Tag: Democratic-NPL Party

The Rooster Crows – Apr. 29, 2022

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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.

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The Rooster Crows – July 16, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

It really rained after the rain was over. The rain showers started at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday, July 9, and, after about .1 to .2 of an inch had fallen here, the TV weather reporters declared that it was all over. No more rain for the foreseeable future. the weather gurus may have their charts, insights, incense and incantations to guide them, but the weather gods are not to be trifled with. No one tells them what to do. After the rain was officially over, the clouds opened up to give Rutland and vicinity another .5 to .8 of an inch of much needed precipitation. Norbert Kulzer reported a full 1 inch in his rain gauge, while next door neighbor, Roger Pearson, measured .75 of an inch in his. Chuck Sundlie reported .8 of an inch in his gauge on Saturday morning, but he had dumped out what he estimates to have been about .2 of an inch when the rain stopped the first time. Harvey Bergstrom reported .83 of an inch at his farm 2½ miles south of Cayuga; Kurt Breker measured .62 of an inch at his farm 1 mile south of Cayuga; Mark Wyum received .6 of an inch at his farm northeast of Rutland; Chuck Anderson came in with the low reading for the event of .43 of an inch at his farm in Weber Township, between Rutland & Havana; and, Cam Gulleson’s rain gauge 1½ mile east of town gets the prize for the highest reading at 1.11 inch on Saturday morning. Several of the Assembled Wise Men around the coffee table at the Rutland Seniors Center on Saturday morning even observed that the grass was beginning to turn green, again. So, in the “Every Silver Lining Has Its Cloud” department, now they will have to start mowing lawns, again.

The 26th District Democratic-NPL Party’s Executive Committee met at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 8, in the Community Room of the Stock Grower Bank’s Rutland Station. District Chairman Jim Dotzenrod of Wyndmere had called the meeting to discuss the need to plan for the re-drawing of District boundaries by the Legislature later this year, the need to prepare for a possible legislative election in the event new District boundaries result in a significant change in the population of the District; and, to plan for a rally/fund-raiser in cooperation with District #25 on Thursday, August 19 at the Joel Heitkamp residence at Lake Elsie, near Hankinson. About a dozen members of the Executive Committee were present, including former legislators Jerry Kelsh of Fullerton and Al Peterson of Forman. Notices of the upcoming Rally/Fund-Raiser will be published on-line, as well as in the local newspapers in Sargent, Dickey, Ransom & Richland Counties. Officers of the 26th District Dem-NPL for 2021-22 are: Jim Dotzenrod, Chairman; Jayne Pfau & Cameron Gulleson, Vice Chairpersons; Bryce Carlson, Secretary; and, Sheila Wyum, Treasurer.

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The Rooster Crows -March 26, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

The Equinox has come and went; Back to Ireland has St. Pat been sent; But no one’s complaining that it’s been a bummer; Cause we’re on the downhill slide from here to Summer! Spring arrived on Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, the first full day of Spring 2021, was full of sunshine, bereft of wind and perfect for sitting on the porch to survey the neighborhood. Still no rain, but, as the old timers used to say, “Every day that it doesn’t rain is one day closer to the day that it will.” Can’t argue with those old timers. Those modern-day old timers, the Assembled Wise Men at the Round Table, were once asked how it was that they seldom made mistakes. “Experience!” they replied. Then the question was asked, “How did you obtain experience?” “By making mistakes,” was the response. So it goes, from one generation of old timers to the next.

Norbert & Beverly Kulzer, Bill Anderson and Andy Harris joined Joanne Harris of this community for a St. Patrick’s Day supper on the evening of Wednesday, March 17. The main course was the traditional Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes. At the conclusion of the evening the hostess and guests drank a toast to the memory of the late John Harris, a descendant of Irish immigrants who took great pride in his Irish heritage. The Irish invented Guinness and Jamiesons, both of them being outstanding gifts to humanity.

Dale & Lisa McLaen of this community were back in the old hometown from Friday, March 19 to Sunday, March 21. Dale has been in the Twin Cities for the past several weeks, consulting with medical personnel at Hennepin County Medical Center. He reports that teams of doctors, sometimes as many as 6 at a time, have been examining, double-checking, discussing and diagnosing his condition for a couple of weeks, and that surgery is now planned for Thursday, March 25. Follow up treatment will be decided upon after that. As of Sunday, March 21, with the sun shining and Spring in the air, Dale said that he is feeling positive, and is ready for the surgery to be done. His many friends here wish him a speedy recovery and return home.

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Hens Do Crow! March 22, 2019

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By Deborah Banish

Spring has sprung or at least the calendar says it has. Looking outside our windows certainly shows another season that just does not want to end. That last punch of winter left a mess everywhere. Most people knew it was time to stay home. There were a few brave – or crazy – souls that ventured out in the storm and some required rescue which brought more out to the crazy winter. School was cancelled Friday to the delight of the school kids. The State highways and area roads had five-foot or more snowdrifts.  The state brought in snowblowers to help clear the blocked highways and area farmers were clearing farmsteads and township roads to get out. By Saturday afternoon, some areas were close to back to normal but it was a longer recovery. I think it is safe to say that everyone is done with winter. Come on Spring and Summer!

Roads were clear on Saturday, March 16th, so several Rutland residents headed over to Forman for a Legislative Forum sponsored by the Sargent County Farm Bureau and the Sargent County Farmers Union. Senator Jim Dotzenrod and Representatives Sebastian Ertelt and Kathy Skroch made it to Forman through the morning fog. Each of the District 26 Legislators discussed proposed legislation and bills. The Prairie Dog Bill will bring some of the oil money to the non-oil counties and cities but funding may not come until 2021. The State will be taking over social services from the counties. The plan is to have 19 zones rather than each of the 53 counties providing social services. Ransom, Richland and Sargent Counties are working together to establish a consolidated social services for the three counties. The deadline to have something established is January 1, 2020 or the State will dictate how and where the services are provided. Some of the other topics covered included long-term care funding, the Trespass bill, Medical Marijuana, and the State Veterans Home funding.

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The Rooster Crows – July 27, 2018

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By Bill Anderson

Sargent County is now as beautiful as it has ever been in living memory. Orvis Pearson, who was born here in 1925, and has farmed here for most of his life, states that he has never seen a crop look so good at this time of the year as does this one, and Orvis has a good memory, too. Early in the morning of Thursday, July 19, another rain event occurred. When the rain paused at 8:30 in the morning, Paul Anderson’s rain gauge registered .65 of an inch, and when it finally stopped that evening the total was 1.3, at least in Paul’s gauge and in Norbert Kulzer’s rain gauge. At Roger Pearson’s however, it amounted to 1.25 of an inch. Harvey Bergstrom reported that the day’s total added up to 3.2 inches at his farm 3 miles south of Cayuga, and the same amount at the old Kleingarn farm north of Cayuga. It was a good rain here, but a torrent of 7.5 inches hit Ellendale, 60 miles to the west, doing considerable damage to crops and roads. Another thunderstorm rolled through the Rutland area at about 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday, July 25, leaving .67 of an inch of rain and cooler, drier air in its wake. Many wheat fields in the Rutland area are now within a few days to a few weeks of being ready for harvest. Harvey Bergstrom is of the opinion that his wheat will be harvested between the 5th and the 10th of August. He and Judy had picked some heads from one field and counted from 30 to 50 kernels in each head. “Looks good,” says Harvey. The “Golden Harvest” begins.

Cameron & Jenny Gulleson; Pam Gulleson; Kevin & Samantha Gillespie; Paul Anderson; and, Bill Anderson; of this community were among the large crowd attending a 2018 campaign event on the evening of Thursday, July 19, at Joel Heitkamp’s home on Lake Elsie, near Hankinson. Mac Schneider, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Jim Dotzenrod, candidate for North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture, were present and addressed the gathering. Mac Schneider is a lawyer in private practice and a former State Senator from Grand Forks, and Jim Dotzenrod, a farmer from Wyndmere, served as a State Senator from this area from 1974 to 1994 and from 2008 to the present. Sen. Dotzenrod addressed 3 main issues: trade, which should be free, fair and open; tariffs, which should be low or non-existent; and, ethanol, which should be promoted to help put a floor under the price of corn and to clean up the environment. To those 3 issues, candidate Schneider added: Healthcare, which should be affordable and available to all; strengthening & preserving Social Security & Medicare, now under attack from the White House and the Congress; strengthening crop insurance, production guarantees and price protection in the Farm Bill; and, controlling the budget deficit, which has exploded under the current GOP controlled Congress and White House. Also attending the event were 25th District Democratic-NPL endorsed candidates for the North Dakota Legislature: Perry Miller, candidate for the State Senate; Bill Berlin, candidate for the State House of Representatives; and, incumbent State Representative Elise Mitskog. Former State legislators in attendance included: former Senator Joel Heitkamp of Hankinson; former Representative Pam Gulleson of Rutland; and, former Representative Don Lloyd of Lisbon. Also attending the event were Rutland natives Sonja (Anderson) Christensen and Corrine (Narum) Romereim, now of Wahpeton. Vote By Mail and early voting will commence on Thursday, September 27, in Sargent County and many other North Dakota counties, according to information obtained from Sargent County Auditor Pam Maloney.

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The Rooster Crows – March 7, 2008

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By Bill Anderson

March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, but 2008 will be recorded as the year that March entered like a kangaroo, jumping from cold to warm and back again during the first few days of the month. On Tuesday, March 4, the day started out at 16 degrees, then climbed up to 43 and sunny, before sliding back below freezing as a snow front moved in that evening. Forecasts call for below zero before week’s end, and not much hope for relief from Winter’s icy grip before the Ides of March. That’s O.K., though, as there will be some hot times in the old town this month to keep everyone warmed up.

Denny Pherson and Jason Smykowski were in Wichita Falls TX last week to attend a national convention of custom combine operators. Chad Haugen of Dazy ND accompanied Denny and Jason on the trip. They returned to Rutland on Sunday, March 2. Denny reports that the winter wheat crop from northern Texas through Kansas appears to have been severely damaged by the ongoing drought in that region.

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