THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES WILL TARGET INTOXICATED BOATERS JULY 3-5 AS PART OF OPERATION DRY WATER, A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AIMED AT DETERRING BOATING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.
THE GOAL OF OPERATION DRY WATER IS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF BWI-RELATED BOATING ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. SHARED WATERWAYS MEAN SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, AND IT’S UP TO EVERY BOATER TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE KEEPING THEMSELVES, PASSENGERS AND OTHERS SAFE.
EACH YEAR THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES’ DIVISION OF FORESTRY REFORESTS THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF FORESTLAND. WE USE A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES AND TREATMENTS TO ESTABLISH TREES AND ENSURE THEY SURVIVE, GROW, AND REMAIN HEALTHY. A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SITES WE MANAGE EACH YEAR ARE TREATED WITH HERBICIDES TO CONTROL COMPETING VEGETATION, EITHER TO PREPARE SITES FOR SUBSEQUENT TREE PLANTING OR SEEDING, OR TO RELEASE YOUNG SEEDLINGS FROM OVERTOPPING TREES AND BRUSH.
THE WARROAD AREA: WARROAD, WANNASKA, AND GRYGLA WILL BE APPLYING HERBICIDE ON 12 SITES COMPRISING ABOUT 192 ACRES TO PREPARE FOR PLANTING AND RELEASE TREES FROM COMPETING VEGETATION BETWEEN JULY 1ST AND AUGUST 30TH. THE TREATMENT WILL BE DONE USING A SKIDDER WITH BOOM. ALL SITES TREATED WITH HERBICIDES WILL BE SIGNED SO THAT THE PUBLIC WILL KNOW WHEN THEY ARE ON A TREATED SITE.
SCHOOL BOARDS REMAIN BUSY AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, PREPARING FOR THE COMING SCHOOL YEAR. IN EAST GRAND FORKS, THEY ARE LOOKING TO GET STATE APPROVAL ON THREE ISSUES THAT PUBLIC WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER. THEY ARE LOOKING AT A $300 PER STUDENT OPERATING LEVY, THEY ARE ONE OF THE RARE DISTRICTS THAT DOES NOT ALREADY HAVE ONE. THE BIGGEST ASK IS FOR A $26 MILLION BOND REFERENDUM THAT WOULD LOOK TO IMPROVE SECURE ENTRYWAYS IN THE DISTRICT, ALONG WITH MECHANICAL UPGRADES. MANY ARE NEARING THE 30 YEAR MARK, HAVING BEEN BUILT AFTER THE 1997 FLOOD. THE FINAL IS FOR AN $11 MILLION ADDITION TO A SCHOOL, WHERE SIX CLASSROOMS WOULD HOUSE A DISTRICT-WIDE PRE-K PROGRAM. THEY USED EXAMPLES OF HOW #1 COULD COST TAXPAYERS ROUGHLY $160 IN PROPERTY TAX INCREASES PER YEAR, #3 AT ROUGHLY $120 AND THE BOND COULD COST AROUND $210 ANNUALLY FOR HOMES THAT ARE $300,000.
THURSDAY’S PERFORMER AT THE GAZEBO IN ROSEAU IS MIKE MORSE OF FARGO, WITH GUITARS AND VOCALS. A FUNDRAISING MEAL WILL HELP A GROUP OF STUDENTS WITH EF TOURS FOR A TRIP TO EUROPE.
FORMER CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AND TRACK AND FIELD COACH, SUTTON THOMAS JUNKERMEIER, HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH ALLEGEDLY SENDING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT SNAPCHAT MESSAGES TO A 16-YEAR-OLD STUDENT HE WAS COACHING. HE IS NOW TEACHING IN THE ATWATER-COSMOS-GROVE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, JUNKERMEIER GRADUATED FROM CONCORDIA COLLEGE IN MOORHEAD AND WAS A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER IN CROOKSTON FROM THE 2021-22 TO 2024-25 SCHOOL.
JUNKERMEIER, 26, HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH TWO FELONY HARRASSMENT CHARGES AND ONE MISDEMEANOR.
ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS, THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED BY A GUARDIAN WHO SAID THE 16-YEAR-OLD RECEIVED INAPPROPRIATE IMAGES AND MESSAGES FROM AN ADULT MALE, WHO WAS LATER IDENTIFIED AS JUNKERMEIER. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON JUNE 23, 2026.
THE STORY EARLIER REPORTED BY KROX-AM IN CROOKSTON.
IN A COUPLE OF MINNESOTA LAWS THAT BECOME EFFECTIVE ON JULY 1…
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS MUST NOW HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH WARNING LABEL THAT APPEARS EVERY TIME A USER OPENS THAT PLATFORM AND DISAPPEARS AFTER THE USER ACKNOWLEDGES THE WARNING OR EXITS THE PLATFORM.
THE 2025 LAW SAYS THE WARNING LABEL MUST ALSO INCLUDE INFORMATION ON THE NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE AND WEBSITE. SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ALSO CAN’T ALLOW A USER TO DISABLE THE WARNING LABEL, OR MAKE THE WARNING LABEL NOT CLEARLY VISIBLE.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS MUST NOW ADOPT A POLICY FOR AN ANONYMOUS THREAT REPORTING SYSTEM BY JUNE 30, 2027, AND IMPLEMENT THAT SYSTEM BY JULY 1, 2028.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE SYSTEMS IN THE NEW LAW INCLUDE A 24-HOUR MOBILE APP, WEBSITE OR HOTLINE WHERE THREATS CAN BE REPORTED. SCHOOLS THAT DON’T CREATE THEIR OWN SYSTEM MUST INFORM STUDENTS AND FAMILIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY’S EXISTING ANONYMOUS THREAT REPORTING SYSTEM.
THE NEW LAW WAS PART OF THE RESPONSE TO THE ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH SHOOTING LAST SUMMER.
Last modified: 06/30/2026
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