By Bill Anderson
Good things come to those who wait,” the old timers used to say, and once again, they were proved right on the evening of Tuesday, April 6, and the morning of Wednesday , April 7. The drought was not broken, but the edge was taken off of it as a steady drizzle deposited .4 of an inch of rain on Rutland and vicinity as of 9:15 on Wednesday morning, according to Norbert Kulzer’s rain gauge at 415 Gay Street. Roger Pearson, whose rain gauge issituated only a few feet away from Norbert’s, and generally measures less rain than Norbert’s, hadn’t checked his gauge yet, so, at least for now, Norbert’s rain gauge is right. Large amounts of precipitation are not in the near term forecast, but the weather gurus are predicting that showers and damp weather will persist until the weekend. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “This rain may not be the end of the drought; it may not even be the beginning of the end; but, it may be the end of the beginning.”
The Rutland community is beginning to move to the “New Normal” of the post covid-19 world. On Saturday, April 3, The Rutland Community Club resurrected the community’s traditional Easter Egg Hunt for children in the community. The event was held in the Rutland Town Hall and in the adjacent City park & playground. The following reportwas received from Community Club President Katie McLaen: “There were over 3,000 eggs hidden and over 50 kids hunting. In addition to the usual prizes, the Rutland Volunteer Firemen donated 6 bicycles as Grand Prizes. Nate Peterson; Raegan Roney; Ruth McLaen; Axel Hanson; Corbin Carlson; and, Jemma Schuster; won them. The Lariat Bar served rolls, juice, bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Hiding the eggs took almost an hour, with 7 people. Finding the eggs only took about 10 minutes.” Thanks to the members of the Rutland Community Club for starting the community revitalization process, and thanks to the Firemen for donating the bicycles.
Despite rapid progress being made on the vaccination front, the covid-19 battle is not yet won, according to Sargent County Public Health District Administrator Brenda Peterson. Ms. Peterson reports that adequate supplies of vaccine are now being received, and that all County residents 18 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against the virus. Sargent County now has all three of the vaccines approved for use in the U. S.: Pfizer; Moderna; and Johnson & Johnson; available. She also said that the County’s nurses will be administering vaccinations at each shift at the Bobcat factory in Gwinner this coming week. Additionally, they will be in the three public schools in Sargent County: Sargent Central; North Sargent; and, Milnor; administering vaccinations to students who are age 16 or older, with parental permission, beginning next week. Sargent County’s covid-19 case count has been at or near 10 for a while, but 10 new cases were reported as of Tuesday, April 6, so the virus is still a threat to public health and the fight is not yet over. Sargent County Public Health has worked through its waiting list, said Ms. Peterson, so those who want a vaccination can now obtain it very quickly. To make an appointment for a covid-19 vaccination call: Sargent County Public Health at 724-3725; Forman Drug at 724-6222; or Sanford Clinic at 742-3267.
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