The Rooster Crows – May 27, 2022

By Bill Anderson

Last Spring, it was too dry. This Spring, it’s too wet. On the average, though, it’s just right. This Spring, the weather has not been cooperating with the Spring planting plans of farmers in this area. Just when it seems that fields will get dry enough to allow the spring’s work to proceed, along comes another bolt of lightning, rumble of thunder and a quarter inch of rain to keep things at a standstill. With the market prices of wheat, corn and soybeans all in the high to higher range, this is the year to have a crop to sell. The fact that the weather is preventing that crop from getting planted is the cause of anxious impatience among local producers. About the only individuals more nervous about the situation than local farmers are local bankers. On the bright side, at least our farmers know that their bankers are concerned about their health, both physical and financial. The old timers used to say that whatever the weather was like on Memorial Day was a good indicator of what it would be like throughout the rest of the growing season, and every now and then the old timers were right.

Speaking of Memorial Day, Carolyn Christensen, an officer of the Rutland American Legion Auxiliary, says that the holiday will be back to normal in 2022, after 2 years of Covid-19 disruption. In Rutland, Memorial Day observances on the morning of Monday, May 30, will begin with military rites conducted by Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion at the Nordland Cemetery, 1½ mile east and ½ mile south of town, followed by military rites at the Rutland Cemetery on the east edge of town at 10:30 a.m. A program produced by the American Legion Auxiliary will be presented at 11:00 a.m. in the Rutland Town Hall, followed by the traditional community pot-luck dinner, also in the Town Hall. Everyone is invited to participate in Memorial Day observances in Rutland on Monday, May 30.

Bruce Burke of Seattle WA stopped in Rutland on the afternoon of Thursday, May 19, doing some research for a personal family history project. Mr. Burke grew up in Breckenridge MN, but the Burke family traces its history back to Rutland and the Great Northern Railway. Bruce’s parents were Harvey & Alice Burke; his grandparents were Rutland natives John & Anna (Spande) Burke; his great-aunt was the late Bertha (Spande) Penfield; and his great-grandparents were Knud & Alisa Spande. Knud & Alisa Spande owned & occupied the house at 309 Gay Street that is now owned by Paul Anderson, from 1918 until Alisa Spande’s death in 1958. The house had been built by Paul’s grandparents, Ole & Julia Anderson, back in 1909. Prior to moving to town, the Spandes had farmed south of Silver Lake. Bruce has a vivid memory of an event that occurred at the Spande house in Rutland back in the early 1950’s, when he was a small boy of about 4 or 5 years of age. It seems that there was an unused water well in the backyard that had been covered over with an old door. Being a boy of some energy, Bruce decided to take a run and jump on the center of that old door. When he did so, the deteriorated boards broke and down went Bruce. Fortunately, as he went through the door he stuck his elbows out and caught himself on the edges of the hole he had made, leaving his head sticking out, above the door, and his feet dangling just above the water in the well. He said that he can still remember looking down and seeing the cold water just beneath his feet. Bruce’s Dad, Harvey Burke, rushed to his assistance and pulled him to safety. Bruce said that he can’t remember just what his Dad said to his great-grandfather about the continued existence of that well, but he’s pretty sure that it was powerful. It had been Bruce’s intention to take a picture of the old well, if any evidence of it still existed. He could not find any trace of the well but was pleased to find that the house is in excellent condition and still looks much as it did back when his great-grandparents first bought it 104 years ago. Mr. Burke had taken the long way around to get to Rutland. He had driven through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota to get here. He had stopped in New Mexico to take a look at the Air Force Base at which he had been stationed back in the late 60’s, and in Nebraska to visit some students he had taught there back in the 70’s. He was surprised to find that the teen-age students he remembered are now in their 60’s. Time marches on. Mr. Burke was visiting at the home of his cousin, the daughter of the late Jim & Nellie (Burke) McCulloch, at Ottertail Lake MN during his stay in this area. He planned to be heading back to Seattle on Saturday, May 21, and hoped to make it home in 3 or 4 days via I-94 & I-90.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – May 27, 2022”

The Rooster Crows – May 20, 2022

By Bill Anderson

Sunday & Monday, May 15 & 16, were not only the two nicest spring days of May 2022, but they were the two nicest days of the entire year of 2022, so far. Actually, they were the two nicest days since mid-October of last year. With the sun shining, the birds singing, the temperature hovering around 70 and, for once, the wind not howling like a hurricane. the experience was almost nice enough to make enduring the most miserable Winter in recent memory worth the effort. Nothing lasts forever, though, especially nice weather. By Tuesday, the rain clouds had moved back in and made the afternoon of Tuesday, May 17, a soggy Syttende Mai for those inclined to celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day. Rick Bosse reports that his rain gauge at his farm near Brampton registered .25 of an inch from Tuesday’s rain, enough to keep the already saturated fields saturated, and to require cancellation of Brampton’s Syttende Mai Parade. Chuck Anderson had a .23 of an inch reading on the gauge at his farm in Weber Township; Duane Lock stated that .3 of an inch was measured at his farm near the center of Rutland Township; and Mike Banish said that .23 of an inch of rainfall was measured at his farmstead 2 miles south of Rutland. 

The wet weather has continued to hamper planting progress throughout southeastern North Dakota. Even so, some local farmers have made a little headway. Last week, Larry Erickson managed to get a field of corn planted west of his farmstead 2 miles south of town, and Mark Wyum reports that his son, Rob, has managed to get some field work done on fields near Brampton in the southwestern quadrant of the County, and on fields near Crete, in the northwestern quadrant of Sargent County. As of the morning of Wednesday, May 18, Mark says that two acres of corn planted, along with a few more acres of soybeans and wheat, is a good start.

Kristine Radke, longtime manager of the Waloch-Johnson Insurance Agency’s Rutland office, has accepted a position at Town & Country Bank in Fargo and has resigned from her position here as of the end of April. According to Walt Johnson of Lisbon, owner and general manager of the agency, the search is on to find a replacement for Kristine at the Rutland office. Anyone interested in the position can give Walt a call at 701.724.6484. The Rutland community is sorry to lose Kristine. She was dedicated to her profession, and to her clients.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – May 20, 2022”

The Rooster Crows – May 13, 2022

By Bill Anderson

Spring has finally arrived, and the blizzards of April have been replaced by the thunderstorms of May. Last weekend, from the evening of Friday, May 6, to the morning of Monday, May 9, Rutland and the surrounding area received more than 2 inches of rain, every drop accompanied by a bolt of lightning and the rumble of thunder. There is some nervous pacing going on, as most farmers in the community have not yet turned a wheel planting the 2022 crop, due to the excessive moisture. Shane Breker has managed to get some wheat planted in the hills south of town, where the fields are better drained, but even Shane has about run out of hilltops that are solid enough to carry a tractor and planter. More rain is forecast through the coming weekend, and some are predicting that the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation will be looking at a lot of “prevented Planting” acres this year. Well, experience tells us that the weather can turn on a dime around here, and we might be crying for rain by Memorial Day, but, for now, just a little bit of “normal” would be nice.

If you can’t farm, you might as well go fishing. The local lakes are now full of water, and some of them are even full of game fish. Walleyes, crappies and northern pike just waiting to grab a hook and jump into the boat. During the first week of May, good catches of walleyes were reported at Buffalo Lake, about 6 miles north of town. No reports about fishing success at other lakes in the area have been received, but, in keeping with the Fisherman’s Code of Silence, that most likely means that the catching is even better on those bodies of water. The guys who aren’t fishing say that the fish aren’t biting, but they usually don’t bite if you don’t have a line in the water.

Roger Pearson reports that there is a shortage of good fishing minnows in the area. The ones that are available are either too small or already dead, he says. One bait shop in the area has a coin operated minnow dispensing machine that is a lot like playing the one-armed bandits at the casino. You put in your money, and you take your chances. It has been reported that minnows of the appropriate size are available at the bait shop in Britton SD, but transporting minnows across State Lines is illegal, so don’t do it. The minnows might get smart and turn you in.

Hal Nelson drove out to Beulah ND, out in the coal country on the west side of the Missouri River, on Friday, May 6 to visit his sister and brother-in-law, Lori & Larry Hruby. Hal says that the 40” of snow that was dumped on the Beulah area back in mid-April was very welcome, but not enough to break the drought that has devastated agriculture in that region for the past 2 years. Hal said that there was some green grass, but not much. 

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – May 13, 2022”

The Rooster Crows – May 6, 2022

By Bill Anderson

The year of 2022 is one-third gone and we are now enjoying the merry month of May, when a young man’s fancy blithely turns to thoughts of a new fishing boat with which he can pursue those lunker walleyes. Sometimes romance enters into the equation, but neither a boat nor a walleye are capable of returning much in the way of affection. Well, at any rate, at least we are now getting some sunny days and some temperatures in the low 60’s that are in the “normal” range for this time of the year. Of course, we had all of those “below normal” days in April that must be made up in the coming weeks. Cam Gulleson reports that he had recently heard a weather expert explaining that the month of April 2022 was the coldest, wettest, and windiest April since the year of 1886. 1886 was the year that James J. Hill’s Great Northern Railway constructed its tracks and brought its trains to Rutland, and the year that Prindiville’s Saloon was built. None of Rutland’s residents who were residing here in 1886 are disputing Cameron’s report, so it must be true. Rutland’s current residents are just hoping for “normal” in 2022. That’s not asking for too much, is it? Just once, once in 136 years, can the month of May, and maybe June, be normal? Well, we do live in North Dakota, where “normal” is a point on the weather spectrum that we pass on our way from too cold to too hot, too wet to too dry and back again.

Another report from Cam Gulleson is that the Gulleson Ranch is nearly done with Spring calving. As of Monday, May 2, the Gullesons had delivered more than 600 calves, and had about 70 to go. They didn’t think that they would have to be battling Winter in April, but this is North Dakota, after all.

Four young ladies of this community: Greta Bladow, daughter of Brian & Trish Bladow and the late Wendy Bladow; Kaycee Hamilton, daughter of Kenny & Tanya Hamilton; Whitney Mahrer, daughter of Mike & Kayla Mahrer; and Charlize Willprecht, daughter of Kevin Willprecht and Wendy Willprecht; affirmed their baptism and became confirmed members of Nordland Lutheran Church here on Sunday, May 1. These young women impress all who meet them. Their families, their church and their community are justifiably proud of them all.

The Rutland City Council met at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 2, at the Rutland Town Hall, with Mayor Mike Mahrer; City Auditor Deb Banish; and Council Members Rodney Erickson; Delores Lysne; and Lori McLaen present. City Council member Colton Corry was absent. Sargent County Water Resource Board Member Mike Wyum and Water Resource Board Engineer Nathan Trosen of Moore Engineering, Fargo, were present to discuss Drain 8 with the City Council. Mr. Wyum said that the Water Resource Board had discussed what it can legally do with the Drain, and what the city would be legally able to do with the drain. The State of North Dakota requires a cost-benefit analysis for all County Water Resource Board water projects. Engineer Trosen discussed the slope and pipe requirements of the project that would have to meet State criteria. An economic analysis is required by the State to determine the cost and benefits of any future project. Mr. Wyum said that safety is a big concern but that is not a factor in the State’s analysis. Another option is for the Water Resource Board to abandon the drain to the City and the adjoining property owners. The Water Resource Board currently has about $103,000 in the Drain #8 fund that is available for a project; and, that an engineer’s analysis of a proposed project would cost about $20,000. Mr. Trosen said that a storm water model analysis could be done comparing the cost and effectiveness of 8”, 10” and 12” pipes. a full summary had been done in 2015 and that data could be used. The Council discussed the cost of an analysis and the different size pipes. The Council agreed that a 12” pipe would be the minimum needed. Moore Engineering will use the existing data and studies and develop an analysis based on those figures using a 12” pipe. There are also minimum standards and safety issues that must be complied with in any project. The Drain #8 matter will continue to be discussed at future meetings.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – May 6, 2022”

The Rooster Crows – Apr. 29, 2022

By Bill Anderson

The thunderstorm that moved through the Rutland community late on Friday night and early Saturday morning, April 22 & 23, was a real rip-roaring, rumbling, rattling, rocking & rolling sound and light show, combined with a downpour that dumped .84 of an inch of rain at the Mike & Debbie Banish farm south of town; 1 inch at the Chuck & Mary Beth Anderson farm in Weber Township; .85 of an inch at the Mark & Kathy Wyum home in Rutland; 1½ inch of rain at Jesse Brakke’s Ransom Township farmstead between Rutland & Cayuga; and, more than 2 inches at Rick Bosse’s farm near Brampton. A 4.6” gully-washer near Crete, in the northwestern corner of Sargent County, washed out a substantial section of County Road #2 near Kraft Lake, according to Sargent County Commissioner Lyle Bopp. The temperature shot up to 72 above by Noon on Saturday, and then began a rapid decline to 24 degrees by 6:00 on Sunday morning, as the weather front moved through. The forecast for the week calls for more rain and more cold, with freezing temperatures most nights until the first week of May is behind us. Well, at least there was half a day of nice weather on Saturday, April 23. There was some consternation on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 26, when a bright object appeared in the sky to the south southwest of Rutland. Concerns were relieved, though, when it was confirmed that the object was actually the Sun, making its first appearance in quite some time. It was a welcome sight, and it is hoped that it will show up a little more often in the future. There is general agreement that a week or two without freezing temperatures sometime between now and Labor Day would be nice.

Rodney Erickson reports that the paperwork he submitted to the U.S. Postal Service concerning a new Post Office location in Rutland has been received by the office in Colorado in charge of the project and is under consideration. Rodney was informed that it might take a month or two for the Postal Service to get someone up to Rutland to look things over and make a recommendation about the floor plan for a new facility. It takes a lot of planning to figure out how to put a lobby for the public up front; office space, work area & storage in the rear; and a screen line with customers’ Post Office boxes and a service window in between. Speed does not appear to be of the essence. The Post Office boxes, service window and other USPS equipment were removed from the old Post Office last week and taken to the Gwinner Post Office to be stored until they can be installed at the new location. Let’s hope that the Postal Service can remember where it put this stuff when the time comes to use it again. As of the end of April, it will have been 7 months since the door on the old Post Office was locked “for a few days.” Since then, several local volunteers have been making daily trips to Forman to pick up mail at the Post Office there and deliver it to the intended recipients in Rutland. A few years ago, before the gang that now runs the Postal Service from its lair in Washington DC was appointed, the aim of the operation was to be faster, more efficient, and less expensive. The current Postmaster General has a new goal: slower; less efficient; and, more expensive. It is time for the Congress of the United States, the body that has the statutory and Constitutional responsibility to oversee the operations of the Postal Service, to fire the Postmaster General and the entire Board of Governors of the USPS. They can then be replaced with competent individuals of good character who have the best interests of the American people in mind. So, come on John, Kevin and Kelly, step up and do your job!

In another Main Street development, The Stock Growers Bank, formerly The Sargent County Bank, has listed the Lariat Bar and its contents with the Steffes Auction Company in Fargo, to be sold sometime in mid-June. According to Casey Bopp of Stock Growers Bank, it is the Bank’s intention to sell the property as a “turnkey operation,” ready for a new buyer to get up and running in short order. The Lariat Bar has been closed since March 5, when former operators Pete & Michelle Denault, decided to terminate their lease. The Denaults had a good business going but decided to leave the business due to personal concerns. Anyone wishing to obtain additional information about the Lariat Bar in Rutland can contact Casey Bopp at Stock Growers Bank in Forman, 701-724-3216, or check out Steffes Auction’s web site at steffesgroup.com. The Lariat Bar is a great business opportunity for anyone who is willing to put forth some effort. It’s better than having a license to print your own money.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – Apr. 29, 2022”

The Rooster Crows – Apr. 22, 2022

By Bill Anderson

The more the weather changes, the more it stays the same. Like the movie “Ground Hog’s Day,” every day is a repeat of the day before: windy; cold; and, wet. There was a hot time at the old Town Hall, though, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, as more kids than you could shake a stick at gathered for the Annual Rutland Easter Egg Hunt. The event had been planned to take place at a more spacious venue in the great outdoors, Lou Sanderson Field, but the inclement weather forced the sponsor, the Rutland Community Club, to move it indoors. According to Community Club President Katie McLaen, the Easter Bunny, who remained at the scene for photographs, had hidden 3,000 eggs for the kids to find, and 100 for the participants in the newly added adult Egg Hunt. The Rutland-Cayuga Volunteer Firemen donated six bicycles that were awarded as door prizes to 6 fortunate youngsters. The ladies of the Rutland American Legion Auxiliary served caramel rolls, cupcakes, muffins, juice, and coffee to those in attendance. Congratulations to the Rutland Community Club for another successful community event. President McLaen also reports that the search is on for Miss Rutland 2022 to compete for the title of Miss Sargent County this coming Summer. The Community Club will also be hosting the Annual Rutland Community Block Party, to which the entire community is invited, in early June. The next Community Club meeting is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 9, at the Rutland Town Hall. “Things are happening in the little city that can,” says Katie.

Local churches were full on Easter Sunday morning, it is reported. All three churches of the TNT Parish: Trinity Lutheran of Havana; Nordland Lutheran of Rutland; and Trinity Lutheran of Forman; were filled up, and it is also reported that all seats were filled at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Cayuga. 

Easter dinner guests at the Joanne Harris home in Rutland were Andy Harris; Paul Anderson; and Bill Anderson.

Easter weekend visitors at the home of Norbert & Beverly Kulzer were Stephen & Ann Kulzer of Hartford SD and their son, Will, of Brookings. Norbert reports that their two granddaughters were out of the area, Lauren working at a hospital in Kansas City, and Brooke working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in North Carolina. Stephen, Ann & Will departed for home on Sunday afternoon, after the snow let up.

More rain on the morning of Wednesday, April 20. According to Chuck Anderson and Mike Banish, the correct amount received as of 10:00 a.m. was either 3 tenths or 30 hundredths, take your pick. This is added to the snow received last week and on Easter Sunday. As it stands right now, there should be enough moisture to start a crop, if only the weather would warm up a little.

Last week it was mentioned in The Rooster Crows that Noel Liermark of this community had passed away on the morning of Thursday, April 7, at his home in Rutland. Noel had attained the age of 81 years, 8 months and 14 days at the time of his death. Noel Gary Liermark was born in Brooklyn NY on July 24, 1940, to Ivan & Dorothy (Weissman) Liermark. His parents brought him up in the Jewish faith. According to Noel, his first name was supposed to have been Noah, but a clerk at the hospital typed in Noel and it stuck. During World War II Noel moved with his parents to Long Beach CA, where he grew up and attended school. According to his lifelong friend, Mike Silverberg, who flew in from Hawaii to speak at Noel’s funeral, he had the normal interests of a teenage boy of the 1950’s, sports, cars, and girls. He graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1958. Following his graduation from high school, Noel worked with his father in the metal salvage business in Long Beach for a year before enlisting in the U. S. Army in August of 1959. During his time in the Army, Noel served a tour of duty with Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MAC-V), headquartered at Saigon. During that time, American military personnel in Vietnam were officially considered to be Advisors, but the Viet Cong guerillas considered them to be combatants, and did not hesitate to take them under fire. Noel continued to serve in the Army until his Honorable Discharge in 1962. After returning home, he decided to go up to Lake Tahoe for a weekend, and ended up spending more than 40 years there, working in the gaming industry, for many years as a floor supervisor at Harrah’s Casino, one of the most prestigious of the Lake Tahoe gaming venues. It was at Lake Tahoe that he met Debra Vanderwolf, the love of his life. They were married on May 27, 1989, at Beaverton OR. They continued to make their home at Lake Tahoe until moving to Rutland in 2006. He developed a passion for cooking and enjoyed the company of his pet cats and dogs. Noel was a kind and gentle man who played a large role in the lives of his nieces and nephews. He is survived by his wife, Debra Liermark of Rutland; by a brother-in-law, Klaas Vanderwolf of Forman; and by several nieces, grandnieces, and grand nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; by Debra’s parents, Hein & Toos Vanderwolf; and, by a sister-in-law, Gretchen Vann. The funeral service for Noel Liermark was at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at Nordland Lutheran Church in Rutland, with Pastor Julie Johnson officiating. Military honors were rendered by Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of The American Legion. Interment will be in the Rutland Cemetery at a later date. Price Funeral Chapel of Britton & Forman was in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be sent to Debra Liermark, 213 Anthony Street, Rutland ND 58067. The Rutland community extends its condolences to the family and friends of Noel Liermark, a kind and decent man to whom strangers were just friends that he had not yet met.

Well, on the Post Office front, it’s still 3 out of 4: no action; no service; no Post Office. We can’t say “no information” any longer, however. Rodney Erickson reports that he has been contacted by an official at the U.S. Postal Services office in Colorado, and that he has submitted paperwork for a new Post Office location in Rutland. According to Rodney, the USPS now has some new requirements which it is doubtful whether any of the Post Offices currently in use in Sargent County satisfy. One of them is a requirement for at least 9 parking spaces, 2 of them handicapped accessible, and a number of them on private property. We’ll have to check out the Fargo Post Office one of these days, just to see how it stacks up. Representatives of the U.S. Postal Service were in Rutland on the morning of Wednesday, April 20, removing the Post Office boxes and other equipment from the former Post Office building. It was reported that the equipment would be stored at the Gwinner Post Office until a new facility in Rutland is secured.

Rutland native David Sundlie (RHs & SCHS Class of ’65) reports that his current hometown, Bismarck ND had more than a foot and a half of new snow dumped on it during last week’s 3-day blizzard that had most of the State shut down for several days. According to Dave, with the snow that fell down, was blown in and shoveled up, he now has about 4 feet of snow under the deck on his house, and he is looking for a neighborhood youngster to handle the snow chores from this point on. But then, Bismarck had it easy compared to Minot, where 3 feet of snow fell during the blizzard, and another 12 inches was added on Easter Sunday. With western North Dakota having suffered through 2 years of drought, the precipitation is not unwelcome, but cattlemen who are trying to raise a calf crop could do with a little less snow and a lot more sunshine right now. It’s hard to tell which has to be tougher, the cows or the cowboys.

Some upcoming events in Rutland include: Rutland City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 2, at the Rutland Town Hall; Rutland Community Clean Up Day on Saturday, May 7, all over town, with drop off points at the City’s inert landfill west of Lou Sanderson Field and at the City shop for electronic items; Rutland Community Club meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 9, at the Rutland Town Hall; and, Memorial Day observances in Rutland commencing with military rites at 10:15 a.m. at the Nordland Cemetery & 10:30 a.m. at the Rutland Cemetery on Monday, May 30. The military rites will be followed by a program at the Rutland Town Hall, and by the traditional community pot-luck dinner at the Town Hall following the program.

The Rutland Cemetery Association reports that it has recently received 2 substantial donations to the Perpetual Care Fund. The first was a $10,000 donation from Jean Hauge, a daughter of Rutland natives Henry & Bertha (Moe) Skaarer, whose remains are buried in the Rutland Cemetery. Mrs. Hauge commended the Cemetery Association’s Board for the excellent care and maintenance that is provided for the cemetery grounds. The second donation was a $900 gift received from the Rutland Sportsmen’s Club’s gaming fund. The Rutland Cemetery Association is grateful to Mrs. Hauge and to the Rutland Sportsmen’s Club for their generous donations.

Meanwhile, on the North Dakota State scene, incumbent U.S. Senator John Hoeven is breathing a sigh of relief after narrowly fending off a challenge for the Republican Party’s endorsement during its recently concluded convention. Sen. Hoeven was challenged by ultra-conservative State Representative Dr. Rick Becker of Bismarck. Had Dr. Becker’s challenge succeeded, it would have been the first time that an incumbent U.S. Senator from North Dakota had been knocked off in a party convention or primary election since NPL candidate Wild Bill Langer beat out fellow NPLer Lynn J. Frazier back in June of 1940. It is alleged that Sen. Hoeven secured his renomination the same way he secured the GOP endorsement for Governor back in 2000, he bought it. According to Representative Becker’s supporters, Sen. Hoeven is not a bad guy, he’s just a bad Senator. That conclusion is probably the one and only thing on which Becker’s supporters and North Dakota Democrats agree.

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 take a look at the Rutland 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.