Tag: 2020 Census

Hens Do Crow! Aug. 7, 2020

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Neither wind nor heat nor dark of night nor the coronavirus can stay a farmer from cutting wheat when it’s ready to harvest. Rodney Erickson reports that the 2020 harvest of Spring Wheat in the Rutland area began on Tuesday, July 28, when Nick McLaen hauled the first load to the Wheaton-Dumont Co-op Rutland Elevator. Both the yield and the quality of the crop were very good, Rodney said. The first wheat came in from one of Nick’s fields approximately two miles north of town. Rodney said that he expects more combines to be in the field, and more wheat to be coming in, during the first week of August. Spring wheat is not as big a crop as it once was out here on the northern plains, but it is still an important element in many crop rotation plans, and, if you want to eat good bread, you can’t beat bread made with flour that started out as North Dakota Hard Red Spring Wheat. If you don’t believe it, just ask Dennis or Nick. In addition to taking delivery of grain at the Rutland Elevator, Owner/Manager Rodney Erickson has been busy with aerial application of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides on crops throughout the region. Matt Smith is in charge at the Elevator when Rodney is absent.

Last month Darwin Brakke passed away at his home in Havana. Darwin attended Rutland high school, graduating in 1957, and he married Kathleen Bauman the same year. Together they had four children – Darby, Julie, Jesse, and Janelle. He married Pearl Parrow in 1990. Darwin was one of the original founding members of the Rutland Sportsman’s Club. Over the years, Darwin worked for Ronald Donaldson at Rutland Plumbing & Heating as a plumber and backhoe operation, he owned and operated the Lariat Bar, was a partner in J&B Excavating and was a loader operator for Bernard Mahrer Construction. A private burial for immediate family was held in Rutland and a celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

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Hens Do Crow! July 24, 2020

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Monday, July 20, brought another round of rain to the area with various amounts of moisture reported. Shawn Klein reported that her rain gauge measured .40 inches at her home in Havana while Kenny Hamilton boasted .97 inches. Two-miles south of Rutland the rain was measured at .23 inches and north of Rutland at the Kyle and Kathy Marquette farm about two-inches of rain had fallen and the same storm left 1.2 inches north of Cayuga on the Rick Banish farmstead. The last few rainstorms have left varying amounts in the rain gauges.

The Rutland Housing, Inc., Board met on Monday, July 20, followed by the annual Housing meeting. Some Housing tenants attended the meeting to discuss the need for repairs at the buildings and some minor safety improvements such as exterior rails on the steps to help residents enter and exit the buildings in the winter. The Housing Board has not been able to hire a handyman to make repairs and changes as quickly as desired. There is also the ongoing issue of funding and expenditures as the units are not at full capacity to provide sufficient income.

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Hens Do Crow! July 17, 2020

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The Rutland City Council met on Monday, July 6, with Mayor Mahrer presiding. The City Council discussed the Public Works vacancy and the difficulty in obtaining applicants for the position. The job description will be reviewed and modified for further discussion at the August meeting. Three Rutland residents applied for the Council vacancy as a result of the recent City election. The Council selected Colton Corry to fill the vacant two-year term. The City Auditor provided a summary of the 2021 anticipated expenditures and revenue projections and asked for input from the Council. The information will be used to develop budget scenarios for consideration at the next meeting on August 10th when the Council will need to approve the 2021 preliminary budget. The Council discussed the need for street repairs, water line improvements, and sidewalk replacement along First Street as soon as possible. Further discussion on those items and the budget will be held at the August 10 Council meeting.

Roger Pearson and Lary Arneson went fishing at Dry Lake near Ashley ND on Sunday, July 12. They returned on Sunday evening with 2 limits of walleyes. Roger and Lary had been fishing, without much success, in local wet lakes and at a couple of past hotspots in South Dakota for the past several weeks. Well, if they’re not biting in wet lakes, try a Dry Lake. The creative fisherman thinks outside the box.

Over 100 individuals stopped by the Rutland Veterans Memorial Park to attend the first Farmers Market event on Sunday, July 12. Sellers brought their garden produce, baked, and canned goods, eggs, beef and more. The event was sponsored by the Rutland Community Club. Two additional dates for the Rutland Farmers Market have been scheduled for Sunday, August 9, and Sunday, September 13, from 5 to 6 p.m.  The goal is to have food vendors and picnic tables available at the next Market dates for more socializing and to allow social distancing.

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Hens Do Crow! July 3, 2020

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Chuck and Mary Beth Anderson returned last weekend from a quick trip out West with their motorhome accompanied by their daughter, Jennifer, and her husband and their two children. They spent three days camping in Bismarck and touring the Heritage Museum before heading further west to Medora for more camping. While in the area they visited Custer House and On-a-Slant Indian village at Fort Abraham Lincoln and were able to see the 2020 Medora musical. The trip also included a drive down the Enchanted Highway ending at Regent. The Anderson’s do not plan to go far this summer but are taking in different areas of the great State of North Dakota.

The U.S. Census Bureau mailed postcards this week to an estimated 1.3 million post office boxes in communities like Rutland where P.O. boxes are the only mailing address available. The postcards alert households that a census taker may drop off census invitations soon or will visit later to interview them. The postcards also provide information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online or by phone. If you have not completed your Census data, be sure to do it soon. The City of Rutland is in a competition with Forman, Gwinner and Milnor to get the best response rate. The race is getting tighter and the competition continues until July 30. Rutland is lagging and our new Mayor, Michael Mahrer, would appreciate a response as soon as possible so that he does not have to promote the other cities. It is important to be counted. For each person in North Dakota who is not counted, the State will lose $19,100 and the City will also lose State Aid and other funding opportunities. The City Auditor is working on a date for residents to be able to complete the Census online at City Hall within the next few weeks. Watch for details.

The Rutland City Council will meet on Monday, July 6, at 5 p.m. to begin discussion of the 2021 City budget. Other items of business will include selecting a resident to fill the vacant two-year City Council term and to discuss the public works position and how to proceed filling that vacancy. The preliminary budget will be discussed and approved in August with a public hearing on the budget in September.

On Sunday, July 12, Rutland will have a Farmers Market from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park by City Hall. The Market is open to anyone to come sell and everyone is welcome to come purchase some locally grown produce and/or homemade products. Individuals interested in selling produce or products are asked to contact Katie McLaen at 701-680-9354.

The Rutland Roosters will be wrapping up the 2020 softball season soon so be sure to get out to their next games. On July 21, the Roosters will be playing Milnor at a home game at Sanderson Field and will wrap up the season on July 28 playing in Havana. Games start at 6:45 p.m. so be sure to get your lawn chairs and head out to the old ball game!

That is it for the news from Rutland for this week. Take time and log in to complete your census survey at  https://my2020census.gov/.  If you need help, please do not hesitate to contact the City Auditor at 701-724-3081 to get it done!

Hens Do Crow! June 26, 2020

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Old friends were saddened last week when word was received that Wayne Maloney passed away on Tuesday, June 15, at his home in Rutland surrounded by his family. Wayne Robert Maloney was born in Morris, Minnesota, on December 26, 1953, to William & Darlene (Faatz) Maloney. He was raised on a farm southwest of Morris and graduated from Chokio-Alberta High School in 1972. After graduation, he moved to North Dakota and worked for Dennis Pherson’s custom combining crew. Since then he worked for Bernard Mahrer Construction, Crandall Construction, Arrowhead Transport, Breker Trucking, Kulzer Farm Supply, and then Central Specialties until his retirement in 2017.  He was a hard worker & could fix just about anything. Wayne was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in February 2017 and battled diligently since then with treatments every two weeks. He entered Hospice care on May 28. Wayne married Pamela Jacobson on August 13, 1977. They lived in the Rutland area where they raised two daughters, Taryn Christine & Brianne Cathlene. Wayne loved to hunt deer & pheasant & also enjoyed ice fishing. He loved his snowmobiling trips out west with family & friends & ATV rides with kids & grandkids. He enjoyed the simple things like Sunday afternoon drives, watching NASCAR races, tinkering in his garage, relaxing at the lake, and nurturing his new trees. But, above all else, time spent with his grandkids was his most treasured. He is survived by his wife, Pam; daughter Taryn (Shane) Jensen and their children Cohen Robert, Beckette Cathlene & Landrie Rose of Wyndmere, ND; daughter Brianne (Joshua) Nelson & their children Piper Lynn & Royce Curtis of Rutland; parents, Bill & Darlene Maloney of Morris, MN; six brothers & sisters Ed (Connie) of Ramsey, MN;  Cindy Schmidt (Rollie Retzlaff) of Hoffman, MN; Gary (Terry) Maloney and Alan Maloney, all of Morris, MN; Pam (Steve) Reed of Sioux Falls, SD; & Craig (Julie) Maloney of Freeman, SD; brothers & sisters-in-law Carolyn (Larry) Christensen, Calvin (Wendy) Jacobson and Diane Smith all of Rutland; and Boyd Jacobson, Jr. of Starbuck, MN; & numerous nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Sarah Lynn; maternal grandparents, Richard & Anna Faatz & paternal grandparents, James & Mary Ellen Maloney; and father & mother-in-law, Boyd & Catherine Jacobson. A family funeral service was held on Friday, June 19 at Nordland Lutheran Church in Rutland and burial was held at Nordland Cemetery which many Rutland and area friends attended respecting social distancing guidelines.

Doug Spieker had been hospitalized at Sanford in Fargo on Monday, June 15, after suffering what was at first thought to have been a stroke. Doug reports that his doctors are of the opinion that the sudden onset of symptoms may have been a reaction to one of the prescription medications he has been taking. He was back at home on Saturday, June 20, in time to enjoy the first day of summer and the Summer Solstice at home on the farm. Doug says that he will be taking it easy at home for a while, but expects to be out and about in short order.

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Hens Do Crow! June 19, 2020

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Rutland natives Dave & Pat Kulzer, now residents of the Swan River Valley in western Montana, report that a bear has been making regular trips through their yard. The most recent sighting of the critter, believed to be a cinnamon colored black bear, was at about 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, Flag Day. The bear had passed through the Kulzers’ yard heading south about ten days earlier, and it is believed that it was patrolling its territory, warning unfriendly bears and other heavy-duty predators to keep their distance. Although black bears may weigh up to 300 to 400 pounds and can be dangerous, they are neither as large nor as ill-tempered as their grizzly bear cousins. The bear that passed through the Kulzers’ yard had neither the dished face nor the hump on its back that are characteristics distinctive to the grizzly. Just to be sure, Pat did some research, and this is what she found:

“I found this info re the grizzly’s hump at https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Grizzly-Bear :  “Grizzly bears are large and range in color from very light tan (almost white) to dark brown. They have a dished face, short, rounded ears, and a large shoulder hump. The hump is where a mass of muscles attach to the bear’s backbone and give the bear additional strength for digging. They have very long claws on their front feet that also give them extra ability to dig after food and to dig their dens. An animal fact guide says that grizzly cubs are born blind, hairless & toothless but within a month, while nursing from their mother, they grow teeth & fur & have opened their eyes and are ready to venture out of the winter den. The cubs are able to climb trees but lose that ability when their claws get fully developed.  Pat.” 

There haven’t been any grizzly bears out here on the prairie for about 200 years, but, just in case they start reclaiming their ancestral range, this is good information to know. Thanks to Pat & Dave Kulzer for the report.

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