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.

Northwest SBDC named MN 2022 SBDC Center of Excellence

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named the Northwest Regional Small Business Development Center as the Minnesota 2022 SBDC Center of Excellence. In recognition of National Small Business Week, SBA’s Minnesota District will recognize its 2022 state winners at local events in the weeks ahead.

Minnesota Crookston Men’s Basketball signs Omaha-Native Meeks

The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball team announced the signing of Chandler Meeks (G, 6-1 185, Omaha, Neb./ Omaha Westside H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Meeks is the second signee for the Golden Eagles, joining C.J. Ray (G/F, 6-4 205, Four Oaks, N.C./Frank Phillips College).

Lions Blood Drive brings in 80 volunteers

The Crookston community hosted a twoday blood drive with Vitalant on April 11 and 12 at Trinity Lutheran Church which helped collect a total of 83 units of blood products for patients in need. A total of 80 individuals volunteered to donate blood and 70 individuals were able to successfully donate at the drive.

Humane Society Dog Wash fundraiser April 23

The University of Minnesota Crookston's Pre-Vet Club will be hosting a Dog Wash event April 23 from 12-4 p.m. at the Humane Society of Polk County in Crookston. The club will be offering dog washes for freewill donations plus nail trims for $5.

Crookston Community Pool reopening April 20 after imbalance, leak shut down

Crookston Community Pool will be reopened to the public April 20 after a two-week shut down caused by a chemical imbalance and leaky pipe. The pool's Facebook page stated April 18 that they were working on getting the pool up to its normal temperature after getting the chemicals balanced and that the water was only at 50 degrees which meant it couldn't reopen a day earlier as previously planned.

Crookston Fire Department fire calls

A fire call came in April 12 at 1:05 a.m. to the 700 block of Hunter Street for carbon monoxide detector sounding caused by problems with the furnace. They had high levels of CO in the house so they ventilated and the owner got a hold of a service contractor to fix the furnace.

Spring is Sprung. Or has it?

They say it’s Spring. But how do you know for sure? At first glance, it’s hard to tell it apart from Fall. Sure, the snow is melting. But underneath, there are the dead, brown leaves. Again. You may wonder: What the heck? I thought I bagged those up?! No, you bagged other leaves. But then more, other leaves fell and/or blew into your yard. Then it snowed. And you cannot bag leaves under the snow. Thus, there are the dead, brown leaves. Again. Sigh.

Letter to the Editor: Thank you from NW MN Cancer Crusaders

After a two-year pause due to COVID and event restrictions, we were finally able to bring back the Easter Egg Scramble event at the Crookston Sports Center and the turn-out was amazing! We have many people and businesses to thank for the success of the event, and also want to thank everyone who brought their families to enjoy a couple hours of fun.

Knowledge is the treasure of a wise person

A giant ship’s engine failed, and the vessel’s owners consulted one expert after another, but none of them could fix the engine. They finally brought in an old man who had been fixing ship engines since he was very young. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag of tools and pulled out a small hammer and gently tapped something. Instantly the engine started and was fixed.