Around the State: October 16, 2023

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.

Color-blind glasses now available

In recognition of International Color blindness Awareness Month, NDPRD is excited to announce it is the first park system in the nation to make all state parks color-blind accessible.

Color blind visitors at each state park can experience the world of color through special glasses. Each state park will receive an EnChroma glasses kit to be available.

Fort Stevenson State Park currently has six pairs of the EnChroma glasses available for check out at the Visitor Center, park director Chad Trautman said.

Lewis and Clark State Park will additionally receive two SeeCoast viewfinders for installation within the park by the summer of 2024.

The glasses and viewfinders will enable those with color blindness to experience the colorful beauty of nature more fully at North Dakota state parks.

Globally, on in 12 men (8 percent) and one in 200 women (.5%) are color blind.

While people with normal color vision see more than one million hues and colors, people with color blindness see only an estimated two-percent to 10 percent of them. As a result, their world view is less vibrant, with some colors appearing muddled or indistinguishable. The glasses and viewfinders are manufactured in a way to stimulate the brain’s color processing center and enhance color vision.

(Story taken from the McLean County Independent)

County board OKs raises on third attempt

The third time turned out to be a charm for Traill County commissioners in their attempts to approve 2024 raises for the county’s full-time employees recently.

After rejecting one proposal and settling on another, commissioners reconvened for a 90 minute special meeting and agreed on a third pay plan for employees.

Between 20 and 25 people, including more than a dozen county employees, packed both meetings and listened intently as commissioners debated whether to offer workers a flat $5,000 raise in 2024 or follow the recommendations spelled out in a salary study from the Gallagher consulting firm.

After 80 minutes of discussion, which occasionally included tense back-and-forth exchanges with employees and department heads, commissioners took a five minute break.

After reconvening, board members agreed to offer the pay raises which included a three-percent cost-of-living raise as well as the step and grade pay increase outlined in the Gallagher study.

Also, on a 4-1 vote, commissioners approved a three-percent cost-of-living raise for themselves for next year.

(Story by Cole Short, the Hillsboro Banner)

Traill County lifts restrictions at courthouse

Members of the Traill County Board of Commissioners recently agreed to welcome back visitors to the Traill County Courthouse building in Hillsboro.

County officials locked down the courthouse during the global pandemic in spring 2020, but decided in February 2022 to keep the building closed as a security measure.

Visitors were no longer able to access the building’s main east entrance along First Street Northwest, or a west entrance with a nearby elevator, without being buzzed in and escorted into the building.

At their last meeting, commissioners agreed to unlock the building after receiving input from Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt, who said he wouldn’t oppose the change.

(Story by Cole Short, the Hillsboro Banner)

DCHS gets creative with art project

Divide County High School students, faculty, family and community members gathered in the Dakota Theater recently to watch a documentary featuring students’ photos and videos of Crosby.

The documentary, part of a rural archive photography and videography project called “Atlas Rural,” showed portrait photos of DCHS art students, videos from around town, interviews with downtown businesses and other media depicting life in a small rural community like Crosby, all taken by the students.

(Story by Jordan Rusche, the Journal, Crosby)

McKenzie Health asks for $10 million

McKenzie Health has requested $10 million from the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) as part of their budget for the 2024 fiscal year.

According to the report given to the BOCC, the total revenue over expenses for the health care facility was $843,929. This total included $10 million received from the commission last year and without that amount, it would’ve lost $9,156,071.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) reports that between 2010 and 2021, 136 rural hospitals have closed. Nineteen of these closures occurred in 2020, the most of any year in the past decade. Additionally, while 14 percent of Americans live in rural areas, only 10 percent of doctors practice in rural areas, and 70 percent of the health-care professional shortage areas are located in rural areas.

(Story by Kristen Jones, the McKenzie County Farmer)

McLean County restaurants face staffing troubles

In recent weeks, McLean County has witnessed an unforeseen challenge in its business sector, particularly impacting restaurants and bars: a significant shortage of workers.

As one drives through some towns in McLean County, the scenes are eerily reminiscent of the early pandemic days - restaurants operating under reduced hours and trimmed-down menus.

Only this time, it’s not the virus causing these cutbacks, but a scarcity of hands to keep these establishments running at full throttle.

This worker shortage paints a broader picture of the challenges businesses are facing post-pandemic. Whether it’s a global repercussion of the pandemic altering the dynamics of the job market or local issues specific to McLean County, it’s evident that the hospitality sector here is feeling the pinch.

In times like these, adaptability becomes crucial. Restaurants are being forced to innovate, not just in their hiring processes, but also in service delivery, menu offerings, and operation hours.

(Story by Ethyn Williams-Calvert, the McLean County Independent)