The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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Staffing changes at Carrington Public Schools were the big news at the school board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11. First, the board officially voted to open a new Dean of Students position. Superintendent Janelle Helm went through the job description with board members at the meeting, which is an additional administrative position. The Dean of Students will perform a variety of administrative tasks, many of them that are typically assigned to the athletic director (AD). The current AD, Karla Mich...
Valentine’s Day and Giving Hearts Day are coming soon, but did you know that there’s one more very important heart-related observance we are in the midst of right now? Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. This could be a little girl in the ICU or a grandfather with Stage 3 leukemia. January is National Blood Donation Month, and the need is greater than you might realize. The American Red Cross recently announced that they are experiencing an emergency blood shortage. Blood don...
The Carrington City Library is not only a place where people go to get books, it's also a space where they can "learn" to read. There are a variety of new things to experience at your local library, thanks to the planning, fundraising and hard work done by Librarian Michele Seil and the library board. Last fall was a busy one, as they were working on five grants at the same time. Among those was a program offered by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction called ND Community Libraries...
"Is North Dakota better off today than it was a year ago?” That’s the question asked by Craig Blumenshine, host of the PBS “Main Street” radio program, to a panel of journalists last week. “We have no way to go but up,” I replied. The year 2023 was not one of my best, not even close. There were definitely some high points, and I’m grateful for that. Yet, I felt more anxious than I have in years. I’m not alone in that either, as uncertainty about what lay ahead has been all around me latel...
There’s not enough snow to ride a snowmobile. The trees are bare, and the stubble from last year’s crop is still visible. There’s even water running through the ditches in some areas, in January! It’s “the winter that wasn’t,” some have written. Those that typically revel in that white winter wonderland are depressed to see bare trees and black ground. All I know is that the unseasonably warm temperatures and little to no snowfall have made winter all the more bearable for me. Last year at...
"Mention their name. Tell their story. Continue to live their legacy by remembering them with me." – Nathalie Himmelrich Allen Stock, publisher of the Foster County Independent for 46 years, left this world on Christmas Day. I first got to know Allen about four years ago. He was a fellow publisher, but he hadn't attended a newspaper convention or other gathering for several years. I remember him calling to ask if he could rerun articles we had printed in the Transcript, and he requested help s...
After more than two years of discussions, building assessments and bid lettings, the basement of the Foster County Courthouse will get a major facelift in the new year. The Foster County Board of Commissioners accepted a proposal to renovate the courthouse basement at a special meeting on Monday, December 11. Local firm General Roofing and Construction was the sole bidder. After some negotiation, the final accepted bid amount was $2,175,000. On Tuesday, commissioners Alan Scanson and David Utke...
A Carrington native has been recognized by his peers in law enforcement for saving the life of a 5-year-old child. Officer Walker Carr, son of Brian and Heather Carr of Carrington, received a Lifesaving Award from the Grand Forks Police Department (GFPD). The GFPD's Lifesaving Award is given to any member of our department or a citizen for sustaining or saving the life of any human being. The award was presented during the Grand Forks Police Department Awards Ceremony Holiday Event on Friday,...
My heart is heavy this Christmas. My best friend lost her dad a week ago, and one of our daughter’s former classmates died by suicide. I also heard that two gentlemen from my hometown, one the school janitor and another a bus driver, also had passed away. I know that loss is a part of life, but that doesn’t make it any easier. “We are here.” That’s what I repeated to every person I hugged or talked to at the prayer service for my daughter’s classmate. And I listened to his grandma tell us wha...
Carrington's high school building, constructed in the 1960s, has been a topic of conversation of late, first among the facilities committee and then the full Carrington School board. The original wood-framed windows are neither energy efficient nor functional. Each exterior wall section has stucco panels covering glass block and small, wide rectangle windows. Board members agreed to hire architectural firm YHR Partners this past summer, to recommend replacement options and provide cost...
Carrington will lose a veteran educator at the end of the school year. Greg Hoeckle, the elementary physical education and keyboarding teacher who has spent his entire career in Carrington, was approved for early retirement. The Carrington School board considered his request at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Hoeckle, who has spent 34 years at Carrington Public School, will officially retire on June 1, 2024. The board approved a $21,533.75 early retirement payment to Hoeckle, with 30...
Last week, I got to see “how the sausage is made.” As a member of the media, I was invited to watch DPRCA’s “The Christmas Show” before anyone else. This time, I was on assignment, shooting photos to document Elliott Schwab’s original script coming together on stage. Well, that was part of it. I also wanted to be among the first to see it so I could give you, my dear readers, a glimpse inside the show. It was the one Wednesday night appointment I was happy to take, and it came just in time. Th...
The countdown to Christmas is on. As I write this, December 25 is exactly 27 days away. That means I have a lot of shopping to do, and very little time. I came across this meme on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, and it really hit me. It read, “Big companies won’t notice your purchase over the next couple months. But small businesses will, and it might even change their life.” It’s true. Small, independent local businesses are the heartbeat of our economy. And their survival is integral to our...
There are programs available through USDA-Rural Development (USDA-RD) to help keep rural communities in North Dakota thriving. That's the message from USDA-RD State Director Erin Oban, who made three stops during a visit to the Central City on Monday, Nov. 20. The day began with a gathering of community leaders at the Garden Gate, and continued with visits to Arrowwood Prairie Cooperative and Cows & Co Creamery, two local businesses who have recently received funds from the agency. "We'll be a...
Plans to establish a Career & Technical Education (CTE) Center in Carrington are progressing. Carrington Public School superintendent Janelle Helm and board president Joel Lemer gave a detailed updated at the CPS board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14, which included a list and map of all the active CTE centers in the state and an outline of the process for establishing one. The central third of the state is lacking a physical CTE center, Lemer said. While both Jamestown and Devils Lake have...
It's Christmas Eve, and the Penrose Players are standing at the verge of bankruptcy. Siblings Elle and Aaron Penrose, the fourth generation owners of the Penrose Playhouse, are trying to enjoy one last Christmas in their historic family-owned theater. They are in the process of selling the building, and the buyer's agent shows up to inspect the property on Christmas Eve Day, right as the last dress rehearsal gets underway for their Christmas Day performance. To make matters worse, the Penrose...
We’ve been blessed with beautiful fall days lately. I can’t help but smile as I run around doing errands and buzz from one meeting to another. The only thing that could have made this past week better was spending more time outside. With our daylight hours dwindling and the temperatures beginning their precipitous drop, I’m choosing not to dwell on the depressing weather that is destined to come. Instead, I’m focusing on the good things (such as this gorgeous weather) and mindfully practic...
Frustration is the word of the day in the newsroom. It’s Monday, and subscriber newspapers have not been delivered to New Rockford, Fessenden and other rural post offices on time for the second week in a row. Our loyal readers, and this time the local postmaster herself, pick up the phone to notify us of the delay. “So what gives? Why isn’t the paper coming on time?” readers ask. I wish I had the answer. All the subscriber print copies of this newspaper were taken to the Fargo Post Office...
Their motto is "We Serve," and it's as simple as that. The Carrington Lions Club has been an integral part of the community, doing important work for 40 years. Members celebrated the milestone at a special ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 7. Chartered in 1983 with 28 members, the Carrington Lions Club currently has 46 active members. Within the past year alone, they've welcomed 14 new members. At the Oct. 7 ceremony, charter member Gerald Paulson was recognized for 40 years of service to the local...
I grew up understanding that being part of a community meant giving of your time and talents whenever possible to enrich others. My dad was a member of the Robinson Lions Club when I was a kid. My mom took us to many activities and events led by volunteers, including 4-H and Sunday School. Both my parents served on church boards and committees, and I remember watching my grandmother prepare and serve meals at funerals and other special events in her church. We volunteer. It’s what we do. T...
Miss Rodeo North Dakota will make a stop in the Central City this week. Lindsey Miller, a 22-year-old Flaxton native, was crowned Miss Rodeo North Dakota in July, and she is embarking on a journey across the state as she prepares to compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America in Las Vegas this December. Her host is Amy Hinrichs, owner of The Humble Pearl in downtown Carrington. Locals can meet Miller on Tuesday, October 17 at 5 p.m. Miller will read her children's book, "The Girl in LIme Green...
This National Co-op Month, I recognize that many of the cooperatives operating today were established for the benefit of people. It didn’t take much effort to put together a list of cooperatives we do business with on a daily basis. After all, I’ve been a member of cooperatives since I was a young girl. My extended family have been members of Northern Plains Electric Cooperative (formerly Tri-County Electric) my entire life. The family farm and my parents’ home are served by this all-i...
The federal government has entered a new level of dysfunction. It’s like being in the middle of your favorite soap opera when the power goes out. For the first time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has ousted its duly-elected speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California. “They don’t get to say they’re conservative because they’re angry and they’re chaotic,” McCarthy said of the eight Republican colleagues who voted against him. “That’s not the party I belong to. The party of Reagan was if...
One organization close to home is literally saving lives, one child at a time. Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), began in Coon Rapids, Minn. in 1987, and since then has worked with other non-governmental and mission organizations to bring mobile food packing events to communities around the region. FargoPack, FMSC's partner, was started in 2013 by Atonement Lutheran Church of Fargo and now serves the Red River Valley and surrounding region. Every year since 2015 FargoPack has organized large...
This year marks the 83rd celebration of National Newspaper Week. From October 1-7, newspapers across the country are affirming their responsibilities to the communities they serve. I’ve written a lot about our industry in this space over the last year, yet I find myself compelled to do it again. So much has happened in the past several weeks. In August, we changed the distribution process for every newspaper we print, and that has affected when many of our readers receive their print edition, w...
