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FRIDAY - JULY 3, 2009
UMC TO HOLD A PREVIEW DAY FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
New and prospective students can connect with the University of Minnesota,
Crookston to learn more during Preview Day on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Families
are also encouraged to attend Preview Day at the U of M, Crookston along with
their new student.
Preview Day provides time for new students to interact with faculty, current
students and staff as well as learn more about the Crookston campus. Highlights
include receiving detailed information about opportunities for students at the U
of M, Crookston, enjoying lunch in Brown Dining Hall, interacting during
question and answer sessions and touring campus.
Students may go online to register for Preview Day by visiting www.UMCrookston.edu/admissions
or sign up by contacting the Admissions Office at 218-281-8569.
THURSDAY - JULY 2, 2009
WATER TO BE OFF IN THE CHASE/LORING ADDITION FOR MOST OF THE DAY JULY 6
The Crookston Water Department will be turning off water for the entire Chase/Loring Addition on Monday, July 6th anytime after 9:00 A.M. The water department wants citizens in the Chase/Loring addition to be prepared to not have water for most of the day.
POLK COUNTY FAIR GOING ON THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 5
The 109th Polk County Fair kicked opened Wednesday afternoon in Fertile and will be running until Sunday, July 5. The highlight of the fair was Ashlee Hewitt. Hewitt is from Lancaster, Minnesota and appeared on the Nashville Star show last year. She flew in from Hollywood, as she is currently shooting the movie "Elle", which will be released in 2010. Hewitt flew back to Hollywood Thursday morning to continue shooting the film. Other highlights were the all the rides, including a ferris wheel and there were even live horse shoe crabs and rays for people to touch. To see all the happenings at the Polk County Fair go to the fair website at www.polkcountyfairfertilemn.com. Below are some pictures from the fair.

Ashlee Hewitt (right) performs Wednesday night at the Grandstand

An aerial view of the Polk County Fair grounds

The ferris wheel and the merry go round are back at the fair

KROX's Raymond Lee interviews Ashlee Hewitt at
the fair
MSHSL HONORS CHS STUDENTS WITH
SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOLARSHIP CERTIFICATES
The
Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL)
recently awarded 303 Spotlight on
Scholarship Certificates to
Crookston High School
students for their achievements in the classroom. Sponsored
by the League and Jostens, the Spotlight on Scholarship Program began in 1995 to
recognize athletes and fine arts participants who have a "B" or better grade
average. The Spotlight
on Scholarship Program is considered the fastest-growing
recognition program
the League sponsors.
To see the list of students receiving the Spotlight on Scholarship certificates
for the Spring 2009
click here.
WALK POLK COUNTY ENCOURAGES YOU TO GET SOME EXERCISE WHILE AT THE LAKES
For many people summer means fun in the sun. Spending most of your summer at the lake does not mean you have to be a “beach bum”. Lying out in the sun isn’t the only thing to do at the lake. There are many ways to stay active at the lake. If you want to be near the water you can go for a cool and refreshing swim, throw a Frisbee in the water, take out the water toys, play a game of marco polo, or go fishing, canoeing, or kayaking. Enjoy the sand with a game of beach volleyball, build a sand castle or go on a beach run. Did you know that walking in the sand is also a great form of exercise?
Have you visited one of our many lakes in Polk County? Whether you go to Maple, Union, or Lake Sara there are many activities to do at the lake… just keep moving. Just because you’re going to the lake, doesn’t mean you have to choose between exercising and having fun. These activities are so fun it won’t even feel like you’re exercising. You can enjoy a walk, bike, or jog amongst the nature and many trees at any lake. What if it is raining and you can’t be outdoors? Did you ever think of going to the Pavilion at Maple Lake and going roller skating.
Staying active in the summer, at the lake, means you will need to take a few extra precautions. Remember to watch the heat and drink plenty of water. Protect yourself from the sun by regularly applying sunscreen and wearing a hat. Always have life jackets on hand, especially if you will be out in the open water- fishing, skiing, tubing, canoeing, etc. As you are cooling off and going for a swim pay attention to the buoys which mark the swimming areas and watch for boats driving by. Be safe and enjoy what the great outdoors of Northern Minnesota has to offer.
For more information about WALK. Polk County contact Kayla Koenig by phone at 218-281-3385 or by email at kkoenig@pcphealth.org.
WEDNESDAY - JULY 1, 2009
CROOKSTON SCHOOLS HAVE BETTER SCORES, BUT STILL UNDER STATE AVERAGE IN MATH AND READING
The results of this year's Minnesota statewide school tests show that
although Minnesota students performed slightly better on math and
reading tests, the gains aren’t enough to prevent more schools in
Minnesota being added to the federal No Child Left Behind Law, which
will release it’s list in August. The Minnesota Comprehensive
Assessments results were released today by the state Department of
Education.
For the Crookston School District, the two figures are up, but the
district continues to lag behind the state average in math, where 57
percent of
Crookston’s 3-8th and 11th graders were proficient on the
math tests conducted this past school year. The State average is 64
percent.
Crookston’s proficiency in math last year was 54 percent.
In reading, Crookston’s mark was 71 percent, while the state average is 72
percent.
Crookston’s mark last year in reading was 65 percent, which shows a six
percent
increase.
“This is the once year mandated test for Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment and we ran the gambit throughout the year looking at state standard which is what every kid needs to know and then they test us on it at the end of the year," said Travis Thorvilson, Highland School Principal, “We get the results in July and then they compare the district to the state, there are a lot of bright areas so I am happy with growth in math at a little more than two percent growth compared to just under two percent for the state, so that is a good sign, the major growth was in reading with five percent in the district compared to only one percent growth in the state.”
Thorvilson added, “There are areas we need to pay
attention to and we will get our Average Yearly progress scores in August so we
need to work, but it is like a marathon and we have the right runners to run the
race.”
The MCA tests do not compare grade levels but look at the entire district, but
Thorvilson said, “We do have special subgroups where they judge like Spanish
reading and Special Education so it will take a lot of effort but we are
optimistic.”
Crookston High School saw good growth in the tenth and eleventh grade MCA tests.
“We get the graduation tests coordinated with the MCA tests and we saw good
growth in 10th and 11 scores in the grad tests. We put together a
school improvement group and they made a plan for growth and we came close to
the goal, but there are some subgroups we are concerned about but the school
motto talks about all children and each child and we know some kids are below
grade level so the team will start on the second stage of the plan and get all
kids performing at a high level.” Said Todd Brist, Crookston High School
Principal, “It is nice to compare, but sometimes you are not comparing apples to
apples and not always the same kids, so we have to focus in house to help
students get to the next level.”
The math test has some concerns as the state legislature took some ownership. “ We want to look internal and we had a change in math series so was there a gap, but those students have moved through the system, so we are behind, but we know think we have two or three things in place to raise the scores,” said Brist, “Don’t put an over emphasis on test scores, but give us a chance to grow over the next few years and make the plan work we have in place and live up to the idea of being a education destination.”
Statewide, 64 percent of students were proficient on math tests, compared to 62 percent last year and 72 percent were proficient on reading tests, compared to 71 percent last year.
Results "should only be one of many parents and the public look at in evaluating whether their individual school is performing well," said Chas Anderson, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education. August 10, 2009, state education officials will disclose how schools are doing under the federal No Child Left Behind Law. Last year, nearly half of the state's public and charter schools were on the list of underperforming schools, including Crookston.
The science testing results will be announced on July 21, 2009.
Some other area schools report card:
| School District | Math | Reading |
| East Grand Forks | 57% | 85% |
| Thief River Falls | 63 | 72 |
| Warren-A-O | 69 | 72 |
| Red Lake Falls | 47 | 62 |
| Fisher | 71 | 83 |
| Fertile-Beltrami | 68 | 80 |
| Climax | 44 | 59 |
CROOKSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT DISCUSS REORGANIZATION
The Crookston City council and Park Board met to discuss the reorganization of the Park and Recreation department on Tuesday evening. after about 2 hours of discussion no solution was reaching so more time will be spent looking for a plan of reorganizing the department.
City Administrator Aaron Parrish presented a plan for the reorganization and said, "I think as we go into the new arena the council had asked the staff a long time ago to do an evaluation of the Park and Recreation Department which does a lot of good things to make sure they are effective and productive as possible so we brought some recommendations and ideas for them to think about, it is a sensitive when we are dealing with staff with long service to the community and after initial discussion tonight we will get together after the next city council meeting and see where we go.
The original proposal had contemplated basically combining the assistant park and recreation director and park foreman into one position which is kind of a bridge between the management and work force and would be a part of providing supervision and management so we will talk about it more and see if we can get something comfortable for everyone."
Park Board member Gary Warren and Former UMC Hockey Coach is concerned about a shift in programming and scheduling and that a hockey coordinator might be needed. Council member Marlys Mjoen said there is a problem at the arena in the eyes of the public and a need for good supervision so Aaron Parrish and Scott Kleven came up with a plan to reorganize as they were asked to do by the council. Park Board
Member Larry Brekken like the concept of the changes and would add a probationary period for the position. Brekken said, "I was asked to serve on the Park Board and represent the community and I have some concerns regarding the arena and it was a good meeting and want people to call me with the concerns so we can move on."
Council member Wayne Melbye remembered when a volunteer helped with scheduling but it was not always conducive to the hockey families so a change is needed, "We do not want 'business as is' at the brand new arena with more supervision to watch for any vandalism by using the security cameras and a concern for the walkers on the walking track in case of a fall so we need to be able to handle any problems that come up.
Morale is low in the staff of the Park and Recreation Department. Parent of 3 hockey players Chris Trostad said a lot of the staff at the hockey arena is burned out from the horrible hours and low pay and there is a need to supervise the part timers better. The plan presented eliminates the assistant park and recreation director/arena manager and puts in a park superintendent.
In other business the group had a consensus of approval for the sixth street landscape design by UMC Assistant Professor Eric Castle and UMC students and bidding will be called for so the work can be done this summer.
CROOKSTON PARK BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL SELECT BLUE AS THE EXTERIOR COLOR OF THE NEW ARENAS
After the Park Board meeting the Crookston Park Board and City Council and staff made a trip out to the new ice arenas to select an exterior color of the arena. Crookston City Administrator Aaron Parrish led a tour of the inside of the arenas before debating a tan or blue color the members present voted 12-6 for blue. The sample that was painted on one of the walls is pictured below. City Council member Dale Stainbrook was a big help with his expertise on painting and answered many questions about the paint and upkeep each color would need down the road.
The big staff
vote on the exterior color The blue color pictured above was the winner
A view from the main entrance into the main arena.
A view of one of the youth arena's from the North end of the arena
FOR MORE ARENA CONSTRUCTION PICTURES CLICK HERE.
CITY OF CROOKSTON LOSES 46 RESIDENTS FROM 2007 TO 2008 ACCORDING TO U.S. CENSUS ESTIMATES
The United State Census Bureau has released their population estimates for 2008 with the city of Crookston losing 46 residents over the last year. The U.S. Census estimated that Crookston had 7,836 residents in 2007 and 7,790 in 2008. Other cities in the area are listed below.
| City | 2007 | 2008 | + or - |
| East Grand Forks | 7769 | 7812 | +43 |
| Thief River Falls | 8465 | 8472 | +7 |
| Warren | 1564 | 1556 | -8 |
| Red Lake Falls | 1508 | 1503 | -5 |
| Fisher | 406 | 403 | -3 |
| Fertile | 847 | 839 | -8 |
| Erskine | 404 | 403 | -1 |
| Climax | 237 | 235 | -2 |
| Bemidji | 13346 | 13541 | +195 |
| Moorhead | 35130 | 36012 | +882 |
| Grand Forks, ND | 50786 | 51313 | +527 |
| Fargo, ND | 92513 | 93531 | +1018 |
North Dakota numbers have been corrected as of Noon Tuesday.
CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL TO DO ANOTHER PAY IT FORWARD TOUR
The Pay It Forward Tour will be held again at Crookston
High School this fall after approval from the school board. Cody Nelson,
former Crookston graduate is manager of the high school program for Pay It
Forward and said, “Crookston is my hometown and I am so excited that we can
bring another tour back to Crookston High School.” Said Nelson, “Pay it forward
is a community service road trip and we hope to have about 35 students jump on
the bus and travel around the Midwest and do some service projects and visit
universities and learn about other communities and we will have about 10 to 12
buses on the route and they will come together in what we call Celebration City
and talk about what it is
like to be a kid
in today’s society.”
Nelson also said they are looking at a middle school service Pay It Forward tour
which is for sixth through eighth graders with three days and 50 hours of
service. Students can sign up at the website at
www.stlf.net type in the Crookston zip code and everything can be done
electronically. When school starts they will have registration forms available
at the school.
COUNTY INVESTIGATES MISTREATMENT OF ANIMALS
On June
29th, 2009, the Polk County Sheriff's Office investigated a complaint of
mistreatment of animals at 34791 210th Ave., SE in the Erskine area.
During the investigation, 29 dogs were seized by the Polk County Sheriff's
Office under Minnesota statute 343.29 Subd.1 and transported to care facilities
for numerous health issues and living conditions. This case is still under
investigation and no further information is available at this time.
MNDOT TO REPLACE DAMAGED AND WORN SIGNS ALONG HIGHWAY TWO
Motorists will encounter minor traffic delays with intermittent lane closures when a project to replace damaged and worn signs at five locations on U.S. Highway 2 in northwest Minnesota begins July 6. Signs will be replaced at three rest areas:
In addition, highway signs will also be replaced at the Erskine interchange on U.S. Highway 2 and Highway 59 and at the junction of U.S. Highway 2 and Highway 32 at Marcoux Corner. The project is one of nearly 100 Minnesota road and bridge projects that are funded with federal economic stimulus dollars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009. The sign replacement project is expected to be complete by Aug. 28, weather permitting.
CROOKSTON LIONS CLUB/CITY OF CROOKSTON CELEBRATE NEW PICNIC SHELTER
The Crookston Lions Club along with the City of Crookston held a "Grand Opening" of the new picnic shelter at the Highland Complex on Monday. A big crowd turned out for the hamburgers, brats and hot dogs on the grill along with games for the kids and even a dunk tank that included several volunteers that were dropped into the ice cold water. To reserve the picnic shelter for an event you can contact Crookston Park and Rec at 281-1142. Below are a couple pictures from the event.
Mayor Dave Genereux, Jeanine Windels and Tom Anderson of the Lions with the
ribbon cutting.
The big crowd enjoying the food under the beautiful picnic shelter
TUESDAY - JUNE 30, 2009
CROOKSTON PARK AND RECREATION POSSIBLE RESTRUCTURING AT MEETING TONIGHT
The Crookston Park Board along with the Crookston City Council has a combined
meeting tonight that will discuss, among other changes for the Crookston Parks
and Recreation Department creating a new Parks Superintendent position, which
would have responsibilities of operating and managing the new Crookston Ice
Arenas Complex, but NOT the responsibilities of setting up programming for the
complex. In a preliminary memo to the City Council and others from Crookston
City Administrator Aaron Parrish, the City would advertise for candidates for
the new position, but two current employees would also be encouraged to apply
for the position, current Assistant Crookston Parks and Recreation Director,
Scott Riopelle and current Crookston Parks Foreman Tom Clauson.
If Riopelle would get the new position, it would be at his current salary, but
if someone else was selected or Riopelle did not apply for the new position, he
would no longer work for the City. If Clauson would be the one to get the new
position, it would be at his current salary, otherwise he would still be making
the same amount of salary in the Park Maintenance area. In essence, the
City of Crookston is eliminating the Assistant Parks and Recreation Director
position.
Scheduling of events in the new Ice Arena Complex for the City would fall into
the hands of current Crookston Parks and Recreation Director, Scott Kleven along
with seasonal staff. These duties have been and currently are the
responsibilities of Scott Riopelle.
Other changes with the Parks and Recreation Department would include raising the
rate of pay for some positions, which would possibly end the number of turnovers
of employees in the department. Right now, if there is an opening in the Public
Works area of the city, it is usually filled by a Park and Rec employee, as a
city employee gets the first opportunity to apply for a position that becomes
open within the city departments. The difference in pay between these two departments has
created a problem in staffing for the Park and Rec.
There will be an update on the progress of the new landscaping of the sloughing area of Sixth Street in
Crookston. The Park Board and City Council members will make a run at the
end of the meeting to the site of the new Ice Arena Complex to look at some
exterior stain colors the project Manager, Ron Jasmer of Widseth Smith Nolting
has put together for the city to look at.
The meeting is at 7:00 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) at City Hall and is open to the
public. For the complete agenda
click here.
POLK COUNTY EMERGENCY INSTANT ALERT PROGRAM NOW
AVAILABLE
Polk County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with
Honeywell Business Solutions to bring to our county a reliable and fast way to
distribute information to its residents. The
public will be able to access the site online and sign up to receive all alerts
issued such as: severe weather, severe weather monthly tests & other special
announcements.
The web link is:
Polk County Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office will be planning
several town meetings to assist the public in the sign up process.
“We will be setting up the dates for these town meetings for the near
future and also plan to send information to the Lakes Association and the camp
grounds for those campers who live outside of Polk County”, states Nancy
Shafer, Polk County Emergency Management Deputy Director. “We are very excited
about this new product. We believe
this will be a very valuable tool for our office to use to get important
information to the public in an emergency.”
Stop by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office booth at the Polk County Fair for
more information.
NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE HONORS THE TOP AGGIES
The
Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) Alumni Association honored two
outstanding alumni over the weekend with the “Top Aggie” award during a
banquet and program at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC). The awards
banquet was the finale of a weekend of events during the annual NWSA alumni
reunion.
The
theme for this year’s event was “Rock ‘n Roll Goes Hawaiian” and honored
classes included 1929, 1934, 1939, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, and 1964. The reunion
is hosted by the Office of Development & Alumni Relations at UMC.
The Top Aggie Award is the highest honor given to NWSA alumni by the alumni association. This award recognizes alumni who have displayed exemplary commitment and service to community, church, education, family, or in their professional career. The Top Aggies for 2009 included:

UMC Chancellor
Charles H.Casey, Willard Brunelle, ’49, Walter Lunsetter, ’32,
and Director of Development and Alumni Relations Corby Kemmer. (Submitted by UMC)
Walter
Lunsetter, ’32, grew up
near Gatzke, on the farm where he still lives. He came to the Northwest School
of Agriculture (NWSA) when he was only 13 years old to begin his studies. While
he found life in the dormitory to be a big change and a challenge, Lunsetter
believes living there taught him how to get along with other people and to make
friends.
While his formal education ended when he
graduated from the Northwest School, Lunsetter found his life on the farm
to be a continuous cycle of learning. In 1944, he married his wife, Mable, and
they raised four children. The youngest was killed in a vehicle accident
when he was only 20 years old. Lunsetter has been active in his church, serving
several years on the church council and helping to build the present church when
it was constructed in 1956. He is a charter member of the Gatzke Senior Citizens
and has served as the club’s secretary for 25 years. His membership in the
Farmer’s Union goes back to the 1950s. Lunsetter has supported both his church
and community in countless ways over his lifetime.
Lunsetter is the go-to person for local
history in the Gatzke area. Over the years, he has contributed to historical
records for both the Minnesota and Marshall County historical societies.
He has a deep respect for history and he is known for incredible memory. His
nephew, Wayne Lunsetter, describes his uncle this way, “Walter has lived his
life as a selfless servant of God, his neighbors, and his community always with
a great sense of humor.”
Willard
Brunelle, ’49,
Crookston, was prepared at the Northwest School of Agriculture for a role in
leadership. He credits the NWSA with giving him a good foundation on which to
build a life. Brunelle served in the United States Air Force and spent 18 months
in Korea during the war as a jet fighter mechanic. He is a third
generation farmer, and retired in 1992.
DNR ANNOUNCES FREE FISHING IN STATE PARKS
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has announced that effective Wednesday, July 1, residents can fish in many Minnesota State Parks without a license, most of which are located on lakes and rivers. By eliminating the license requirement the DNR hopes that those who have never fished before will try it during their state park visit.
MONDAY - JUNE 29, 2009
ANOTHER TEACHER RETIRES WITH INCENTIVE OFFERED BY SCHOOL BOARD
Kathy Bakken Dryden submitted her retirement resignation to the Crookston
School Board last week as she accepted the retirement
health insurance incentive
offered to 21 teachers in the district. Kathy Bakken Dryden has taught in
the district for 35 years and in seven different buildings and all ages
of students. "I started out at Highland in 1974 teaching seventh grade
English and eventually it expanded to teaching remedial reading to sixth
graders as well, and after my first eight years, there was a large cutback
and I got riffed and thought my life was over but it was just beginning as I
went to work for a political party for an election and then at the
correction center teaching adult education half time and then fourth
grade at the Cathedral during the day for a teacher on maternity leave
and at the jail in the evening teaching adults and later I went full time
at the Correction Center and then I started the Area Learning Center
which has become two programs The New Paths Learning Center and the
Family Literacy program and then Superintendent Dick Larson called and
asked me to teach at the high school to replace Carla Lind who wanted to
go right her book and I wanted to get students earlier before adulthood
and after a few years I went to the Northern Lights Academy at the
Juvenile Center where I have been for ten years."
Teaching students of all ages also means many changes, Bakken Dryden said, "Recently I was thinking, the youngest person who has been a student is a fourth grader and if the person was still alive the oldest student would be 107 years, one time when I was teaching at the correction center and subbing at the school, a student said "I know who you are, you taught my grandmother how to read and the kids did not know I taught adults and wanted to know how old I was, so I told them I was 87 when I was about 35 at the time."
"I have gotten to see full spectrum of students and I am amazed as how the students comeback and pop into my life wherever I am teaching and now with retirement I am going to spend some time with my seven nieces and nephews scattered around the United States and then see what happens, take a break and then I will look and see, we have had some offers already which we were not ready to take at this time," said Bakken Dryden.
"One of the things I want to do is to thank the thousands of people for a wonderful career, all of the custodians, office workers, my supervisors who I probably put through the mill and all my students, everyone in the community and surrounding communities who students I had at the Juvenile Center, so thank you," said Bakken Dryden.
CLASS RESTRUCTURING HAS SCHOOL STAFF MOVING EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
Moving is underway in the Crookston School District and the crew was
moving Early Childhood Family Education materials from the Community Family
Service Center to Washington School. Richard Niemela, Buildings and Grounds
Supervisor and Transportation Director said it was a good day for moving,
"Today we are moving stuff from the Family Service Center to Washington
School for the early childhood classes and the Community Ed and after that we
will move the second grade stuff from Washington School to Highland and the 4th
grade teacher that needs to move at Highland and at the high school we have some
remodeling and lots of cleaning to do when summer school is done, I have a good
crew and plenty of help and it is a nice day for moving."
The hallways at Washington School are filled with desks and all the materials
from the rooms and at Highland School the cafeteria is packed with desks,
chairs, tables and all the equipment from the classrooms as they prepare to move
second grade in and 7th grade out.
Early Childhood Education materials from the old Carmen School
are unloaded at their new location at Washington School
POLK COUNTY 4-H LOOKING FOR ALUMNI TO WORK THE FOOD STAND AT THE FAIR
Alumni of the Polk County 4-H program are invited to work at the 4-H Food stand during the Fertile Fair. The Alumni Shift in the 4-H food stand will be Thursday, July 2 from 4-10 p.m. Please call or email Kylene Lehmann at 218-289-5887 or kodegaard@riverviewhealth.org if you would like to help. All alumni and spouses are welcome to come.
PREVENTION IS KEY TO TOMATO BLIGHT CONTROL
Many home gardeners have seen stress and slow growth in their tomato plants this spring due to the abnormally cool air and soil temperatures. Within the past 10 days, however, the temperatures have warmed considerably providing favorable growing conditions for tomatoes and other warm season vegetables. The succulent growth in combination with warm, humid weather makes tomato plants susceptible to “tomato blight”, the common name for Septoria leaf spot and Early Blight which are two of the most destructive fungus diseases of tomatoes. Like all fungus diseases, these two leaf spot diseases cannot be cured, only prevented.
Septoria leaf spot is the most prevalent of these diseases and normally infects the leaves and stems, but not the fruits. The disease is characterized by small spots with a dark outer ring and a lighter center. Tiny black fruiting bodies eventually form in the center of the leaf spots and produce spores which continue to spread the infection, climbing the plant like a ladder. Heavily infected leaves turn yellow, then brown and fall from the plant. The resulting defoliation can expose the fruit to the sun, which results in blistering and sunscald damage.
Early blight is identified by yellowing of leaves with gray colored spots consisting of concentric rings. This disease infects not only leaves, but also stems and fruit, causing defoliation of the plant and fruit rot near the petiole. These diseases survive in the soil on plant debris and on perennial weeds, particularly members of the nightshade family. The spores are spread by splashing water, insects, soil particles in the wind, and even on the hands and clothing of gardeners. The disease starts on the lower leaves of the plant and moves upward. Moisture on the leaves encourages the germination of the spores and development of the diseases.
As with many diseases, no single management strategy will cure the problem. Efforts should be concentrated on preventing the disease from infecting plants. Sanitation and crop rotation will reduce the number of spores that cause primary infections. Sanitation involves the removal of all infected plant material and weeds throughout the season as well as a complete cleanup of all plant material in the fall.
The diseases can be carried on seeds so purchase disease free seeds or save seed only from healthy plants. There currently are no varieties of tomatoes that are reliably resistant to the disease.
To prevent secondary infections, concentrate on reducing moisture on the leaves. Plants should be spaced far enough apart and staked or caged to encourage free air movement and more rapid drying of the leaves. Use drip irrigation or a soaker hose so that the water is not applied to the leaves; also mulch around the base of the plants to minimize water splash which carries the spores upward onto the plant.
As a last resort, fungicide application may still be necessary, particularly if the diseases have reduced the tomato harvest in previous years. Again, prevention is the key and it is unrealistic to expect good control if fungicide treatment begins after the plants are badly infected.
For more information, contact Jim Stordahl in McIntosh on Monday and Thursday, Red Lake Falls on Tuesday, or Bagley on Wednesdays. Our toll free number is 800-450-2465, or by email at stordahl@umn.edu This article was provided by Carl Hoffman, Stearns County Extension Service.
SUNDAY - JUNE 28, 2009
KROX LISTENING AREA HIT BY 2-5 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND
The KROX listening area received a massive amount of rain over the weekend including 3.83 inches of rain at the KROX studios in downtown Crookston. KROX listeners called in their rain totals and we have them listed below, all numbers are in inches.
Nielsville - 5+ inches
Northeast of Climax - 4.60
In Eldred - 4.5
4 miles west of Crookston - 4+
Cecil Malme's Farm near Shelly - 4 inches
KROX Radio Studios - 3.83
Ada - 3.75
5 miles north of Crookston 3.5
Harold Station - 3.25
Gentilly - 3.06
The Brunelle Farm - 2.6
Plummer - 2.5
3 miles West of Erskine - 2

Nasty looking clouds over RiverView Health Friday night
(Picture submitted by Alicia Berhow)
SATURDAY - JUNE 27, 2009
RAILROAD CROSSING ON HIGHWAY 75 IN WARREN TO BE CLOSED TUESDAY MORNING
A railroad crossing replacement project on U.S. Highway 75 in Warren is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30. A detour will be in place for two days directing northbound traffic west on Polk County Road 23, north on Polk County Road 20 and continuing north on Marshall County Road 15 to Highway 1. Southbound traffic will use the same detour in reverse. The project is expected to be complete by July 2, weather permitting.
FRIDAY - JUNE 27, 2009
CROOKSTON DIOCESE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
Catholics in the Diocese of Crookston are celebrating 100 years of
existence this year with many events planned. Bishop Michael
Hoeppner is
the seventh Bishop in the diocese and had the diocesan centennial
inaugural mass at the oldest parish last weekend in White Earth.
"Last weekend we were in Red Lake to say goodbye to the Benedictine
Sisters who were leaving as they do not have the numbers to continue, they have been in Red Lake since 1888, before the diocese was formed, and
the week before that I celebrated at the oldest parish in the diocese in
White Earth and kicked off the year long celebration," said Hoeppner.
Ogema, Kelliher and Roseau Mission were the churches started in 1909 and in 1910 churches began in Sabin, Falun, Oslo, Dilworth. Bagley and
Callaway.
Bishop Hoeppner tells the story of the beginning of the church, "The story is that Pope Pius XI was supposed to form the Crookston Diocese on January 1, 1911 but he jumped the gun and signed the document before he went to bed on New Year’s Eve." Bishop Hoeppner is the seventh bishop in the diocese. Bishop Corbett was the first bishop and the others were Bishop Peschges, Bishop Schenk, Bishop Glenn, Bishop Povish and Bishop Balke was here for 31 years. Churches were built and rebuilt after fires and new churches throughout the 100 years with changes constantly, according to Bishop Hoeppner. "The year before I came in 2007, Bishop Balke rededicated 17 churches remodeled or rebuilt of our 68 parishes in the last few year, some churches have closed and some have clustered together so one priest can take care of more than one parish," said Bishop Hoeppner. Priests were many things in the community and often built the church and then moved to another community to build a church.
Bishop Hoeppner feels the shortage of priests is changing, "Some parishes had a full time priest and an associate years ago but not now, but our numbers are starting to climb across the country and world, one of the first things I did here was to ask the people to pray hard for the young men to join the priesthood and so far we have five men seminarians and now and two more expected for next year, so we keep our hands folded and prayers going up for that."
The Catholic population is about steady in the diocese at 35,00 to 36,000 and it has been that for a while, according to the Bishop. "The Catholic Church loves change but sometimes it is difficult, we continue to work on sections of the Roman Missal and we are working on the English translation for the 12 English speaking parts of the world," said Heoppner, "and Rome has to approve it and the Holy Father wants it ready by the end of this calendar year." Many years ago Catholics remember the Rosary Crusade with Father Peyton coming to Central Park in Crookston which was packed with people, so where is the rosary for the faithful now, "I think the rosary is at the top especially since Pope John Paul II gave us the luminous mysteries and people are faithful to the bread and butter of devotional prayers with the rosary," said Bishop Hoeppner.
Bishop Hoeppner will continue celebrating the Centennial this weekend with the sacraments. He will perform a wedding this weekend in Red Lake Falls for Nick Knott and Kristin Naplin which he has not done for about ten years so he thinks the homily may be long. Bishop Hoeppner will perform a baptism in Warren on Sunday along with their centennial celebration. He is doing confirmations throughout the diocese in small groups this year and in December there will be the official centennial mass with other Bishops attending. Bishop Hoeppner said, "We will thank God for the last 100 years and on towards the next 100 years."
LAKE AGASSIZ REGIONAL LIBRARY RECEIVES GRANT FOR MAGICIAN SHOW
Lake Agassiz Regional Library would like to thank Northwest Minnesota Arts
Council for the grant that will provide money to present magician Jeffrey
Salveson in six of the region's 13 libraries this summer.
Magician Jeffrey Salveson's Magic Show, funded in part by a grant from the
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through a Minnesota State Legislative
appropriation, will perform at the Ada, Climax, Crookston, Fertile, Fosston and
McIntosh branch libraries during the month of July as part of the 2009 Summer
Reading Program, "Be Creative @ Your Library."
LARL serves the residents of Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Norman, Polk
and Wilkin counties, with branch libraries in Ada, Bagley, Barnesville,
Breckenridge, Climax, Crookston,
Detroit Lakes, Fertile, Fosston, Hawley, Mahnomen, McIntosh and Moorhead
and LINK sites in Cormorant, Frazee, Gonvick, Halstad, Hendrum, Lake Park,
Rothsay, Shelly, Twin
Valley and Ulen.
EAST GRAND FORKS GRADUATE PROMOTED TO 2nd LIEUTENANT
Brandan L. Hostar has been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the
U.S. Army after successfully completing the Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training
Corps) program and graduating with a bachelor's degree from Colorado State
University, Fort Collins.
The new officer will be branched to a specific corps in the Army to serve on
active duty or in the National Guard or Reserve. The lieutenant will attend an
officer basic course relating to his or her particular military occupational
specialty/job. Afterward, the officer will complete advanced training by
attending basic officer leadership courses for career progression purposes.
The ROTC curriculum prepares students with the tools, training and experiences
to help cadets succeed as effective leaders in any competitive environment. Army
officers serve as leaders, counselors, strategists and motivators, who lead
other soldiers in all situations occurring in ever-changing environments. As
trained problem-solvers, key influencers and planners, they are driven to
achieve success with their team on every mission.
The lieutenant will be assigned to the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Aurora,
Colorado.
He is the son of John G. and Patrica A. Hostar of 20th St. N.W., East Grand
Forks, Minn.
Hostar graduated in the year 2000 from East Grand Forks Senior High School.
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