Beulah Beacon News
Chance of Beulah flood 60 percent, officials say
If your home flooded in '97 you should be prepared to have water issues again this year. "In a moderate melt the homes that had trouble in '97 are going to experience problems again," Mercer County Emergency Manager Richard Sorenson said. Sorensen gave the warning at an area-wide flood preparedness meeting Friday evening. Beulah Mayor Darrell Bjerke, Beulah City Councilman Steve Perry, Hazen Mayor Delmar Schramm, Hazen City Commissioner Mike Peterson, Hazen City Planner Steve Frovarb and Ed Schaper (with the Mercer County Highway Department) attended the meeting. The group discussed the preparations the cities and the county are taking to prepare for the coming season.
Voss arrested on neglect charges, FBI to investigate
Jonathan Voss was arrested by Mercer County deputies Friday, March 13 in Stark County and returned to the Mercer County Detention Center in Stanton. Voss, identified in court documents alternately as John Voss and as Jonathon V. Voss, was arrested on two counts of Livestock running at Large, class "B" misdemeanors, and five counts of Over Working, Mistreating or Abandoning Animals, class "A" misdemeanors. An arrest warrant was issued March 11 by District Judge Thomas Schneider. Voss was released March 14 around 6 p.m. on $1,000 cash bond. "On Monday (March 9) this week I met with the special agent in charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and asked that he review this case to decide if charges should be brought against tribal members and to review (Voss) documents at American Bank Center. It'll be their determination whether any federal offenses have occurred," Mercer County Sheriff Dean Danzeisen said.
Natural gas utility awaits public input
Representatives of the cities of Beulah and Hazen met Friday, March 6 with representatives of Major Pipeline, L.L.C. The company wants to bring a pipeline into the two communities that would supply natural gas to businesses and residences. "I was extremely pleased with their marketing plan," Beulah Mayor Darrell Bjerke said. "They're going to have a presence in both towns. They laid out their strategy and the financing they put together. They put a lot of my fears to rest."
Flamingos fighting against MS
It wasn't his birthday - at least that he knew of, anyway, joked Reuben Gutsche, Hazen. But he knew there had to be some special explanation as to why he counted 15 pink flamingos milling about his front-yard snow banks Thursday morning. There was a special explanation, indeed. The pink, plastic lawn ornaments are part of a local fundraising effort to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. The notoriously noble effort is the doing of Lorisa Newman, Hazen.
Year end report shows trash hauling in the red
The city of Beulah's trash service and transfer station are running in the red, and have been for several years, according to City Councilman Herb Dittus, who oversees the department. The transfer station collected $7,454 from fees in 2008. The city paid $10,689 to the Mercer County Landfill in tipping fees, and paid another $7,700 in hauling costs. That leaves a deficit of $10,935. That doesn't include the cost of one full-time employee that works at the transfer station. That salary is still carried in the budget of the city garbage pickup.
Middle School Principal is honored by her peers
Gail Wold is still a young woman, and has yet many milestones to reach as Principal of Beulah Middle School. So she probably hasn't reached the pinnacle of her career - but this has got to feel like it. Friday afternoon 215 middle school students, faculty and staff filled the auditorium at BMS to celebrate Wold and her selection as North Dakota National Distinguished Principal of the Year.
School Board spins Implications Wheel
You've heard the old adage that a camel is a horse designed by committee. The Beulah School Board wants to prove that a large group of people, properly motivated and structured, can plan for the future better than any one single mind. In the book "The Wisdom of Crowds," author James Surowiecki says;
School Board spins Implications Wheel
You've heard the old adage that a camel is a horse designed by committee. The Beulah School Board wants to prove that a large group of people, properly motivated and structured, can plan for the future better than any one single mind. In the book "The Wisdom of Crowds," author James Surowiecki says;
'A spa for my spirit'
Once upon a time, the Knife River Indian Villages was a place where very different people joined together to embark on a common journey. Now a national historic site, a group of people from varying backgrounds again came together at Knife River Indian Villages, but this time for the Heritage Outbound Winter Adventure held Saturday at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site near Stanton.
Sheriffs seize Voss cattle on reservation
Armed with a court order from the Three Affiliated Tribes Tribal Court, Dunn County Sheriff Larry Boepple rounded up 58 neglected cows belonging to John Voss on Thursday, Feb. 12. He left 14 cows behind that had no brands or could not be identified as Voss cows. Voss is last known to have lived at a South Dakota address, but is believed to be in the Halliday area part time. Voss is believed to have leases allowing him to pasture cattle on land controlled by TAT within the Fort Berthold Reservation. With assistance from the Mercer County Sheriff's office, Boepple rounded up cattle off of the rugged Porcupine area, within the Hans Creek watershed, west of Twin Buttes. The sheriff seized the cattle due to reports that they didn't have access to food and water. Local ranchers have been reporting dead and dying cattle in the area for several weeks.
