By Bill Anderson

The year of ‘08 is only 10 days old and already done with being cold. No more waiting around to freeze; turn up the heat to 45 degrees. The January thaw wasted no time in arriving this year, and stayed around from Friday, January 4 through Monday, January 7. The mercury climbed above freezing on Friday, January 4, and soared to 45 on Saturday, 42 on Sunday and 39 on Monday. The ice and snow has been removed from City streets, a welcome condition, but fishermen are disappointed over the loss of ice from area lakes and sloughs. The ice in many areas is very weak, and anglers are urged to use caution when venturing out upon it. Good catches of perch are still being reported from Wyum’s, Bergh’s and Fiala’s sloughs, and a few nice northerns, walleyes and crappies have also been taken. A growing number of local anglers are making the Rutland General Store their headquarters for fishing equipment and bait, reports Deb Liermark. The Store now also has frozen smelt in its bait selection, she states, and a stout line, a strong hook and a tasty smelt are putting a lot of fish in the frying pan this season.

Doug Spieker of Fargo reports that the 13½ pound northern he landed last week measured 38 inches in length. When he cleaned the fish, Doug found two more fishhooks imbedded in its upper jaw. Doug stated it took him about half an hour to land the monster because his fishing equipment was rigged for panfish, and he had only 4 pound test fishing line on the reel.

The pheasant season ended last weekend, with hunters enjoying beautiful weather for the final 3 days of the hunt. While the consensus seems to be that the birds were not quite as plentiful as they were a year ago, the 2007 season will still rank right up there as one of the best in the past 40 years. The large numbers of hen pheasants seen by hunters in recent weeks also bodes well for another good season coming up in 2008.

Pheasants weren’t the only game being hunted in Sargent County last week. While hunting coyotes near his farm home in Harlem Township, between Cogswell and Stirum, Dale Keller and son surprised a mountain lion, reportedly coming face to face with the big cat at a distance of about 10 feet. Although both the Kellers and the lion were surprised, the Kellers had the advantage of being armed with something more potent than claws and teeth and shot the beast before it could do any damage to them. It was a good sized animal, weighing 107 pounds, slightly larger than the average farmyard mouser. The season on mountain lions is open year round in eastern North Dakota, unlike the western regions of the State which has a limit of 5 animals allowed to be taken before the season is closed. The lion shot by the Kellers is believed to be the first of that species taken in Sargent County since the 1880s.

Barry Christianson will be spending the next several weeks up in Minot, where he has enrolled in a course of study on taxidermy. With the variety of wildlife found in this area being greater now than it has been at any time since pioneer days, a trained taxidermist will find plenty of clients for his talents in this community.

Steve and Sheila Wyum returned to their farm home here on Sunday evening, after spending several days visiting in Lake City MN, at the home of Sheila’s mother.

The Rutland City Council met in the City Office at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 7, with Mayor Narum, Auditor Hoistad and Aldermen Arneson, Harris and Mahrer present. Alderman Christianson was absent. Also attending the meeting were attorney Bill Anderson, Carolyn Christensen and Diane Smith. The financial report indicated that all funds were in the black, with the exception of the water operating fund which is still showing a $9,000.00 deficit as a result of last Summer’s major water main repair. Alderman Harris informed the Board that the new Bobcat would be delivered to the City by Jacobson Equipment before the end of the month. In other action, the Board: approved an amendment to the City’s ordinances allowing liquor establishments to remain open until 2:00 a.m., in conformity with State law; directed the City Auditor to write to the County Commission requesting that the appointment of Mike Kulzer to the Rutland City Zoning Board as the ‘extraterritorial’ member be approved; expanded the Renaissance Zone Board from 5 to 7 members, and appointed Deb Banish and Norbert Kulzer to the new positions; and, authorized the payment of monthly bills totaling slightly more than $7,000.00. Diane Smith informed the Board that Irv Rustad of Lake Agassiz Regional Council will be meeting with the Zoning Board at the end of January to assist with revising the City’s current Strategic Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Carolyn Christensen informed the Board that the Horizons Program will be receiving a cash grant of $1,500.00 from the Northwest Area Foundation to assist with community projects, and that the Program will also be obtaining a new, up-to-date computer system which it plans to install in the City Office. The City is currently using computer hardware and software that is about 15 years old, so the new technology will be a quantum leap into the future. The next meeting of the Rutland City Council will be at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4, at City Hall.

The annual meeting of the Rutland Community Development Corporation was held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 7, in the Rutland Senior Center, with about 2 dozen shareholders attending. A roast beef supper was served by Shari & Jeanne Leinen of the Rutland Café prior to the meeting. Treasurer Robert Hoflen delivered the annual financial report, which showed that net worth had risen to more than $27,000.00 during 2007. President Bill Anderson commented on some of the improvements in the community’s business district during the past year, including; the construction of the new storage business by Wayne & Jeanette Buskohl; the opening of the Rutland General Store by Gretchen Vann; the improvements made to the Rutland Café building by Shari Leinen; and, the revitalization and reopening of the Rutland Elevator by Rodney Erickson. The terms of 2 directors, Norm Preble and Bill Anderson, were up, and both were re-elected to 3 year terms without opposition. Following the election, shareholders discussed potential economic development opportunities in the community, as well as the potential impact of the establishment of a Renaissance Zone by the City. Following the adjournment of the shareholders meeting, the Board of Directors met to reorganize, with the following officers being selected: president, Bill Anderson; vice-president, Ron Narum; secretary, Lori McLaen; and, treasurer, Robert Hoflen. Norm Preble, Quentin Hoistad and Mike Kulzer also serve as Directors. The Rutland Community Development Corporation was established in 1976 to assist and encourage new and existing business development in the Rutland community. At the present time, it is involved in 2 active projects on Rutland’s Main Street and is looking for more. Shares in the Development Corporation are available at $50 apiece, for those who wish to invest in the economic future of the community.

The Rutland Community Club held its regular, monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8, in the Rutland Town Hall with President Hilary Mehrer presiding. The financial report shows that the Club now has slightly more than $7,500.00 in checking and $15,000.00 in certificates of deposit on hand. The bulk of the funds have been set aside for improvements to the Town Hall’s restroom facilities, a project estimated to cost in excess of $40,000.00. The major item of business was the election of 2 directors. The terms of Jeanne Leinen and Renee Cramton were up, and Jeff Olson and Debbie Liermark were elected to the positions. The new Community Club Board of Directors now consists of: Hilary Mehrer; Bert Siemieniewski; Mike Mahrer; Debbie Liermark; and Jeff Olson. Members discussed the upcoming Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament, which will be held in the Town Hall on Saturday, February 2, and the Community Club’s annual supper and play, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 15. President Mehrer will be contacting work group chairpersons to prepare for those events. A report was received from the Rutland Fitness Center organizers, informing the Club that the Fitness Center now has 15 individual members and 4 family memberships, so no financial assistance will be required from the Community Club to meet operating expenses at this time. The Fitness has annual membership dues of $120.00 for an individual membership and $200.00 for a family membership. Anyone interested in getting into shape should contact organizers Ione Pherson or Jen Christianson. The Center is currently conducting a ‘fitness challenge’ under the direction of Drill Sergeant Jen Christianson, and those who wish to participate should contact her to get into the program. Club members discussed management of the Town Hall, including the possibility of establishing a governing board to oversee use of the Hall and coordinate activities, as well as possibly requiring a clean-up deposit from those who rent the Hall for activities. These proposals will be discussed with the City Council to see what can be worked out. In other business, Club members approved the donation of $100.00 to the Sargent Central Post-Prom Party, and authorized Ron Narum to purchase and install a new door latch and lock on the exterior storage room door at the Rutland Senior Center. The next meeting of the Rutland Community Club is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 5, in the Rutland Town Hall.

It has been 60 years since the Chicago Tribune emblazoned its post-election edition with the headline “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN!”, but there is nothing new under the sun. Newspapers in London, England, on the morning of Wednesday, January 9, proclaimed that Sen. Hillary Clinton had been defeated by Sen. Obama of Illinois in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, but, like the Tribune of 1948, they had relied on the pre-election polls to be correct, and they were oh so wrong. In this country, the national news media had all but anointed Sen. Obama and Gov. Huckabee as the candidates of their respective parties after their very respectable showings in the Iowa caucuses, but the voters of New Hampshire breathed new life into 2 candidacies that had been pronounced dead only 5 days earlier, resurrecting the campaigns of Sen. Clinton and Sen. John McCain. So far, less than one-half of one percent of the potential primary voters have made their selections, so there could be a lot of ups and downs to come in the next few weeks. Between now and February 5, when North Dakota has its Presidential Preference Caucuses, there will be primaries and caucuses in Michigan, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida, any one of which may propel an also ran into front runner status and relegate a front runner to the back of the pack. So, don’t tune out, yet. You never know, we could be talking about President Bill Richardson or President Ron Paul by November. What the media has to be reminded of, from time to time, is the fact that the only poll that really counts is the one on Election Day.

The Rutland internet web site should be back online by this Friday, so check out http://www.rutlandnd.com for the latest on what’s happening in the little city that can.

The following are excerpts from the L. S. Sanderson column of January 8, 1953:

The first cold weather arrived on Sunday with a northwest wind. The temperature dropped to 18 below on Sunday night but was back to normal on Monday morning. This is the first time this winter that it has registered below zero. *Fred Preble is spending a furlough here and states that he is a member of the air force and is stationed at Madison, Wisc. *Ole Breum and wife drove to Bismarck on Sunday where Ole will represent Sargent County as representative at the opening term of the legislature. Mr. and Mrs. Breum have secured an apartment at the home of Walt Moore, who has built a new home near the state capital. *Friday and Saturday basketball tournament drew a larger attendance than the sponsors dared to hope for and was a success financially as well as socially. Music by the high school band each evening was greatly appreciated, for music never fails to bring the necessary pep when needed to enliven the players. First place was won by the Brampton girls and the Gwinner boys. Second place went to the Stirum boys, third place to the Rutland boys. *A wedding dance is announced for Rutland on Friday evening, Jan. 9, with music by Red Lee and his band. The dance is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Leathert, who were married last week. Mr. Leathert is the proprietor of the drug store here, while the bride, Ruby Nelson, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Nelson of Rutland. *New Years Greetings sent by 1953 to a party of young people here were not for a Happy New Year. The party was returning from New Years Eve festivities and when two miles south of town, the driver of the car, Billy Pieterick evidently became drowsy and lost control of the car at the bridge which he missed by less than a foot. It flew thru the air with the greatest of ease, landing on the other bank of the creek, a distance of 31 feet, from where it rolled thru a fence into a pasture. Of the occupants, only Charlie Christensen was injured. He suffered severe scalp wounds, two black eyes and an injured knee. The car was completely demolished. *Our barber, Mr. Gillespie, is at Valley City this week where he is having dental work attended to. He will open his shop again on Thursday. *Mrs. Clara Syverson has secured an apartment here and is now at home to her friends in Rutland. She formerly resided in Havana. *Bob Barger and family spend last week with their mother here. They have resided in Fairbanks, Alaska, the past summer and are now in Seattle. Mr. Barger has purchased a trailer house and truck and will return to Alaska in the spring where he will reside as long as there is work available. *Olaf Lee and Phyllis Sundlie surprised their many friends here on Saturday when they slipped away and were married at Valley City. The groom has large farming interests in Tewaukon Township where they will reside. The bride is a daughter of O. P. Sundlie who resided in Rutland Township some years ago. We extend congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Lee. *Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Romundstad spent last week at the home of their daughter at DeSmet, S. Dak. Their son-in-law, Mr. Kreiger, is the owner of a variety store there. *A wedding ceremony was solemnized last week with marriage vows spoken by Virgil Hoistad and Donnetta Gulsvig. The groom is the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hoistad of Rutland; the bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Silas Gulsvig of Havana. Mr. and Mrs. Hoistad will reside in Havana. *Mr. and Mrs. Herb Swanson spent last week in Fargo and Moorhead visiting relatives there. *Harry Hoffman was a passenger to Bismarck on Monday to attend the opening session of the legislature. *Mrs. Verna Baumchen and family of Minneapolis are spending Christmas at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stellan Ahrlin. *The Hoflen Garage reports the sale of a 1953 Plymouth car to Joe Kulzer. Joe knows how to pick ‘em.