701 Rundown: Dec. 27, 2021

Here’s your weekly rundown of some of the most interesting headlines from newspapers across North Dakota.

Grafton moves ahead with street repairs

This year’s Walsh County property tax statements that arrived in mailboxes last week will be the last in a great while that won’t include special assessments for City of Grafton property owners.

The Grafton City Council, by a vote of 6-2 on Monday night, approved a motion by Greg Young, which was seconded by Brian Sieben, that will special assess all property in Grafton for street repairs with the exception of the post office, cemeteries, and deed-restricted property.

The approved plan will result in adjacent property owners on local/neighborhood streets being assessed 90 percent of the cost of the road repair, which in most cases will consist of a mill and overlay. The remaining cost of the project will be assessed to the remaining property owners in the city through special assessments.

(Story by Todd Morgan, The Walsh County Record)

Fetching a golden opportunity; Hillsboro teacher gets OK to train retriever as school therapy dog

Levi Reese’s new teaching assistant made her debut at Hillsboro High School on Tuesday.

Despite not holding a college degree and never having been in a classroom before, Reese’s young protege didn’t appear to start her first day on the job with a short leash.

She appeared to be connected to a normal-sized one.

Reese, Hillsboro’s vo-ag teacher, brought a nine-week-old golden retriever to school Tuesday and told the Hillsboro School Board that he would like the puppy, Maura, to become the district’s first therapy dog.

In his pitch to the school board on Tuesday, Reese offered to keep Maura in his home and pay for her training, food and certification as a therapy dog, a process that could take up to a year. Reese was given permission to bring the dog to school on a trial basis for now.

(Story by Cole Short, Hillsboro Banner)

Hispanic community brings Christmas to Watford

The Watford City Civic Center Gym was the place to be this past Sunday as the area was filled with a festive celebration of Hispanic foods and activities for La Posada, which was held by the Hispanic Advocacy of North Dakota (HAND).

“La Posada, in English, translates to Christmas caroling,” says Yolanda Rojas, director of the Hispanic Advocacy of North Dakota. “It’s the equivalent of going caroling in people’s neighborhoods.”

“I’m excited to introduce the community to traditional Spanish culture during the holidays. There’s a lot of non-Hispanic Americans who have never experienced this,” she says.

With Columbian, Salvadorian and Mexican food up for grabs, provided by vendors that night, volunteers were serving Ponche (fruit punch) free of charge.

“It’s basically a fruit punch made out of real fruit, but it’s served warm,” she says. “It can be different for non-Hispanics to taste, but I think it’s a good thing for them to experience.”

“I think this will help the community gain a lot of insight into the Hispanic culture,” says Kadence Grammond, a local resident of Watford City and event volunteer. “A lot of us are Norwegian and have no idea of the culture.”

(Story by Ashleigh Plemper, McKenzie County Farmer)