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U of M Crookston Chancellor Community Letter for April 2025

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Greetings from the University of Minnesota Crookston. It’s already that time of year where we’re preparing to wrap up the spring semester and celebrate those receiving their degrees. Approximately 365 students are eligible for graduation and stem from eight countries and 28 states. Of those graduates, 249 are online learners and 15 are international students. Their hard work and commitment has paid off, and our dedicated faculty and staff, and myself, are very proud of their accomplishments.

As mentioned earlier this year, U of M Crookston showed another increase in enrollment and our strategic marketing and recruitment efforts have assisted in setting us apart. With campaigns for brand awareness, audience segmentation, and demographic targeting of on-campus, online, and transfer students, plus niche audiences, those strategies are paying off. Our Admissions department says applications for the 2025-2026 school year are up and retention of our current students is running well. We hope you see and appreciate our determination to show the region and the world that Crookston is the University of Minnesota campus for them.

This month, after nearly two years of preparation, we hosted the Higher Learning Commission as we are up for our 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation. Fulfilling the obligations of this process was a cross-campus effort and our campus community did a stellar job. A special thank you to the community members who were able to come to campus and interact with the commission and contribute to the process as well.

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve held two student awards ceremonies and two concerts and honored Students of the Year, plus student-athletes of the year. Each campus department and athletics were able to lift up students who have excelled with a number of awards, both academic and activity focused. Make sure to check out the long list of awardees in our campus news.

Our spring sports teams are on the back end of their seasons and a number of accolades have risen to the top. Golden Eagle Softball had success this year with the most wins in program history, most conference wins in program history, the longest winning streak in the NSIC (in program history), and the most home wins in program history. Tennis clinched their second-straight NSIC Tournament appearance and finished their season in Sioux Falls this past weekend. Women’s golf competed in the NSIC Championships in Smithville, Missouri this weekend and had standout performances this year with individual tournament wins and top ranks. Baseball had a recent series sweep at home with St. Cloud State, a recent sweep against Bemidji State, and will have a doubleheader in Bismarck this week. Our trap team is currently in second place in the USA College Clay Target League for the spring season. Men’s golf recently finished fifth as a team at the NSIC Championships and had a player place fifth to earn All-NSIC Tournament Team honors.

We hope you have a great summer and can join us for a number of events on campus. For those of you with school-age children, make sure to check out our summer camp offerings. Go Golden Eagles!

Chancellor Mary Holz-Clause

The post U of M Crookston Chancellor Community Letter for April 2025 first appeared on KROX.

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Crookston Pirate Track hosts the KROX Invite at KROX Radio Stadium

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The Crookston Pirate Boys and Girls track and field teams will host the KROX Radio Invitational at KROX Radio Stadium today starting at 3:30 p.m. It will be the first home track meet for the Crookston Pirate track teams in eight years. There will be 13 teams competing in the meet.

Girls Teams Boys Teams
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
6. 6.
7. 7.
8. 8.
9. 9.
10. 10
11. 11.
12. 12.
13. 13.

GIRLS –

BOYS –

Pirate (top 5 placers) Event Time/result Place

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Crookston Baseball takes on Ada-Borup-West – on KROX

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The Crookston Pirate Baseball team hits the road as they take on the Ada-Borup-West Cougars in Ada at 4:30 p.m. The game will be on KROX Radio with the RiverView Health pre-game show at 4:00 p.m.
Crookston is 1-4 on the year after a 10-1 loss to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton on Friday. Ada-Borup-West is 5-1 on the year after 10-0 loss to Thompson, ND on Friday.

FIRST INNING-

SECOND INNING-

THIRD INNING –

FOURTH INNING-

FIFTH INNING-

SIXTH INNING-

SEVENTH INNING-

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Crookston
ABW

 OFFENSIVE LEADERS –

Crookston –

Ada-Borup-West-

Pitching IP H R ER BB/HBP K

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Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis beats Detroit Lakes

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The Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis team hits the road to take on the Moorhead Spuds in a dual in Moorhead at 4:30 p.m. today.
Crookston is 6-5 on the year.

Crookston- Moorhead Win Score
1st Singles Reggie Winjum
2nd Grant Funk
3rd Gunnar Groven
4th Sam Widseth
1st Doubles Jack Everett
Hudson Rick
2nd Colton Osborn
Alex Zammert
3rd Jacob Halvorson
Sawyer Anderson

 

 

 

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The County Line by Polk County Commissioner Warren Strandell

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My experience from a lifetime in the communications field — some 30 years as a newspaper journalist and after that from years working in public relations and as a county commissioner — has been that it really helps to have a subject burning in your mind when you go to try to put something on paper… like write this column.   When that motivation isn’t there, the job becomes very difficult. That said, there is nothing holding me back from talking about the Honor Flight program and the two back-to-back flights that left from Grand Forks International Airport on Easter Sunday morning for three days in Washington, D.C. The 225 vets on those flights returned to a welcome home celebration at the airport’s Byron Dorgan Terminal last Tuesday evening (April 22) that was fantastic.

The problem with this, though, is that even when really motivated, words don’t tell the whole story. The only thing that can begin to do that was “written” on the faces of the returning vets as they walked through the “Walk of Fame” path made for them amid the hundreds of immediate family and friends. There were about 1,200 of them, who filled the airport terminal to overflowing to welcome them back home and to thank them for their service. The smiles on the faces of those vets — along with the tears that were on the cheeks of many of them — said without one written word that they more than appreciated the Honor Flight trip, the welcome home, and the thank you they were receiving. For many of the vets, it was a complete reversal from the reception that they had received when arriving back in their country from service in Vietnam. Most of the vets on these flights, if not all of them, had their service time during the Vietnam era.

What is amazing about the Honor Flight program is that all the organizing, planning, and fundraising — at about $230,000 per flight, including the airplane, hotel rooms, meals, etc. — is done by volunteers. None of them are paid. There are no government grants. It is all donated time and effort. The cost of the two airplanes that left from Grand Forks this spring meant that $460,000 had to be raised… all by Honor Flight volunteers who called on businesses and other contributors, and/or also sold lottery tickets. The Red River Valley River Motorcycle Club’s annual lottery ticket also supports the Honor Flight.

In addition to the 225 vets who were on these two flights were volunteers who were there to push wheelchairs for vets in need of a ride or to provide whatever other services that might be needed. Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Brochenski and Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider were among the volunteer “pushers” on this trip. Also, on the trip each time are doctors and nurses — all volunteers, of course — who are there to attend to any medical needs. Some close family members of vets needing attention can also make the trip, but they do it at their own expense, or at about $1,600 each.

No stones are left unturned in the care of veterans, almost all of whom are up in years with the physical issues that come with age and hard knocks. That’s why there are all those wheelchairs and medical personnel. Stops on the trip include those at the Fort McHenry National Monument &  Historic Shrine, time to watch the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, trips past the Capitol and White House, and stops at the Iwo Jima, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Air Force, President Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam, World War I and World War II memorials. There is also time spent at the National Archives where you can see under glass the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and other documents.

It’s all just a great program all around. One last thought, it wouldn’t hurt one bit if you were to add the Veterans Honor Flight to your giving practices. If so inclined, you can contact Don Roberts, the main organizer and fund raiser in this northern part of the Honor Flight program. Call him at (701) 746-8261. Or you can contact Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN, P.O. Box 644, West Fargo, ND 58078.

And to all the vets you know, you might just tell them, “Thank you for your service” because Freedom is not free.

Thoughts for the day:

“I offered my opponents a deal: If they would stop telling lies about me, I would stop telling the truth about them.” — Adlai Stevenson in a 1952 campaign speech.

I’ve learned: That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. — Andy Rooney

Disclaimer: Thoughts expressed in this column are those of the author and are not necessarily a reflection of the opinions of the other members of the Polk County Board.

The post The County Line by Polk County Commissioner Warren Strandell first appeared on KROX.

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Electricity returning after major power outage in parts of Spain and Portugal halts travel and communications

Overhead power lines at sunset in Spain

Millions of people in Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France lost power on Monday following a “severe disruption” in the European electrical system, bringing much of the Iberian Peninsula to a halt. The outage disrupted subway and rail services, disabled phone networks, and shut down traffic signals and ATMs, affecting millions across the region. Both countries’ capitals, Madrid and Lisbon, were heavily impacted, however Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were not impacted.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE reported that the outage struck several regions just after noon, even cutting power at the national parliament and various Madrid subway stations. Data from the national electricity grid showed a dramatic demand drop around 12:15 p.m., plunging from about 27,500 megawatts to 15,000 megawatts. In Lisbon, airports faced significant delays, with many travelers stranded outside terminals in the sun, awaiting updates on their flights.

Eduardo Prieto, who leads operations at Red Eléctrica ( the corporation that operates the national electricity grid in Spain) refrained from speculating about the origins of the incident but described it as “extraordinary and exceptional.” By the afternoon, Red Eléctrica reported that electricity was gradually returning across northern, southern, and western regions.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in remarks on Monday evening that they attribute the outage to a “strong oscillation” within the European grid but noted that the exact cause was still under investigation. He urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions, stating that no possible explanation had yet been ruled out: “We are working on knowing the origins and the reason of this incident. We are using all of our resources to solve the issue.”

Spain’s Interior Ministry has declared a state of emergency after a nationwide power blackout hit most of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal’s main grid operator REN pointed to an unusual atmospheric event in Spain caused by extreme temperature fluctuations as the likely cause, according to Reuters.  Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center also clarified that there were no signs the blackout was the result of a cyberattack.

The Madrid Open tennis tournament was disrupted as well, with three matches suspended when the power failed. Reuters also reported that parts of southern France were briefly affected. French grid operator RTE was working to help supply electricity to northern Spain.

Editorial credit: Sonia Bonet / Shutterstock.com

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White House demands permanent ceasefire in Ukraine after Putin declares unilateral 3-day ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral three-day pause in hostilities in Ukraine on Monday, a move that was immediately met with skepticism by Ukraine, who reiterated that Putin accept a broader ceasefire proposal backed by the United States (which he has so far refused). The Kremlin stated that “all military operations” would be halted from midnight on May 8 through midnight on May 11, citing “humanitarian reasons” for the decision.

Putin announced the ceasefire in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War II. The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run for three days either side of May 9, when Putin will be hosting international leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping for lavish celebrations to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany.  The Kremlin said in a statement:  “All military actions are suspended for this period [from midnight on May 8 through midnight on May 11]. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example. In the event of violations by the Ukrainian side, Russia’s armed forces will give an adequate and effective response.”

Putin’s new announcement follows the Kremlin’s recent declaration of a 30-hour Easter truce, which Kyiv accepted;  however, Ukraine’s military later accused Russian forces of violating that agreement, reporting over 2,900 attacks across the frontlines during the ceasefire window. Russia has also claimed that Ukraine breached that truce.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that President Trump has said he wants a permanent end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, and he is “losing patience: with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “he wants to see a permanent cease-fire and I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire. The president has made clear he wants to see a permanent cease-fire first, to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed. While he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he also is being realistic as well. Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this.”

National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes added on Monday: “President Trump welcomes President Putin’s readiness to pause fighting, but the president has made it very clear that he expects a permanent ceasefire to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict.” 

In response to Putin’s temporary ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine believes there is “no reason to wait” until May 8 for a ceasefire: “Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States. Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade … The ceasefire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward,” he said. “It must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy. All the Russians’ statements about peace without ceasing fire are just plain lies.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire early in March; however, Putin has repeatedly rejected the offer. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak expressed gratitude to Trump for supporting a complete ceasefire, posting on X that “only a full, unconditional, and lasting ceasefire — not a temporary one like Putin suggests — can truly end the war.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed that sentiment, responding to Putin’s announcement by saying, “If Russia genuinely wants peace, it should stop hostilities immediately. Why wait until May 8? Ukraine remains committed to a stable, enduring, and comprehensive ceasefire, and that’s what we continue to propose — for a minimum of 30 days.”

Editorial credit: Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com

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Trailer for Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ film released 4 years after death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Alec Baldwin at the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin held at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills^ USA on September 7^ 2019.

The trailer for Alec Baldwin’s western drama “Rust,” which was plagued by controversy following the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, has been released. The film, directed by Joel Souza, first premiered at Poland’s Camerimage Festival in November, with Souza and cinematographer Bianca Cline (who took over following Hutchins’ death) in attendance.

The film, set in the 1880s, stars Baldwin as notorious outlaw Harland Rust, who breaks his 13-year-old grandson (Patrick Scott McDermott) out of jail after he accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to death. Together, they flee the country on the run towards Mexico — but before reaching that safe haven, they must defend themselves against an unforgiving wilderness and the relentless pursuit of U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).

The film also stars Frances Fisher, Devon Werkheiser, Rhys Coiro, Xander Berkeley, Jake Busey, Abraham Benrubi, Travis Hammer, Nick Farnell, Sam Carson, Richard Gunn, and Easton Malcolm.

Hutchins died in an accidental shooting after Baldwin’s prop gun discharged a live round at the Bonanza Creek Ranch during production (director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident, but recovered). After the shooting, filming on the movie was shut down for more than a year but resumed in April 2023 in Montana rather than New Mexico.

Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins is an executive producer on the film, a title that came after he and his late wife’s family reached a settlement with Baldwin and other producers in their wrongful death lawsuit. A press release states that the movie’s original producers will not profit financially from it; instead Matthew Hutchins and their son Andros will receive profits from the film as part of the terms of his wrongful death settlement.

Rust arrives in theaters and on VOD on May 2; see the trailer – HERE.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com