Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sorted by date Results 676 - 700 of 718
Students in grades 7 to 12 at New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) Public School were honored at an Awards and Scholarship Ceremony on Wednesday, May 16. Advisors, coaches and instructors for a variety of academic and co-curricular groups recognized students for their accomplishments throughout the year, and many scholarship awards were handed out to the 15 seniors. Here are the highlights, particularly the special awards and scholarships. Music: Mrs. Annette Hovey gave four special awards to senior...
Follow the rules and state regulations or the privileges can and will go away. That's the message that New Rockford City Commission and Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert have for residents and contractors using the city's inert landfill and compost pile. Last month the New Rockford Transcript reported on city commission discussions held about landfill operations after a recent state inspection identified issues. At the city commission's regular meeting on May 7, officials continued the...
The City of New Rockford’s proposed $10 million major water and sewer infrastructure project just got a proverbial shot in the arm. After engineers from Interstate Engineering worked with the city over the winter to prepare a preliminary application for funds from USDA Rural Development, they got a favorable response last week. “Based on the information I have received, the City of New Rockford would be eligible for a 45 percent grant,“ wrote Ranetta Starr of USDA Rural Development in a lette...
With two weeks remaining before summer begins, the New Rockford Park District is gearing up for its busiest season with a small but mighty group of leaders. Board members Kristi Swenson and Judy Allmaras sat down with me Wednesday to give readers the run down on what’s up with summer activities and facilities in the City of New Rockford. The most important things first- New Rockford residents, there are three seats open on the New Rockford Park District board and just one name on the ballot, J...
Last week, we featured a story by New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) sixth grader Lora Wobbema. Wobbema was so inspired by the motivations of The Kindness Club that she wanted to write about the steps students are taking to stand up to bullying in our community. When it comes to bullying prevention, these students are on the right track. They are encouraging positive, proactive solutions, and the message is for all students, not just the ones labeled the "bullies" or "victims." Early, positive i...
At a special meeting on Monday, April 30, New-Rockford Sheyenne (NR-S) School District board members went into executive session to consult with their attorney, Ian McLean of Serkland Law in Fargo. He reviewed the district’s $3.2 million contract with CTS Group as per the board’s request after they received a much lower estimate from another firm. Following the consultation the board came back into open meeting and voted 6-1 to move forward with the performance contract they had signed with CTS...
The organized and cheerful person who facilitates activities at First Lutheran Church in New Rockford is the April Employee of the Month sponsored by the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce. Office administrator Amy Perleberg received her award on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of Pastor Doug Nemitz. Church Council President Bruce Hirchert stopped by shortly thereafter to congratulate her. Pastor Doug said, "As Amy goes about her tasks, and they are many, one can soon see that she has a...
A newly-received estimate for school building improvements obtained by board members has prompted the New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) School Board to have an attorney review its contract. The NR-S School District approved a performance contract with CTS Group on Thursday, April 5 totaling $3.2 million for the completion of school building improvements to include the rebuilding of the exterior walls, installation of new unit ventilators, shop repairs and electrical improvements. Voters approved up...
How many of us grew up getting bullied? Or witnessed bullying? Perhaps some of us were even the bullies from time to time. Readers of all ages are likely nodding their heads right now. Bullying isn’t anything new. In fact, up until recently, the predominant culture seemed to suggest bullying was just a normal part of growing up that we all had to deal with. When victims of bullying did speak out, they were often told by adults to “toughen up,” or “stand your ground.” “Don’t let them know you’re afraid” they’d say or, “Oh, they’re just being ki...
The Northern Lights SADD Conference was held March 17- 19 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Northern Lights SADD encompasses students from North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota that address core issues including underage drinking, tobacco and other drug use, traffic safety, suicide and violence. Northern Lights SADD has become recognized as one of the strongest and most innovative SADD networks in the nation, consistently producing passionate and capable youth leaders. The New...
With 50 days remaining before the 2018 Primary Election, details have emerged regarding the candidates who have filed for local races and vote by mail procedures for Election Day. According to Eddy County Auditor Patty Williams, there will be a few contested races locally this June. Two challengers have filed petitions to run against incumbents Jeff Pfau and Neal Rud for the two open seats on the Eddy County Commission. They are David Gehrtz of rural New Rockford and Michael Carter, a Warwick...
The New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) Board of Education was challenged with balancing budget constraints and student needs at their April 9 meeting. When taking a second look at the preliminary budget, board members saw that work had been done to reduce the deficit between projected revenue and expenses. The deficit had decreased from $115,000 to $68,000; however, two key staffing recommendations had not yet been factored in to the equation. Principal Natalie Becker began by making a recommendation...
The bids for the New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) School improvement project came in higher than expected, and as a result the district will need to use the maximum amount approved by taxpayers to complete the building renovations as proposed. Voters approved up to $3.255 million dollars in general obligation bonds on October 17, 2017. After the bond was approved, district administrators and building committee members worked with consultant firm CTS Group (CTS) to develop detailed plans and specific...
A vacant farmstead just 3 miles north of New Rockford along U.S. Hwy. 281 has become the home of a start-up seed and chemical operation founded by two NR-S graduates. Taylor Koepplin (2010) and Eric Perleberg (2009) established James River Ag last fall, an effort they say was the product of "just a couple of friends talking." The result is a newly-constructed facility equipped with offices, a warehouse and a bulk soybean treatment plant. "I've wanted to do this for a few years now," said...
Waste management issues permeated the discussion at the New Rockford City Commission meeting on Monday, April 2. Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert reported that an inspector came to assess the city landfill this past month. When she was here she noted several issues, which were outlined in a detailed report to commissioners. One of the biggest issues the inspector saw firsthand was that residents were not sorting their loads properly, and items not allowed in the landfill were being...
New Rockford-Sheyenne took 43 archers to the 2018 North Dakota NASP State Archery Tournament on March 23-24, and the team certainly ended the season on a high note. The bus left early for the big trip to avoid traveling in challenging weather conditions, and they were the only team to shoot on Friday with a full roster! At the tournament, the second year program netted some big results. Four qualified to compete in the All-State Shoot-off, two archers made the All-State Archery Team and two...
Last week, the New Rockford Transcript shared results from the Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS) taken by students of New Rockford-Sheyenne School (NR-S). This data suggests that there are underlying issues affecting the youth of our community. Once made aware of potential issues, one of the first questions that community members ask is, “What is the school doing to address this?” The NR-S administration recognizes that the school has a role to play in addressing the social and emotional nee...
New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) students in grades 7 to 12 completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) last spring, and the local and statewide results were released at an NR-S School Board meeting recently. As illustrated in the graphs below, there are some themes of which administration and staff have taken notice. The YRBS was introduced by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1991 and has been administered every other year to both junior high and high school students...
Republican lawmakers have prepared draft legislation that would tap part of North Dakota’s Legacy Fund to provide low-interest loans for large and expensive infrastructure projects. The Legacy Fund, approved by voters in 2010, is where 30 percent of state tax revenues from oil and natural gas production are deposited. The fund now holds more than $5.42 billion. In February alone, more than $50 million was deposited into the fund. Sponsors propose using up to 15 percent of the fund’s pri...
It was a year of firsts for the New Rockford Community Foundation's signature fundraiser. The 7th Annual Deal or No Deal dinner and game show on Saturday, March 10 was the first to draw an out-of-state winner, and the first to have one person take home the entire $2,000 prize! Greg Allmaras, who had flown in to celebrate his mother's 94th birthday, was his sister DeVon's guest at the event, and he won big! He not only outlasted all other contestants, but he also one a lucky duck pluck cash...
Superintendent Jill Louters and Business Manager Janet Heskin gave NR-S school board members their first look at the preliminary budget for the 2018-19 school year at their meeting on Monday, March 12. They developed a set of planning assumptions to guide the budget work over the next several months. Under revenue assumptions, Louters noted that the district is expecting a reduction in state foundation aid due to smaller enrollment.Overall, they see a continued shift in funding from state to...
The Rocket Archery Team currently has 52 members, and an average of 45 attend each tournament. The season, which runs January thru March, ends this weekend with the North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament in Minot on March 23-24. This year the program used grant funds to double the number of targets for students to use for practice, so now 20 kids can shoot at a time. A set of 3D targets were also purchased, and students started practicing with them last...
Sarah Smith Warren of New Rockford began a six-year stint on the board of directors for Prairie Public Broadcasting in January 2016. Now in her third year on the board, she is on a leadership fast track that sent her to the nation's capital in late February. A lifelong viewer and listener of Prairie Public's stations, Smith Warren is now a vocal advocate for public media. She represented the board's Executive Committee at the America's Public Television Stations Summit in Washington, D.C....
Discussion about the Board of Adjustment and Zoning Committee continued at the New Rockford City Commission’s meeting on Monday, March 5. Commissioner DeVon Allmaras re-iterated that she thinks the zoning ordinances should be rewritten first, and that the commission should only appoint people to serve on committees once the ordinances are updated. The chapter on zoning has been in place virtually unchanged for more than 30 years. City Attorney Travis Peterson said that the North Dakota League o...
More than a dozen residents and business owners, most of them who have property along Hwy. 281, attended the public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to discuss the NDDOT’s proposal to remove frontage roads along the highway going through the City of New Rockford. The proposal, which was presented to commissioners at their meeting on Feb. 5, called for the removal of the frontage roads and the construction of seven private accesses for properties that currently only have access to the highway via t...
