UPDATE: THERE IS A VIDEO POSTED WHERE A PSYCHOLOGIST AT A GRAND FORKS CITY COUNCIL MEETING STATES THAT ONE OF HER PATIENTS WAS AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD WHO DIED BY SUICIDE. CHECK OUT THE CLIP BELOW (you can fast forward to 2:31).


 

 UPDATE: GRAND FORKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAID THAT THE STATEMENT ABOUT AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD COMMITTING SUICIDE DUE TO COVID IS NOT A FACTUAL CLAIM. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN NORTH DAKOTA.


WARNING: I HAVE SEARCHED AND REACHED OUT, BUT CAN FIND NO INFORMATION TO BACKUP THE STATEMENT MADE ABOUT A CHILD'S SUICIDE, IN THE FOLLOWING STORY. I WILL UPDATE THE STORY IF THERE IS CONFIRMATION OR DENIAL OF THE CLAIM.

Last week, there were talks of the City of Fargo possibly issuing a citywide mask mandate. According to Valley News Live (Fargo), people on both sides of the mask issue showed up in droves to last night's Fargo city council meeting. There was passionate discussion on the pros, cons, and execution of a mask mandate.

After the discussion, there was vote which resulted in an agreeance for Fargo leaders to draft a make mandate proposal. Once the proposal is finished, Fargo residents will have another chance to make their voices heard on the issue, and they will go from there. Get the full story from Valley News Live here.

Now, I know that we can't talk about masks without things getting heated, but I can't get one comment out of my thoughts - “An eight-year-old in Grand Forks completed suicide due to the effects of COVID-19.” That statement was made by Loretta Smith and captured by Valley News Live's cameras. Did this really happen?

I don't want to push the issue too much on this comment. I mean, if it is true, it is shocking and heartbreaking. And I understand that we may not get a lot of information from a death like that because this is about a young child. But the thing is, I cannot find any information whatsoever on this.

I Googled it, looking for news stories, Facebook posts, anything. I even asked people I know in Grand Forks. Other than a claim that this was a topic at a city council meeting in Grand Forks (and that the person had a link to the discussion), I couldn't find a link or anything to support the suicide claim. I couldn't even find a recent obituary for an eight-year-old in Grand Forks. Lastly, I reached out to Grand Forks Public Schools in an attempt to confirm this information and I am waiting on a response.

Have you heard anything about an eight-year-old in Grand Forks completing suicide because of the pandemic?

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