Cavalier County
$1.00
Single Copy Volume 133
Republican
cavaliercountyextra.com
News Coverage
Catch up on the latest Langdon City Commisson meeting on Page 3. Both Langdon Area and St. Alphonsus Administrators give updates on Page 5. Elmer Thompson: The Inventor art show exhibit coming to Cavalier County Courthouse, read more on Page 7.
Index OPINION YOUTH CHURCH COMMUNITY SPORTS PROF DIR AG PN CLASSIFIED
PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8-10 PAGE 11 PAGE 12 PAGE 14 PAGE 15
Copyright © Langdon, North Dakota
In the time it will take you to read this newspaper, one person will have died by suicide. Across the nation and North Dakota, suicide cuts across all ages, demographics and socioeconomic groups. In 2016, 134 North Dakota residents died by suicide. A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that suicide death rates have increased across the nation from 1999 to 2016. North Dakota has experienced the largest suicide rate increase within that time frame, with rates increasing 58 percent. This makes North Dakota’s suicide rate higher than the national average with 144 lives lost in 2018. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for North Dakotans ages 1034 making it a serious public health and work force issue. Between January to August of 2019, 8,830 suicide-related calls were placed to First Link of North Dakota. Mental illness is more common than you might think. Across North Dakota’s approximately 600,000 residents, close to 24,000 adults live with serious mental illness and about 6,000 children live with serious mental health conditions. North Dakota’s public mental health system provides services to only 29 percent of adults who live with serious mental illnesses in the state. This makes meeting the challenge of treating those with mental illness even harder as the public it,” Kram explained. To prepare for the trial period during the fall of 2018, Kram spent a considerable amount of time during the summer learning the Smart Snack guidelines. She would use the Smart Snack online calculator during trips to
Costco and Sam’s Club, looking up foods online, checking nutrition labels, and ingredient lists. “I get some puzzled looks from people when I am on a snack shop run,” quipped Kram. The physical set-up of The Snack Shop was relatively easy – LASD Superintendent Daren Christianson offered the use of the concession stand for them. Linda Hope gave the shop some cabinet storage within the concession stand along with the lunch program providing some
Farmers & Merchants State Bank 816 3rd Street, Langdon, ND 58249
(701)256-5431 • www.fmbanklangdon.com
Member FDIC
Monday, September 30, 2019
Number 39
Be the one to save a life - September is Suicide Prevention Month health services are inadequate to meet the demand. Untreated mental illness can have deadly and costly consequences. For every one life lost to suicide, at least 25 people attempt it. Over 90 percent of individuals who die from suicide have at least one mental illness. Statewide, there is one life lost to suicide every 64 hours. Depression and suicidal ideation is not
a normal part of aging either. For some older adults, physical or emotional pain prevents them from finding fulfillment in their everyday lives. If their pain is not addressed, they may attempt suicide. Older adults are less likely to act on suicidal thoughts impulsively; therefore, there may be more time to notice warning signs of suicide and intervene. Most people who struggle with thoughts of suicide ask for
Langdon Area FCCLA continues successful Snack Shop During the spring of 2018, the Langdon Area School District (LASD) wellness committee discussed during their meeting how to bring healthy snack options to the students after-school whether they were riding the bus home, going to their afterschool job or staying for activities and practices. FCCLA advisor Amy Kram also serves on the LASD wellness committee and saw an opportunity for her student organization to lend a hand in the form of a snack shop. “Each school district is required to have a local wellness policy to help guide the district’s efforts to establish a school environment that promotes students’ health, well-being and ability to learn. I serve on the wellness committee and ‘volunteered’ our FCCLA chapter for a trial period. The Snack Shop was very successful , both in terms of student support and financially during the fall last year, so we have continued with
Official Newspaper of Cavalier County Published since 1889
storage in the receiving room. A group of FCCLA members, who are great about stopping in to re-stock the displays, wash and bag fruits and vegetables, stay to help after-school. “We are not open when there is a home game in the gym, so we move our displays when n e c e s s a r y ,” Kram said. The Snack Shop is required to follow the USDA’s Smart Snacks guidelines which meet some general nutrition standards: • Be a grain product that contains 50% or more whole grains by weight (has whole grain as first ingredient) • Have as the first ingredient a fruit, vegetable, dairy product or protein food. • Be a combination food that contains at least 1/4 cup fruit and/or vegetable. • Meet specific nutrient standards for calories, sodium, sugar, and fats. An additional restriction was put in place by the school itself as LASD is a peanut and nut free school this year. FCCLA and cont. on page 2
help and get better– but help and hope begins with talking about it. Suicide does not have one single cause, but certain factors like substance abuse and untreated depression can lead to higher risk of suicide just as having a trusted group of friends can help protect you. It is possible that a family member or neighbor is in need of help but doesn’t know where to turn. It is important to be observant, both for yourself and those around you. Changes in a person’s mental health status don’t typically happen overnight, and there are almost always early signs of trouble. Here are a few to look for: • Feeling anxious or worried • Emotional outbursts • Problems sleeping • Dramatic changes in weight or appetite • Isolation • Feelings of failure If you are concerned about someone, make note of the signs you see in him or her. Pay special attention to signs of suicidal intent or thinking. Some of those signs include: • A change in routine or behavior. Stress decreases our ability to cope.
• An increase in illness, such as chronic headaches, ulcers, backaches, eating irregularities, sleeping disturbances, frequent sickness or exhaustion • A change of appearance, both in a person and his or her operation National Suicide Prevention Lifeline #BeThe1To has created five action steps for communicating with someone who may be suicidal and are supported by evidence in the field of suicide prevention. You could be the one to save a life by following these steps. ASK How – Asking the question “Are you thinking about suicide?” communicates that you’re open to speaking about suicide in a non-judgmental and supportive way. Asking in this direct, unbiased manner can open the door for effective dialogue about their emotional pain and can allow everyone involved to see what next steps need to be taken. Other questions you can ask include, “How do you hurt?” and “How can I help?” Do not ever promise to keep their thoughts of suicide a secret. The flip side of the “Ask” step is to “Listen.” Make sure you take their answers seriously and not to ignore them, especially if they indicate they are experiencing thoughts of suicide. Listening to their reasons for being in such emotional pain, as well as listening for any potential reasons they want to continue cont. on page 3
Is your small business prepared for a cyber attack?
The Langdon Area Chamber of Commerce held a cyber security workshop for small businesses within the Langdon area. U.S. Small Business Administrations Senior Area Manager Eric Giltner conversed with those in attendance on the importance of small businesses protecting themselves f r o m cyber threats. “There are just so many different aspects of cyber security,” Giltner said. Small business are the real target because, as a small business, they can be used as a back door to a larger business. Small business can be a vulnerable point of entry as a typical small business owner will not have as sophisticated set up of cyber security as the targeted larger business. Small business owners face an assortment of challenges when tackling the monumental task of making their data and information safe- from a lack of awareness on the im-
We are a Wine Walk stop! Join us Thursday, October 3 Be sure to pick up your FM Bank travel mug
portance of the issue to a lack of support and cost of implementation of adequate protection. “We don’t know what it’s going to cost to have adequate prevention. That’s one of the big questions, ‘well how much do I need to do?’ Well, I think, 90 percent of it is being aware and then 10 percent of it is knowing what your vulnerabilities are and getting professional h e l p for it,” Giltner shared. To avoid the dangers posed by a cyber attack Giltner offered the following advice. • Redundant Security - Having two different anti-virus solutions protecting the information stored. • Include employee personal devices. • Arrange a rigorous update and scan schedule. • Make cyber security a budget item. “The biggest threat is uncont. on page 2
Langdon Wine Walk 2019
when you stop in during the Wine Walk