Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Full of history-making firsts, exciting developments and unfortunate tragedy, 2022 was undoubtedly a memorable year, and the New Rockford Transcript captured much of it in our weekly paper.
This week we’re continuing our year-in-review series by re-sharing some of last year’s most memorable stories from May through August.
Archery Champ
In 2022, Sheyenne became home to the best male archer in the nation. Layton Jacobson, a seventh grader at New Rockford-Sheyenne school and a resident of Sheyenne, earned top honors at national competition in May of last year.
Flood emergency declaration
Last spring, overland flooding in the area forced county commissioners in Eddy County to sign a Flood Emergency Declaration, as area farmers watched their fields flood and county roads wash away.
According to Eddy County Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson, an official gauge from the National Weather Service (NWS) at Camp Grafton South measured more than three inches of rain as of 9:30 a.m. on May 9. Further south, residents reported that more than 6 inches of rain had descended in the area, with more coming down.
State Champ x 4
The weekend of May 26-28, 2022, was a perfect weekend to break some state records. Well, it was for NR-S sophomore, Kelsie Belquist, anyway.
As Belquist qualified for nine events, she was able to choose which four to compete in; she chose the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Belquist used all the power in her body to take home the title “state champion” in all four events.
Along with being named a state champ, Belquist broke the Class B state record, the girls’ overall state record and the MDU Community Resources Bowl record in the 300-meter hurdle preliminaries, with a time of 42.02.
Local National Guard soldiers reunited with families after 9-month deployment
In June of 2022, soldiers of the North Dakota National Guard’s 835th Engineer Utilities Detachment (835th) returned from a 9-month-long deployment to the Middle East.
Sergeant 1st Class Reece Thomas, Sergeant Sierra Erickson, both New Rockford natives, and Sergeant Tyler Leichtman, a graduate of NR-S, were among the 53 soldiers who returned home.
Oberon voters officially contest city’s election
Corey Ploium, a resident of Oberon, alleged that multiple procedures were improperly conducted or ignored entirely by his city’s government relating to their election on Tuesday, June 14.
Consequently, he and 11 other Oberon residents began the process of officially contesting Oberon’s June 14 municipal election.
1972 Legion state champs reunite
On Saturday, July 2, 2022, players from the state champion 1972 New Rockford Legion Baseball team gathered for their half century reunion.
They were joined by the 1996, 1997 and 1998 Black Sox teams, celebrating a quarter century since they qualified for the state tournament three years running.
Break-in at Hanson’s Bar and Eagles Club under investigation
In the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 6, Hanson’s Bar and the Eagles Club in New Rockford were burglarized.
According to Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies, sometime between the hours of 2:45 and 5:30 a.m., gaming machines were busted open at both locations, along with the ATM and dart board at Hanson’s Bar.
Matthew Braun, a construction laborer working in the area, was later arrested for the burglary and pleaded guilty to all charges. He is still awaiting sentencing.
Cities under construction
When thinking back on last summer, it’s hard not to bring up the amount of construction residents of Eddy County endured for months.
Work began and was completed on Hwy. 281, much of the New Rockford Street Improvement Project was completed, and new buildings began popping up, such as the new car wash south of Casey’s, the new James River Dentistry clinic and the large addition to the North American Bison, LLC plant.
