Month: March 2025

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

Keeshya Ann Decoteau, 19, of Grand Forks, for Obstruction of the legal process

Billy Joe Contreras, 36, of Thief River Falls, for DUI

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT MARCH 25 first appeared on KROX.

The Crookston School Board met on Monday in the Washington School gymnasium.

FACULTY SPEAKER AT GRADUATION
School Board member Marcia Meine started the meeting by asking Crookston High School Principal Matt Torgerson about rumors that a teacher wouldn’t be speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony. This was brought to the attention of the board in last month’s meeting when students brought it up in the public forum. Principal Torgerson wasn’t at least month’s meeting, but he was at the meeting on Monday and said that there will be a teacher speaking at graduation. “I think it was a miscommunication. I was out on medical leave so no one checked in with me before it had happened. There had been some conversations about the possibility of what we want our graduation to look like, and that happens every year,” said Principal Torgerson. “There are parts that have been traditional, parts that have been changed due to Covid that were kept afterwards but at no point was there a decision to made that we would not have a faculty speaker. In reality this morning, when I was talking with the counselor on what we had to do in the next couple of weeks to get ready for graduation, that was on the list to send out to the voting to our seniors so they can vote on which faculty speaker they are interested in.”

CONSENT AGENDA AND DONATIONS
The board approved the consent agenda, including the resignations from Carolyn Pavlish as Ag Instructor, Marita Kendig as a special education instructor, and Austin O’Hare as a science teacher at the high school. The board approved the list of spring coaches, which is listed at the bottom of this story.
The board also accepted over $36,000 in donations. The board received $24,080.12 from the Pirate Boosters going to football, girls hockey, boys hockey, dance, girls tennis, and volleyball. The Pirate Boosters also donated $2,250 to go towards baseball, wrestling, and boys soccer. The Pirate Boosters donated $2,500 to the Pirate Clay Target team. The Crookston Baseball Association donated $4,572.99 to the Pirate Baseball team, and Grove Mechanical donated $500 for the Crookston High School Metals class.

NON-RENEWAL OF TEACHERS REQUIRED BY THE STATE
The board approved the non-renewals of Kate Mulvey as EL instructor, Emma Morlan as a special education instructor, Katie Scott as a preschool instructor, Kristine Dickson as Elementary music instructor, Marianne Isaacs as a full-time substitute teacher, and Kabie Weisert as a full-time substitute teacher. The state requires school districts to non-renew teachers that don’t have the correct licensure. “This is standard for school districts this time of year. These teachers aren’t licensed in their particular field and licensed through the state with out of field permission,” said Superintendent Randy Bergquist. “We will readvertise the position because the state is saying we have to have it advertised for 60 days. If the teachers want to reapply, that’s great. Actually, all of them are working on their license in their certain area. The teachers are doing a great job, it is just something that is required by the state.”

DAYCARE AGREEMENT IN WASHINGTON SCHOOL
The main agenda includes the approval of a daycare agreement with Kendra Sinclair and Janelle Encinia. They will each rent a room on the north end of Washington School for $500 per month. “We are really short on daycares, and if the school district, the city, and the county can partner up together to provide daycare is going to be great and hopefully it will be long-lasting.”

2025-26 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
The board approved the 2025-26 school year academic year calendar. Next school year, the students and staff will get December 22, 2025, through January 2, 2026, off. There will be another change next year with no school on Halloween for a staff development day, and there will be no school on Friday, February 20 because the school will be hosting the Section 8A Individual wrestling tournament in the gym. The tournament has been held on a Saturday in the past, but the coaches wanted to move it to Friday. The school district made over $8,000 in concession revenue, which brought a lot of money into town. “In my personal opinion, we don’t get enough time with family, so we have two full weeks off for our students and staff and it will be a great opportunity for them to get some more family time in,” said Superintendent Bergquist. “In February, we will have February 16 off for Presidents Day and we will have February 20 off because we will continue with the wrestling tournament that we currently host.”

The board approved the Crookston High School/Middle School parking lot repair bid to ReitRock Paving for $53,322.60 to fix some dents left by the construction of the multi-use facility. The contractors will pay the district $17,000 to help with the repairs. “We have a local company that gave us a good bid and some of the companies that damaged it help offset the costs of this,” said Superintendent Bergquist. “I am excited about keeping it local, and so hopefully we will get it done sometime this summer.”

The next Crookston School Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 28 at 5:00 p.m. in the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra room.

SPRING COACHES –
Boys Tennis –
Head Coach – Pat Janorshcke
Assistant – Robert Janorshcke
Junior High – Gannon Walsh

Softball –
Head Coach – Sunny Bowman
Assistant – Melissa Parkin
Junior High – Jennifer Ehlen

Baseball –
Head Coach – Ben Parkin
Assistants – Tyson Siegle and Cesar Espinosa
Junior High – Dan Halland and Jason Cassavant

Boys Track –
Head Coach – Austin O’Hare
Assistants – Kory Baril, Lon Boike, Garret Kollin (volunteer)

Girls Track –
Head Coach – Amy Boll
Assistant coaches – Madilyn Thomsen, Jasmine Brennan, and Shannon Dillabough (volunteer)

Boys Golf –
Head Coach – Steve Kofoed
Assistant – James Matthews

Girls Golf –
Head Coach – Cooper Freije
Assistant Coach – Marley Melbye

3 Act Play – Beth Carlson (head) and Allison Reinhart
Clay Target – Randy Prudhomme
Envirothon – Carolyn Pavlish

The post Crookston School Board approves 2025-26 year academic calendar first appeared on KROX.

Ice conditions across the state are changing rapidly following rain, warm weather, and wind, and anyone who plans to head out must prioritize their safety, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In some areas in the southern half of the state, the ice-to-open water transition occurred within a matter of days and boats already are starting to appear on the water.

This past weekend alone, DNR conservation officers and their public safety partners were involved in at least three rescues of people who’d fallen through the ice. There were additional reports of recreational vehicles and trucks going through as well. “The ice in many areas has degraded significantly in recent days, bringing a quick end to what had been a good ice season,” said Nicole Biagi, DNR Enforcement ice safety coordinator. “If people still choose to go out on the ice, we urge them to have a plan in place in the event they fall through.”

Biagi offers the following tips for staying safe on late-season ice:

• Spring ice might appear thick, but that does not mean that it is safe. Warm weather has weakened the ice so it cannot support as much weight as it could earlier in the year. Anyone heading out should double the DNR’s ice thickness recommendations.
• Ice can deteriorate quickly on a warm, sunny day. Be aware that the path onto the ice in the morning might not be safe for the return home in the afternoon.
• Wearing a life jacket or float coat and ice picks is the best way to survive an unexpected fall into water that’s extremely cold. Even the best swimmers are more likely to drown in cold water as it causes hyperventilation and zaps strength.
• People should go with a buddy and let others know where they’re going and when they plan to return.

For more information, check out the DNR website (mndnr.gov/icesafety).

The post DNR warns of rapidly changing ice conditions first appeared on KROX.

Families are invited to attend a performance of “Imagination Theater” a family-friendly show featuring puppetry, songs, stories, and audience participation, scheduled at a variety of local libraries. The program will feature Michael Paul Gallo, a retired Minnesota State University Moorhead professor of Early Education and Literacy. The program is appropriate for all ages and is geared for youth ages 3-10.

The tour is sponsored by Lake Agassiz Regional Library and will include visits to the following locations which are open to the public:

Wednesday April 9 at 2 p.m. at the Breckenridge Elementary School, 810 Beede Ave 

Wednesday April 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Barnesville Public Library

Friday April 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ada Public Library

Friday April 11 at 2 p.m. at the Climax-Shelly School Auditorium, 111 E Broadway, Climax

Tuesday, April 15 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s School, 501 1st St, SW, Mahnomen

Tuesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at the Fosston Public Library

Thursday, April 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Detroit Lakes Public Library

Thursday, April 17 at 4 p.m. at the Hawley Public Library

Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Moorhead Public Library

Admission is free thanks in part to funding from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Legacy Fund. More information is available at larl.org/legacy. 

The post “Imagination Theatre” featuring Michael Paul Gallo to visit local libraries and schools first appeared on KROX.

The Nels T Wold Post 20 Crookston American Legion Auxiliary selected Halle Nicholas, daughter of Jamie and Travis Nicholas, and Mercedes Aceves, daughter of Adriana and Miquel Aceves, to represent Crookston at the 78^th session Minnesota Girls State Session on June 15-21 at Bethel University, in Arden Hills. The alternates are Hayley Leckie, daughter of Erika and Scott Leckie, and Nashelle Tellez Vasquez, daughter of Awilda Tellez Vasquez and Bonifacio Tellez. They will all be seniors at Crookston High School in the fall.

The weeklong experience will consist of participation in the various levels and branches of our Minnesota government. Every girl will hold an office. There will be campaigning and elections. There will be precinct caucuses and state conventions. Highlights of the week will be the Inauguration of the Governor, State Constitutional officers, and legislative sessions. They will be held in the House and Senate chambers at the State Capitol in St Paul. Mock Trials will be held in the Supreme Court chambers.

Halle Nicholas and Mercedes Aceves

Nashelle Tellez Vasquez

Hayley Leckie

The post Halle Nicholas and Mercedes Aceves to represent Crookston at Minnesota Girls State Session June 15-21 first appeared on KROX.