The Borderland Press V4, N13, Friday, April 4

GRIZZLIES, CARDINALS COMPETE AT PEMBINA COUNTY INVITATIONAL p. B1 & B2

The official newspaper of Cavalier County Theborderlandpress.com

In this issue:

Friday, April 4, 2025

Volume 4, Number 13

Coffee, thrift, and gift

Breathing new life into Pembina's Historic Customs and Border Protection House

By Hilary Nowatzki

adventure, she’s armed with an inchand-a-half binder full of research and is meticulously planning a business that will breathe new life into the historic building.

“I want it to be cozy, and I want it to be eclectic,” Swiscoski explained of her vision.

News: Pembina County 4-H’ers participate in Agronomy Judging, Pg. A2

The space will combine a coffee bar, eatery, thrift and gift store, as well as a community gathering spot, targeting both locals and travelers passing through on I29.

Mary Lou Swiscoski, the visionary behind a new shop coming to Pembina.

Photo by Jesus Ramos.

Ag: USDA upheaval brings uncertainty to farmers and rural communities, Pg. A3

Views from the Borderland: Local vendors attend Grand Forks farm toy show, Pg. B8

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In the small North Dakota town of Pembina, a historic building is about to get a second chance at community service. The 1932 US Customs and Border Protection House, an architectural gem which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is set to transform into a unique coffee, thrift, and gift space and overall local gathering spot.

Mary Lou Swiscoski, a nurse with an entrepreneurial spirit, is taking on the challenge of using the portion of the building that was once a post office into a storefront. She has worn several hats throughout her life, having been an English and science teacher then in nonprofit management for 10 years. For the last 10 years, she has been a RN. For the last four years she has worked at Wedgewood Manor in Cavalier. Now embarking on a new

The Customs House features a federal-style architecture with a symmetrical design, red brick facade, and classical elements. At 15,929 square feet, Swiscoski said the building offers tremendous potential. After considering several options, the property was recently donated to the Fort Pembina Historical Society by its previous owners, Keith Danks Jr of Exclusive Assets LLC and Josh Peterka of Nodak Insurance Company; the property has sat empty for years, waiting for the right opportunity.

“On the far side of town, a new border building was built,” said Swiscoski. “So this one sat empty and went through at least two different realtors that I’m aware of, and the most recent owner, he said, you know, it’s just been sitting empty and contacted the Fort Pembina Historical Society and said, ‘Hey, you guys are active. I’m just going to give you this building on the

The old US Customs and Border Patrol House, which is listed on the National Historic Registry, will soon host a coffee, thrift, and gift shop.

condition that is for the betterment of the community.’”

Swiscoski has spent months interviewing local business owners and researching successful models in nearby towns like Cavalier and Hallock, Minnesota. Her inspiration came from places like Blue Fox Coffee Shop and Bully Brew, which have successfully operated in historic buildings with similar restrictions that come with being on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I want to be open super early,” she said, planning to start at 5:30 a.m. to catch the MCI bus crowd. The business will operate until 1:30 p.m., focusing on breakfast and lunch offerings. Her

menu will include grab-and-go options inspired by other caters such as Stacy Dahl’s Bar and Grill. The town currently has a fantastic restaurant, Bridgestone Bar and Grill, Swiscoski said, which offers lunch and dinner.

Inspired by her husband’s constant desire for a hearty breakfast, Swiscoski aims to serve food throughout the early portions of the day.

This is more than just a business for Swiscoski. She envisions a space that creates community and connection.

“I find there’s a lot of lonely people in the world,” she explained. She plans to create cozy corners where community members can sit, chat, or simply cont’d. on page A9

LANGDON AREA HOSTS ACADEMIC BANQUET

Governor signs bill expanding opportunities for North Dakota cottage food producers

By Rebecca Davis

On March 21, Governor Kelly Armstrong signed Senate Bill 2386 into law, expanding the North Dakota Cottage Foods Act. The bill, co-sponsored

by Senators Van Oosting, Gerhardt, and Roers, along with Representatives Motschenbacher, Holle, and Hauck, amends subsection 3 of section 23-09.5-02 of the North Dakota Century Code to enhance opportunities for cottage food producers.

The North Dakota Cottage Foods Act allows home-based food producers to sell uninspected, homemade products directly to informed consumers for at-home consumption. By eliminating licensing and inspection fees, the law encourages small businesses and start-ups while ensuring consumer health and safety remain a priority.

Previously, cottage food producers, many of whom sell at farmers markets and vendor events, were restricted from selling their products online, through the mail, by consignment, or across state lines. Senate Bill 2386 removes these limitations, providing new avenues for sales and business growth.

Farmers Market vendor Emily Carpencont’d. on page A2

Numerous students from Langdon and Munich were honored at the Academic Banquet hosted At The Hop. Photo by Larry Stokke.

On Sunday, March 30 the Langdon Area School District hosted its 26th Annual Cavalier County Academic Excellence Awards Banquet at the At The Hop Bar in Langdon. The awards banquet honored students who were Munich High School Cody Amble Noah Foster Caleb McDonald Bridget Pankratz Max Brown Emma Hall Tanner McDonald Grady Pankratz Zachary Estensen Payton Hall Kemi Mostad Natalie Perry Langdon Area High School Destiny Aguilar Makayla Bartlett Kartheek Chapara Heidi Crump

on the A Honor Roll from the Munich High School and Langdon Area High School. Rebecca Romfo was also presented with Teacher of the Year.

Wayne Reid from Langdon Prairie Health was the guest speaker for the

James Domres Taya Fiest Shanna Gette Max Henderson Mya Hoffman Ciara Kempert Matilda Lawson Jonathan Lill Nora Lorenz Rylee Medbery Sophia Nuelle Abby Peterson Raeleigh Ratzlaff Theodore Romfo Jacob Sanders Landon Schneider Christian Tollefson Isabelle Vikan Aubrey Badding Devin Bernstrom

Claire Chaput Madilyn Crump Kennen Forest Brock Freer Catelyn Goodman Meggy Hetletved Mya Johnson Jordan Klindt Nadia Lewis Oliver Lill Olivia Lorenz Claire Mehlhoff Mikaela Olson Jaxen Rademacher McKenzie Regner Drew Rostvet Eastyn Schaefer Maddux Stremick Jacob Tollefson Alexandra Westphal

event.

The award banquet was hosted in part by the Langdon Area School District Foundation and the Langdon Area Chamber of Commerce. Door prizes Erika Bakke Remmi Bodnar Kenadee Cluchie Ruby Davis Carson Entzi Tyson Gemmill Aiden Haraseth Maci Hoffarth Tallia Johnson Logan Landsem Kiera Lien Christine Joyner Hadley Medbery Tori Mittleider Chole Ottem Haven Radway Meredith Romfo Patrick Ryan Reed Scherr Levi Swanson

were sponsored by Farmers and Merchants State Bank and Choice Bank.

The following students were recognized:

Keaton Ullyott Graci Witzel Langdon Area School District Foundation Board of Directors Sara GoodmanPresident Jennifer Busse- Vice President Linda HopeSecretary Charles JordanTreasurer Jacy Bata Jayla Askvig Lucas Mikkelson Adam Lafrenz Ethen Askvig

Langdon Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Jackie DvorakPresident Courtney Krom- 1st Vice President Morgan Zeis- 2nd Vice President Maria Rohde Dave Bakke Janelle Borho Sara Mikkelsen Jessica Pengilly Wayne Reid

News

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A2

The Borderland Press

St. Alphonsus Pembina County 4-Hers participate in Agronomy Judging School to perform Pembina County 4-H had 11 youth ac- insects, equipment and machinery, rell, Oscar Hunter, Rylan Moore, Olive Alissa Sharp. tively participating in Agronomy Judg- different types of crop disorders, and Moore, Atlas Moore, Charlie Midkiff, The 4-H crop judging contest is con“The Wizard of Oz” ing for the 2024-2025 4-H season. market grade factors for wheat and and Johnny Midkiff.

On Friday, April 4, audiences will skip down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her friends when the Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) and more than 60 local students perform an original musical adaptation of the timeless favorite, “The Wizard of Oz.”

There were ten juniors and one senior with eight new youth joining the team and learning how to evaluate North Dakota crops.

Eight youth participated in the Northeast Agronomy contest on March 8, 2025 in Larimore, N.D. The agronomy

durum.

The top three scores from Pembina County in the junior division included Naomi Stegman, first place; Stella Norrell, second place; and Chole Hunter, third place. Anja Schluchter placed fourth overall in the senior di-

The local cast features students from St. Alphonsus School playing Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man and Toto. Also featured will be the Professor/Wizard, Glinda, the Wicked Witch, the Green Guard, Mayor Munchkin, and Farmer Munchkin. Other students complete the ensemble as the Kalidahs, Illusionists, Munchkins and Sprouts.

Students will also serve as Assistant Directors of the show.

Three Pembina County 4-Hers participated at the North Dakota 4-H state Agronomy contest in Carrington on March 15, 2025. Schluchter received 12th place at state and her team was awarded third overall.

One fun addition to the 2025 Agronomy contest this year was students had the opportunity to work with live plants instead of plant mounts, and these were an excellent exercise for the youth.

ducted with support and sponsorship from the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association and North Dakota 4-H Foundation.

Congratulations to all participants for their hard work and dedication; you’ve made us incredibly proud!

Let’s continue to support our young agronomists as they grow into leaders of tomorrow’s agriculture!

For more information about the 4-H Agronomy contest and project visit https://www.ndsu.edu/

“The Wizard of Oz” will be presented at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. at the St. Alphonsus School gymnasium. Tickets will be available at the door.

Langdon man charged with threatening public servant

Pembina County Agronomy Team: Front row (L-R) Levi Norrell, Oscar Hunter, Olive Moore, Chloe Hunter; back row, Coach Shana Norrell, Stella Norrell, Anja Schluchter, Naomi Stegman, Rylan Moore and Coach Brandon Breckheimer.

By The Borderland Press staff

A Langdon man is facing felony charges for allegedly threatening to shoot a county road grader driver in the face. A report from the Cavalier County Sheriff’s Office said the employee and a friend were sitting at the bar at the Eagles Club in Langdon on March 12. The employee told his friend he was going to begin the process of reclaiming roads, which is pulling gravel from the ditch back onto the road.

The report said Kirk Feil, 55, overheard this conversation and told the employee not to reclaim the roads near his farm or he would shoot him “right between the eyes.”

Stella Norrell grading wheat.

Feil was charged with threatening a public servant Wednesday. He faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

students showcased their knowledge and skills at a highly competitive contest that included contestants identifying crops and weeds by the seeds,

Walhalla woman charged with terrorizing

Cont’d. From Page A1 Governor signs bill expanding opportunities ter said she feels the recent changes may process and sell poultry if they allow for a greater opportunity to sell slaughter no more than 1,000 birds year round, not just at farmers mar- they have raised themselves within a kets and vendor fairs. calendar year. The poultry must not be adulterated or misbranded, and “Now I can make extra cinnamon rolls sales must remain within N.D. on a Friday, share online that I have extra and have the opportunity to sell Recognizing the immediate impact on them and take orders for specialty small businesses and food producers, pies, cookies and other baked goods Governor Armstrong declared the bill around the holidays and realistical- an emergency measure, meaning it ly any time of the year now,” shared took effect immediately upon signing.

Carpenter. “We also have the ability to reach out to other states and ship Celica Gonzalez, owner of CeCe’s items. Many of us cottage bakeries Candyz said, “I think it will help busihave limited opportunities for sales ness owners.” during the cold months, this opens doors for us bakers and allows us to This legislative update marks a signifhave a steadier income and the ability icant step forward for N.D.’s cottage to retain customers.” food industry, empowering homebased entrepreneurs while maintainAdditionally, the bill permits home ing food safety standards. producers to sell poultry products under specific conditions. Producers

By The Borderland Press staff

In Walhalla, Krystal Armstrong is being charged with felony terrorizing and misdemeanor simple assault.

Last week, Armstrong allegedly followed around another car, the driver of which was a juvenile. After the unnamed juvenile eventually stopped the car, Armstrong approached them and then punched them in the face twice. According to a police report, she then threatened to “put a bullet through the head” of the juvenile.

Investigations are underway. Currently there are no further details.

vision.

Other Pembina County 4-Hers participating included Levi Norrell, Silas Nor-

Naomi Stegman identifying live plants.

The Pembina County 4-H Agronomy teams were coached by Brandon Breckheimer and Shana Norrell with assistance by NDSU Extension agent

agriculture/extension/extension-topics/4-h-youth-development/ members-volunteers/contests/ agronomy-contest.

Gardening in the Dakotas

Local Master Gardener offers expert advice at upcoming library workshop

By Rebecca Davis

Local residents interested in starting their own home gardens are invited to attend a free gardening workshop at the Cavalier Public Library on Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. NDSU Extension Master Gardener Lillian Stegman will share expert insights on growing vegetables and fruits specifically suited to N.D.’s unique climate.

The workshop will focus on the most popular garden varieties that thrive in the region, offering practical advice for both beginner and experienced gardeners.

Participants will learn about soil preparation, weed control, and selecting the right crops for the state’s short growing season.

"Do not be afraid to garden," Stegman encourages potential attendees. "If you have a piece of dirt, even just a pot, you can grow something you can eat and enjoy."

The event aims to not only educate local gardeners but also encourage participation in the Cavalier Farmers Market, which is currently offering free vendor spots to local producers.

The workshop is free and open to the public.

Agriculture

The Borderland Press

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A3

USDA upheaval brings uncertainty to farmers, rural communities Funding terminations, freezes, layoffs all have follow-on impacts

By Michael Standaert/The North Dakota News Cooperative

the bill for equipment purchased and work half completed.

Nonprofit groups that work with local farmers across the state, like the Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resource Management and Sustainability (FARRMS), are also losing their ability to deliver on projects.

For FARRMS executive director Stephanie Blumhagen, one frustration has been a lack of information, particularly since funding can go through multiple layers of entities.

A crew from the Walsh County conservation district plants pasture grass and cover crops in June, 2023. Photo provided by Josh Anderson, Walsh County district conservation manager.

Trump administration funding terminations, freezes and layoffs are keeping some North Dakota farmers and rural nonprofits from continuing USDA and other federally funded projects.

In some cases, projects long in the making were terminated or thrown into uncertainty, washing away months and even years of work.

In others, promised funds haven’t been released, leaving some footing

The situation also causes issues where contracts were already agreed upon, meaning work must continue on projects that may not be funded.

FARRMS, almost entirely funded

by USDA grants, had three programs frozen and one large project terminated – unless funding eventually comes through.

It was also involved in the North Central Regional Food Business Cen-

The approach for reciprocal tariffs narrows – Reciprocal tariffs are scheduled to be implemented as of last Wednesday. In comments made at the White House, President Trump said many countries will be given a break. “We may take less than what they’re charging because they’ve charged us so much. I don’t think they could take it. In other words, they’ve charged us so much that I’m embarrassed to charge them what they’ve charged us, but it’ll be substantial, and you’ll be hearing about that on April 2.”

China’s tariffs cost Canadian farmers – China’s 100 percent tariff on Canadian canola products and a 25 percent tariff on pork and seafood are causing major disruptions for Canadian growers and exporters.

Sask Oilseeds Chairman Dean Roberts warned of serious challenges ahead. “We’re facing trade wars, tariffs, and disputes with two of our large trade partners.” The pork industry is also bracing for economic fallout, particularly in Manitoba, the country’s largest pork producer and exporter.

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl highlighted the widespread impact. “If high tariffs remain in place, we are going to see a reduction in production, and we’re going to see reductions in processing, and that’s going to cost our economy, and that’s going to cost jobs.”

NFU president warns of trade war impact on farmers – National Farmers Union President Rob Larew has called on U.S. leaders to address the fallout of escalating trade tensions with the European Union. In partnership with the Italian farm organization Coldiretti, NFU sent a letter to President Trump urging diplomatic solutions to avoid retaliatory tariffs. “At the end of the day, this has a real impact on farmers out there,” Larew said, emphasizing that farmers are often on the front lines of trade disputes.

This included regranting of $205,000 by the Region Five Development Commission to five farms and local food businesses in N.D. to build out the program last year. FARRMS had to dissolve all contracts related to the

A Walsh County Soil Health Tour brought together 40 participants to learn more about soil loss, erosion and soil health in July 2023. Here, Naeem Kalwar [left side in the green shirt], a soil health specialist from the NDSU Langdon Research Extension Center, leads the talk. Photo provided by Josh Anderson, Walsh County district conservation manager.

Larew also warned of the lasting consequences of past trade conflicts, particularly with China. “We suffered real losses during the last trade war with China and lost markets that we still haven’t been able to recover,” he said. While short-term government payments have helped offset some losses, Larew stressed that farmers need stable markets, not subsidies.

Ceasefire includes Black Sea grain deal – Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire. Agriculture was included in the negotiations between the United States and Russia. The White House reports the U.S. will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports. The arrangement also includes access to ports on the Black Sea and a payment system for these exports. There was a previous deal worked out between the United Nations and Turkey that allowed Russia and Ukraine to ship grain on the Black Sea, but Russia backed out of that agreement in July of 2023.

ter, a project promoting partnerships with farmers and local economic development commissions and other stakeholders to build stronger local food systems. The project had already been active for two years and involved 35 partner organizations in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota but has now been disrupted

by USDA funding freezes.

More corn planting ahead – Farmers are likely to plant more corn this spring than initially projected, driven by strong demand for corn seed. Jim McCormick, co-founder of Agri-Market.net, said, “The demand for corn is ferocious,” adding that in some areas, certain corn genetics have already sold out. McCormick attributes the shift to better profitability prospects in corn compared to soybeans. “When you look at the spring price of corn, it’s a nickel above where it was a year ago, while beans are a dollar below a year ago,” he said. He added that with current prices, “no one’s making money” on soybeans.

Trump administration pushes for biofuels policy consensus – The Trump administration is urging oil and biofuel producers to collaborate on future U.S. biofuels policy to avoid past political conflicts over the Renewable Fuel Standard. Disputes over blending volumes and small refinery exemptions have long divided the industries. Recent discussions have focused on increasing the renewable diesel and biodiesel mandate from 3.35 billion to 5.5 billion gallons.

However, ethanol blending remains capped at 15 billion gallons with little room for growth due to stagnant gasoline demand. The debate over small refinery exemptions continues to be a key sticking point.

program because of funding uncertainty.

“Not only does that represent a financial loss to all of these organizations who had restructured their budgets, (but) we were gearing up to do this work of providing technical assistance to local businesses in their communities,” Blumhagen said. “We've lost all this momentum, and potentially, partnerships.”

Blumhagen said funding to programs like these run by small rural nonprofits are a “percentage of a percent” of the USDA budget.

“We’re really efficient. We leverage other resources, we work together, we network. So this funding freeze is creating roadblocks and inefficiencies,” Blumhagen said. “It’s making us spend time restructuring. It’s the opposite of creating efficiency.”

Program terminations So far, federal and USDA program terminations include three in N.D. Two of those are the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program and the Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) program.

Great Plains Food Bank was a participant in the LFPA, using the funding to purchase food from local farmers, growers and ranchers to support children, families and seniors suffering from food insecurity, according to Darby Njos, communications manager at the organization.

“Unfortunately, with these cuts now in place, we had to have difficult conversations with farmers expecting to participate in the program,” Njos said.

“While this does impact us as a food bank, it more significantly affects our local farmers, growers, and ranchers who were relying on these funds.”

For the LFSCC program targeting schools and childcare facilities, the state would have been awarded $1.8 million to help cover purchases of locally produced food for schools and around $870,000 for purchases for childcare facilities.

The state applied for the funds but was never approved for the final award since it overlapped with the incoming administration and intensive budget cuts.

Another termination is the Working Lands Conservation Corps, which supported conservation and agricultural resilience projects by training youth in careers related to climate-smart agriculture and conservation.

For N.D., that means the loss of an internship at the U.S. Geological Survey office in Jamestown under the National Ecological Observatory Network for ecological field data collection.

Dakota Angus, a beef producer near Drake, had been awarded nearly cont’d. on page B5

Rural Leadership North Dakota seeks participants for 11th class

The deadline to apply for NDSU Extension's Rural Leadership North Dakota Class XI is June 1. (NDSU photo)

North Dakota State University Extension’s Rural Leadership North Dakota (RLND) program is now accepting applications for its 11th class, Class XI, set to begin in November 2025.

The 18-month leadership development program includes seven in-state seminars, which will feature expert speakers and tours of agricultural and community businesses, as well as three out-of-state trips. Participants will travel to Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2026 to engage with agricultural, business and government leaders. Additionally, the class will embark on an international study seminar in 2027 to explore global agricultural and community issues. Previous classes have visited Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, Spain and Ghana. cont’d. on page B6

Opinion

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A4

The Borderland Press

Letter from the Publisher tle early this week in the comfort of one of many comfy waiting rooms at First Care Health Center in sunny Park River, N.D. We arrived here at 7a.m., so the Hubz can have his regular procedure that I would imagine you’ll be reading about down below eventually.

He’s looking good in his purple and green dress. I’ll save the rest of the details for him to tell you about.

Welcome to April! I hope it’s treating you well so far. I’m writing a lit-

By the time you read this, yet another N.D. snow event will be over. Weathercasters are suggesting we will be spared from most of it. My fingers

are crossed, but it’s only Tuesday.

I’ll remind you, Blizzard Hannah was the first weekend in April 1997, and history dictates we are not out of the woods yet. My attitude, however, is at the very edge of the forest, waiting to be set free!

I’m looking forward to a drive to Grafton this week to watch granddaughter Sam in the Shrek musical they are performing. Sam plays a young Fiona, and I can’t wait. The auditorium at their school is beautiful, comfortable and has excellent viewing. They

have four performances; check it out on Facebook.

I don’t want to jinx things using the “S” word but the greenhouses are a real tease aren’t they! Visions of blooming flowers and thick greenery are dancing in my head. Something is showing itself in my front flowerbed, pretty brave considering the forecast. Don’t wish your life away, they say. Flower planting will be here soon enough; there’s lots to see and do before then.

I’ll pour myself another cup. I’m the driver for the ride home, then into the office I’ll go…but, next week…..Vacation! Details to come.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope spring is at your door soon!

Diane Simmons

Publisher publisher@theborderlandpress.com

The coffee here is pretty good. I think

Letter from the Editor

As most of you know, I don’t drink, which may make you think I’m a loser with a capital L. If that’s the case, that’s fine. However, as the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous writes, us sober folks “are not a glum lot.”

I find this to be true for many folks in recovery. They all seem to have these big, infectious personalities or are a little odd and eccentric like me. Some of the best people I’ve

ever met are those who are in recovery.

if he let me beat him, but a win is a win and I’ll take it.

However, I don’t let this lifestyle choice stop me from going bar hopping from time to time! This weekend, that’s exactly what I did with Phil. We were hoping to go out on Friday, but the ice storm threw a wrench in our plans.

Next up we went to Sporty’s for some food and to shoot a few rounds of darts. We bought a new set a while back, and I swear I can’t get used to the weight of them. I’m sad to report that I had my butt handed to me in each game. No worries though, I’m a good sport.

So, on Saturday, I got ready and even put on makeup for the first time in ages to go out and about. Our first stop was the Eagles where we faced off in a couple of games of pool over a few Busch NAs. Knowing Grandpa would be getting done with coffee with his hoodlum friends as Phil and I were finishing up our second game, I gave him a call and asked if he would like to shoot a game. He said yes!

I faced off with Grandpa, and for the first time EVER, I won a game against him! Grandpa has decades of practice on me, and a part of me wonders

After Sporty’s, we walked on over to Sip Happens. I had a lovely mocktail, and Phil ordered a fancy Manhattan.

He even got Bob to put on a show for him with the elaborate explanations, a burst of fire, and some lovely smelling smoke. After our drinks, we took to the back of the business to play shuffleboard. I hadn’t played shuffleboard since I lived in California back a decade ago. After a few games of that we headed home and finished off the evening with a game of Risk and then another of Monopoly.

It was a lovely sober Saturday full of fun and games, and just what I needed to recharge my battery. If you think there’s nothing to do as a sober person, think again! Plus, I save so much money nowadays just sippin’ on a Busch NA, rather than pounding 10 shots in a night like I used to in my 20’s.

I hear the hangovers are 10 times worse in your 30’s, and I don’t plan on finding out if that’s true or not.

On a side note, next time you see Bob out and about, be sure to ask him about his ‘rubber machine.’

Hilary Nowatski Editor

editor@theborderlandpress. com

The Morning Stroll and Cuppa Joe: Tricky-Woo and the big bad pile of poo

By Sara Goodman Remember when I mentioned my parents were getting a dog? Well, they did, and they are going on three weeks with their new family member. They have a nine-monthold Boston terrier named Redmond, which my mom has inexplicably nicknamed Tricky-Woo. Two years ago, my mom attended a volleyball tournament with me in Minot and fell in love with Jennifer Busse’s puppy, Emmy. My mom decided

that she and my dad needed a puppy just like Emmy. Despite my warnings of the stress and expense of a puppy, my mom insisted it was just the thing she and my dad needed. She went on to make a down payment, and then I managed to talk her out of it.

Fast forward two years and Redmond, aka Tricky-Woo, has entered the picture. I was given no warning and no opportunity to play mean cop again.

Okay, dog lovers, I can practically hear you gasping in disgust and shock at my attitude, but hear me out. I was raised with no animals in the house.

We had plenty of animals outside, but no animals were ever allowed inside.

My sister snuck her favorite mangy momma barn cat inside one time, and it promptly pooped on her bedroom carpet. A few years later, my brother brought a new puppy home from the fair and let him sleep in his bed. The next morning, my brother woke up itchy and covered in fleas, and that was that. No more animals inside, ever. Now, my 75-year-old mom and

my 81-year-old dad are the proud parents of an inside fur baby for the first time, ever. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

As expected, Tricky-Woo has been a menace. At nine months old, he has never been away from his parents and siblings, so he has a fair amount of separation anxiety. On the few occasions they have had to leave him at home alone, Tricky-Woo will let his new parents know he’s upset by chewing on stuff, dragging shoes around and eating socks. Whenever I’m on the phone with my mom, Tricky-Woo is underfoot, blankly staring at her for attention. Tricky-Woo is partial to my mom at naptime, curling up on her lap, letting loose foul farts and snoring like a freight train. I have not yet met Mr. Woo, however, I have ample video footage from my mom, documenting these adorable attributes.

Tricky-Woo has decided that it’s my mom’s job to let him outside when he needs to relieve himself. Middle-

of-the-night wakeups are the most fun, especially when it’s dark, and my mom is fumbling around for the lights and discovers that Mr. Woo has already relieved himself on the entry room rug. I can’t decide what’s worse - stepping on a Lego or stepping on a fresh pile of dog poo. Tricky-Woo also has a tendency to pee all over himself whenever he gets excited.

The past few weeks of my parents’ new parenting adventure have been equally amusing and terrifying. On one hand, I have enjoyed hearing the stories and receiving the National Geographic quality footage of TrickyWoo up to no good. On the other hand, I’m partly annoyed that as kids, we were not allowed to bring our pet dogs or cats in the house, but now there’s Tricky-Woo like it’s no big deal.

I’m also worried that Tricky-Woo will be a tripping hazard or end up eating my dad’s pill box. My mom’s willingness to clean up Tricky-Woo’s messes is a puzzling shift from her typical atti-

tude toward indoor pets. For years my mom has come to my house, armed with gloves and a giant bottle of bleach, ready to wipe down every surface our two cats touch or even think about touching. My mom has forever claimed she could never deal with cat barf or litterboxes, yet now she’s cleaning up pee and poo courtesy of Tricky-Woo. Some people’s parents!

Disclaimer: my mom is going to read this, and I told her I was going to write it. It’s all good.

Sara Goodman is an avid walker who says her best ideas come to her after a morning pot of coffee. She grew up on a cattle ranch in Watford City, N.D. After many years working in healthcare, she now writes, is a substitute teacher and occasionally lends a hand to her hard-working hubby on the farm. She volunteers on several boards and committees in the Langdon community and attends social outings as much as possible.

The Goodman house has two kids at home, one in college and two spoiled cats.

Did Bazooka Joe have a cell phone?

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia As I pen this week’s column, I just received a press release from North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler regarding legislation to remove the use of cell phones by students while in class.

The bills are SB2354 and HB1160.

Across the country some school districts already have such policies in place. Some schools have more relaxed rules where they leave it up to the teachers to enforce no phone rules in their individual classes.

Baesler mentioned teachers being unable to teach even the basics due to student mental health challenges tied to device usage becoming so overwhelming in the classrooms. She cites studies that point to a mental health epidemic affecting our kids and grandkids due to the use of these electronic devices. Sounds dire, doesn’t it? But, is it really that bad?

I mean, what’s wrong with kids that can’t pay attention in the first place, many of whom have disciplinary issues, many with undiagnosed mental health problems, having access to their phones so they can play games, look at TikTok and Instagram while learning about boring US History, English and math? Am I missing something? What could possibly go wrong?

What I want to know is this: How. Did. We. Get. Here? At what point did any parent think it was a good idea to let their kid take a phone to school in the first place? When did any teacher or administrator or school board think it was a good idea and acceptable to allow kids to have phones in school? I refer to this as the ‘dumbing down’ of society – or one of my favorite quotes: What one generation tolerates the

next takes to excess.

I hear it now…Oh, but Bob, times have changed! What if I need to tell little Sally that Grandma will be picking her up after school? Bob says, then call the school office yourself; the grownups will get the message to Sally. Oh, but Bob, what if there’s a school shooting and my little Timmy needs to tell me? Bob says Timmy doesn’t need a phone in class, let the grownup teacher have the phone, and he or she can call the police. But Bob, my family is very wealthy and because we are rich we know better than everyone else and because we know better, so we don’t have to listen to logic or use common sense. Bob says - then you should move to California.

Look, you can ‘what if’ me until the cows come home. You cannot deny there is a problem, and it’s nothing that can’t be easily solved by removing the phones. Phones in schools are an unnecessary distraction, and experts, as well as our elected officials, are telling us they need to go. We need to support this and get the train back on the tracks. As you can well imagine, as a student, I was an expert

in the field of classroom disruption. I remember my 7th grade teacher, Ms. Murray, at Sullivan School admonishing me for chewing gum. I walked into the classroom after lunch chomping a huge wad of Bazooka Joe; I had like six pieces in my mouth and had blown a bubble the size of my head to my friend’s amazement.

She snapped – MR. SIMMONS! Did you bring enough gum for everyone in class today? If not, put it in the basket! I went home and complained to Mum-z and Dad about her picking on me, and before I could blink, they let me have it with both barrels citing how disrespectful I was and that I needed to write and recite aloud in class an apology to Ms. Murray and classmates for my wanton indiscretion. I have no doubt that to-

day, based on current standards, Ms. Murray would be brought before the school board and fired for violating students’ rights to chew gum and disrupt the curriculum.

Meanwhile, teen suicide rates are skyrocketing, 54% of adults have literacy below 6th grade level, and as a country, the United States is 31st in education rankings. I never thought I’d say it, but we need Ms. Murray back.

Community

The Borderland Press

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A5

Pembilier Nursing Center: The survey results are in

By Heather Duerre, Life Enrichment Director

fication survey with flying colors! We were completely deficiency free! You may not realize it right now, but this is a huge deal. I am hoping by the end of this article you will be jumping up and down celebrating with us, noisemakers and all!

Hello from your friends at PNC! This week I have super exciting news to share with you! If you’re not doing so already, I suggest you sit down, as the excitement may cause minor atrial fibrillation. The news I am about to share with you is equal to the excitement of when Evil Knievel attempted to jump the Grand Canyon!

At this point, I would like you to imagine a drum roll (insert drum roll)…

Pembilier Nursing Center passed their annual Medicare/Medicaid recerti-

Here is why this is so exciting. There are 73 nursing facilities in N.D., and each facility goes through an annual review by the state to be recertified for their Medicare/ Medicaid programs.

These programs provide the facilities with funding that directly impacts the residents and the facilities ability to provide a quality home and life for their residents.

There is a team of health care surveyors that show up unannounced to each facility to conduct an inspection.

The inspection is a complete review of the policies and practices of the facility being inspected. The inspection covers areas such as life enrichment, resident rights, administration of medicine, resident care, staff, dietary services, and environmental

Munich hosts Titanic Day

Photos by Larry Stokke.

standards. The goal of the inspection is to make sure the facility is following federal requirements, which helps to ensure the residents are living in a quality facility.

The “team” that was at PNC to conduct our review was here for approximately three days. Speaking from my own experience, having the state show up is both fantastic and nerve-wracking at the same time. It’s fantastic because we know it’s coming eventually, so when they pull in, that means the wait is over. It also means that we can be sure that PNC provides our residents with the life they deserve. It’s also nerve-wracking because it’s strange to me to have someone watching me do my job. It’s kind of like when I cross the border into Canada, and the agent asks me where I live. My mind completely blanks as I frantically search my brain for the correct answer. Do I live in Langdon, Cavalier, or Icelandic State Park??? It takes me a few seconds before I remember and blurt out “Walhalla!” Then I look at the agent as if to ask, “Did I get it right?”

Anyways, the inspection was underway, and it seemed that no rock was left unturned. It takes a few days after the inspection before the final report comes in. This report tells us what “deficiencies” we have and asks us to provide the steps we will take to correct them.

Deficiencies have a wide range of seriousness. It can range from improper handwashing to infection control to dignity issues (such as residents wearing soiled clothing) to physical, mental or sexual abuse. However, when we received our report, we had absolutely no deficiencies…Zippo, Not-A, Nil, Zilch, None!

So, as you can see, we have cause to celebrate. We can honestly say we live by our mission statement: “It is the mission of the Pembilier Nursing Center to treat each resident with honor, respect, and reverence in order to maintain their

personal dignity as a human being.

That all residents are provided with the highest quality of medical and personal care with kindness, gentleness, friendliness, patience, and love. Additionally, we assure that each resident has available to them physical, mental, social, restorative, and spiritual facilities that will assist in their recovery and enrichment of their life.”

I am so proud of our staff and residents who, together, make PNC into a home where people can live life to the fullest!

Residents celebrating their zero-deficiency survey results from the state.

March Art Student of the Month

Health Tip

Provided by Cavalier County Health District

Jazzlyn Economy

1st grader at St. Alphonsus Daughter of Matt and Alliey Economy

Students at Munich School hosted their Titanic Day last week. For this special day, kids learn about the history of the infamous ship and all aboard. Students get to dress up in special attire and re-enact what life would have been like on the giant ship.

Apr 4 – Next week is Public Health Week! Take a moment to learn more about the power of public health in our community, and stop in the courthouse to check out our history of public health timeline in the halls.

Community

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A6

Letter to the Editor: Let’s protect our children’s mental health during the school day

The Borderland Press

Help sought for TEDxCavalier 2025

By Jeremy Ratliff

By Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota State Superintendent of Public Instruction As North Dakota’s State Superintendent for more than a decade, I’ve had thousands of conversations with our teachers, students, and school leaders. Every year, these conversations become increasingly concerning. I continue to hear — with increasing frequency and urgency — that our teachers can’t even teach the basics anymore because student mental health challenges have become so overwhelming in our classrooms.

Each legislative session, we see multiple bills requesting more funding for schools to hire additional counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

These are good and necessary requests, but at some point, we must ask ourselves: Are we also willing to take the steps that would prevent the crisis from getting worse in the first place?

If we’re not prepared to support a policy that will help curtail the mental health epidemic affecting our children, then we shouldn’t continue to ask for more resources to deal with its consequences.

SB2354 and HB1160 give us that

opportunity. By limiting access to personal electronic devices during school hours, with appropriate exceptions for medical and learning needs, we are giving our students the gift of attention, connection, and presence.

We are removing the constant pull of comparison and distraction and replacing it with space to learn and grow.

We’ve seen this approach work in other states. Arkansas passed the “Bell to Bell, No Cell” Act, and Virginia has moved forward under Executive Order 33 to guide schools toward cell phone free learning environments. These states are acting on the overwhelming research — like what is presented in Jonathan Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation’ — that the constant presence of smartphones and social media in our children's lives is rewiring their brains, disrupting healthy development, and fueling anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

This isn’t just a policy issue. This is a moral and developmental one, and Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden have stepped forward to support keeping personal electron-

April notes from Pembina County Public Health Pembina County Public Health recognizes the importance of Alcohol Awareness Month every April as a time to raise public awareness and understanding of alcohol use and misuse, specifically amongst teens.

Research indicates that alcohol misuse during the teenage years can interfere with normal adolescent brain development and significantly increases the risk of developing alcohol use disorder later in life. Prevention is key and this is a good opportunity to talk with our youth and equip them with the knowledge to handle situations involving alcohol.

Parents and trusted adults can play a meaningful role in shaping youth’s attitudes towards drinking. Some ways

parents and caregivers can prevent underage drinking are talking openly about the dangers of alcohol, fostering supportive environments for emotional expression, and promoting involvement in healthy activities. Youth who have an ongoing series of discussions with their trusted adults, especially during middle school years, have the strongest likelihood of making wise choices regarding substances for the rest of their lives.

For more information please contact our office at 701-265-4248. Helpful resources for teens and their parents, as well as people such as educators, coaches, and faith group leaders who work with teens are readily available at ParentsLead.org.

the speakers are unpaid. The food is donated, the coffee is donated and the venue is donated. The event expenses are paid for by sponsors and ticket sales. Buying tickets not only helps pay for the event but substantial attendance makes our community look good, while also helping to enrich the lives of local residents looking to learn helpful information from an event geared towards them.

ic devices out of students’ hands during the school day.

In my regular conversations with the students who are members of the North Dakota State Superintendent’s Student Cabinet, I’ve learned that even when schools have phone policies, individual teachers carry the burden of enforcement. Some do, and some don’t. That inconsistency creates confusion for students and frustration for staff. Worse, it erodes the policy’s effectiveness.

This is about doing right by every student in every zip code. Don’t all of our children deserve to know we’re looking out for their mental health just as seriously as we protect their physical health? We have laws that prevent unsafe materials from entering classrooms. Why wouldn’t we do the same for digital threats we now know are harming our children’s emotional wellbeing?

Health is health — and it’s time our laws reflected that truth. Let’s take this step forward — for our students, our educators, and the future of North Dakota.

Walhalla Senior Meals Menu Monday, April 7 BBQ Ribs•Baked Potato•Corn•Fruit Cocktail Tuesday, April 8 Chicken Kiev•Rice Pilaf•Romaine Salad with Dressing•Green Beans•Peaches•WW Bread Wednesday, April 9 Tater Tot•Hotdish•Yams• Pumpkin Dessert•WW Bread Thursday, April 10 Meatloaf•Baked Potato•Broccoli•Mandarin Oranges Friday, April 11 Tuna Noodle Hotdish •Romaine Salad with Dressing•Peas•Pears•WW Bread This is a menu for the Walhalla Title III Older Americans Act Food Program. The full cost of the meal is $13.00. Suggested donation for those 60 and older is $4.00. EBT/SNAP accepted.

Under 60 are required to pay $13.00. Meal site is Waters Family Restaurant, 1108 Central Ave., Walhalla. Call 701-5492443 before 10:00 a.m. to place an order for congregate, pick up, or home delivered meals.

We are roughly a month from the second TEDxCavalier, and many hours have already been poured into planning for the event.

You may be asking yourself: How can a city of less than 1,500 people pull off an event like this, adding it to a list of names like TEDxNewYork, TEDxPortland and TEDxHouston? The answer: Countless hours of unpaid local involvement. We’re a community that doesn’t back down from a challenge, including pulling off an event of this magnitude.

So, you now may be asking yourself: How can I help? This year, the answer is simple: buy tickets today. Buy tickets for yourself, buy tickets for your family, buy tickets for your co-workers, buy tickets for your employees and buy tickets for your farmhands.

The organizing team is unpaid, and

Speaking of buying tickets, each and every ticket sold comes with free coffee from Sparky’s Craft Coffee Roasting and free lunch from the Bourbon Barrell BBQ food truck, both of whom are making $0.00 by donating food to this event. There will also be snacks provided by Grandpa John’s Sweet Treats, and a team of folks will be donating their day to volunteering at this year’s event.

This year’s event is packed with great speakers, and we would love to see you there, in-person, supporting our city and this event. Please consider buying tickets. This event is for you!

If you would like to purchase tickets today, the link to do so is TEDxCavalier.com/tickets, and if you have any questions, please reach out to myself (Jeremy Ratliff), Chris Berry, Rachel Morrison, Bill Crosby and/or Kyle Gagner. We are working hard to make this event unique and special for you this year!

Lifestyle

The Borderland Press

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A7

Prairie Fare: Are seed oils good or bad for health?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU Extension food and nutrition specialist

In reality, some social media posts about seed oils causing inflammation and health issues are not fully backed up by published nutrition research.

Seed oils, which include corn, soy, canola, sesame, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed and rice bran, are the types of oils we in nutrition have recommended for years.

Remember that influencers are paid based on the clicks on their content.

If influencers make exceptionally provocative or scary posts, social media users are more likely to pause and read the content. Then they get deposits in their bank accounts.

“I think we need to toss the oil that is stored in the cupboard,” I said to my intern.

When it comes to seed oils, what should a savvy consumer believe?

She agreed to do the “sniff test” on the variety of oils. She reported several of the bottles had a crayon-like aroma, a hallmark of rancidity or spoilage.

Let’s go back in time a bit. Oil is the name for liquid fat. Soybean oil originated thousands of years ago in Asian countries such as China and Japan. Olive oil production began about 1,000 years after soybean oil.

She also checked the best-if-used-by dates. Some of the oils were within their storage life, but their odor, a sign of rancidity, was… off. The bottles were in a dark place, but the room was kind of warm. Warm storage can promote rancidity, as can light and oxygen exposure.

Oils have been used widely for many years, and then hydrogenation was invented to extend their shelf life. That process allowed the food industry to convert liquid vegetable oil to solid fat, such as the white shortening sold in cans in the grocery store.

Lately, some information widely shared on social media, such as TikTok and Facebook, has tried to sway opinions on seed oils, even if they are freshly purchased.

First, don’t believe everything you see on social media. Some of that content would make you think seed oils will reach out of the bottle and grab you by the neck.

Through research, scientists could see that changing oils from liquid to solid caused the formation of trans fat, which can raise our “bad” cholesterol and lower our “good” cholesterol.

The Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend that we reduce our intake of saturat-

ed fat and trans fat and focus on unsaturated fat.

To understand all these terms, we have to think a bit about chemistry.

“Saturated” refers to the chemical structure of the building blocks of fat called fatty acids. If the fat is saturated, each of the carbon atoms that make up fat has a hydrogen atom attached. Saturated fat tends to be solid at room temperature.

“Unsaturated” means that the fatty acids have some double bonds in the chain of carbon atoms, so the fat is more “bendy” and flows. Unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature.

Oils are made up of saturated and unsaturated fats. Some oils, such as olive, canola, peanut and sesame, are more “monounsaturated” (having one double bond). Other oils, such as soybean, sunflower and corn, are higher in “polyunsaturated” (having two or more double bonds) fat.

To add even more complexity, some oils are primarily made up of “omega-3” fats and others are “omega-6” fats. “Omega” refers to the position of the double bond from the end of the carbon chain. Omega-3 fats get a gold star for promoting health and are found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds, including soybeans.

Can we boil this chemistry down to something we can apply at home?

Use a variety of oils in moderation.

Some oils have a distinct flavor, while others are neutral.

Do not be afraid of seed oils. These

oils are widely recommended by leading health organizations as being good for our health.

Consider using plant oils in place of butter. According to a 2025 publication from Harvard University, substituting plant oils (canola, soy, olive) for butter can reduce the risk of disease, and consuming plant oils is linked with a 16% decrease in mortality.

Consume fewer ultra-processed foods, such as many commercial snack foods and deep-fried foods.

Look for foods with a shorter ingredient list.

Try to cook from scratch more often, starting with basic ingredients.

Makes eight servings. Each serving has 100 calories, 9 grams (g) fat, 0 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 95 milligrams sodium.

Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.

Moderate your fat intake from all sources. Instead of frying in any kind of oil, consider roasting or grilling.

Keep tabs on the freshness of the oils in your cupboard. Find a cool, dark place to store them. If the oil becomes rancid before you use it, consider purchasing a smaller bottle next time.

Homemade Poppyseed Salad Dressing 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions 2 teaspoon poppy seeds ¼ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup canola oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, olive oil or your favorite oil In a tightly covered container, shake all dressing ingredients. Toss dressing with salad ingredients, such as lettuce, spinach and sliced fruit such as strawberries or seedless grapes.

Some oils have a distinct flavor, while others are neutral. (Pixabay photo)

Prairie Doc® Perspective Colon cancer screening is important

By Andrew Ellsworth, MD

While detecting cancer early on is important for survival from any cancer, detecting and removing precancerous polyps during a colonoscopy before they develop into cancer is the main reason regular screenings with colonoscopy have been found to reduce colon cancer rates.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women. The lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is one in 24 for men and one in 26 for women. Early detection and treatment are instrumental at improving survival rates, and regular screening decreases the risk of colon cancer in the first place.

Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colon cancer screening.

During a colonoscopy, with a patient asleep or sedated under anesthesia, a long flexible scope with a light and a camera is used to look throughout the large intestine, the colon, for any polyps or abnormalities. Those polyps can be removed with a forceps or a loop at the time they are detected.

Afterwards, patients are monitored, wake up, have something to eat, and are ready to proceed about their day.

Thankfully, a large majority of patients do not have any complications from colonoscopy. The complication rate depends on age and risk factors and the reason for the procedure. The overall rate is approximately 0.5%.

The most serious complication risk, a perforation or tear in the colon, is

about 1 in 1,000.

Of course, oftentimes the worst part of undergoing a colonoscopy is the preparation beforehand; getting cleaned out. This is important so the physician performing the procedure has a good, thorough look everywhere in the colon. While cumbersome, with new strategies for doing the prep, many people find this process less awful than they used to.

Stool tests have been an easier, cheap, non-invasive method for colon cancer screening for many years.

Often these tests look for blood in your stool. The latest, more expensive option, Cologuard, checks for blood and DNA abnormalities, and is the most successful of the stool tests at detecting colon cancer, at 94%. However, it is only about 43% effective at detecting advanced adenomas, those precancerous polyps that are already getting larger and closer to becoming cancerous. This limits the test’s potential at preventing cancer.

The Cologuard test should not be used for people with risk factors such as a history of colon polyps or a family history of colon cancer. A positive

Each method has its own pros and cons, so please talk with your doctor regarding which screening method makes the most sense for you. In the end, “the best colon cancer screening method is the one that gets done.” test result should be followed up by a colonoscopy.

The FDA recently approved a new blood test for colon cancer screening. However, it only detected 83% of colon cancers, and only 13% of precancerous advanced adenomas. With this poor detection rate, out of 100 people with cancer, the blood test would falsely tell 17 people that they did not have cancer, and it would miss most precancerous polyps.

Dakota Gardener: The year of milkweed

By Kelsey Deckert, Horticulture agent, NDSU Extension - Burleigh County feeds exclusively on milkweeds. Fe- bright orange flowers, and unlike othmales lay their eggs on milkweed and er milkweeds, it doesn’t have milky once hatched, the caterpillars feed on sap. Butterfly weed would be my perthe foliage. The milky substance con- sonal choice for a garden just to add tains cardiac glycosides making them a bright pop of color. toxic to birds and mammals. The caterpillars become toxic and the preda- Growing milkweed is easy! It can be tors leave them alone. directly seeded or added as a transplant into your garden. It establishThere are several species to explore es quickly and is a low-maintenance and add to your garden, but the most common species are Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, and Butterfly Weed. When adding to a garden setting, it is best to avoid Common Milkweed due to the aggression of spreading it underground through rhizomes.

Each year the National Garden Bu- It is a good choice, though, if you need plant. Milkweeds are paired well with reau chooses plants of the year. I erosion control and will offer whit- native and ornamental grasses along always look forward to which plants ish-purple flowers. Butterfly Weed and with native perennials such as conethey pick and learning more about Swamp Milkweed are better choices flowers. each one. This year among the cho- for containment. sen is Asclepias or milkweed.

The genus name is derived from ‘Asclepius,’ the Greek god of healing.

The common name of Milkweed is due to the milky substance it exudes and there are over 100 species native to North America. In N.D., there are 10 native species, and they are often seen in ditches and sunny areas.

Native Americans used milkweeds to make string, rope and cloth from the stem fibers. They would also use Common Milkweed for medicinal purposes as well to treat warts and other ailments. Another historical fact is that milkweed seed floss was used to fill life preservers and other flotation devices during World War II. Today, milkweed floss is used as hypoallergenic filling in pillows and comforters.

Milkweeds are flowering plants that are great pollinator plants! They are the most important plant for monarch survival as the monarch caterpillar

Swamp Milkweed grows best in wet soil with full or partial shade and will have pink flowers. Butterfly Weed tolerates dry-to-medium soil and has

For more information about growing milkweed, contact your local NDSU Extension agent. Find the Extension office for your county at ndsu.ag/ countyoffice.

Rebecca Davis

Milkweeds are flowering plants that are great pollinator plants, as they are the most important plant for monarch butterfly survival. (Pixabay photo)

Ever since the Affordable Care Act in 2010, insurance companies have been required to cover colon cancer screening tests. This is because early detection not only saves lives but also saves money.

Andrew Ellsworth, MD. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices family medicine at Avera Medical Group in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Threads. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm streaming on Facebook), two podcasts, and a Radio program, providing health information based on science, built on trust.

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A8

Church

The Borderland Press

From the Pastor’s Desk: The fragrance of your love

By Pastor Sue Mackey

it, you know they didn’t pick just any card off the rack, but they took the time to select one that was just right for you! There is beauty and power in the appropriate. That’s why the Bible so often brings us to stories like this one in the house of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.

Whenever he went to Bethany, Jesus stayed with his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The account from John 12:1-8 records that while Jesus was at the table with them and the disciples, Mary took out her most valued possession - a jar of pure nard, a rare perfume worth a full year’s income at that time. She took the perfume and poured it all out on Jesus’ feet! She then loosened her hair and used it to wipe Jesus’ feet. John writes, “The sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house.”

Not everybody was pleased by this touching scene, especially Judas Iscariot. “What a terrible waste!” he complained. “We could have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor.” John brings us face-to-face with a very important question: Was it appropriate to pour out that perfume when it could have been sold and used to help the poor?

You see, the questions we often face in life are not always questions of right or wrong, good or evil, moral or immoral. Rather, the questions we so often wrestle with are, “Is it appropriate - or is it inappropriate?”

You and I have experienced inappropriateness. A family experienced the devastating loss of a son. Someone said to the parents, “I guess God needed Billy more than you did.” Now, they were only trying to help, but it didn’t. At a time when they needed friends just to embrace them and listen to them and support them, those words seemed so inappropriate.

Some of the most painful moments and some of the most beautiful moments we experience in life are not moments that tug between right and wrong, good and evil, true and false, but appropriate and inappropriate.

The inappropriate can be devastating.

The appropriate can be powerful and beautiful.

You open your mailbox to find a lovely card sent by a friend. When you read

Let me ask a question. Was it appropriate for Mary to pour out that costly perfume on Jesus’ feet? The money from its sale could have helped the poor. Was it appropriate for Mary to be so extravagant with her love?

There are some for whom it is almost always inappropriate to love extravagantly. There are others who would like to love extravagantly but don’t think now is the right time - not while children are starving, nations make war on each other, the environment is being polluted, and things are the way they are in the world! That was Judas’ position. “It is a fine sentiment, Mary but not now, while there are mouths to feed and people to help.” Judas really didn’t want to use the money to help others, but his words reflect many of our own attitudes. It may be appropriate to love extravagantly but not now.

So, when is it appropriate to pour out the perfume of your love? On that day long ago, Mary wondered what she could do to bring some comfort to this man who gave her brother life but who now faced death himself. She remembered this jar of perfume, broke it open, and poured it extravagantly over Jesus’ feet.

When is it appropriate to pour out the perfume of your love? Whenever God brings you to someone who needs it, and they are always with us, Jesus says in the passage. Every day, we encounter them, if we will only open our eyes.

Whenever you take the perfume of your love and pour it lavishly on another, its fragrance rises up and fills not only the house but the world itself.

It is the fragrance of God’s love – and yours.

Pastor Sue Mackey is a native North Dakotan and an ordained United Methodist minister. In her 46-year career, she has served United Methodist, UCC, and Lutheran congregations in the area, and now serves the Langdon Presbyterian Church (since 2012). She lives in rural Hampden, has two sons and seven grandchildren. An avid reader, she also enjoys playing baritone horn in the Devils Lake Elks Band as well as in the Langdon Community Band.

Obituaries

The Borderland Press ary 24, 1950, to Alden and Sigrun (Johnson) Olson. He grew up in the Langdon area and graduated from Langdon High School in 1968. Later in life, he continued his education through Emmanuel Bible Institute as an educator and minister and was ordained through the Evangelical Church of North America. On November 15, 1975, Adrian married Catherine Uhlich. They made their home in Langdon where they raised their two daughters.

Adrian Olson A funeral service was held April 2, 2025, in Langdon, N.D., for Adrian Olson, 75, of Langdon, who passed away March 26, 2025, at Essentia Health in Fargo, N.D. Adrian Allen Olson was born Janu-

Adrian was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend to all who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a man of many talents, which he shared with members of his beloved community. Adrian was an exceptional seamster. He was the go-to guy for everything from alterations to wedding dresses. He spent countless

hours down in his sewing room, designing his creations. He later would spend most of his time working on quilts with his wife, Cathy.

Adrian began his career at Cavalier County Memorial Hospital and was the director of the materials management and purchasing department.

He wore many hats at the hospital throughout his 31 years and formed lifelong friendships with so many. After leaving the hospital, Adrian was able to focus on his true passion of pastoral work. He would spend the next 20 years serving area churches and would find his home with North Parish until his retirement in 2023.

Following his retirement, Adrian and Cathy moved to Wheatland Estates where he enjoyed group activities and outings, and particularly his daily card

Farmers Union offers discounts for early summer camp signup who have completed grades 7-12.

“Our cooperative-focused leadership camps are a positive environment where kids can be themselves, and build team and leadership skills,” said NDFU Education Director Miranda Letherman. “We offer everything from theme nights to lake sports, dances, skill-building activities and more. There’s definitely something for everyone and our camps are very affordable.”

North Dakota Farmers Union announced it will again offer discounts to any youths who register early for Farmers Union Camp before May 15.

The organization’s summer camp program gets underway June 9 with 16 separate camps slated throughout

the course of the summer.

The four- and five-day camps annually draw more than 1,000 farm and city kids statewide. Junior camps are open for kids who have completed grades 3-6 and senior camps for kids

Enjoy a bite of a lemony treat Adjusting diet is a necessity for someone with food allergies, intolerances or a condition like irritable bowel syndrome. Although an individual may understand the need to avoid certain foods, it can be difficult to pass up on foods when so many people around you are enjoying them, especially when they are tasty desserts.

Fortunately for lemon bar lovers, this recipe for ‘Lemon Bars’ from ‘The Complete IBS Diet Plan’ (Rockridge Press) by Amanda Foote, RD, offers a sweet and sour offering with delicious shortbread crust that should not cause any digestive distress for IBS sufferers.

Lemon Bars Makes 12 bars For the crust 1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more

for greasing the pan 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 4 tablespoons very cold coconut oil, cut into pieces For the filling 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour Grated zest of 2 lemons 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup unsweetened plain rice milk Pinch sea salt To make the crust: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.

2. In a blender, combine the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and

Farmers Union also provides free bus transportation to and from camp facilities at Lake Tschida near Elgin and the Jamestown Reservoir. Scholarships for kids needing financial assistance to attend are available.

To learn more about Farmers Union’s summer camp program, go to ndfu. org/join-camp.

For the thrifting component, Swiscoski plans to sell furniture and items she personally curates, along with other second hand treasures. She hopes to donate a portion of proceeds to the Wedgewood Manor Nursing Home where she still works one weekend a month.

The project has already garnered significant local support. Swiscoski has assembled a team of local professionals, including Brandon Stanhope, a master plumber; Jade Symington,

an architectural drafter; and Tim and Audrey Zejdlik, lighting and design experts. Paul and Sherri Carattini from the Fort Pembina Historical Society have been particularly supportive as well. Paul is currently the building manager for the Customs House.

While the exact opening date remains unknown, Mary Lou hopes to launch by the end of the summer.

An upcoming Pop-Up Market event on Saturday, April 26 will run from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and will serve as a preview of the beautiful space, show-

games. He continued his pastoral work at Maple Manor Care Center, visiting residents and providing church services. Serving others was natural for Adrian. He served on numerous boards throughout his lifetime, including Maple Manor Care Center, Cavalier County Senior Center, Cavalier County Cancer Crusaders, and the N.D. Hospital Housekeeping Association, to name a few.

He shared God’s love to all he encountered and will be truly missed by all who knew him.

Adrian is survived by his wife, Catherine, of Langdon, N.D.; daughters: Elska’ (Adam) Spanier of Fargo, N.D., and Runa (Mark) Anderson of Langdon, N.D.; grandchildren: Ryker Spanier, Clyde Anderson and Aveline Anderson; siblings: Duane Thorsteinson

of Fargo, N.D., Magnus Thorsteinson of Fargo, N.D., Edwin Olson of Langdon, N.D., and Kathy Iverson of Fargo, N.D.; and his beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alden and Sigrun; inlaws David Uhlich and Pearl Uhlich; brother-in-law Dave Uhlich; and sister-in-law Sharon Olson.

The Olson family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Essentia Health Care for the exceptional care that Adrian received during his final days.

Memorials can be directed to the Cavalier County Cancer Crusaders or Wheatland Estates.

Online condolences are available at www.brooksfuneralhomelangdon. com.

Cavalier County Senior Menu Cavalier County Senior Meals & Services, Langdon

Monday, April 7 Chicken in Gravy/Sweet Potatoes/Steamed Broccoli/Fruit Tuesday, April 8 Chili/Baked Potato/Crackers /Fruit Wednesday, April 9 Meatloaf/Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes/Peas and Carrots/ Jello with Fruit Thursday, April 10 Pork Chop in Gravy/Boiled Potato/Broccoli and Cauliflower/Fruit Friday, April 11 Beer Cheese Soup/Salmon Sandwich/Lettuce Salad/Fruit EBT/SNAP accepted.

Full cost of a meal: $10.00. Suggested Donation: $5.50 for those over 60 years of age. Please contribute what you can. Those under 60 are required to pay the full cost of the meal. Menus are subject to change.

Cavalier County Senior Meals & Services is located at 211 8th Ave. in Langdon and can be reached by phone at 256-2828.

salt and pulse 10 times in 1-second bursts.

3. Add the butter and coconut oil.

Pulse 4 to 5 times more, in 1-second bursts, until the mixture resembles sand.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press the crust into the bottom and slightly up on the sides.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until just brown.

To make the filling: 6. While the crust bakes, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, rice milk, and salt. Pour the mixture into the warm crust.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes until the filling is set.

8. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Refrigerate before cutting into bars and serving.

Cont’d. From Page A1 Coffee, thrift, and gift enjoy being around others.

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A9

casing local vendors and drawing attention to the historic building. If anyone is interested in renting a booth or wants more information on the Pop Up Market, please contact Sherri Carattini at 701-415-9617.

For Mary Lou, this project represents more than a business venture - it’s a way to contribute to her community, create a welcoming space, and preserve a piece of local history.

“The possibilities are endless,” she said.

State

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page A10

Legislative update

By Senator Janne Myrdal

Bill would eliminate Daylight Saving The court may order the parental loss HB 1386: Relating to a prohibition on Time restitution at the time of sentencing or within 60 days of sentencing unless that period is extended for good cause. It allows parental loss restitution to be imposed as a condition of probation. Committee action: do not pass as amended, 7-0-0

This week winter threatens to come back. ’Uffda’ is the only proper response to that. Yet I hear some ag producers in the southeastern part of our state are already in the field seeding. It feels like those of us up north live in a different state.

This week I wanted to give a peek into my week's three-day Judiciary Committee work: HB 1418: Relating to arrests without a warrant for harassing a public safety agency Permits a law enforcement officer to make an arrest without a warrant for the offense of harassing a public safety agency (911 operator) or making a false report to a public safety agency.

Currently, this offense is a Class A misdemeanor for harassment.

Committee action: recommended do pass, 7-0-0 HB 1503: Relating to punishment for causing injury while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Amends the Special punishment for causing injury or death while operating a vehicle while under the influence of the alcohol section of code.

Changes the penalty from a Class C to a Class B felony, with at least one year and one day's imprisonment.

Committee action: recommended do pass, 7-0-0 HB 1558: Relating to restitution for the child of a victim of criminal vehicular homicide and conditions of probation. This creates a new chapter permitting parental loss restitution payments for criminal vehicular homicide. If the deceased victim was the parent or legal guardian of a minor child, the court may order the defendant to pay monthly restitution to each of the victim's children until each child reaches 18 years old.

The Borderland Press

HB 1364: Relating to the partial suspension of sentence for drug court program, mental health court program, or veterans' treatment docket completion. In addition to dismissing the case and sealing the file after successful completion of a drug court program, mental health court, or veterans' treatment docket, the court shall also issue an order to the Department of Transportation Director to remove the conviction and suspension from the defendant’s driving record. Committee action: laid over HB 1367: Relating to drug crime penalties and drug paraphernalia possession. This expands the Class C felony for possession of a controlled substance to include equivalent offenses from another court in the US, a second or subsequent offense not related to marijuana or THC, or a second or subsequent offense of 19-03.2 (Imitation Controlled Substances), 19-03.3 (Controlled Substances for Care and Treatment), or 19-03.4(Drug Paraphernalia). Expands the Class C felony for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia to include use or intent to be used to plant, propagate, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a controlled substance other than marijuana, THC, schedule I, schedule II, or schedule III drugs. Committee action: recommended do pass, 7-0-0 HB 1613: Relating to law enforcement use of a robot. The section of code governing Surveillance by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, defines 'robot' to mean "an artificial object or system that senses, processes, and acts using technology. The term includes the associated elements, communication links, and associated artificial intelligence technologies." Expands to include the use of robots alongside the use of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. Sets the requirements for a warrant for the use of a robot to match the requirements of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Expands the exception for unmanned aerial vehicles to include robots. Expands the prohibited uses of unmanned aerial vehicles to include robots. Committee action: laid over.

possessing certain computer-generated images.

Defines 'computer-generated image' and 'minor' in the section governing Sexual Performances by Children. Expands the Class C felony penalty for possession of certain prohibited materials to include computer-generated images. Sets a Class B felony for possession of certain prohibited materials to include an offense with 20 or more images, an offense involved in sadistic or masochistic conduct, sexual bestiality, involving a prepubescent minor or minor under 12 years of age, or by an individual who has previously been convicted of an offense subject to sexual offender registration. Committee action: do pass as amended, 7-0-0.

Some of these were deeply difficult hearings, listening to testimony exposing the evil that is being perpetrated on children. A former colleague was convicted this week for sex crimes against minors and I cannot tell you how disgusted I am. We are doing our utmost for such evil acts to be punished by law! Is there no longer a true fear of God in society is the question that must be asked.

Property tax remains a hot topic and HB1176 which is the Governor's suggested bill is not in the Senate. There were several amendments added in this Chamber this past week that would bring future equity to rural property taxpayers that I support. The Senate vote should come late this week on this bill and amendments.

If any amendments pass, then there will be extensive conference committees. So, no end in sight yet. In addition, our budget is still negative $345 million, and this has to of course be balanced before the end of session.

The strides in infrastructure for rural areas we made in the Senate are in the House presently and I am working to make sure they are kept intact.

Last week I mentioned awaiting the arrival of a foal at the farm. He arrived. Tall, leggy, and full of himself.

Life moves on.

Senator Janne Myrdal North Dakota District 19 jmyrdal@ndlegis.gov 1-701-331-0946

By Ann Estvold, NDNA Legislative Intern

Summer events rely on the longer nights, and that if the sun sets earlier, people would leave earlier, causing revenue losses, Spencer said.

Legislation to eliminate Daylight Saving Time in North Dakota still has a flicker of hope in the North Dakota Senate. HB1259 would abolish DST and have the state join Arizona, Hawaii and some US territories as the only areas in the nation that do not observe Daylight Saving Time, which is in effect from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday in November.

Rep. Roger Maki, R-Watford City, introduced an amendment during the bill’s hearing in the Senate’s State and Local Government Committee on Thursday. The amendment would put the Daylight Saving ban into effect only if North Dakota’s neighboring states took the same step.

Supporters of the bill said that North Dakotans are more affected by Daylight Saving Time as many of them live in the western part of the Central Time Zone. Most of North Dakota is in the Central Time Zone; the state’s southwestern corner observes Mountain time.

Opponents of the bill said it would impact tourism, retail and traveling, especially in communities near the border.

“North Dakota doesn’t operate in a bubble,” said Arik Spencer, chief executive officer of the Greater North Dakota Chamber.

Tara Felice, a spokeswoman for the Mandan Baseball Club, said games and practices are scheduled to end around sunset in the summertime, and if the state observed Standard time all year, the events would need to end sooner, because many baseball fields do not have lights. Outdoor fall sports and after-work activities would also be affected.

If Daylight Saving Time is revoked, parts of the state would see the sunrise between 4 and 5 a.m. in the summer, opponents of the DST ban said.

“How do we get employees to go to work at that time?” asked Cole Higlin, a spokesman for the North Dakota Recreation and Park Association.

Many cities in the state have ordinances that do not allow construction before 7 a.m., and without Daylight Saving Time, there would be less time to complete those projects, said Russ Hanson, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of North Dakota.

Daylight Saving Time has been advertised as an energy-saving measure and as a way to lengthen North Dakota’s summer nights. However, critics say those benefits are overplayed or nonexistent, and that changing clock times twice a year is annoying.

Daylight Saving Time was instituted nationwide by Congress in 1966, but Hawaii and Arizona have opted to ignore the time change. The U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also do not observe it.

The committee did not make an immediate recommendation on the bill.

Various bills would require specific education for North Dakota students

By Ann Estvold, NDNA Legislative Intern The North Dakota Legislature, which sets graduation requirements for the state’s high schools and requires the teaching of some subjects, is considering legislation that would require instruction in financial literacy, the Holocaust, and human trafficking and exploitation in classrooms.

HB1527 would require specific Holocaust education for world history

courses in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Holocaust, which refers to German dictator Adolf Hitler’s extermination campaign against Europe’s Jews during World War II, is currently not a required topic for world history classes. The bill would make it one.

affected by the Holocaust. Its opponents say the bill should focus on minorities who were exterminated, such as gays and lesbians, as well as Jews.

Other critics said the bill focused only on the Holocaust and ignored other genocide campaigns in history.

The bill’s supporters emphasize the importance of remembering those who lost their lives and all who were

“Education is a vital way to ensure that history does not repeat itself in any form or of any magnitude,” said Cody Schuler, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Under the bill a world history course would need to include the causes and ramifications of the Holocaust, a history of antisemitism, information about Hitler’s Third Reich dictatorship in Germany, the concentration camp system, persecution of Jews and non-Jews, Holocaust resistance, and the war crimes trials that took place at Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II ended.

According to the bill, the course must also include the impact of personal responsibility, civic engagement and societal response in the context of the Holocaust; the connection between national, ethnic and religious intolerance; the roles played by the United States and its armed forces, and the definition, history, response and actions taken in the face of the

SB2330 is an “essential step in our fight against human trafficking and exploitation by bringing education and awareness in our schools,” said Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan. The average age of trafficked children is between 12 and 14 years old, which includes middle and high schoolers, he said.

Holocaust.

Other bills would require instruction in certain subjects in North Dakota’s schools.

SB2330 would require human trafficking and exploitation prevention and awareness education for students in public and tribal schools. Students would receive instruction each year about recognizing, preventing and reporting human trafficking. The instruction could be provided by nonprofit organizations that are familiar with human trafficking issues.

HB1533 would require each school district to offer a financial literacy course or ensure that its curriculum for economics or problems of democracy includes exposure to concepts of personal finance. The curriculum would need to include instruction in budgeting, money management, saving, investing, credit and debt management, banking and financial services, taxation, consumer skills, spending, risk management, entrepreneurship and economic concepts.

The curriculum would also include college, career and retirement planning.

North Dakota law already requires that high schools offer instruction in personal finance. The bill would toughen that requirement.

“In the modern world, financial knowledge isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity, benefitting all of us,” said Lance Hill, leader of education outreach and financial literacy for the Bank of North Dakota.

Opponents of the bill said HB1533 does not include money to provide the instruction, and that many schools already cover the required topics.

An amendment to the bill would require high school students to complete one-half unit of financial literacy or a similar course before graduation.

Similar courses would need to be approved by the Department of Public Instruction to count as towards the graduation requirement.

The bills follow other recent legislative mandates for school instruction. In recent years, lawmakers have directed that high school students pass a civics exam before they may graduate.

Students are also required to read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, which is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

Spring SPORTS Grizzlies, Cardinals, attend Pembina County Indoor Meet On March 29 the Cardinals and Grizzlies took to the turf for the Pembina County Indoor Meet in Grand Forks where a total of seven teams competed. Langdon took home second place overall in the meet. Aubrey Badding broke the Pembina County Indoor Meet record in both the long jump and triple jump at this meet. Congratulations to Badding and the teams!

LANGDON-MUNICH

Boys results: Performer of the Meet - Cody Amble 1st - Noah Foster, 3,000 Meter Run, 11:14.85 1st - Caleb McDonald, High Jump, 5’10; 5th - TJ Henderson, 5’ 4” 1st - Jake Sanders, Pole Vault, 10’6”; 2nd - Braxton Lindseth, 9’0” 2nd - Cody Amble, Triple Jump, 40’0”; 4th - TJ Henderson, 39’1”; 5th Caleb McDonald, 38’5.5” (PB); 6th - Tanner McDonald, 37’9” 2nd - Cody Amble, 60 Meter Hurdles, 7.34 (PB) 3rd - Cody Amble, 200 Meter Dash, 23.82 3rd - Noah Foster, 1500 Meter Run, 5:14.29; 5th Kaleb Foster, 5:21.91 3rd - Cody Amble, Tanner McDonald, Jayden Lee, Braxton Lindseth, 4X300 Meter Relay, 2.38.77 4th - Tanner McDonald, 300 Meter Dash, 38.95 4th - TJ Henderson, Long Jump, 18;11.5” (PB); 5th - Tanner McDonald, 18’10” 5th - Kaleb Foster, 1,500 Meter Run, 5:21.91 7th - Reed Scheer, Shot Put, 36’9.25” Girls results: Performer of the Meet - Aubrey Badding 1st - Aubrey Badding, 800 Meter Run, 2:32.42; 2nd - Mya Swanson, 2:33.51; 4th Hallie Overby, 2:44.43 1st - Olivia Lorenz, 3,000 Meter Run, 13:54.79 1st - Aubrey Badding, Long Jump, 16’5” 1st - Aubrey Badding, Triple Jump, 34’7” 2nd - Fenja Lawson, Shot Put, 32’11” (PB); 5th Christine Joyner, 32’3.5” 2nd - Taya Feist, High Jump, 4’8”; 5th - Hallie Overby, 4’2” 2nd - Mya Swanson, 800 Meter Run, 2:33.51 3rd - Ella Goodman, 300 Meter Dash, 46:16; 7th Ary Schaefer, 47.92 3rd - Meggy Hetletved, 60 Meter Hurdles, 10.53 (PB) 3rd - Meggy Hetletved, Mya Swanson, Maci Mitzel, Hallie Overby, 4X600 Meter Relay, 7:29.12 4th - Meggy Hetletved, Erika Bakke, Ella Goodman, Ary Schaefer, 4X300 Meter Relay, 3:15.20 6th - Olivia Lorenz, 1,500 Meter Run, 5:49 6th - Chloe Koons, 200 Meter Dash, 29.45; 8th Meredith Romfo, 29.69

Noah Foster took 1st in the 3000 meter run at the PCN Invitational Meet in Grand Forks. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Addelyn Manley vaulted 7' 6" to place 2nd at the PCN Invitational. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Nash Fitzsimonds hands off the baton to Connor O'Hara who, along with teammates Sawyer Girodat and Jaxon Suedel, placed 4th in the 4x600 relay.

Photo by Larry Stokke.

Tanner McDonald leaped 18'10" inches, placing him at 5th in the long jump.

Photo by Larry Stokke.

PNC

Boys results 1st - Jesse Eisenbeis, 60 Meter Dash, 7:28 (PR) 1st - Nash Fitzsimonds, 1,500 Meter Run, 4:50.03 (PR); 4th - Micah Crosby, 5:16.11 (PR); 7th - Jaxon Suedel, 2:44.40 (PR) 2nd - Nash Fitzsimonds, 800 Meter Run, 2:12.29 (PR) 4th - Michale O’Connor, 3,000 Meter Run, 15:30.44 4th - Nash Fitzsimonds, Connor O’Hara, Sawyer Girodat, Jaxon Suedel, 4X600 Meter Relay, 7:12.50 7th - Trevor Moore, 200 Meter Dash, 25.65 (PR) 8th - Trevor Moore, Long Jump, 17’8.5” Girls results 1st - Shirley Kemp, Maci Puppe, Delaney Denault, Emerson Helgoe, 4X600 Meter Relay, 7:22.85 2nd - Addelyn Manley, Pole Vault, 7’6” (PR) 4th - Emerson Helgoe, 1,500 Meter Run, 5:45.85; 5th - Delaney Denault, 5:46.94

Amelia Carpenter shows great form jumping hurdles at the PCN Invitational on March 29. Photo by Larry Stokke.

4th - Jaelyn Forrey, Shot Put, 32’9.5” (PR); 8th - Sadie Snyder, 28’4” (PR) 5th - Emerson Helgoe, 800 Meter Run, 2:45.47 (PR); 6th - Delaney Denault, 2:46.22 (PR); 7th - Maci Puppe, 2:50.10 6th - Audriey Longtine, Long Jump, 14’10” (PR) cont’d. on page B2

Garrett Willits had a long jump of 17' 3", good for a tie for 10th place. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Taya Feist high jumped 4'8" inches to land in 2nd place at the meet. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Sports

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page B2

Cont’d. From Page B1 Grizzlies, Cardinals, attend Pembina County Indoor Meet

Jake’s Take on Sports April 8. They are scheduled to play Bottineau that day with a first pitch at 4:00pm. If that does not work (you never know), the Cards will try and get things rolling in an interesting non-conference game at Des Lacs-Burlington, west of Minot, on April 11. The first Region 4 league game for the Cardinals is set for April 14 at Grafton. You can find a complete, albeit temporary, baseball schedule in this week’s paper.

By Jake Kulland, Sports Editor Attempting to transition into spring sports This week is supposed to be the week that spring sports will get going outdoors. All three of our boys baseball and girls softball teams are hoping to get underway with games this week, but the weather looks stubborn for the first couple of days, anyway. While we wait for spring activities to get going, we have been just out at the Ponderosa in Williston with Lovely Lisa, continuing to get the ranch cleaned up and still in search of the septic tank (although, getting really warm now!).

There are and always will be things to do out west, although maybe not as critical as a couple of years ago.

Langdon-Munich high school baseball to try and start their season in Munich on April 8 While it again looks doubtful at the time we are writing this, the Langdon-Munich high school baseball team is hoping to get their 2025 season underway with a home game at Edgar Westphal Field in Munich on

Lady Cards, Grizzlies softball also hoping to get underway this week Also trying to get their seasons underway this week are the Langdon-Munich and Pembina County North girls softball teams. The Lady Cards have a game scheduled on April 8 versus Carrington, while the Grizzlies are planning on playing at Midway-Minto in Midway. Again, the chances of both games being played are not great, but we will see. Both teams play Region 2 again this season, which features 10 teams. Traci Murphy is coaching the Cardinals, while Casey Krieg is heading up PCN. Boys golf practice begins on April 7, big numbers expected for L-M, NB We will leave this week with word that boys golf practice begins for the 2025 season on April 7, most likely indoors.

Langdon-Munich is coached once again by Jenny Romfo and assisted by Connie Kjos. North Border is coached by Jon Schiltz and assisted

by Tim Hartje. Both teams are expecting huge numbers this year. The first meet is set for April 11, in McVille.

“See ya!” next week!

The Borderland Press

2025 LANGDON-MUNICH HIGH SCHOOL

BASEBALL SCHEDULE (Dates are subject to change due to the weather)

Tuesday, April 8 Bottineau at Langdon-Munich in Munich, 4:30pm Friday, April 11 Langdon-Munich at Des Lacs-Burlington, 4:00pm Monday, April 14 Langdon-Munich at Grafton, 4:30pm Thursday, April 17 Midway-Minto at Langdon-Munich, 4:30pm Thursday, April 24 Park River Area at Langdon-Munich, 4:30pm Friday, April 25 Carrington Tournament, TBA

David O'Connor shows great concentration while throwing the shot put 28' 9.75".

Photo by Larry Stokke.

Monday, April 28 Langdon-Munich at May-Port-C-G, 4:00pm Saturday, May 3 Thompson Triangular (L-M, Thompson, Nelson County), TBA Monday, May 5 Grafton at Langdon-Munich, 4:30pm Thursday, May 8 Langdon-Munich at Midway-Minto in Minto, 4:30pm Saturday, May 10 Bottineau Triangular, TBA Monday, May 12 Langdon-Munich at Park River Area, 4:30pm Tuesday, May 13 Hatton-Northwood at Langdon-Munich, 4:30pm May 19-21 Region 4 Tournament in Park River May 29-31 State B Tournament at Newman Field in Fargo

Performer of the Meet Aubrey Badding took 1st in the 800 meter run and also 1st place in the triple jump. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Cody Amble was Performer of the Meet at the PCN Invitational. In this shot he took 2nd place in the 60 meter race with a personal best time of 7.34 seconds. Photo by Larry Stokke.

Classifieds

The Borderland Press

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Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page B3

Public Notices

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page B4

The Borderland Press

Langdon City Commission | Regular Meeting March 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

Commission members present Jerry Nowatzki, Lawrence Henry, Darin Kaercher, and Cody Schlittenhard.

Department Heads present, Tob Beauchamp, Jason Busse and Chelsea Graber, also present, Kevin Stein, McKinzie Sivertson and Mark Ratzlaff, Brynn Johnson and Stephanie Bata – Langdon Park Board, Kari Phillips – CCJDA, Hillary Nowatzki – Borderland Press, Quentin Wenzel – City Attorney, RoxAnne Hoffarth

in a while; we’ve had Samson’s look at it but can’t get it fixed. Two sides work and two do not. We need to start thinking about either replacing it or putting something different there.

Unfinished Business: Amended Sales Tax Ordinance – Quentin read the second reading of ordinance No. 1.11. C. Schlittenhard made the motion to approve the reading of ordinance, seconded by D. Kaercher. Motion carried.

Pledge of Allegiance – J. Nowatzki led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of Minutes: L. Henry made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting on February 24th, seconded by C. Schlittenhard. Motion carries.

Additions to Agenda: Correspondence: Department Reports: Street: L. Henry reported Jim is getting settled in with the street department.

Fire Department: L. Henry reported the new radios have been ordered.

Water and Sewer: J. Busse reported the lift station control panel went bad and he ordered a new one.

Sanitation: T. Beauchamp nothing new to report.

Police: No report.

Activity Center: C. Graber reported basketball is over and things have been running well. She had an issue with the lift, but the other departments were able to help with the issue repaired quickly.

Auditors: R. Hoffarth reported the clock at Boyd Block hasn’t worked

New Business: JDA Request – Kari Phillips was present to request $60,000 in funding for two projects. Lifeguard Recruitment and Retention Pilot Program - $10,000 for recruitment and retention for the 2025 summer season. D. Kaercher made the motion to approve the $10,000 for the Park Board LRRPP seconded by L. Henry. Motion carried. The second request is for a flex-pace interest buydown loan for up to $50,000 to Cody & McKinzie Sivertson to build and start Nodak Sheds, LLC for boat and other kinds of storage located by Mt. Carmel Dam. L. Henry made the motion to approve the flex-pace interest buy-down loan for up to $50,000, seconded by D. Kaercher. Motion carried.

Kevin Stein – Kevin came to question the article the school had on the front page of the paper stating that the city was giving up 12th Avenue North of the Elementary School and that the Park Board was giving up Park land to the school. J. Nowatzki commented

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX EQUALIZATION MEETING CITY OF MILTON, ND TUESDAY APRIL 8 AT 5:30 PM MILTON FIRE HALL MEETING ROOM

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX EQUALIZATION MEETING

CITY OF OSNABROCK, ND | TUESDAY APRIL 8 AT 7:00 PM OSNABROCK FIRE HALL MEETING ROOM

that that was miscommunication on his part not knowing that the land was the Park Boards, and the city cannot give the school the park boards land as is doesn’t belong to the city. Jerry also stated he had not thought about the money spent on repairing that section of street last summer. Kevin also commented that if the school would like to add a facility that they could build North of the High School.

Kevin does not feel the residents would be happy about the money put into that street and then being torn up for school additions a year later. He also doesn’t feel the residents would be happy about the Park Board giving up donated park land to the school.

This land should remain Park Board land for recreation.

Darin Kaercher – to discuss summer hours for all department. Other departments have had summer hours where they were able to be done working at noon on Friday’s. We want to put this in the policy manual to work for all departments. It was discussed to come in early and/or work through lunch to make up the hours.

There was some discussion on lunch breaks. It was also discussed to make summer hours from May 1st through October 31st. This was tabled until there was more information regarding lunch breaks.

Northeast Regional Water District True Up – The letter from Jeremy Schuler was presented to the commission about the 2024 true up. Rox-

Anne has the actual true up numbers coming from Jeremy as asked by the commission to see them every year.

L. Henry made the motion to approve the $3,157.69 owed to NRWD for the 2024 True-up, seconded by D. Kaercher; with C. Schlittenhard abstaining from the vote. Motion Carries.

Building Permits: None •81763-81777/61836-61843 Payroll and Liab | 25002.83•1847 NORTHEAST REGIONAL WATER | 17047.67•61848 AUTO VALUE OF LANGDON | 49.43 •61849 BLACK MOUNTAIN SOFTWARE | 19710.43 •61850 BORDERLAND PRESS | 875.56•61851 CARL HOFFARTH | 325.00 •61852 CAVALIER COUNTY TREASURER | 23551.42•61853 CAVALIER RURAL ELECTRIC COOP. | 526.54•61854 DAHL TRUCKING PLUS | 640.21•61855 FARMER'S UNION OIL CO. | 4611.64•61856 GLOBAL SAFETY NETWORK, INC. | 25.00 •61857 HOLTZ INDUSTRIES | 1729.00•61858 JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL | 111.12 •61859 JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC. | 1586.01•61860 KNDK | 434.00 •61861 LANGDON FIRE EQUIPMENT | 317.00•61862 LANGDON HARDWARE & RENTAL | 579.75•61863 LANGDON PRAIRIE HEALTH | 105.00•61864 LEEVERS FOODS | 362.88 •61865 LEXISNEXIS MATTHEW BENDER | 32.43•61866 LUKE SCHILL | 157.08•61868 MARCOTTE'S BUILDERS SUPPLY | 364.80•61869 MONTANA DAKOTA UTILITIES | 2392.87

•61870 MOORE ENGINEERING, INC | 2660.00 •61871 MORGAN PRINTING | 213.00•61872 NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH | 58.00 • 61873 ONE-CALL CONCEPTS, INC. | 4.70•61874 OTTERTAIL POWER CO. | 6438.84 •61875 POWERPLAN | 8545.02•61876 QUENTIN BRUCE WENZEL, PC | 1558.33•61877 RENDEZVOUS REGION TOURISM COUNCIL | 100.00 •61878 RICARD PLUMBING, HEATING & COOLIN | 5981.29•61879 RICHARD'S WELDING, INC. | 120.00•61880 SIGN IT | 139.10 •61881 TITAN MACHINERY | 841.77•61882 UNITED COMMUNICATIONS | 1289.78 •61883 VALLI INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC. | 814.60•61884 VERIZON WIRELESS | 348.50 •61885 WASTE MANAGEMENT CORPORATE SERVIC | 15541.24 •61886 WITZEL CONSTRUCTION LLC | 2357.50 •61887 MIDCONTINENT COMMUNICATIONS | 167.20•61894* DAKOTA FIRE EXTINGUISHERS | 338.75 •61895 GREAT PLAINS FIRE | 65.00 •61896 MARKIT LANDFILL | 5153.50 Bills of Approval – C. Schlittenhard made the motion to approve the bills as presented, seconded by D. Kaercher. Motion carried.

With no other business L. Henry motioned to adjourn at 6:35 p.m.

Jerry Nowatzki, President RoxAnne Hoffarth, Auditor

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Taxiway B Construction & Apron Expansion Robertson Field Airport Langdon, North Dakota AIP Project No. 3-38-0031-021-2025 Sealed bids, subject to the conditions contained herein, for improvements to the Robertson Field Airport, Langdon, North Dakota, AIP Project No. 3-38-0031-021-2025 will be received by the Langdon Airport Authority at the Mead & Hunt Fargo Office, 2505 N. University Drive, Suite 100, Fargo, North Dakota, 58102, until 11:00 AM local time on April 25, 202510/4/2120, and then publicly opened and read aloud.

Project work consists of but is not limited to the following: Construct Taxiway B and Expand Apron will consist of pavement removal, excavation, grading, aggregate base construction, asphalt paving, storm sewer installation, underdrain installation, pavement marking, seeding, and electrical construction.

Construction for this project shall be completed by October 31, 2025, for all bid schedules.

The complete set of Plans, Specifications, and Contract Documents can be obtained for a non-refundable fee of $200.00 at the office of Mead & Hunt, Inc. located at 2505 N. University Drive, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58102 or may be downloaded for a fee of $25 at www.questcdn.com #9612290. Those wishing to download the bidding documents electronically, do so at their own risk for completeness of the bidding documents.

Each bid must be accompanied by a separate envelope containing the contractor's license and bid security. The bid security must be in a sum equal to five percent of the full amount of the bid and must be in the form of a bidder's bond. A bidder's bond must be executed by the bidder as principal and by a surety, conditioned that if the principal's bid is accepted and the contract awarded to the principal, the principal, within ten days after notice of the award, shall execute a contract in accordance with the terms of the bid and the bid bond and any condition of the governing body. If a successful bidder does not execute a contract within the ten days allowed, the bidder's bond must be forfeited to the governing body and the project awarded to the next lowest responsible bidder.

The airport reserves the right to reject any and all bids and rebid the project.

No bid will be read or considered if the bid does not fully comply with the bidding requirements. Deficient bids will be resealed and returned to the bidder.

The award of the contract is subject to approval of the Federal Aviation Administration and availability of federal funding. See instruction to bidders for additional information. The following Federal Provisions are required: Affirmative Action Requirement, 41 CFR Part 60-04 & Executive Order 11246 Buy American Preference (49 USC § 50101; Executive Order 14005; Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Pub. L No. 117-58); Build America; Buy America (BABA))

CITY OF LANGDON/TAX EQUALIZATION The City of Langdon will hold its Tax Equalization meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 6:00pm in the Langdon City Hall meeting room. Anyone wishing to may attend the meeting to address the council regarding the assessment of their property taxes.

Civil Rights – Title VI Assurance, 49 USC 47123 & FAA Order 1400.11 Davis Bacon Act, (2 CFR Part 200, Appendix II (D); 29 CFR Part 5; 49 USC § 47112 (b); 40 USC § 3141-3144, 3146, and 3147) Debarment and Suspension, (2 CFR Part 180 (Subpart B); 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix II(H); 2 CFR Part 1200; DOT Order 4200.5; Executive Orders 12549 and 12689) Disadvantage Business Enterprise, 49 CFR Part 26 Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 USC § 201, et seq & 2 CFR § 200.430 Foreign Trade Restriction, 49 USC § 50104 & 49 CFR Part 30 Lobbying and Influencing Federal Employees, (49 CFR Part 20, Appendix A; 31 USC § 1352 – Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment; 2 CFR part 200- Appendix II(I)) Procurement of Recovered Materials, (2 CFR § 200.323; 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix II (J); 40 CFR Part 247; 42 USC § 6901, et seq (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA))) Government wide Requirements for Drug free Workplace, (49 CFR Part 32; Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988(41 USC § 8101-8106, as amended) The full text of the above provisions can be found in the bid documents or will be provided by request.

Any questions regarding bids are to be directed to: Mead & Hunt, Inc. Address: 2505 N. University Drive, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58102 Phone: 1-701-566-6450 Advertised on: April 4th, 11th and 18th 2025

Grey Township Equalization Meeting

Grey Township Equalization Meeting will be held April 9th at 5pm at the Chuck Peebles residence.

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page B5

The Borderland Press Cont’d. From Page A3 USDA upheaval brings uncertainty to farmers, rural communities $500,000 under a separate Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), which was reportedly frozen in some states.

Ashley Bruner, a member of the family operating the ranch who manages the grant, said the full amount was awarded and the ranch hasn’t been impacted by any freeze.

Reflecting some of the confusion others feel about a lack of information, however, ranch owner Blaine Bruner said it was uncertain if future funding would come through the program.

“Nobody knows,” he said. “Whether it’s markets or whatever, the whole damn country doesn’t know what’s going on. That’s the problem we got.”

Attempts to get clarity from the USDA office in Bismarck about what programs have been impacted were routed to a national USDA spokesperson.

The spokesperson said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is carefully reviewing all Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) implemented during the Biden administration and will continue providing updates on what funding is going forward.

Funding freezes, layoff disruptions Funds for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program and the Rural Energy Assistance Program (REAP) are frozen, according to people impacted by those freezes and federal data available about ongoing awards.

Other programs, such as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) were reviewed and approved by Rollins and are going forward.

“In terms of CSP and EQIP, we are still accepting applications and fulfilling contracts,” Anna Bahnson, outreach coordinator for the USDA National Resources Conservation Service in N.D., said.

“There was a pause initially, and often in any transition there is a pause, but that’s no longer the case,” Bahnson said.

For those involved in the Climate-Smart and REAP programs, it is uncertain if those funds will be unfrozen.

Impacted by the freeze of the Climate-Smart program is a $5.75 million cost-share project involving

between 150-200 farmers in northeastern N.D. and northwestern Minnesota, according to Walsh County district conservation manager Josh Anderson, who was instrumental in securing the grant.

This project would have incentivized farmers to plant multispecies cover crops and incorporate livestock grazing on cropland to improve soil health, as well as promote locally raised, grass-fed livestock.

Parts of the state have lost up to 50% of their rich topsoil over the past century, and programs like this are meant to help restore some of that loss or reduce further erosion.

Funding was frozen just weeks before the first batch was expected to roll in, Anderson said.

While not yet terminated, a delay means waiting a full growing season if the funds eventually materialize - also still uncertain - setting the project back by a year.

The proposal was accepted a year ago after several solid months of planning.

lette County, is also impacted by the freeze to the Climate-Smart funding.

He’d been selected for a grant under the program to promote no-till farming and rotational grazing of cattle.

Because of this, he purchased a used no-till air seeder, intending to use the funding to help pay for it.

With the final $8,000 he was owed now frozen, however, he’s stuck with equipment he might not use.

“I'm unsure whether the program grant has been eliminated or just suspended,” he said. “The only real effect it has on me is this air seeder payment, which I will either figure out a different way to pay for, or sell it.”

A freeze on $410 million in REAP payments impacts farmers across the country and in N.D. The majority had already started implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with expectations the funding would come through.

REAP was created in the 2008 Farm Bill and absorbed a similar program included in the 2002 Farm Bill.

“It was locally designed, it would have had a lot of input from farmers and ranchers and conservation districts all pulling together, working together,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of folks here that were really interested and excited about the prospect of being able to convert some of their acres to this kind of model, which would promote soil health.”

NDNC called or left messages with around a dozen farmers who still have unprocessed payouts, but did not get anyone on the phone or receive call backs.

Brian Mothershead, a farmer and soil conservation board member in Ro-

Another area of impact is the on and off again firings or layoffs of federal

Several farms in the state are owed between $250,000 to $500,000 in unprocessed REAP payments, according to federal data.

workers.

said.

Todd Leake, who farms near Emerado, was concerned after catching wind in recent weeks that several researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service based at universities in the region had lost their positions in Trump administration government efficiency orders.

“These researchers are at the forefront of cereal wheat diseases and make it so we can overcome these constant barrages of wheat disease,” Leake said. “It’s extremely important.”

This included researchers critical to monitoring ever-evolving wheat and sugar beet diseases. Most have been hired back, he said, but there’s still uncertainty about some of the positions.

While firings like this might not have had a direct near-term impact, they do have long-term consequences, he

The North Dakota News Cooperative is a non-profit news organization providing reliable and independent reporting on issues and events that impact the lives of North Dakotans. The organization increases the public’s access to quality journalism and advances news literacy across the state.

For more information about NDNC or to make a charitable contribution, please visit newscoopnd.org.

Friday, April 4, 2025 - Page B6

The Borderland Press

Fourth Annual Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show

By Rebecca Davis

Farm toy enthusiasts filled four of the five ballrooms of the Alerus Center on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 as the Fourth Annual Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show hosted 120 booths with vendors from across the state, into Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa. Many of the vendors were from the Langdon area.

Over 120 tables were filled with various toys from new models to antiques, clothing, and parts manuals that are no longer able to be sourced.

The Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show came to fruition at the hands of organizer Nate Schlief; his wife, Deb; and Mike Radi. After seeing shows dwindle out in smaller towns, he wanted to try and bring another one to life.

During its inaugural year, the show had hoped to have 50-60 tables but ended with a final count of 65. The show has grown so quickly that in the last two years, they have had to turn people away.

Photos by Dijoun Bartley.

All ages could be seen admiring the different displays.

“You’ve got kids who are excited, their parents that are there. A lot of it is nostalgia. So many of us are removed from the farm now but they have farm connections and this is one way you can keep those connections; then you have the grandparents coming. For each one of them, it means something different,” explained Schlief.

can come, and they see something there," explained Schlief.

“At Oakie Dokie Farm Toys, we believe farm toys aren’t just for kids- they’re for the kid in all of us. Whether you’re five or 95, there’s just something about a tractor that brings back good memories,” shared Zaharia. This was their second year at the Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show but their first as a vendor. “We’ve loved every minute of it! It’s such a great way to meet people who love farm life and collectibles as much as we do. We’ll definitely be back- it’s just too much fun to miss!”

Joy Zaharia of Oakie Dokie Farm Toys said she enjoys seeing the farmers doing what they do and the wives with everything they do. Some vendors had goat milk soap, kitchen towels and even freeze dried candy.

“We decided on the name ‘Greater Grand Forks’ so that the other surrounding towns knew that they were included,” shared Schlief.

“The Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show is more than just a place to buy or sell- it’s where generations meet, stories are shared, and farm kids

"We think the turnout was just as great, probably a little better than last year. Initial numbers, we're between 1,100 and 1,000," said Schlief. Even with the uncertainty of the weather, organizers were happy with the turnout.

“Many vendors are older folks so the Alerus Center works well as there aren’t many stairs, and it’s easy to load in and out of,” shared organizer Nate Schlief. “Some come to buy and sell, others just come to display.”

Schlief encourages those who build displays to bring them to the show, "We really are trying to encourage people to bring those items to the show, just to show and just to interact, and that's a lot of fun for us and fun for them."

Schlief shared that many of those who build displays don’t talk about them, so no one knows they build them. He said they are “closet projects.” in a sense. Those who are just bringing items or displays to show and not sell are able to set up for free.

The Fifth Annual Greater Grand Forks Farm Toy Show will be back at the Alerus Center, March 13-14. Those interested in being a vendor or finding out more information can visit the Facebook Group: “Grand Forks Farm Toy Show” or contact Mike Radi at 218-791-5818.

of all ages come to relive their best memories,” said Zaharia.

"We want to mix in enough variety so the wives can come, the daughters

Cont’d. From Page A3 Rural Leadership North Dakota seeks participants for 11th class Since its inception over 20 years ago, RLND has helped develop agricultural and community leaders across North Dakota.

The RLND program focuses on leadership skills such as critical thinking, effective communication, self-awareness, decision-making, strategic planning and conflict management.

Participants gain insights into agricultural and rural policy, economic trends, funding strategies for local development projects, marketing, civic engagement, coalition building, industry advocacy and legislative processes.

“Rural Leadership North Dakota is the premier statewide leadership program in North Dakota,” said Katie Tyler, program director and Extension specialist for RLND. “If you are looking for an opportunity to grow as a leader, broaden your perspective and make a lasting impact on your community and state, we encourage you to apply for

Class XI.” Tuition for Class XI is $4,500, which covers most meals, lodging and travel expenses like bussing for in-state seminars and airfare for out-of-state trips. Participants are responsible for their travel costs to in-state seminars and departure points for out-of-state trips.

Borderland

BUSINESS DIRECTORY Real Estate Broker

The application deadline for RLND Class XI (2025-27) is June 1, 2025.

Applicants must have been North Dakota residents for at least one year and be able to attend all seminars.

To apply or nominate someone for RLND Class XI, visit ndsu.ag/rlndapply25, email ndsu.ruralleadership@ ndsu.edu or call 701-231-5640. Follow RLND on Facebook for updates and alumni stories.

Since 2003, over 175 people from 87 communities in 41 counties have participated in the RLND program.

Meats