Around the State: April 11, 2022

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

Council looking for solutions to water issue

At least three residents in Rolla are fighting a money-losing battle against frozen water pipes.

For 30 years, Bob and Mary Vandal have lived in Harris Court on the northwest side of town. In 2018, the water pipes in their home began freezing up on a regular basis.

The only preventive option this far has been to run water 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s created four months of water bills up to $200 higher than their average of around $115 a month.

Bob said if they don’t it costs around $400 to have a plumbing company come in and thaw out the lines.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Bob said.

The Vandal’s believe it is the city’s issue and asked for some form of financial relief.

“I have a hard time believing this is a city issue,” said Council member Blake Gottbreht. “We’ve verified the depth of the water lines so I don’t know how we can take the blame.”

“Our two experts aren’t even sure what’s going on,” said Council member Becky Albert.

Albert added that promising financial relief now could “open up a whole can of worms that we can’t close again.”

The mayor said that without assistance from the city, the residents who elect to continue to run water to keep their pipes from freezing will be “literally pouring money down the drain.”

(Story by Jason Nordmark, the Turtle Mountain Star)

Young men from MHA Nation never came back

The white marble headstone marking Thomas Suckley’s burial plot in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is all wrong.

His last name is missing an “e.” His bribe is spelled “Mandau” instead of “Mandan.” Even his date of death is off by five days.

Across the cemetery, George Bears Arm’s grave marker isn’t much better. His tribal affiliation is represented as “Grosvontre” — a misspelling of Gros Ventre, a Montana-based tribe of which Bears Arm was not a member. He was Hidatsa.

Suckley and Bears Arm hailed from the Fort Berthold Reservation in Western North Dakota, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Both men fell ill and died around the turn of the 20th century while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution designed to assimilate Native American youth into a white man’s world.

MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox said the tribal government was not aware of Suckley and Bears Arm before being approached by Forum News Service in January, but the leader recalls elders during his childhood speaking about “students that went away to school and never came back.”

In March, Fox appointed a historic preservation officer to coordinate with Carlisle cemetery officials, but the tribe has not yet decided what it will do in the case of Suckley and Bears Arm. At a minimum, Fox said the bribe will pay to correct their headstones, though he thinks the federal government should pick up the tab.

(Story by Jeremy Turley, Forum News Service, taken from the New Town News)

Linton to go one year without superintendent

After about 10 hours of interviewing candidates and having discussions, Linton Public Schools has decided to search for an alternative idea to fill the superintendent position.

After holding public interviews for two candidates on March 25, Linton Public School District #36 Board of Directors held a special meeting on March 28 and approved to not move forward with a permanent candidate for the 2022-2023 school year.

(Story by Kelli Ameling, the Emmons County Record)

Fredericks competes on American Song Contest

“They asked if I wanted to represent North Dakota and I said, ‘hell yeah,’” said Chloe Fredericks of being the chosen talent to represent North Dakota on NBC’s new show American Song Contest, that debuted recently.

As Fredericks recently caught word of NBC casting for American Song Contest, she submitted an original piece she had written and it was well received by the casting crew.

“After submitting an original song, I went through the casting process and was asked to become a part of the set,” she said.

Excited for the opportunity to wind up back in Los Angeles, Fredericks has never been one to shut the door on her original roots of western North Dakota, but she realizes the opportunity for her line of work often lies elsewhere.

As Fredericks’ performance aired on March 28, she says there will be a semifinal and then one winner is picked from the finale.

(Story by Ashleigh Plemper, the McKenzie County Farmer)

TV station films interviews in Harvey

Dr. Paul Gunderson was the first of six Harvey residents filmed recently for the upcoming BEK production of “My Hometown,” which aired at 4:30 p.m. on March 30 on BEK TV.

Jim English, Cale Paulson, Colette Mertz and Tom and Angie Marchand were also interviewed by Patti Armstrong, cohost of the station’s “ladies of Another View.”

The taping was filmed at Tom’s Home Furnishings.

“My Hometown” is an hour-long feature presentation of “Ladies of Another View” and spotlights small North Dakota communities.

(Story taken from the Herald-Press, Harvey)

Saving the prairie, saving ourselves

As winter slowly starts to melt into spring, hunters will take to the fields for turkey, farmers will start planting their crops, and ranchers will turn out their cattle on fresh grass. It’s a cycle that happens every year and one that plays a critical role in the economy and quality of life for North Dakotans.

Healthy prairies play a vital part of that cycle. The prairie is an extremely valuable resource that carries enormous benefits for both people and wildlife. Plants, insects, and various critters serve as food sources for nesting birds, and grasses are available for grazing and bedding areas for our big game populations. It’s easy to see the value prairies bring to people and communities.

Unfortunately, our prairies are at risk. We are seeing trends that raise the alarm about the future of North Dakota’s prairies. Seventy-two percent of our prairies have been converted to other uses such as cropland, urban expansion and energy development.

The Meadowlark Initiative has a goal of promoting and creating healthy, thriving grasslands. We all have an obligation to work together to pass on abundant wildlife and game, strong economies and resilient communities to the next generation. The Meadowlark Initiative aims to do just that.

(Story by John Bradley, Dakota Edge Outdoors, taken from the McLean County Independent)