12° 2°
Partly Cloudy CHANCE OF RAIN: 10% Wind: NE at 16 mph
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Cando, North Dakota 58324-0519
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Cloudy CHANCE OF RAIN: 30% Wind: SSE at 20 mph
Cloudy CHANCE OF RAIN: 20% Wind: S at 16 mph
Volume 126, Issue 27
Munro is new general manager at Rolla auto dealer By Jason Nordmark Of The Star
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osh Munro has held a couple of different jobs and had a lot of opportunities over the years. But he’s only had one hometown. “This area has been super important to me my whole life,” Munro said. “When we looked at the pros and cons of moving back, there wasn’t one regret I had about my upbringing here. My family is here. Plus, a lot of my friends are here too and they all love it.” Three weeks ago, Munro was working for a commercial insurance company in Bozeman, Montana. Last Saturday, he was working as the general manager of Theel Motors in Rolla, buying into a partnership with Lowell and Loie Tupa. The deal was a culmination of a yearlong discussion between the two families. Lowell said the ar-
rangement has all the ingredients for success. “For the last four years, we’ve been looking for something to keep the business going,” Lowell said. “We think it’s important for the area to have a dealership and the 20 jobs that go with it.” Lowell said Munro was a perfect candidate to start on the path to eventual ownership. “He knows the people, the area and that we’re very sincere about making sure this place stays open for another 60 years.” For now, Lowell will remain the General Motors dealer until Munro becomes a part of the franchise, which is up for renewal in 2015. Theel Motors has been an integral part of the area’s business community for 68 years. In an historic sense of fate, the company’s founder, Bruce Theel, originally bought the Chevrolet franchise from Bill and Charlie Munro, brothers of Josh’s grandfather, Albert Munro. Josh graduated from Rolla High School in 1997 and is the son of
Maureen and the late Tom Munro. His brother, Paul, owns and operates Munro Builders Supply and Ace Hardware. “I can’t say I’d be selling cars if it wasn’t right here in Rolla,” Josh said. “At the end of the day, I look back at my ancestors and it worked out really well for them. Like me, they all loved it here.” Although Lowell isn’t leaving his office anytime soon, the transition did give him a chance to reflect on the 40-plus years he has spent at Theel Motors. In 1972, he spent the summer working in each department to see if he would like it. The next year, he left his teaching job in Grand Forks and eventually became the dealership’s general manager. In 1980, Lowell said Bruce told him it was time to buy. “Bruce came in one day and said I was buying him out,” Lowell said. “I had (former office manager) Vera Hanson write a check to Bruce for a couple hundred thousand dollars. Later she came into my office and said, ‘Okay, smart-
1989 State Class B Champs
From left to right are Lowell Tupa, Loie Tupa, and Josh Munro, who recently bought into Theel Motors as a partner. aleck, how are you going to cover that check?’ “ Josh and Lowell’s deal wasn’t quite as abrupt, but the relief of having a solid future ahead for the
Staus Appointed To Finish Term By Lavonne Haugen For the Record-Herald
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he Cando City Council met on Monday, March 5 and appointed Chad Staus to finish out the term of Lori Dunham who resigned at the last city council meeting. Staus was sworn in by Judge Timms before taking his seat with the council. Jay Nicholas was present to inform the council of his interest in purchasing the house and lot north of his house that the city has ownership of due to unpaid back taxes. The council approved the sale with the stipulation that the house on the lot be demolished. The golf course road was once again discussed. The township
The Bisbee-Egeland Panthers were recognized at half-time of the championship game at the State Class B Tournament on their 25th anniversary of winning the championship game. Those involved were: Front row (left to right):Lisa Swenson, Shelly Carter, Sherri Carter, Carlyss Kurtti, Corey Hagler, Duane Carter, Coach Pat Flanagan. Back row (left to right): Coach Al Olson, Rick Lindberg, Waylan Starr, Travis Bursinger, Jeff Krick, Jayson Knutson, Ryan Flanagan, Daniel Oakland, Brent Kurtti, Eric Barwicki.
Is It Spring Yet?
business is something that’s given the Tupa family a feeling of relief. “We wanted to keep Theel Motors as a small, local dealership and not part of a big company. We
were afraid that would cause the business to lose its identity,” Loie said. “It is business as usual and we encourage peopelto come in to greet or meet Josh. Chevrolet and Buick will be here for a long time, as will Theel Motors.” Just a few days into his new venture, Josh said he likes the idea of selling tangible products rather than the abstract ideas of insurance. He added that the pangs marking his first week on the job are a good sign. “It feels comfortable,” Josh said. “Sure it’s a little intimidating, overwhelming and scary, but it’s also exciting.” As Josh figures out his role at Theel Motors, he’s also learning the ropes of being a new dad. He and his wife, Jenee (pronounced Jenny) welcomed a son, Hugo, just three months ago. As for Lowell, he knows just how long he’ll stay at his desk. “I’ll be here until Josh throws me out,” he said. “My job is to make him successful by helping him any way I can.”
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would like to turn the road over to the city for maintenance once they have paid their portion for the repairs. Robert Timms expressed concern about the city spending money on the road as well as having to maintain it. The township board will be invited to the next city council meeting to resolve issues. Following a special meeting at noon on March 5 for further discussion with the state regarding ADA compliance, the council reviewed a new resolution that dedicates a minimum amount of 2% of the city sales tax revenue to ADA compliance. The resolution was approved and signed by the council. City police officer Mike Dehn tendered his resignation effective March 14. Officer Dehn has accepted a position with the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office. His resig-
nation was acknowledged by the council. An application for abatement of taxes was received by the auditor’s office. A hearing will be set to review the request. In general committee reports, it was noted that there was another water main break, this time on 1st Street. Complaints have been received regarding the site of the last break by A&W Standard. It was noted once again that repairs will be made as soon as possible in the spring. A well at the water plant has blown out and will need to be dug out and assessed for repair. The council discussed moving meeting dates and times with the arrival of spring. The first meeting in April will be moved to Monday at 8 pm.
Spring Turkey Drawing Held, Licenses Remain
he 2014 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and hopeful hunters can check individual results by accessing the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov. More than 600 licenses remain in 11 units. The governor’s proclamation allows a maximum of two licenses, and hunters who did not apply in the first drawing are also eligible. Licenses remain in unit 06,
Bowman County; unit 13, Dunn County; unit 19, Grant and Sioux counties and portions of Morton County; unit 25 McHenry County and portions of Pierce and Ward Counties; unit 31, Mountrail County; unit 40, Rolette County and portions of Bottineau, Renville, and Pierce counties; unit 44, Slope County; unit 45, Stark County; unit 47, Eddy, Foster, Kidder, Sheridan, Stutsman and Wells counties; unit 51, Burke County and portions of Renville, Bottineau and Ward
counties; and unit 99, Mercer and Oliver counties. Licenses are issued on a firstcome, first-served basis beginning March 19. Applicants can apply online, or print an application to mail at the Game and Fish website. In addition, applications can be requested by calling (701) 328-6300. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply. The spring turkey season opens April 12 and continues through May 18.
Education Reform Opposition Involves Strange Bedfellows
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By Lloyd Omdahl
he Russians invaded the Ukraine and the New York Stock Market dropped 200 points. The situation stabilized and the Stock Market recovered. That underscores the fact that we are in a world economy and occurrences on the other side of the globe have a dramatic impact on the American economic system. For the past 20 years, American economic leaders and thinkers have been keenly aware of the need for reforming our educational system to meet the growing challenges of an international economy. Unfortunately, progress has been bogged
down in political wrangling and institutional resistance. First, we tried ‘No Child Left Behind’ but that ended with every child left behind. The program was intended to raise the learning bar in our education system with tests to measure progress. Unfortunately, expectations were too high, terrorizing teachers, school boards and legislators. And our willingness to change was too low so the program was abandoned. Now we have a new approach called the ‘Common Core’ intended to upgrade the analytical thinking of students, with emphasis on math and language skills. The program was initiated by
the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. North Dakota is one of the 45 states that have adopted the principles of Common Core. Common Core will be using a new testing system that will assess the progress of individual students. However, any kind of uniform testing from above is rankling liberals and conservatives alike. Teachers do not want any assessing that could be used to link student performance to teacher competence. As an example, New York’s largest teachers’ union denounced Common Core standards after initially endorsing them because student test scores could be
used for teacher evaluations. Some vocal conservatives oppose Common Core, not for its substance but because it is being proposed at the national level. Even though launched by state officials, they worry about a federal takeover of education. An anti-Common Core spokesperson in Colorado summed up this position: “We want to keep our education decisions local.” With both liberal and conservative groups opposing implementation of the Common Core, the prognosis is just about the same as it was for ‘No Child Left Behind.’ The same arguments that buried NCLB are likely to kill another plan to prepare American students to compete
on the international stage. As far as satisfying the objections of teachers, that will never happen because there are too many other factors affecting the test results of students in addition to the performance of teachers. As a consequence, we will never be able to develop an evaluation system that will meet all objections. Therefore, the only sensible course of action is to start with less than the ideal and improve as we go. Now as to dealing with the ageold controversy about local control of schools. Maybe it’s time to face reality today than have American kids at a disadvantage tomorrow. The reality is that American kids will face more international competi-
tion for jobs and careers than any generation before them. We have an intergovernmental educational system at present upon which we should be able to build. The federal government provides grants, loans and funding of all sorts; states create and fund school districts, and locally-elected boards run the schools. This ragged, uncoordinated system is not accomplishing what American young people need but that is where we must start. Somehow, both the education community and the ideologues must yield some ground. It’s time to quit talking about how we love kids and make some concessions to prove it.