701 Rundown: April 11, 2022

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

Linton to go one year without superintendent

After about 10 hours of interviewing candidates and having discussions, Linton Public Schools has decided to search for an alternative idea to fill the superintendent position.

After holding public interviews for two candidates, March 25, Linton Public School District 36 board of directors held a special meeting on March 28 and approved to not move forward with a permanent candidate for the 2022-23 school year.

“I am not saying it’s ideal - I am saying it’s safer,” said Chairman Arnold Vetter about the decision.

After weighing the pros and cons of two candidates and narrowing their decision down to one, the board was hesitant to make a motion for the job offer due to the lack of superintendent leadership in both candidate’s histories.

“I am just not sure if I am ready,” said Board Member Jennifer Vetter.

Other members agreed, saying they would like to take the weekend to check with references before moving forward.

“It’s a high-stakes hire,” said Principle Michael Schirado.

(Story by Kelli Ameling, Emmons County Record)

Learning new skills has Fowler “Soaring high”

While some people follow through on their dreams to fly an airplane, not many of them go so far as to build their own plane.

That is exactly what one local man from Griggs County is doing.

Phil Fowler is in the process of rebuilding a couple of planes and is working to get his pilot’s license and more.

Fowler, who is married to Tina (Holden) Fowler, said that everything in life is a true learning experience.

“I am a perpetual learner that learns from every project, be it building a right-hand drive car or cutting the roof off a car to create a Subaru pickup; I learn from every endeavor,” he said.

“... Aviation and planes are part of my evolution to my personal projects and perpetual learning, keeping my brain active and always growing,” Fowler added.

When asked why he wanted to rebuild his own plane, Fowler simply said that planes are expensive and that rebuilding one can help string out the costs associated with airplane ownership.

(Story by Lisa Saxberg, Griggs County Courier)

Main Street Community visit set

Representatives of the North Dakota Dept. of Commerce and Gov. Doug Burgum’s staff will visit Crosby and Divide County on April 6.

Their appearance, part of the Governor’s Main Street Community program, is intended to help locals get access to tools and resources to capitalize on their community’s strengths and make better planning decisions.

KayCee Lindsey, Divide County Community Developer, told members of the JDA (Job Development Authority) board last week she plans to include tours, if possible, but hasn’t firmed up exact locations as of yet.

A public gathering is scheduled to begin around noon in the Divide County Courthouse, and Lindsey said it should wrap up by 3 p.m.

Lindsey also informed the board of another event, this a “grand unveiling” of the new playground equipment at Writing Rock State Historical State Historical Site.

That event, set for April 30, will be attended by representatives of the State Historical Society.

(Story by Brad Nygaard, The Journal)

House fire in Harvey

One person was injured in a house fire in Harvey on Tuesday, March 29, at the home of Jeff and Nancy Kukowski, 533 Brewster Street East.

According to Wells County Sheriff, Chris Kluth, the fire call came in at about midnight. Harvey’s fire department, ambulance service and police department responded, along with the sheriff’s department.

Jeff Kukowski was pulled from the residence and suffered injuries sustained in the fire. Nancy Kukowski was not home at the time of the incident.

No other structures were impacted by the fire.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation with support from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the North Dakota State Fire Marshal.

(Story from The Herald-Press)

Erosion of concern to area farmers

It’s just another windy spring day with black snow banks quickly disintegrating in the shelter belts. But those black snow banks probably hold some of the most fertile soil in the Red River Valley.

Like the exceptionally windy spring experienced last year, the long hot summer and the frequent wind-driven blizzards, the weather is scooping up the topsoil and sending it whirling into the jet stream.

And farmers and landowners are paying the price.

“You just can’t expect to farm the land every year, using conventional methods, and expect the soil to recover and become more healthy,” Zimmerman said.

Studies conducted by Yale University reported that topsoil is being eroded ten times faster than it can be replenished. There are 10 million acres in the Midwest that have no topsoil left now.

This loss has reduced corn and soybean yields by six percent, totaling a nearly three billion dollar loss in revenues.

“Many farmers are operating on such a razor thin profit margin that they feel if they change one thing, it could lead to a major loss,” said Zimmerman. “But there are many ways to offset minor losses in no-till farming.”

(Story by Jan Russell, Cass County Reporter)

Grafton fire department had busy 2021

Grafton Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) had a busy 2021. Grafton Fire Chief Brad Martinson recently released the fire statistics from last year noting it was one of the department’s busiest years.

“I think the dry weather conditions had an impact as the number of calls have been on the increase,” he said. “The last two years we have seen a substantial increase in the number of fire calls.”

Last year GVFD responded to 110 calls, which includes both city and rural incidents.

The largest category was calls the department went out on but were called back due to the call being canceled en route.

(Story by Todd Morgan, The Walsh County Record)