The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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The pages of the Independent from July to December, 2023, were much less dramatic than the first half of the year. Trailblazing CHS female wrestlers, a $35,000 library grant and the courthouse basement project were certainly positive things to happen in the community. There were a few mishaps in the latter part of the year that created some stir among residents, but all in all, the second half of 2023 produced some good news stories that make us thankful to live here. Here is what was in the...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Bakker School District to dissolve The North Dakota Board of Public School Education recently announced it is holding a public hearing on January 22, concerning the dissolution plan for the Bakker Public School District and its transfer to the Strasburg Public School District. Previously, the Emmons...
The Foster County Commission agreed to increase wages for sheriff's deputies at their last meeting in order to attract and retain officers. During the meeting held on Tuesday, January 16, the board heard from Sheriff Justin Johnson, who attended the meeting to ask for an increase in wages for sergeant Nathan Kruse. Johnson said Kruse has accepted a position with the NDDOT, but he is hoping to convince him to stay in his position with the sheriff's department with an incentive like a pay...
The pages of the Independent from January to June, 2023, held some unsettling news in the first quarter, between three being charged with murder, and workforce shortages, but the second quarter was a saving grace in the area as residents had a lot to smile about, especially on the court and on the field. Here are a few of the stories that donned the pages of the Independent last year: January • Carrington day care provider Patricia Wick was ordered to cease operations after a 5-month-old in h...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. McLean County farmer convicted of fraud Kent Pfaff, 59, from Washburn pled guilty to crop insurance fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024. Pfaff must repay $379,317 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management agency after he pleaded guilty to a felony count in a crop insurance...
Year-end housekeeping kept the Carrington City Council busy at their meeting last week. During the meeting held on Monday, January 8, the board approved year-end transfers of funds to balance out accounts. Carrington Mayor Tom Erdmann reported that the general fund reserve will now hold $870,000; the capital fund $917,000 and the year end balance for the general fund is $408,330. • The council also approved moving $1,000,000.00 from their Bremer Bank checking account to the Bank Forward ICS a...
In a special meeting, the Foster County Commission met with an EAPC Architect, as well as Ted Keller and Leo Straley via Zoom meeting, to discuss the courthouse basement project. During the meeting held on Friday, January 5, the board had questions about how the basement remodel will proceed. EAPC said the project will proceed in three phases with the first phase being the demolition and construction of the social services offices. Next, the board discussed where to house the social services...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Bottineau County artist who gave to the world In September of this year, an art piece was sold at an auction house which consisted of a self-portrait of an artist that was drawn on paper with a pencil. The title of the piece was, "Ella Moen." If the name sounds familiar it is because she was born and...
The Foster County Commission held a special meeting to tie up year-end bills with a couple more items on the agenda. During the meeting held on Friday, December 29, 2023, year-end bills were approved for payment. In other business: • The board passed a motion for the commission chairman to sign an agreement to send to Youthworks in Fargo, N.D., provided by the Foster County Sheriff, Justin Johnson. The Youthworks programs are for runaway, homeless and street youth; juvenile offenders; youth f...
Not everybody in the county is happy about the courthouse basement renovation. At the Foster County Commission meeting last week, commissioner Pat Copenhaver told the board that some residents are questioning the cost of the project. During the meeting held on Tuesday, January 2, Copenhaver said people are calling him, saying that there are more important things in the county that need repair, such as roads and some of the county shops. He also said he is concerned about the county running out...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Ukranian family comes to Bottineau As Christmas was coming upon us this past week, the Bottineau Area Christian Ministerial Association and a new family from Ukraine truly felt the blessings of the holiday season. For almost a year, Rev. Beth Kelsey, pastor of United Parish, and the director of the...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Ukranian family set to arrive in Bottineau The Bottineau Area Christian Ministerial Association is delighted to announce that a Ukranian family has accepted the invitation to come to Bottineau. The family is expected to arrive between Dec. 14-30. Oleksandr and Keniia Shevchenko have a 10-year-old son, Naza...
The Foster County Commission voted to have David Utke take the chairman's seat for 2024. During the meeting held on Tuesday, December 19, Scott Beumer was voted in as vice chairman. The commission rotates four of the five seats each year and 2024 is Utke's turn to lead. In other business: • The board heard from Lee Wahlund, who attended the meeting to discuss his petition to vacate a section line north of Carrington and 813 Sales, just west of Agriliquid off of 66th Avenue. The legal d...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Police arrest man wanted for murder Grafton police working with a joint operations team recently arrested a Texas man wanted on charges of murder. On December 12, a joint operation commenced to locate Joshua C. Davis, 26, in the city of Grafton. He was wanted on indictments for capital murder and engaging...
The Carrington City Council learned that the Carrington Police Department will receive monies from the State of North Dakota through the "Back the Blue Grant" which was created to be used to hire and retain law enforcement and correctional officers. During the meeting held on Monday, December 11, Carrington Police Chief Christopher Bittmann presented the Award Acceptance letter from the office of the Attorney General. In the letter, Bittmann explained how he would use the $11,538 grant....
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. U.S. Fish and Wildlife to purchase 80 acres The Traill County Board of Commisisoners recently gave preliminary approval to a request from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to move forward with plans to buy 80 acres of privately owned land in Norman Township. Kurt Tompkins, a district manager for the fish...
The Foster County Commission learned at their last meeting that the City of Carrington is considering eliminating the Municipal Judge position and letting the district court handle the city's lesser crimes. During the meeting held on Tuesday, December 5, the board heard from Carrington Mayor Tom Erdmann about the city's dilemma. Erdmann said the state has a long list of requirements for someone being a municipal judge. According to The State of North Dakota Courts website, ht...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Spirit Lake rapper amplifies voice of Native youth Stuart James, a hip-hop artist from the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota, raps about important issues that affect native communities. The now 30-year-old started off as a shy kid. Though he liked basketball, James admitted he wasn't the most...
Much like most other rural county commissions in North Dakota, the Foster County Commission is learning how hard it is for the sheriff's department to keep deputies. At the last county commission meeting held on Tuesday, November 21, sheriff Justin Johnson attended the meeting to ask the board to increase the wages for his current and incoming deputies. He explained that the bill HB1307 offers a grant from the North Dakota State Legislature called "Back the Blue Grant" to help in recruiting and...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Towner woman sentenced for theft A Towner woman has been sentenced after entering a guilty plea to charges that she committed theft, forgery and used personal identifying information while employed as the bookkeeper for a Rugby business. Ashley Ryan, 28, Towner, was charged with the three felony charges...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Battery project moving forward With the recent announcement that Talon Metals was awarded $114 million by the United States Department of Energy for the nickel processing facility in Mercer County, the company is planning to line up public input meetings as they prepare to get in to the permitting for the...
The City of Carrington may not continue to pay a Municipal Judge if research on transferring the duties to the District Court pays off. During the Carrington City Council meeting held on Monday, November 13, the board discussed transferring the duties of the Municipal Judge to the District Court. Under that scenario, the city and county would each receive 20 percent of the revenue from fines, and the state would collect the remaining 60 percent. Carrington Police Chief Chris Bittmann said state...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. (Editor's Note: This week's online article includes features which were cut from the print edition due to space constraints.) Turtle Mountain tribe honors Virgil Hill Five-time world champion Virgil Hill stepped into the Bismarck Event Center boxing ring one more time to receive the North Dakota Theodore R...
Road maintenance costs for townships will creep up next year, but for a good reason. The Foster County Commission passed a motion at their meeting last week to increase the cost for blading and snow removal for townships. During the meeting held on Tuesday, November 7, the board agreed to increase the cost for townships with contracts from $110 to $140 and for those townships without contracts from $150 to $180. Commissioner David Utke said even at these increased rates the county still isn’t c...
The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories. Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state. Watch the salmon run Did you know you can watch chinook salmon run upstream in Lake Sakakawea State Park? A few Sundays ago, the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in Riverdale hosted two separate hikes on a part of the North Country Trail. (The North Country Trail runs from Middlebury, Vermont, and ends...
