Third Annual Beef Classic Held

The Mountrail County Ag Improvement Association held their third annual Mountrail County Beef Classic at the Fair Building south of Stanley on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Despite cold temperatures a good crowd turned out for the day that included several presentations to help producers in Mountrail County become the best they can be. The day also included several producers bringing their livestock to the facility for others to check out throughout the day. Several businesses also had display booths to show what they have to offer. Speakers included Curt Pate of Belle Fourche, SD, who presents for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association and speaks throughout the United States and in Canada. This year he will also be going to South America to present his techniques. His focus is to help producers with cattle handling for profit and to promote handling that consumers will enjoy and can be satisfied with. He says that over 90% of consumers are happiest if they can buy beef that is humanely raised. His presentation was designed to give producers ideas of what the consumer would like to see in beef raising, including a less physical approach to get cattle to do what you want them to do without forcing them. That includes basic good skills with less use of hot shots and other methods as well as promoting better transportation ideas and better care of animals. In areas like ours, he says, we’ve all talked about it but need ideas of not only what not to do, but also what you can do. His presentation  Login or Subscribe to view full stories.

Board Accepts Bids For Building Project

Stanley School Board held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Highlights of the meeting included the accepting of bids for the expansion projects at the elementary and high school buildings, discussion on staffing needs, and discussions on oil impacts to schools. Financial Review Business Manager Barb Reese reviewed financial reports with the board. To date, revenue in the general fund is a 38.95% of anticipated budget, compared to 39.41% at the same time last year. Expenditures are at 41.86%, compared to 41.05% last year. In additional revenue this year, the district received a rapid increase grant last month. They have also applied for federal education to jobs grant that will reflect in next month’s reports. Most of the funds are on track with anticipated budget percentages for the year. Capital projects expenses are higher this year, compared to last year, as the district moves forward with finishing the basement apartments in the school four-plexes. School foods budgets are on track. Expenses are higher because of increased student numbers as well as the increase in healthier meals and the salad bar. Revenues are also up as well. The board reviewed and approved the pledged securities as listed by American Bank Center. The bank has been made aware of the bond money that will be coming into the district accounts as they begin the building expansion projects. Awarding Bids for Construction The building committee and architects from EAPC met to open bids on December 21. The bids were held as EAPC looked through the bids and made sure they were comfortable with the bids received. Superintendent Hjelmstad reported the bids were all done by law and can now be executed. After review, they recommended awarding the bids to the low bidders. The general contractor bid was from JP Structures, with mechanical by Peterson Sheet Metal and electrical by Bartsch Electric. The bids, including the alternate adds, come to a total of $5,476,218, about $1.1 million under preliminary estimates at this point. They  Login or Subscribe to view full stories.

2011 ~ A Look Back

(Editor’s Note: This week we end our look back at the stories we covered in 2011. We hope you enjoyed a look back at the year that was.) October Work on Stanley’s sewer lagoon project was underway in October. The project was bid last May with Gratech LTD as the contractor and Kemper Construction doing the lift station and underground work. The project will add a third cell to the city’s lagoon system and improve the system as a whole as the city works to increase capacity to serve an ever growing population. Conditions permitting, the new cell should be ready for operation in early December. Mountrail County’s Planning and Zoning Commission placed an eighteen month moratorium on man camps/worker camps and RV parks in the county. The County Commission met on October 4 to give their approval to the committee’s decision. The moratorium will give the county a chance to upgrade their temporary housing ordinances, insure proper infrastructure is in place and attempt to bring the roads and infrastructure in the county into a better standing. The committee recognized the housing crunch in western North Dakota, but they also know that they have to balance those needs with public health and safety. Second quarter taxable sales and purchases grew $1 billion compared to the same months in 2010. Of the 50 largest cities in the state, Stanley posted the largest increase, up 114.1%. New Town posted a 62.77% gain. Mountrail County was up 109.2% as a whole. Missouri Basin Well Services made $1000 donations in October to the Stanley Police Department, Stanley Volunteer Ambulance, Stanley Volunteer Fire Department and Mountrail County Sheriff’s Department. The donations can be   Login or Subscribe to view full stories.

Women In Leadership Development Events Set For February

North Dakota Farmers Union will be hosting four regional Women in Leadership Development (WILD) events across the state in February. The registration fee includes a lunch or evening meal. This event is open to all North Dakota Farmers Union members. The four sites will include: 1. Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 1-5 p.m. (mountain time) 2. Taube Museum of Art in Minot on Monday, Feb. 6, from 6-9 p.m. (central time) 3. Green room at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6-9 p.m. (central time) 4. NAFUS Center, level 2, at Jamestown College in Jamestown on Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 6-9 p.m. (central time) Liz Johnson, the White House Project’s national director, will be the featured keynote speaker. Johnson has coordinated White House Project (WHP) leadership training programs within the Midwest region since 2004. A leader in the design and implementation of rural women’s leadership programs, Liz has worked and trained women from over 250 cities and towns across the Midwest and even more   Login or Subscribe to view full stories.

Meeting The Challenges Of A Growing Industry

by Ron Ness, president, North Dakota Petroleum Council For generations, North Dakotans have been seeking to grow and diversify this state’s economy, create more good paying jobs and retain our young people. Today, thanks in large part to the development of the Bakken oil reserves, we are beginning to realize our dream of making North Dakota an economic powerhouse and providing a brighter future for ourselves and our children. The oil industry has already created over 30,000 good paying jobs and our state’s per capita average income exceeds the national average for the first time in decades. We have added $12 billion in annual economic activity to the state and we pay over $1 billion in taxes each year. And all indications are that North Dakota will enjoy continued growth for years to come. But, there is no question that this growth has also created challenges. To realize our state’s true potential and provide long-term economic success, we must address these challenges head on. The oil and gas industry is working aggressively to provide immediate and long-term solutions. To reduce vehicle traffic, we are investing billions of dollars in new pipelines and rail transportation facilities. The oil industry is also working closely with counties to develop traffic corridors and to help maintain those roads affected by   Login or Subscribe to view full stories.