By Bill Anderson

The skies opened, and the rains came! Accompanied by the ruffles and flourishes fanfare of an impressive thunder and lightning symphony, Rutland received 1.7 inches of rain beginning at about 7:00 on the morning of Saturday, June 16. There were smiles all around as the Assembled Wise Men received precipitation reports during the morning coffee and conversation hour at The Lariat. Two rain gauges that are hardly ever in agreement, those of next door neighbors Norbert Kulzer and Roger Pearson in the 400 Block on Gay Street, both measured 1.7 inches, creating quite a quandary. If they never agree, then one must be right and 1 must be wrong, but if one must be right and one must be wrong and they both agree, what then? Well, who cares? In fact, it was a great rain that will go a long way toward making the wheat crop that is now beginning to shoot heads.  Jesse Brakke’s electronic rain gauge recorded 1.8 inches at his Ransom Township farmstead, Mark Wyum reported 1.5 at his farm shop about 1½ mile northeast of Rutland, and Doug Spieker said that his gauge showed .95 of an inch at his Tewaukon Township farm home on Saturday morning. About .8 was reported at Rick Bosse’s farm near Brampton, and Mark Wyum stated that the gauge on land that he farms near Crete, in the northwestern corner of Sargent County, only showed .1 of an inch. Rutland and vicinity received another .6 of an inch late Saturday night and early Sunday morning along with another healthy dose of thunder and lightning, bringing the 24-hour total up to about 2.3 inches in Rutland. “Rain makes grain,” is the old saying, and as crop prospects go up the price of major farm commodities goes down. Prospects for good farm income have taken a double whammy in the past few weeks, though, with corn and soybean prices being the first casualties in America’s escalating trade war with China and the folks who used to be our allies in Europe. Well, our President has said that trade wars are good, and easy to win. Who wins the war isn’t very important to those who get wiped out in the first battles, though.

When it comes to rain, timing is everything. Richland County Commissioner Nathan Berseth, a frequent Rutland visitor in recent years, reports that one inch of rain fell at his farm a little northeast of Colfax on Saturday morning, giving a much-needed boost to growing crops in that area. However, Nathan had just cut hay the day before, and as always happens when your hay crop is cut but not yet stacked or baled, the rain soaked the windrows leaving Mr. Berseth to be on the lookout for sunny skies and drying winds, at least for a few days.

Speaking of warm winds, politics was the order of the day on Tuesday, June 12, as North Dakotans went to the polls for the Statewide Primary Election and Municipal Elections throughout the State. The following report on election results in Rutland was received from City Auditor Deb Banish: “These are not certified yet, but here’s the info. Mike Mahrer and Rodney Erickson each got 33 votes for 2 spots on the City Council. No write in votes. Larry Christensen received 34 votes for Park Board. His name was the only one on the ballot for the two vacancies. Six individuals each received one write in vote for Park Board. Once I get the certified election results, hopefully today, I will be contacting those individuals to find out who is interested. The remaining candidate names will be in a drawing for the position. The county auditor is working on the certifications this morning, Wednesday, June 20.”  So, we’re still left hanging on the election outcome for the 2^nd position on the Park Board. Stand by for breaking news! Thanks to Debbie for the report. On the County level, there were 6 candidates for 3 positions on the County Commission. All 6 names will be on the November General Election ballot. Their order in the Primary Election was as follows: Jerry Waswick; Lyle Bopp; Rick Bryant; Dave Jacobson; Richard Ruch; and, Tim Peterson. The citizens of Sargent County express their thanks to all who agreed to throw their hats into the ring.

Norbert & Beverly Kulzer were in Medora ND on Tuesday & Wednesday, June 12 & 13, to take in the famed Medora Musical at the Burning Hills Amphitheater and to enjoy the rugged scenery of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota’s Little Missouri Badlands. The Kulzers were joined by 2 of Norbert’s sisters, Karen Buisker of Aberdeen SD and Cathy Kriegelstein of Appleton WI. Also on hand for the family gathering were Cathy’s daughter, Katie Durbin of Appleton, and her son & daughter in law, Trevor & Jackie Kriegelstein, also of Appleton. Beverly reports that the weather was pleasant, the musical very entertaining and the scenery magnificently beautiful. The folks from Wisconsin were quite impressed when, during a tour of the Park, the Kulzers’ car was surrounded by a large herd of American Bison, critters which they had never seen up close before. Norbert says he’s happy that none of those Bison tried to get into the car with them.

CORRECTION: Last week it was reported in The Rooster Crows column that there was 1 first time donor among the 31 who donated blood during United Blood Service’s June 5 Blood Drive in Rutland, but that first time donor was not identified. According to Rutland City Auditor Debbie Banish, that first time donor was her eldest son, Tyler Banish, who will be a Senior at Sargent Central High School this coming Fall. Congratulations and thanks to Tyler for stepping up to give the gift of life to someone in need.  The next United Blood Services Blood Drive in Rutland is tentatively scheduled to be held in February of 2019, when Tyler will be an old veteran blood donor and it will be the turn of someone else to be a first-time donor.

Keith Olson of Minneapolis MN was a visitor at the home of his aunt, Violet Wyum, from Thursday, June 14 to Tuesday, June 19. Mr. Olson’s parents were the late Morris & Marcine (McNeil) Olson, Rutland natives who relocated to the Twin Cities back in the mid-1950’s. Keith is in the printing supply business, primarily dealing with ink that is used in the printing of labels for retail products. He has been a frequent Rutland visitor over the years, often accompanying his parents to Memorial Day observances, family reunions and Uff-Da Day celebrations in their old home town, so he knows this community well. He plans to be back for Uff-Da Day on Sunday, October 7.

Congratulations and thanks are due to Mike Wyum of this community for stepping up to accept an appointment to the Sargent County Water Resource Board. Mike was appointed by the Sargent County Commission on Tuesday, June 19, to complete the term of a Water Board member who had resigned in May. That term runs until February of 2019, when he will be eligible for re-appointment. Mike’s farming and business experience, as well as his previous service on numerous boards and committees will serve him and the people of Sargent County well.  When you see Mike, shake his hand and give him a pat on the back for being a public-spirited citizen. The encouragement never hurts.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, those of us who can look at babies and young children being torn away from their families and caged like wild animals, all in the name of national security, without feeling shame that such cruelty should be visited upon the innocent should feel proud of electing the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as our President. The President thinks that treating immigrants at our southern border as less than human will appeal to his so-called base.  If taking babies from their mothers’ arms and imprisoning children in cages for the offense of daring to yearn for a better life appeals to us, maybe it’s about time to re-examine just who, and what, we stand for as Americans. The President considers these people fleeing violence, oppression, injustice and poverty in search of peace and opportunity to be his enemies. We can be thankful that a President with his attitude was not in office when our grandparents arrived in this country.  As of Friday, June 22, 2018, there are 76 weeks down and 132 weeks to go until January 20, 2021. Americans are Americans not because of race or ethnicity but because every American claims a common set of principles and ideals. We are that nation “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” described by President Lincoln 155 years ago, the “shining city on a hill” envisioned by Presidents Kennedy and Reagan. Today we are at a crossroads.  Do we continue the difficult and arduous journey toward the vision of that shining city on the hill, or do we take the easy road toward the vision of a nation of concentration camps filled with wailing babies, bewildered children and disillusioned adults? The choice is ours.

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week.  For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and stop by for a look at Rutland’s Facebook page while you’re at it, too.  Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office and remember to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE!  Later.