Opportunities await in central North Dakota

Twila Klein told us last fall that the Hi-Way Drive In wouldn't be opening this spring unless she could find more help. Other businesses have reduced hours or services due to a shortage of workers. For years, we have needed youth to come back (or be willing to work after school, weekends and during the summer), or new people to come to fill our staffing needs, and the pandemic hasn't helped our situation.

Carrington Chamber Director Laurie Dietz publishes a weekly newsletter for members, and every week it's filled with job opportunities in the Central City. In fact, many weeks there are more job openings than events.

New Rockford isn't much different. I hear from business owners regularly, and many of us are stretched thin, hanging by a thread.

Here at the Foster County Independent and New Rockford Transcript, we're looking for someone who can give great service to our walk-in customers, answer the phone, and proofread articles. This person would have the flexibility to work at both offices temporarily, then move over to the New Rockford office permanently.

The position is "parent-friendly," so someone caring for school-age children could work during school hours and be home for their littles before and after. It's also a great option for anyone looking for part-time work during the daytime.

Readers, if you know of someone who's looking for a fresh start, give them a copy of the newspaper.

If you, yourself, have left the area and are thinking about coming back, call the Carrington Chamber office at (701) 652-2524 or the NRABC at (701) 947-2205, and learn more about the opportunities waiting for you in central North Dakota.

Better yet, maybe you are right here in Carrington or New Rockford, Sheyenne or Woodworth, reading the local newspaper at Bakers Dozen or the Chieftain (or even in your recliner). If you are in the market for an opportunity to work, the Classified page is filled with names of people who want to talk to you. Pick up the phone, or heck, even walk in and introduce yourself.

Transcript reporter Nathan Price sent me an email last May. He told me about his degree in English and his desire to become a journalist. He said he was moving to New Rockford with a friend from Bismarck who had gotten a job as a special education teacher at an area school.

His email got my attention right away, and I responded to him the very same day. Now, he's in his sixth month on staff, and I nominated him for the Rookie Reporter of the Year award in the 2022 N.D. Newspaper Association Contest. While we won't know if he's won until May, I already know he fully deserves it.

Our rural lifestyle may not be for everyone, but there are plenty of people who can certainly appreciate what our communities have to offer.

That's the beauty of rural North Dakota. If you take a little initiative, we will take notice.

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I appreciate all the supportive comments from readers about the newspaper delivery issues I talked about in my last column. Readers, there's something else you should know. We are grateful to the post office staff in both Carrington and New Rockford. They go above and beyond to make sure that the newspapers get to you as quickly as possible, once we deliver them to the post office. A few weeks ago, New Rockford postmaster Tracy Harrington and her carriers trudged through the snow to make sure that copies of the Transcript and County Extra made it into mailboxes, even though they didn't get any other mail from the distribution center on that Monday.

We may not be able to solve delivery issues elsewhere in the system, but we know we can always count on our local post offices.