The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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It must be spring, because cleaning and renewal are on the brain. I’m looking at all the work that needs to be done in and around our home before we host a graduation party in six weeks. I also need to take down the snowflake decor in the New Rockford store window and replace it with something more “seasonally-appropriate.” I wish I had gotten that knack from my mother. She changes her décor every month, and the tables, archways and other areas of her home are always in season. We renewe...
We all have pet peeves that drive us absolutely nuts, right? It might be a wet dog shaking itself off on the couch or a delivery driver consistently delivering your packages to your neighbor. Let’s admit, we all have some. I have some too, 10 in fact, that I’ll share with you in this article. 1.) Motorists not using blinkers: For some reason, people don’t use blinkers any longer, and I’m talking in heavy traffic. The biggest issue is when I want to turn left on a highway and someone is coming...
Because I’m a professional practitioner of the pedagogical arts (known in some parts as fancy book learnin’), I’m privileged to enjoy a Spring Break holiday that usually falls during the same week my semi-grown daughters are also out of school. Back in the good old days when the girls still spoke to me with actual words, we would spend our Spring Breaks together – playing at the park, riding bikes, or sharing the trauma of a Disney character’s parental death scene. This year, instead of...
“Help, I need advice! Tell me what to do with this weird corner below the stairs in my house!” “Show my husband that our brick home’s exterior would look better painted.” “I can’t stand these ‘orange’ wood cabinets that were custom built by the previous owner. Would they look better stained black or painted white?” Such are common questions a typical homeowner might ask his friends and neighbors. Every home has its quirks; some more than others. I remember watching “This Old House” and “Home Imp...
Have you ever heard of a place called Drake Landing? I didn’t either until I read a recent news article about it. Drake Landing is perhaps the most unique community in North America because more than 90 percent of the power to heat the 52 homes in Drake Landing is solar. What’s even more unique is that this community isn’t in south Florida, Texas or Arizona. It’s right in the middle of oil country in Alberta. Drake Landing is part of the city of Okotoks, situated 30 miles south of Calgary...
A recent Wall Street Journal article provided food for thought about the decibel levels in restaurants. According to the article, in 2023, audio data from the app SoundPrint found that 63 percent of restaurants are too loud for conversation. (Granted, this is a blessing in disguise if the conversation veers toward “SoundPrint? You told me your phone doesn’t have enough space for photos of my trip to the International Lint Museum, but you have room to download SoundPrint????”) My father hated...
I’m not a big fan of April Fools’ Day, or any kind of pranks for that matter. Perhaps that’s because I am more likely to be the one pranked than I am the mastermind behind the hoax. My husband, on the other hand, can pull a prank with the best of them. Our oldest was born the day after April Fools’ Day, and I happened to go into labor on the dreaded day. My husband and his dad were out of town for work the four days prior, and I was anxious to say the least. I had been staying with his dad’s f...
Several weeks ago my wife and I met a friend from New Zealand who was visiting North Dakota. We agreed to meet in Bismarck and chose the downtown restaurant Pirogue Grille. Several years ago we frequented that restaurant, but because we live on the northern tier of the state, it’s hard to get to Bismarck on a regular basis. But, when we met Kiwi Kate there, it was as if nothing had changed. The restaurant looked the same, the staff was nearly the same and the menu which was new each time you w...
Dear Editor: We were disheartened to hear that the Carrington Armory may be closing due to vandalism. Many of us appreciate the use of the armory for inclement weather, and even in the summer, we have cool, windy days. Some older walkers have balance problems that often prohibit them from walking on uneven surfaces. Some of our walkers are recovering from knee/hip surgeries. The Armory provides a safe, stable solution. We do understand that the Armory is being used and abused by some as we can attest to cans, paper wrappers, spilled pop and...
Dear Editor: All community members (especially seniors) are fortunate to have South Central Transit Services available. One driver to recognize for his driving abilities is Pete Gudmundson. His driving experience and caring personality are exceptional. He is pleasant and caring. All passengers are treated with respect which certainly provides a pleasurable trip for all. Thank you, Pete (and all other drivers) for your dedicated services. You are appreciated. Pat Bachmeier 695 6th Ave. S Carrington, ND 652-2523...
Common good are those things that emphasizes community as compared to individual good which emphasizes self. Every level of civic society - national, state and local needs common good to negotiate and provide the services to everyone in its jurisdiction. The national government must provide security, goods and services; state government supplements the national good with another level of security, goods and services; the county government adds administration while also providing local assistance...
My intent this week was to write about a special restaurant in downtown Bismarck and the people who operate it. However, there is a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Another friend was lost to cancer last week and what appears to be remarkable about his case, is that it could have been preventable. A family friend from back home, who we called “Soup Bone” when we were kids because he was so skinny, died last week at the age of 62 from kidney cancer that had spread to his lun...
Well, it finally happened. No, I didn’t go bald, get divorced or accidentally go to work without pants. I got COVID! Recently, I had been badly congested for a couple of days, but I chalked it up to our yearly East Texas orgy of yellow pollen that mistakes my sinus cavities for some kind of pine tree Playboy mansion. Then the headaches started, like my frontal lobe was hosting a rave party for Diet Coke and Mentos. I don’t typically have headaches (other than my three semi-grown daughters), so...
During National Ag Week, all eyes are on the farmers and ranchers who are responsible for keeping the world fed. According to the American Farm Bureau, one U.S. farmer feeds 166 people annually in America and abroad. In the 1800s when North Dakota was first established, a farmer fed 3-5 people, most likely his family members. In 1960, one farmer could feed about 26 people. Even though we have the world’s third largest population to feed, the United States is still the world’s largest food exp...
Excitement is mounting and those of us involved in the North Dakota Farmers’ Market & Growers Association, are counting down the days until the local foods conference. This celebration of all things local foods is how a small, but determined group of individuals set out to make sure this year’s conference is something special. We started planning this event last November and we only recently put the lid on the schedule. It will be held March 21-23 in the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck...
In television, now more than ever, crime pays. A search for "true crime" on Netflix produced 300 titles. Nearly half of Apple's top 20 podcasts in the U.S. are devoted to true crime, and the internet is chockablock with recommendations for the best new true crime books. As I type this, Paramount+ is announcing that Dennis Quaid will play the real-life serial killer notoriously called "Happy Face," based on the "Happy Face" podcast from iHeart. And Village Roadshow Entertainment is announcing...
It's Sunshine Week, a national observance of the importance of public records and open government. Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison's birthday, March 16 (1751). Madison, one of our country's founding fathers and an advocate of open government, presented the first version of the Bill of Rights to Congress. He was later elected the fourth president of the United States. Sunshine Week, observed this year from March 10-16, highlights the importance of open g...
Do you remember the TV show The Incredible Hulk? It was a weekly series about a muscle-bound guy who would suddenly completely change into some sort of a green monster. As the narrative stated in the show, a strange metamorphisis occurs that transforms this man into the incredible hulk. It seems weeds are like that. This past week I was cleaning the greenhouse to get it ready for the spring season and discovered some interesting finds, that quite frankly, I can’t believe are possible. To f...
Having raised three daughters, I’ve gained, in the words of Liam Neeson, “a very particular set of skills.” Unfortunately, none of these skills would be useful in the event of an international kidnapping. Because two of our daughters (and some of our credit cards) are now in college and one is deep in the bowels of high school, I feel like an abandoned appliance that seemed pretty nifty at first, but the novelty quickly wore off. (Think – the Baby Yoda waffle iron.) Below are a few girl-da...
I photographed the Forever Dance Spring Show at Carrington School last Sunday. It wasn't the first spring show I've attended (or photographed), but for some reason this performance had me enthralled. It was an absolute joy to see dozens of young girls leave it all on the floor. The energy level was off the charts, and the costumes and props were spectacular. Even coaches Brianne Partlow and Jane Sauby got in on the jazz, wearing outfits adorned with sequins and sparkles. I thought the action...
This winter in North Dakota has been remarkable for a lot of reasons and because of it, I took advantage and did some traveling across the state. The farmers’ market manager in Wahpeton contacted me about the lack of vendors at her market. It seemed like a desperate situation and because of Wahpeton’s size, I decided to take a trip and meet with her about those issues. But, this isn’t about that meeting. Unlike most others who would go across the state on an interstate or U.S. highway, I travele...
A seismic shift is taking place in the North Dakota party convention nominating system with the fragmentation of power and resources and candidates bypassing the structured nominating system and going directly to the polls. While North Dakota history is full of erratic appeals to primary elections, the present fracture was led by Senator Kevin Cramer and Governor Doug Burgum, both of whom took their cases to the public after rejection by conventions. The precedent has been established. By...
A new scientific poll underwritten by the North Dakota News Cooperative has finally cast some light on citizen opinions about this $10 billion Legacy Fund filled primarily by oil and gas money. The money did not come from the backs of those “hard-working citizens” often used in political rhetoric but it is money owned by everyone in North Dakota. Therefore, everyone has a stake in the use of the Fund. Having taught polling at the University of North Dakota, I offer some cautionary advice. The re...
For the past several months, and even going back a couple of years, I’ve noticed some interesting changes in radio across North Dakota. I researched and found the official answer to this, but there’s all kinds of speculation surrounding these changes on a national scale. In any event, there have been a number of AM radio stations that have started broadcasting their signals from FM translators. These are most often low power signals that reach only a few miles. The official answer to this is...
A couple of days ago, I retrieved one (of about a hundred) of our family doglets’ chew bones from the seemingly unreachable chasm under my youngest and quietest daughter’s bed using an ingenious invention of my own making – namely a straightened-out wire clothes hanger. This same apparatus also comes in handy for retrieving various undergarments (along with a metric ton of lint) that somehow fall behind – and then underneath – our washer and dryer. The clothes hanger/wonder hook prompted...
