Tag: Post Office

The Rooster Crows – Dec. 31, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

Oh, say can you see, by the New Year’s first light, what so proudly we hailed at September’s last gleaming; Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through 3 months of perilous nights, O’er the old Franzen Building were so gallantly streaming; And the street lights’ bright glare, the stars shining in air, gave proof through the nights that our flag was still there; Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the little city that can, home of the free and the brave? Well, the Flag still flies over the Rutland Post Office, and the door is still locked. The Postal Service has provided no information to the Rutland community as to when, if ever, service may be expected to be restored. In the meantime, there has been no additional clean up or repair activity observed at the Rutland Post Office building. No information. No action. No service. No Post Office. It could be described as a heck of a way to run a railroad, except that, back when the railroads hauled the mail the Post Office was open, and the mail got delivered. So much for 50 years of progress! Benjamin Franklin, America’s first Postmaster General, would be appalled by the disrespectful and cavalier attitude of today’s U. S. Postal Service management.

Mother Nature and Old Man Winter teamed up to deliver the first blizzard of the season, commencing on the day after Christmas, Sunday, December 26, and continuing into the early evening of Monday, December 27. Depending on whose report you choose to listen to, the storm delivered either 1 to 3 inches of new snow or 6 to 8 inches of new snow, along with sustained wind speeds of 30 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph, and temperatures falling from the mid-20’s above Zero to the sub-Zero regions by Monday night. Below Zero conditions are predicted to continue throughout this week and into the New Year. While there is no relief from cold, snow and wind foreseen in the near-term forecasts, most prognosticators are of the opinion that warmer conditions will return to the region before the next summer solstice.

The blizzard had both I-94 and I-29 closed to traffic on Sunday night and Monday morning, and a “No Travel” advisory posted for the entire eastern end of North Dakota. Roads were also closed in northeastern South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. In Sargent County, the State & County snowplows were out opening roads by Monday afternoon, and in the City of Rutland Scott Haan was opening streets with the City’s snow removal equipment by mid-afternoon, with some assistance from Bernard Mahrer Construction’s big equipment, as well. There is now enough snow on the ground to provide employment opportunities for snow removal crews every time the wind shifts. As the old-timers used to say, “There’s nothing so bad that it doesn’t do someone some good.”

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The Rooster Crows – Nov. 26, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

Thanksgiving, at least Thanksgiving dinner, came a week early to the Rutland Seniors Center on Wednesday, November 17. Head cook Janet Kiefer prepared Thanksgiving dinner with turkey; dressing; mashed potatoes & gravy; green bean casserole; cranberries; lefse; and, pumpkin pie with whipped topping; for a total of 33 patrons, 24 who enjoyed their dinner together at the Seniors’ Center, and 9 who had their dinners delivered by “Meals On Wheels,” otherwise known as Roger Pearson & Hal Nelson. Janet and her husband, Cliff, headed south on Thursday, November 18, bound for Dallas TX to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their son, Andy, and his family. Delores Lysne filled in for Janet in the Seniors’ Center kitchen on Thursday, November 18, and Diane Smith was in charge of dinner preparation on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, November 22, 23 & 24. Rutland’s Seniors are fortunate to have three such talented & capable chefs ready, willing and able to take charge in the kitchen and do the cooking the way their mothers taught them.

Aaron & Silvia Brooks of this community were called to Yuma AZ last week, where Silvia’s father, Alfredo Tastana, was seriously ill with covid-19. Mr. Tastana passed away on Thursday, November 18. According to Silvia, there will be a funeral service later this week at Yuma, followed by interment of her father’s remains at his home community in Mexico. Mr. & Mrs. Brooks expect to be back home in Rutland sometime next week. The Rutland community extends condolences to the family of Alfredo Tastana on the loss of the family’s patriarch. May he rest in peace.

Five of Rutland’s “Happy Warriors:” Mike Mahrer; Kyle Mahrer; Vaughan Rohrbach; Bill Hoflen; and, Jesse Brakke; accompanied by Steve Thorfinnson & Alwood Huckell of Fort Ransom; and, Ray Ohm of Hankinson; departed Rutland on Tuesday, November 16, bound for their hunting grounds in western Kentucky, where the whitetail deer are as plentiful as are cottontail rabbits in North Dakota. The group from Rutland has been hunting whitetails in western Kentucky, near the town of Clinton KY, for the past several years. The area has a combination of small farms and dense woods, ideal habitat for whitetail deer. The local residents consider the deer to be a nuisance and are happy to have hunters come in to harvest the surplus. The hunters expect to be back home by Wednesday, November 24. 

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The Rooster Crows 5/29/2020

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By Bill Anderson

Although field conditions in the Rutland area are still plenty wet and muddy, there hasn’t been much rain lately. That situation changed, a little, on the morning of Sunday, May 24, when a two-hour .16 of an inch drizzle gave the area a clean-up shower just before Memorial Day. There are no predictions about when the next rainfall might be scheduled, but the old-timers used to say that “Every day that it doesn’t rain is one day closer to the day that it will.” Can’t argue with that.

Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, dawned gray and overcast with a light wind out of the northwest. The air was humid, and the grass was covered with a heavy dew, a reminder of the light rain of the previous day. Despite the fact that the traditional Memorial Day program and pot-luck dinner had been cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic, a substantial number of current and former Rutland community residents were at both the Nordland and the Rutland cemeteries to witness the members of Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion perform military rites honoring the memory of those honored dead who had served in the nation’s military services. Members of the ceremonial detail for 2020 included: Andy Hoflen; Rob Wyum; Ted Lee; Andy Harris; Larry Christensen; Doug Olstad; Roger Pearson; Calvin Jacobson; Doug Spieker; and Bill Anderson. Those who were at the cemeteries commented on the precision of the detail’s performance. Following the military rites at the cemeteries, Post Commander Larry Christensen called a brief meeting in Calvin Jacobson’s driveway at which the members approved a gift to Logan Wyum, SCHS Class of ’20, in appreciation for his services as Post Bugler over the past several years; elected Rob Wyum as Vice-Commander to replace former Vice-Commander and Past 10th District Commander Tom Manley who has moved to New Mexico; and, awarded 50-year membership pins to Vietnam veterans Larry Christensen and Andy Hoflen. With the meeting concluded, those present commemorated the occasion with appropriate beverages served by the host, Sergeant At Arms Calvin Jacobson. A good time was had by all, and justifiably so.

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Fix My Mail!

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Fix My Mail: How is Your Postal Service Working For You?

Fix My Mail is a grassroots effort to hear stories from North Dakotans who have encountered delayed mail delivery times or are dealing with other problems with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).  Senator Heitkamp has heard too many concerns from North Dakotans about the problems they face getting their mail on time, and it absolutely needs to be fixed.  So let’s talk about it. When you click the link above, you will be directed to Heidi Heitkamp’s Senate Page where you can fill out a form about mail service.  OK Rutland residents, now is your chance to be heard (again).  We will not go down without a fight!!!

Thanks to Bill Anderson to alerting us to this opportunity for input.  You can also go on Facebook or Twitter and use #FixMyMail to tell your story.  And please encourage others you know who have faced problems with their mail service and standards to join the effort.

The Rooster Crows – December 16, 2011

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By Bill Anderson

David-1, Goliath-0, so far, anyway. The Rutland Post Office, and other post offices in rural communities, have been saved, at least temporarily. Word was received here on Tuesday, December 13, that the U. S. Postal Service has imposed a moratorium on Post Office closings until May 15, 2012. The moratorium was imposed in response to a request from a substantial number of United States Senators, including those from Montana and South Dakota. Neither John Hoeven (R-ND) nor Kent Conrad (D-ND) were among the Senators requesting the moratorium, an omission that has not gone unnoticed by those engaged in the struggle to maintain services in rural North Dakota. The notice sent out by the Postal Service stated that the review process would continue during the moratorium period, so rural Post Office patrons will still have to pay attention lest they lose their appeal rights during the moratorium period. The hard work and diligent effort of Rutland postal patrons who wrote letters and sent in their comments on the Postal Service’s proposal to close the Post Office here has paid off, at least temporarily, with a moratorium that may lead to a permanent rescue of the local Post Office. Congratulations to the Rutland Community Club for leading the fight. The fight is not over yet, though, as this moratorium is only temporary, so rural postal patrons will have to stay awake and pay attention to make sure that a permanent fix for the Postal Service’s woes is found.

Chuck Sundlie of this community headed off to Palm Springs CA on Sunday Nov. 27, to visit at the home of his parents, Leif & Phyllis (Donaldson) Sundlie. Chuck Traveled via Allegiant Air to Los Angeles, then accompanied his brother, Stan, to Palm Springs. He reports that the weather was very nice, and a few rounds of golf were played. Chuck returned to Rutland on Sunday, December 4, and found the weather here to be pretty nice, too, at least for December.

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Post Office Closings

On By rutlandramblingsIn Life In General, Rutland businesses1 Comment

Government is at it again trying to find ways to cut costs at the sake of the citizens.  The latest battle round is focusing on rural Post Offices.  On July 26, the US Postal Service released a long-awaited “post office study” of nearly 3700 potential closings in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.  The list was developed based on customer foot traffic and post office employee workload. The US Postmaster General is recommending closing facilities in rural communities which will have little impact on the PO budget but will significantly affect each community.

Last year the US Postal Service had a net loss of $8.5 billion; in 2009 it had a $3.8 billion loss.  The Postal Regulatory Commission has found that maintaining rural post offices only amounts to 0.7 percent of the USPS’s total budget.   The Postal Service has reduced its staff over the past several years, has cut billions from its costs and has asked Congress to cut delivery to five days a week and to reduce its contributions toward future retiree health benefits.

Rutland, Havana and Cayuga stations are on the closing list.  The first step was a Rutland community meeting last week to initiate a call to action by Rutland residents. Over 40 individuals attended the meeting to hear about the proposed closings and to identify steps to take to challenge the closing of the Rutland Post Office.  A petition was started and many residents took copies to obtain signatures of area residents .  Secondly, we are all asked to send letters to our Congressional Delegation:  Congressman Rick Berg, 3170 43rd Street S, Fargo, ND 58104; Senator Kent Conrad, U.S. Federal Building, Room 306, 657 2nd Avenue North, Fargo, ND 58102; and Senator John Hoeven, 1802 32nd Avenue South, Room B, Fargo ND 58103.  Letters should also be sent to our local legislators: Senator Jim Dotzenrod, PO Box 69, Wyndmere ND 58081-0069; Representative Bill Amerman, PO Box 43, Forman ND 58032-0043; and Representative Jerry Kelsh, PO Box 27, Fullerton ND 58441-0027.

Click here for a sample letter that you should modify to make the letter more personal about how the closing will affect you and/or your businesses.  A “Rutland Fact Sheet” is also included for your information.  Don’t forget to mail your letter at the Rutland Post Office!