize essential medical services. They demanded clarity on whether GSA intends to terminate the lease and, if so, what plans exist to prevent service disruptions. 

The post MN Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar demand answers on potential termination of the Indian Health Service office lease in Bemidji first appeared on KROX.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday, March 4, at 8:00 a.m. at the Government Center.

Chuck Whiting, Polk County Administrator covered some items with the board Tuesday. He first asked the board to consider further funding for the West Central Regional Water District Formation.  This project has been in the works for quite some time, and Polk County has already contributed over half a million dollars to the WCRWD Formation.  Today the board seemed a little concerned that this was going to be a recurring ask without result. The WCRWD asked for $200,000 between Clay, Norman, and Polk Counties, with Polk’s portion to be $97,000. These funds are meant to be a gap fund, and any unused monies would be returned to the respective counties.

After much discussion, the board unanimously approved $90,000. The other $7000 would be a reserve, as the hope is that the project will start pulling in money from the residents the Water District will be servicing.

Whiting also brought the FINAL PLAT for “Neppers Division” to the board for approval. The landowner is proposing to divide the property into five lots. The motion to approve as presented was unanimously approved by the board.

Next, on the Agenda, the board heard from Dana Johnson from Polk County Victims Services.  Johnson works for Polk County Attorney Greg Widseth’s office and brought a request for a Courthouse Facility Dog to the board. “It would be specifically trained as a service animal to work with victims of crimes,” says Johnson. “To assist them by reducing trauma to them when they are having to go through the Criminal Justice System.” The board asked a few questions about how dogs can provide comfort and the cost associated with having this service. “We have funds already available and earmarked through the County Attorney’s Office,” says Johnson. “It’s no additional cost to the County for this.” Today, Johnson was just on hand to ask the board for permission to proceed with the application process so she could get that started.  “Can Do Canines” out of the Twin Cities is the agency that the application will go to. “This is just to approve us to get the application in,” says Johnson. “It’s going to be a long process, so we won’t have a dog for a while as it’s a process to get that in place. But hopefully by the end of this year.”

The board heard from Darin Carlstrom and Randy Huot from the Highways Department on multiple items. The first three were for Calcium Chloride, Route and Seal, and 2025 Equipment Rental Bids. The Calcium Chloride contract was approved and awarded to Knife River Materials, and the Route and Seal Bid was approved and awarded to Asphalt Surface Technology. The Equipment Rental Bids were also approved unanimously by the board.

The next item from the Highway Department was for County Ditch Maintenance.  This ditch petition is to replace the culvert in a field approach in County Ditch 200, old SD 61, section 21 of Gully Township.  The landowner pays for the culvert and installation, and the County Ditch will pay for future maintenance. The board approved this motion and named Richard Sanders, Engineer, over the project. The board approved unanimously to proceed.

The Highways Department also brought to the board approval for the purchase of two Motor Graders. The motor graders are to be replacements in Fertile and East Grand Forks. These were budgeted for and approved for purchase.

Last for the Highway Department was a request to approve advertising and hiring a Highway Maintenance Worker in Fertile. The board unanimously approved that motion.

Last up for the County Board Tuesday was Sarah Reese, Polk County Public Health Director. Reese’s’ first item was a presentation on Polk County’s WIC Program. “We came to present on the WIC Program, which is the Women, Infants and Children Program,” says Reese. “This is a program we offer across our county and in partnership with Norman and Mahnomen Public Health.” Today, Reese shared with the board the number of participants that they see and that that number continues to increase.

If you have ever wondered how important the WIC Program is, it is quite amazing the impact it makes on both families and the community. “We are in Congressional District 7,” says Reese. “I think it’s important for the public to know that not only are we providing a service to residents in our county to access healthy foods and receive information about nutrition, we also have an impact on our local grocery stores.” Reese says in Congressional District 7, in fiscal year 2023, approximately $16.8 million dollars was brought into our region through participants utilizing their WIC benefits.

As part of the WIC Program, Reese explained that there is a PEER Breast Feeding Program geared toward helping breastfeeding moms and moms-to-be. Tammy Conn has worked with the WIC program here in Polk County for 17 years. “I am a WIC Certifier, my degree is in nutrition, but I’m also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant,” says Conn. “I coordinate the PEER Breast Feeding Support Program.” The program has been up and running here since 2016 but Conn says it’s been a state program since 2005. “We have three PEER Counselors that work for Polk,  Norman, Mahnomen WIC,” says Conn. “They service pregnant women, educating them about the benefits of breastfeedingand what to expect with breastfeeding. Then, of course, after the baby is born, they share important information with them and support them.” Conn says they have serviced over 500 clients in their program since it started in 2026, and over 7000 have been serviced in the state of Minnesota by the PEER Program.

The last item on the agenda also came from Polk County Heath.  Codi Lehmann, who will be stepping into a new position as Community Health Supervisor at Polk County, came with Reese Tuesday to ask the Board to approve the Medica County Innovation Funds they have been awarded. “Today, I came to talk to the board about an initiative we are looking to start here in Polk County called the Community Life Jacket Initiative, “says Lehmann. “At Polk County Public Health, we had the idea to provide life jackets at some of our public water access sites.”

The county has been using all of the local resources it can to make this initiative a reality. “We are looking to partner with some of our local schools to make a stand for those life jackets,” says Lehmann. “ So, Crookston Schools and Erskine Schools, their shop students will be making stands to hold the life jackets.” Lehmann says they are also partnering with SafeKids Grand Forks to purchase life jackets and then within their internal staff at Public Health to receive donations to purchase the life jackets as well. “So, we are looking to build about three life jacket stands that will be available at Maple Lake East Shore, at the Erskine Cameron Lake water access sight, and at perhaps at some of Kayak launch sites either at Crookston or in Fertile,” says Lehmann. “At the life jackets stands, there will be various sizes of life jackets available to community members, including infants, youth, and adults, to enjoy the water safely and then return that.” The part that needed board approval Tuesday was to accept the funds that Medica County Innovations granted. The board approved unanimously,

The post Polk County Board approves Victims Services to apply for a Courthouse Facility Dog first appeared on KROX.

Long-time Crookston resident Mark Menard is battling cancer, and as Crookston residents often do, they are rallying to support Mark in his battle. Brandon Carlson, a city employee and Minakwa Golf Club co-owner, says there is a fundraiser in the works. “We are going to do a benefit, free-will donation, brat dinner at Minakwa Golf Course on Friday, March 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.,” says Carlson. “Hopefully, Mark will be able to make it; I think he should be able to. He was diagnosed earlier with esophagus cancer.”

Carlson says he has known Mark for some time due to both working for the City of Crookston. “I worked with him at the city. When I first started at the city, Mark was in the Wastewater department, and I was in the Water Department, and we worked alongside each other,” says Carlson. “When we bought the golf course, he was mowing fairways for the Leach’s, and he helped us out mowing fairways in the last two years, too.”

Carlson says Mark has always been helpful and feels it’s his turn to help him. “We are going to do what we can to help him through this,” says Carlson. “See if we can help him financially a little bit.”

On March 7, there will be a free-will donation for the brat dinner, and all money made from drink or food sales at Minakwa from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. will also be given to Mark. “We will probably limit our menu to apps off our regular menu and then drinks,” says Carlson. “Anything purchased after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7, whatever the full purchase price is, we will donate to Mark.”

Carlson says that there will be a drawing at the benefit dinner. “Advanced Tire donated a 22 Caliber Automatic Riffle that we will have a drawing for,” says Carlson. “Insight Firearms donated the registration for whoever wins that gun.”

The benefit is still being planned, and Carlson says there may be some other things happening that evening at Minakwa, but his main goal was to raise money for Mark and get people to come out and support him and visit with him. “We will just have everyone come out and maybe chat with Mark and support him.”

What can you do if you cannot make it out to Minakwa on Friday, March 7, but want to help? “I was going to dig into GoFundMe a little bit, but they take a portion of those,” says Carlson. “If you want to mail a check to Minakwa at 901 Fisher Ave., just make it out to Mark, for whatever you feel appropriate, we will make sure he gets it.”

The post Minakwa to host benefit for Mark Menard who is battling cancer on Friday, March 7 first appeared on KROX.

Altru is pleased to announce Breanna Privratsky, PA, has been awarded Provider of the Quarter.  Breanna is an Internal Medicine physician assistant at Altru Clinics in Crookston and Erskine.

“We are thrilled to recognize Breanna,” said Amy Hovey, practice manager at Altru Clinics in Crookston and Thief River Falls. “We are proud to have Breanna on the team and making a difference for our patients.” Her compassion is something many patients notice during their appointments. “Breanna is my go-to,” one patient said. “She is kind and a very good listener. I highly recommend her to family and friends.” Breanna is passionate about promoting patient-centered care by focusing on compassion, education, and understanding, followed by trust to come to the best possible treatment plan. “Breanna is very down-to-earth,” said another patient. “She treats me like family.”

The Provider of the Quarter recipients are selected after reviewing survey results submitted by patients. Altru started this award in 2021 as a way to recognize outstanding care given by Altru providers.

Pictured Below: Amy Helling, Altru Contact Center manager; Dr. Marc Nielsen, Altru physician; Jessica Strand, Altru Clinic Operations director; Breanna Privratsky, Provider of the Quarter recipient; Heather Strandell, Altru Clinic Operations senior director; and Dr. Josh Deere, Altru president.

The post Altru announces Breanna Privratsky, PA, is Provider of the Quarter first appeared on KROX.

Crookston native Nate Ellingson recently joined RiverView Health as the vice president of Human Resources. A 1991 graduate of Crookston High School, Ellingson earned a degree in Sports Management – Public Relations from Bemidji State University. He achieved his Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional status in 2014 and has been in the HR career field for over 20 years.

Previously, Ellingson served as a senior human resources manager at the University of North Dakota (UND), where he supported the departments of Research, Student Affairs, Marketing & Communication, and Finance. His responsibilities included recruitment and staffing, employee relations, employee development, compensation and benefits, HR information management, and regulatory compliance.

In his new role, Ellingson said he is excited to support RiveView’s exceptional staff and assist in the recruitment of exceptional people, following RiverView’s corporate mission of delivering a healthcare experience that consistently exceeds patients’ expectations through exceptional people, exceptional care, and exceptional outcomes.

“I get to make a difference in what we do each day’’ he shared. “I’m passionate about healthcare and about supporting our employees who provide care – direct and indirect – to our patients. I also get to focus on our company opportunities in supporting our internal programs, which strengthen our workforce retention, patient care, and our local partnerships and collaborations.’’

Ellingson and his wife, Jessica, a registered nurse, have been married for 25 years and have lived in Fertile since 2002. They have three daughters: Olivia, an oncology nurse; Norah, a student at UND majoring in social work; and Sophia, a seventh-grade student at Fertile-Beltrami High School.

In his free time, Ellingson enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and woodworking. He is currently working on what he calls a “never-ending outdoor sauna build.’’

The post Crookston native Nate Ellingson named VP of Human Resources at RiverView Health first appeared on KROX.