Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 712
In the aftermath of the March 14 fire that destroyed their home, Ryan and Kristie Genre have raised questions about the state of emergency response in the area. According to official records from both Verizon Wireless (the Genres’ cell phone provider) and the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LRLEC), Ryan called 911 at 5:06 a.m. on Sunday, March 14. During the call, which lasted 54 seconds, he reported “a bad fire in his garage.” LRLEC records show that within 3 minutes the fire sirens were...
Robert (Joe) Lies approached the New Rockford City Commission Monday about proposed changes to the fireworks ordinance, for which a first reading was on the agenda. As one of two fireworks retailers in New Rockford, he said he was “a little disappointed” by actions taken by the city commission, after he asked them to consider allowing fireworks sales at year end to celebrate the new year. Lies particularly took issue with the proposed local permit, asserting that the city would be charging mor...
A group of teenagers went on the hunt for the New Rockford Chamber's golden egg, but it wasn't for the $50 prize, or the bragging rights. Rather, their goal was to brighten the day of a little girl who had unexpectedly lost her dad. In that endeavor, they succeeded grandly. Friends of Macey and Lora Wobbema came up with the idea on Tuesday, May 30, after they learned that the girls' cousin, Addison Wobbema, was grieving the loss of her dad Tyler. During every break in class, as well as after sch...
The dry, windy conditions have made our area ripe for fire activity recently, with volunteer firefighters battling large blazes at all hours of the day and night. The worst of the fires have occurred north and east of us, in Benson and Nelson counties. Local officials didn't hesitate to implement burn restrictions in March, as the National Weather Service issued guidance that drought conditions were expected to persist throughout the spring. On March 19, Spirit Lake officials suspended all...
On St. Patrick's Day, 29 members of the Best of Buddies (BOB) group at East Central headed to the Turtle Mountains for a day of fun. This was the first official in-person outing of the group since the pandemic began. Transitional Coordinator Vickie Becvar said that among the youth were two individuals from New Rockford, 19 from Carrington, and four each from Fessenden and Pingree. For some, it was the first BOB event they attended. Nine staff members accompanied the students. They set out for...
On Monday, March 22, the Eddy County Commission issued a Fire Emergency Declaration and Burn Ban Proclamation for the county. This gives the commission the authority to automatically put a burn ban into effect when the North Dakota Fire Danger Rating is Very High or Extreme, and/or a Red Flag Warning has been issued for the county. When the county's fire danger rises into the "very high" or "extreme" category, the following activities are restricted: burning of crop land, garbage burning,...
Their behind-the-wheel skill is top notch, and their front-door service is much appreciated. The March Employees of the Month are none other than the three men who drive for Eddy County Transportation. Laurice Swenson, Norris Kjos and Dennis Koenig were honored by the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. Public transit is an essential service, and residents are grateful to have Eddy County Transportation fulfilling the needs of residents in New Rockford and Sheyenne. Rows of bus...
Shortly before 5 a.m., on Sunday, March 14, Kristie Genre woke to the smell of smoke in her family's Sheyenne home. The lightest sleeper among the Genres, she said it was also likely that she was first jostled awake from the sound of shotgun shells going off in the garage, where the fire started. Husband Ryan awoke and called 911 at 4:53 a.m. They grabbed their son Fisher, and ran out of the home, he in nothing more than the shorts he had worn to sleep. Disoriented and afraid, Fisher wandered...
It has been a year since COVID-19 first hit North Dakota. On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Gov. Burgum held an 8 p.m. press conference declaring schools and public buildings closed as the state began to assess the impact the pandemic would have. The next day there were 37 coronavirus tests conducted with one active case reported in the entire state. A lot has happened since then, as we've dealt with the pandemic's deadly blow and extensively covered testing, sickness, recovery and loss from COVID-19....
Carly Jo is bringing a little fire to the Shear Delight salon on Central Avenue! Redhead (for now) Carly Jo Thompson, a veteran stylist with nearly 20 years of experience, will begin booking appointments in New Rockford on April 1. A native of Fargo and graduate of Josef's School of Hair, Skin and Body, Carly Jo began her career at Hair Success in Fargo, where she worked for 2 years. She then moved to Olivieri's Salon (Namaste) for 13 years before making the leap to her own booth at Urban Edge...
Agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy and our way of life, and Lake Region State College is at the forefront. The new 20,000 sq. ft. Hofstad Ag Center opened for classes in January 2021, and students were welcomed back from the holiday break into a space where they can immerse themselves in all the agricultural industry has to offer. Preston Sundeen is the Director of the Precision Ag Program, and one of two faculty members who instruct the students. Dr. Oybek Turayev also pro...
A burn ban is effective for all of Eddy County beginning today, March 22. The Eddy County Commission put the ban in place at a 9:45 a.m. meeting this morning. The full text of the ban is below. FIRE EMERGENCEY DECLARATION AND BURN BAN PROCLAMATION FOR EDDY COUNTY EFFECTIVE MARCH, 22, 2021 WHEREAS, Eddy County is experiencing abnormally dry conditions coupled with significant fuel supplies , high winds and low humidity resulting in an extreme fire potential; and WHEREAS, several rural fires have... Full story
Positive vibes only, that's Kali Clelland's motto. She opened Positive Vibes Apparel in November, and she's ready to show this community what she has to offer. Kali said her custom-printed garments and accessories came from her search for a hobby to keep her busy, now that her three sons are all teenagers. "I needed something that I could do when they are out and about doing their things," she said, adding that she doesn't necessarily share her husband's love for hunting. So, she went on the...
DPRCA is back on stage, and they are picking up right where they left off last March! "Honky Tonk Laundry," a new musical from Roger Bean, abruptly ended when the pandemic hit, and after a year-long hiatus, the cast and crew are ready to resume this fun show. Move over, Thelma and Louise! When Lana Mae Hopkins, owner and proprietress of the Wishy Washy Washateria, hires Katie to help out in the laundromat, they soon find themselves up to their elbows in soap, suds, and cheatin' hearts. Watch...
May the luck of the Irish be with you this St. Patrick's Day! The New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its second annual Shamrock Shimmy local shopping event. On Wednesday, March 17 only, make a purchase at any four local businesses on the list of 15, and have the clerks mark your lucky Shamrock card. When all four leaves are marked, fill out your name, phone number and/or email and drop the filled card in the drum at the Transcript office or in the specially marked box at the New...
The City of New Rockford has collected more than $54,000 in local sales tax revenue from remote sellers in the past two years. That information was revealed in a new report released by North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger last week. The report, found at www.nd.gov/tax/data, shows a comparison of the tax collected by remote sellers in 2019 and 2020 for counties and cities with local sales tax. Counties and cities that impose local sales and use taxes received a combined total of...
The proposal to allow residents to bring the New Year in with a “bang” appears to have been a dud. City Attorney Peterson yet again brought revisions to the fireworks ordinance to the March 1 commission meeting. He said the provision that would allow fireworks to be sold and ignited in city limits from Dec. 26-31 was included in the draft, however he sought direction from the commission before finalizing that and a couple of other key provisions. It didn’t take long for city leaders’ positio...
A successful holiday promotion in Carrington is coming to New Rockford, just in time for Easter! Lioness, an apparel and accessories retailer in downtown Carrington, started offering care packages to residents of Golden Acres Manor last fall. For $20, anyone could purchase a care package for a resident, which was then hand-assembled by owner Hope Carr and delivered to the local nursing home in time for Christmas. Carr has decided to launch a similar program for Lutheran Home of the Good... Full story
The keyless entry system that former Emergency Manager Jess Earle purchased for the courthouse with grant funds reportedly doesn’t fit the existing door jambs. The issue was identified when new Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson and Commissioner Glenda Collier engaged a contractor to install them. The county reportedly has one month to close out the grant. The contractor said that in order to make the locks fit, new jambs need to be installed, which would be a significant cost to the county. “This...
Bowlers will be back at Wonder Lanes throwing strikes by September, if all goes according to plan. New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation unveiled renovation plans for the iconic bowling alley this past week, a $350,000 project that involves a complete update of both the facility's interior and exterior as well as bowling equipment upgrades throughout. Sarah Smith Warren of Soul Space Work, the consultant managing the project, said the space was designed to "celebrate the history of the...
Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LRLEC) is making an investment in the future of emergency services in Eddy, Ramsey, Benson, and Nelson counties. The $372,000 project will bring LRLEC online with the Statewide Interoperability Radio Network (SIRN), allowing 911 dispatchers, law enforcement, fire departments and EMS services to connect with agencies throughout the state. "Not only are we having SIRN installed, with a projected install date of July 18th of this year, we are also replacing our...
Local public health staff have almost completely shifted focus from COVID-19 testing to administering vaccines in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid said testing numbers remain extremely low, with fewer than 10 COVID-19 tests conducted in Eddy County each week. Positive cases have also remained in the single digits, and there was a day when there were no active cases in the county last weekend. The positive case count had increased to one as of Tuesday,...
The New Rockford City Commission has agreed to engage Interstate Engineering for the purpose of building a new airport hangar and repairing the taxiway and runway at Tomlinson Field. The move came at a special meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17, after a brief but intense discussion among commissioners as they reconsidered a proposal that was rejected at their Feb. 1 assembly. President Stu Richter opened by reminding the commission that they had already approved the construction of a new hangar on Aug....
Unwavering winter weather wreaked havoc across the country last week, resulting in widespread power outages, costly infrastructure damage and dozens of deaths. People have died as a result of the extreme weather in at least eight states, with carbon monoxide poisoning, automotive crashes, ice accidents, and exposure topping the list of perils. In all, the Associated Press reported Wednesday that at least 30 people had died in weather-related incidents last week. Texas was among the hardest hit...
He's our local boy in brown. Dusty Litzinger, the friendly UPS driver who delivers packages in New Rockford each day, was recognized this past week as the Chamber's Employee of the Month for February. Litzinger travels 165 miles a day, from the Devils Lake shipping dock to New Rockford and back again. On an average day, he makes 95 stops at various homes and businesses within the 58356 zip code, both in city limits and in rural areas, delivering an estimated 170 packages. It's probably no...
