To The Crookston Times readers,

It is with regret that CherryRoad Media announces the closing of The Crookston Times

Our company is dedicated to the preservation of community journalism. Since the purchase of our 1st paper in late-2020 to today, we have prided ourselves on our ability to fight the difficult battle that newspapers face in today’s digital society. Unfortunately, that battle cannot always be won.

The Crookston Times has struggled in recent years to find its footing in this community. Since purchasing The Crookston Times, CherryRoad Media has been unable to avoid financial losses every month. The paper was losing money when we bought it, and it continued to do so. We must now come to terms with the fact that we do not have a path forward to sustainability.

And we thank those who have supported us.

Minnesota Farm Bureau Sets Priority Issues for Upcoming Year

EAGAN, Minn. – The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Board of Directors recently set its 2023 legislative session priority issues at the conclusion of the organization’s 104th Annual Meeting. The issues are established from Farm Bureau grassroots policy set by MFBF members based on current events impacting agriculture and rural Minnesota.

Cherishing tradition . . .

While I enjoy watching the Food Channel, I’m not a foodie. I come from a family that eats the basic provisions. We’re not big on spices, or fancy dishes. My mom is a good cook. She will tell you that she isn’t, she is modest that way. She has cooked for our family for decades and if you’ve seen any one of us, you know we aren’t starving. Her potato soup with its simple ingredients, has the power to heal bruised hearts, tired souls and the common cold. I think it’s the love she puts into her cooking. Love enhances food more than exotic ingredients ever could.

Drop the baggage, keep the pie

Maybe we need the quiet holidays as much we need the over-the-top holidays. We live in a culture of excess, as the coming of the commercial version of Christmas hasalready been reminding usfor weeks. But the days of reflection on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving–even with a somber note or two –are welcome. Countercultural though it is, it’s often best to give explicit thanks for simply having enough. The very idea of “enough” gets too little attention.I worry right along with so many others that the commercial and cultural mandate to skip straight from Halloween to the frantic dash to Christmas threatens to shove Thanksgivingaside.After all, what is there to sell at Thanksgiving but turkey and boxes of stuffing?But that’s the point. Thanksgiving amped up like the Fourth of Julyor Commercial Christmaswould contradict the spirit of the whole thing. We cling to a lot of needless myths. Colonists and the Wampanoag invented Thanksgivingout of thin air 401 years ago. No, they didn’t. It symbolized harmonious relations between cultures in clash. That’s a cruel misreading of a painful history. I could go on.Let’s go at it this way: As with so many things, what matters is cherishing and keeping what’s essential about the holiday whilecontinuing to remake it, as we have done again and again over the centuries. Commented [KZ1]: Do you mean to have Thanksgiving at the end of this sentence?

Fish and Wildlife Almanac

DNR webinars cover state parks and northern pike, registration open for winter topics The DNR invites people interested in fishing, wildlife and outdoor skills to tune in to upcoming webinars that will discuss outdoor opportunities at Minnesota state parks and fishing for northern pike.

Meeting addresses employment challenges in the area

Have you ever waited in a checkout line and complained about not having enough cashiers at a store? How about not being able to be seated right away at your favorite restaurant and as you sit 30-45 minutes waiting and thought “where are all the workers?” This is what Polk County providers are also saying, as they compete with other industries for employees to recruit into the helping professions.

Teaching kids about giving

On the quest to raising good humans, I realize that most people tend to use the holidays as a teachable time for kids. We encourage the need to do good for others who might have less than we do as we donate food, toys, money and help in our communities and beyond. We do this on overdrive in November and December because these months are within the “season of giving.” And while I wish this was more of a year-round notion; I still jump on board with my own three kids to embrace the season as a time to do for others with no expectation of gain. Many of the best ways to help others costs nothing at all, aside from some time and effort.

The Northern Goshawk

I spent many hours perched in ladder stands strapped to mature aspen trees in northwest Minnesota recently. Hours went by slowly, but Mother Nature was always there to entertain and challenge me in a show of her own. From sun and warmth to gale force winds, and from blizzards to frigid cold temps, she gave her all.

SO THIS IS EDUCATION

Proverbs 18:15 “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Education is defined as “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.” Another definition I really like is “an enlightening experience.” With a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Education and two years of graduate school ( one year in Industrial Education and a second in Education), I stand amazed at how ignorant I am. The more I learn, the more I hunger.