Herald S erving the R egion S ince 1907
Dunn County
OCTOBER 21, 2016 $1.00
dunncountyextra.com
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‘Why not me?’
Heitkamp calls USPS to address issues Amidon, Halliday
Breast cancer survivor refused to let disease define her life story
DUNN COUNTY HERALD
By Bryan Gallegos Dunn County Herald
Editor’s Note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Dunn County Herald will be doing profiles on breast cancer survivors this month. Mary Wheeling just about wore out her running shoes after competing in a marathon and a dozen halfmarathons over the years. Now she thinking about taking up biking. To say the 60-year-old Wheeling likes to be active is a massive understatement. Last week, she scurried around with final details for her son’s wedding, a milestone that was a source of inspiration to her. She has a bubbly personality with a quick smile and sparkle in her eye. Wheeling, as many of her friends say, is the picture of life. But there was a time not too long ago that the “picture of life” was facing death squarely in the eye. Wheeling was diagnosed with breast cancer Nov. 17, 2000 - on her mother’s birthday - and doctors gave her a less-than-50-percent chance that she would survive. “I was like, ‘oh-oh,’” said Wheeler, a retired teacher at Killdeer Public School.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s scary. My main concern was for my husband, Bob, and the kids. I wanted to be around for graduations and weddings.” - Mary Wheeling “I’m not going to lie. It’s scary. My main concern was for my husband, Bob, and the kids. I wanted to be around for graduations and weddings.” It was a topsy-turvy time for Wheeler and her family. She went from “Everything’s OK” to “You have cancer” in a matter of weeks. She had a biopsy to remove a tumor in her left breast and doctors thought it was either a cyst or a fibro adenoma, which is a benign tumor and were pretty confident it was See STORY
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Homecoming Royalty Maddie Hill and Rope Smith were voted Homecoming Queen and King on Friday during the coronation ceremony at the gymnasium at the school. For more on Homecoming 2016, see page 5. (Photo by Bryan Gallegos)
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp called on U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan to take concrete steps to protect quality mail delivery and service in Amidon and Halliday now and in the future following the news of the anticipated post office closure in Amidon and service disruption in Halliday. Heitkamp pressed Brennan to make sure her agency is listening to the needs of the Amidon and Halliday communities, and to communicate a comprehensive plan on how the needs of both communities to access the full array of postal services will be met. “No North Dakotan should have to see their standard of service interrupted or their local post office disappear – but too often, many rural families and businesses experience disruptions – without much prior warning, explanation, or future plan in place from USPS,” said Heitkamp. “That’s unacceptable. Today I called on Postmaster General Brennan to address the recently announced post office challenges in Amidon and Halliday – communities that rely heavily on mail service. It’s absolutely critical that the See USPS
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Two Dunn County officials honored for excellence DUNN COUNTY HERALD
Dunn County Highway Department Office Coordinator Lori Tabor, center, was recently honored by the North Dakota Association of Counties in the “County Employee” category. With Tabor are Mark Johnson, the NDACo executive director, left, and NDACo oresudebt Steve Reuser. (Submitted photo)
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Lori Tabor and Tracey Dolezal were honored recently by the North Dakota Association of Counties during its annual conference in Bismarck. The two Dunn County officials were recognized for their exceptional dedication, leadership and involvement for the good of all counties. Tabor is the Dunn County Highway Department Office Coordinator. She was recognized in the “County Employee” category. Dolezal is the Dunn County Auditor/Treasurer and was recognized in the
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Dunn County Auditor/Treasurer Tracey Dolezal was honored by the North Dakota Association of Counties in the “County Official” category. Pictured with Dolezal are, at left, Mark Johnson, the NDACo executive director, and Steve Reiser, the NDACo president. (Submitted photo)
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“County Official” category. Also honored at the conference were Walsh County Commissioner Luther Meberg and Greg Wilz, the director of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. Tabor earned the award as an exemplary employee who steps up to the demands of her job and is quick to help out with other tasks, such as taking on the duties of Risk Manager in addition to her duties as Office Coordinator. She dives deep into projects like researching and choosing the best software solutions. After all that, she doesn’t
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“Nobody knows how they are going to react if they get cancer. But if I ever get something like that, I want to be like her.” -Bob Wheeling, husband of breast cancer survivor
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