The recent discussion about the construction of a new elementary school has created a number of questions that need to be answered. In this article I will attempt to address several of the questions that seem to come up most often.

What are your current student population growth projections? Identify the need for the new school.

As of Sept. 15, 2011, Mandan had 1,451 students enrolled district-wide in its five elementary schools. This enrollment is similar to the 1,474 students that were enrolled in Mandan in 2000-2001; however, in 2000-01 in addition to operating the five current elementary schools, Mandan Public Schools leased classroom space from St. Joe’s School and operated Collins Elementary School to accommodate its elementary students.

Although we currently have several elementary classrooms in the district that are larger than we would like to see, we would not be considering building if we expected our enrollment to remain at the current level.

Conservative estimates using Morton County birth rates show that in five years (2016-2017) Mandan Public Schools will have an elementary enrollment of 1,769 students. This is an increase of 318 elementary students over our current enrollment. This estimate does not include any estimates of students, born outside of Morton County who move into the Mandan School District.

What are the current and projected sizes of classrooms with and without a new school?

According to the N.D. Dept. of Health, birth rates in Morton County ranged from a low of 284 births to a high of 314 births from 1997 to 2004; from 2005 to 2011, the Morton County birth rates have ranged from a low of 340 births to a high of 402 births. Historically, approximately 80 percent of Morton County births end up in Mandan Public Schools. Assuming no in or outward migration and just counting 80 percent of Morton County births as future MPS students, K-5 enrollment will rise from 1,451 students in 2011-2012 to 1,769 in 2016-2017. That is an increase of 318 students over the next 4 1/2 years. If we do nothing, class averages are projected to change as follows:

Grade                         2011-12     2016-17

Avg. Class Size

Kindergarten                     23.3     25.5

1st Grade                            22.3     27.5

2nd Grade                          19.1     27.5

3rd Grade                           24.1     26.6

4th Grade                           20.7     26.1

5th Grade                           20.3     25.5

We believe these are conservative estimates, because these numbers are based solely on birth rates and do not factor in families moving into the Mandan School District. We also believe that the average class size in 2016-17 would be too large to provide students with a proper education.

If four additional rooms could be added to Fort Lincoln, why wasn’t that option selected?

The board believes adding four classrooms to Fort Lincoln is insufficient to meet the future classroom needs of the district. Adding four classrooms to Ft. Lincoln would not eliminate the need for a new school. Therefore, the board believes it would be a wiser decision to commit the dollars it would take to build four classrooms on to Ft. Lincoln toward a new elementary school.

In addition, the three schools with the highest average classroom sizes (Lewis & Clark, Roosevelt, and Custer) are all in the northern half of the district.  Bussing students from north Mandan to south Mandan is problematic, because all buses need to stop at the high school and middle school, which are in the northern half of the district. This means the natural flow of bussing is from south to north.

Where would the location be for the new elementary school?

At the present time the school board is planning to locate the school on land the school district owns in the northwest part of the city. The school is hoping to sell 6 acres of the 30 acres it owns in this area so that lots can be developed and new homes can be built next to the school. The revenue from the sale of these lots should cover the infrastructure costs associated with the new school.

As we continue our discussion regarding the new elementary school, new questions will come up. I will try to provide answers to many of those questions in the months ahead. We will also be scheduling several public meetings to provide you with information regarding the school. We will inform you of those dates once they are scheduled.

Okay, so mom’s planning on moving back home after the carpenter in our family completes his tasks on her house. For the record, not much has been done around her house for somewhere close to 30 years.

Thus the interior needed painting, cleaning, and we had to remove the roots that had grown through the sheetrock on her basement wall. Never mind the 20-some odd boxes of books we hauled out along with the overflowing pickup full of trash that’s now in the landfill… the roots were rather disturbing. Carpenter Ben had to tear off the siding to the house, replace some studs, re-channel the water that fed the roots that insidiously crept through the wall. (BTW – yes this is a plug for Ben… he’s turned out to be a really good carpenter.)

So it’s fixed now except for the dirt that slid down the hill and covered the aforementioned basement wall 20 years ago. As you know, the ground freezes fairly solid in January, we’re talking frozen like concrete from the surface to the frost line… 4 feet down. All we had to do was remove the top 18 inches of this frozen tundra.

Like I was saying, the water flowed in this direction for the past 20 years, so the roots and the rock and the mud was/is fully encased in ice… and we had to remove 18 inches of this rocky frozen muck… i.e. dig an 18 inch deep trench that is 25 feet long and 3 feet wide… with a pick ax.

I will leave out the fact that we also have to dig out the steel mesh fence/dog kennel that my dad constructed for his dog, Prairie, 25 years ago. And wouldn’t you know this had to be one of the few projects dad really did right. The fence is 6 feet high and the bottom is buried 1 foot into the ground to prevent Prairie from tunneling under it. After 25 years trees have intertwined into the mesh of the fence… some of these Chinese Elms, Poplars, and vines have grown to a height of 20 feet… their removal will have to wait until spring thaw.

We had to get the water, snow and ice away from the house to protect the aforementioned carpenter work… so back to the pick ax. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to operate a pick ax but I do recall not enjoying the last time I had to use one. For you tool challenged types, a pick ax is a skinny 24-inch long skinny pointed chunk of steel with an ax handle inserted in the middle of it… and it weighs about 10 pounds.

Ten pounds doesn’t sound like much until you foist it over your head and slam it into the ground as hard as you can. My first strokes managed to loosen three gravel-sized rocks per swing. At this point you have no choice except to keep swinging until the pick sticks itself far enough into the ground to crack it. Then you leverage a chunk of frozen dirt and swing again and again and again and again and again… and at this age I found 10 swings at a time was all I could handle.

Once you get the dirt loose then you grab a shovel to remove it and once you remove it then you return to the pick ax for 10 more swings… then you remove that and take 10 more swings and then remove that and you should get the drift by now.

In short order, your sweat glands burst open and even though it’s below freezing outside your undershirt is soaked, your lungs will be chugging like a steam engine, sweat will drizzle down your nose and blur your eyesight… It’s here that the only good thing I could think of was that at least I could skip my trip to the gym for the day and swung on.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this project would require more effort than I was capable of giving, so I dug for an hour and half. My reward was a pitiful 3-foot square of dirt, thus leaving me another 22 feet of digging… so I went home and napped on it.

I woke up to every muscle in my body angrily expressing themselves via grunts, groans, and aches. My arms ached so bad I could hardly get my hand high enough to pick my nose. While secretly hoping that this project would fix it self I heeded my muscle warnings and decided to wait until they quit complaining before returning. My calculations at this juncture indicate that at 3 feet per attempt I only have seven more tries, or 12 more hours, before I’m done, and since this is a description of day one I have no idea when my muscles will allow me to return to this task… and then there’s that dog pen…

Sure hopin’ you’re able to survive whatever you get yourself into.

25 Years Ago – 1987

On a split vote of 4-1, the Mandan City Commission has named Bryan Giese as municipal judge at a salary of $1,150 per month. Others candidates included Bill Engelter, Chub Ulmer, Tom Kelsch and Judith Atkinson.

Ruby Huber has been elected the new president of the Mandan Hospital Volunteers; she succeeds Millie Block. Other elected officers are: Mary Meeker, first vice president; Hazel Palmer, second vice president and program chairman; Joyce Tvieto and Irene Monzelowsky, recording and corresponding secretaries; and Lorraine Moos, treasurer.

The Mandan High School speech team has taken first place in the individual events among 25 schools competing from Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota at the 16th annual Moorhead Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament held at Moorhead State University. Mandan captured first place with 41 points; Fargo North came in second with 34. Participating from Mandan were Mike Kalvoda, Mark Engelter, Joel Pins, John Bender, Sarah Zittlow, Christina Maruska, Dana Farner, Karen Engelter and Terri Hurdelbrink. The team is coached by Pat Pins, assisted by Jason Bender.

Bryan Giese, who was elected the municipal judge by the Mandan City Commission in 1987.

50 Years Ago – 1962

Friends acquired in Mandan over a span of 78 years called on Mrs. L.N. Cary who observed her 90th birthday at 309 Third Ave. N.W. in a home shared with her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Colin R. Cary. The former Ann Alison Clark arrived in Mandan in 1883 and married Lyman Cary in 1894. Her accomplishments include membership in Fortnightly Club, the PEO Sisterhood, Daughters of the American Revolution, Pioneer Daughters and the Association of Presbyterian Women.

Mrs. Cary is also credited with the suggestion that the famed Chateau De Mores at Medora be acquired by the State for preservation as a historic site. Her interest in the French nobleman’s home stems from her recollections of 1885 when the grand jury met in Mandan to indict the Marquis for the murder of a man at Medora. Her father, James R. Clark, the local druggist, was foreman of the grand jury that indicted the Marquis who was later tried and acquitted in Burleigh County.

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More than 200 people attended the annual Mandan Chamber of Commerce dinner held at the American Legion Club. Music during the dinner was provided by Wally Maki on the accordion. The chamber’s president Bruce Bair introduced the evening’s speaker, Wyatte F. DeLoach, Midwest district manager of DuPont’s extension division, who spoke on the value of research in the current space age.

The Mandan Braves basketball team lost the leadership spot in the Western Dakota Association in a close game to the Bismarck Demons, 60-59. Although Mandan held a seven-point lead with two minutes remaining, the Demons came back with four quick baskets to go out in front. Mandan’s top scorer was Dan Hilligoss with 24 points, followed by John Hoenig and Bill Engelter with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Leading the Demons were Steve Bahr, 19 points, and Dave Rudrud with 17.

Funeral services were held this week for Thomas Peter Gustin, 39, who died unexpectedly at St. Alexius Hospital. He had been a pressman at the Mandan Daily Pioneer since 1950. Gustin was born in Odessa, Russia, coming to the United States in 1949; he married Kathryn Hoerner in 1951. In addition to his wife, his survivors include three children, plus his father, stepmother and sisters in Russia.

An ad from the Mandan Pioneer in 1962, the primetime lineup for KXMB channel 12.

75 Years Ago – 1937

Sixteen amateur boxers, including three from Mandan, were crowned Golden Gloves champions of North Dakota at the second annual tournament held at the World War Memorial Building in Bismarck. The Mandan victors were Robert Zeller, 186-pound heavyweight in the Class A Division; and Delbert Simpson and Tony Brooker, both in the Class B Division. Sapphire-studded belts were awarded to the Class A winners, while Golden Gloves emblems were given to the Class B winners.

Miss Janet Arthur was seated as Noble Grand of the Rebekah Lodge during a formal installation ceremony conducted in the lodge room in the Memorial Building. She succeeds Miss Fern Burdick.

The El Zagel Shrine temple has elected Col. A.B. Welch of Mandan as Illustrious Potentate for 1937 at their annual meeting held in Fargo; he succeeds J. E. Hendrikson.

Miss Jane Watson has been installed as Worthy Advisor of the Mandan Assembly, Order of Rainbow of Girls, at a public installation held in Masonic Temple, Mandan.

From the Mandan Daily Pioneer, this ad from 1937 is for Buttrey's Clothing Store, which was located on West Main Street.

100 Years Ago – 1912

“Found: At the courthouse, a fountain pen. Owner can have same by paying the cost of this advertisement. S. L. Nuchols.

“Don’t break your neck on the icy walks. Get rubber heels put on your shoes at the City Harness and Shoe Shop.

“Miss Sylvia Louise Nichols and Mr. Lewis F. Lyman were married at Estherville, Iowa, on last Wednesday. They are expected to arrive in Mandan today. Both of the contracting parties are well and favorably known in this city, and Mr. Lyman is one of the prominent young businessmen of this city. The couple will be at home to their many friends after March 1.

“C. L. Timmerman will leave this week for a pleasure trip to Panama to investigate the great work Uncle Sam is doing in that neck of the continent.

“The hospital has made arrangements with the downtown liverymen to make the hack rate to the hospital for 50 cents round trip, instead of $1 as was before.

“Father Hildebrand of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is planning on putting on two comedy plays at the Opera House about the middle of February. One play will be given in English and the other in German. The English play will be the “Millionaire’s Janitor.”

125 Years Ago – 1887

The village of Mandan was organized in the spring of 1881; by 1887 the population was already nearing the 2,500 mark.

February 3, 1887: “On Thursday at 3:30 p.m. the thermometer stood at 10 degrees below zero.

“James E. Campbell had the misfortune to dislocate his shoulder on Tuesday. Too much ice on the sidewalk and too far to fall were the causes. Dr. Coe reduced the dislocation, and our Jim is once more himself.

“Hay is getting scarce and hard to get and is selling for $15 to $20 a ton in Mandan and may go higher before spring.

“On Friday night, Saturday and Sunday night, we had a rip-snorting wind. It was rather unpleasant to be out in it. Perhaps the Chicagoan, when he reads a little about the Dakota zephyr, will turn up his nose and thank his stars that he does not live in this broad territory. But, which imparts the more gloominess in a man…a Chicago rain, drenching and monotonous, or a Dakota breeze bearing in its arm a few particles of snow that can be brushed off one’s clothes with the greatest of ease? A strong Dakota breeze may be worse, but we question it.”

(To contact Diane Boit, email mandan-news.com)

Both my loyal readers frown and scratch their heads whenever I start doing math, so hang on. Since you seem to still be with me here, let’s say you got an email from your uncle saying that your grandparents owned 40 acres of mineral rights east of Glendive, Montana. And let’s just say, for figuring sake, that they happened to strike oil and the well pumped 2,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Then for more figuring sake, we’ll peg the price of a barrel of oil at $100… the math would then indicate that 2,000 barrels times $100 equals $20,000/day. Then we’ll assume that 5 percent of each barrel will come to you each day as a royalty, the math here indicates that every day for the next 20 years you’d get a check in the mail for $1,000 or $30,000 per month for an annual total of $365,000.

Now let’s say that you’re taxed at 20 percent, so your earnings would decrease to the point that your daily cash flow would be reduced to $800 and your annual take home after taxes would end somewhere around a mere $292,000. In 20 years you’ll will have accumulated and most likely found a variety of ways to spend $5,840,000… and that left me wondering what I’d spend that on.

So here goes, I’d like an island in the Caribbean, but I don’t think I could get more than a speck of sand for a mere $5,000,000, so that’s out. Maybe a condo on the coast of Belize would suffice… or a rental in Aruba. Then I’d need a pair of Speedos and a snorkel.

I’d settle for a new pontoon, a couple of snowmobiles, and maybe a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

I’d like to travel to some ski resorts so I could pretend that I’m 18 again and maybe buy a nice car to travel around the country following the seasons and seeing what there is to see.

But then again it would be kinda fun to become a philanthropist donating money to worthy causes that tickle my fanciful desire to leave the world better off… Alas, my desires seem to wane much faster than they used to but it’s still fun to fantasize about owning my own jet and flying to San Diego for an evening dinner at the Hotel Del Coronado then making it back home in time for the Letterman show. Maybe flying off to Colorado for a couple days of shooshing Vail, maybe Miami for a day of jet skiing in the ocean or a flight into Anchorage for some crab and halibut. But alas, my $5,000,000 won’t buy me a jet, so I’ll have to fly commercial…

And as reality begins to return I need to tell you that my uncle did email about my deceased Grandma Cora still owning 40 acres of mineral rights in the Bakken. So my relatives on the Ulmer side of the family are somewhat abuzz and hoping that something may come of this news.

Of course there are a few details as my grandma had five children who created 26 grandchildren who begat 35 great-grandchildren who have since begat more offspring than we’ve been able to keep track of… so there’s a lot of division to be done here and since both my loyal readers will affirm that math has never been my forte, I will let you check the results of my calculations.

My math seems to indicate that even if the dream of striking oil came true, my share of this windfall would have to be divided up amongst all them other relatives and thus I might be able to afford a latte at Cappuccino on Collins so I quit fantasizing.

It’s kinda fun to think about what you’d do if you won a ton of money… at least it was for me for a minute there… and that private jet thing would be kinda nice.

Here’s hoping that you get whatever you need whilst you’re waiting for your ship to come in…

25 Years Ago – 1987

The Mandan Park Board has voted to spend nearly $10,000 to make major repairs on the dilapidated grandstand in south side Mandan. They expect the repairs will make the grandstand safe for this year’s 30th annual Mandan Rodeo and possibly for that event in 1988. An engineering firm will make a safety inspection when the repairs have been completed.

Responding to budget cuts, the North Dakota National Guard has announced the proposal of closing nine armories within the state, including the Mandan Armory. During 1986, the National Guard paid $17,000 in rent to the Mandan Community Center, which the armory is now located.

The Mandan Athletic and Recreation Club has announced the selections of Cheryl Tranby in Volleyball and John Mindt in boys’ swimming as their Athletes of the Month for December. In five matches during December, Cheryl had 30 points, 13 serving aces, 18 kills and 4 saves. She is the daughter of Marlene Tranby. John Mindt had a win in the diving competition at the Bismarck-Jamestown meet and at the Bismarck Invitational, where he broke the record by more than 50 points, scoring 282.70.

50 Years Ago – 1962

John Steinbeck, “The Grapes of Wrath” author, has roused a little bit of Mandan wrath lately after the news surfaced of his journey through Mandan and North Dakota during last summer. According to a story featured in the December issue of Holiday magazine, Steinbeck, accompanied by his dog, had traveled incognito in a camper across the United States as an inspiration of another book. According to an editorial by the Pioneer’s Eddie Tostevin, Steinbeck missed out on seeing a lot of local sites as both the Mandan and Bismarck Chambers of Commerce would have been glad to have shown him the capitol and the “Trail West” outdoor drama, south of Mandan. Tostevin also stated that it was in his opinion that the author “should fire his press agent for missing so much here.”

Mrs. Christ M. Geiger, 1014 Second St. N.W., was honored on her 75th birthday this week by a group of friends and relatives who gathered at her party. Smear was the pastime with score awards going to Mrs. Geiger, John Schafer, Mrs. Jack Schaff and Matt Geiger.

Alvie Nixon has been elected president of the Presbyterian Men’s Club, succeeding Kent Wood. Harold Robinson was elected vice president and A. E. Erbele, secretary- treasurer.

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis F. Lyman observed their 50th wedding anniversary with a gathering of their family and friends at their home, 310 Fifth Ave. N.W. The Lymans operated the Perfection Baking Company in Mandan during the 1930s before selling the business to Chris Wetzstein.

75 Years Ago – 1937

Arnold S. Christianson, known to KGCU radio fans as “Turkey Trot Bill,” recently observed the fifth anniversary of his “Turkey Trot Bill” show, sponsored by the Mandan Creamery and Produce Company, one of the largest buyers of turkeys in the Northwest.

Included on the anniversary radio program were a host of guest artists from the area, including: the George Arnold orchestra; Louis, the German; fiddler Nick Lahren, the Hoedown King; and the Mandan Male Chorus, who sang “Down By The Old Mill Stream”, “Home on the Range” and “Swing Along.”

The talented 28-year-old Christianson was born at Driscoll, coming to Mandan in 1931 and shortly after, became a regular feature on KGCU radio. The “Turkey Trot” half-hour program is broadcast daily, except Sundays, and features popular and old-time music. Christianson also sings and plays the guitar and performs at least one Scandinavian song during each program.

An ad announcing the 1937 event, the Anniversary Show for Turkey Track Bill.

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A record crowd attended the fourth annual local birthday ball held in honor of President Roosevelt who turned 55 years old. This year’s dance was held in the new Memorial building and was sponsored by the city commission and the Mandan Elks Lodge. The dance began with the traditional grand march, led by Governor and Mrs. William Langer. Mayor C.F. Bylery was the general chairman of the event.

Prior to the dance, entertainment included tumbling acts by the State Training School Boy Scout Troop under the direction of Delbert Skjod, plus a contortionist act, a song by Irene Stahberg and several tap dance numbers by Viola Donczick. A huge birthday cake was also donated by the Mandan Baking Company.

A 1937 Mandan Daily Pioneer ad for the Checkerboard Grocery, which was located at 600 West Main St.

100 Years Ago – 1912

“The possibilities are that a parochial school will be established in Mandan at a not distant date. It is generally known that the late Father Collins left considerable money in his will for the purposing of establishing such a school.

“John Wolff, of Crown Butte, appeared before Judge Johnson of the county court on Tuesday and asked to have Emil Huber of that place committed as an insane person. Differences in religious opinion between the two men caused the latter to be brought before the board. However, physicians who examined into the condition of Huber declared there was no evidence of mental imbalance, and that he was as sane as any man in the county.

“The annual stockholders meeting of the Mandan Hospital was held at the Commercial Club rooms this week. Miss Elizabeth Smith, superintendent of the hospital, made a very satisfactory report for the year 1911. She reported there were 65 operations performed, and in all cases, there were splendid recoveries. The hospital nursing staff is composed of three graduate nurses and there are five pupil nurses. Miss Smith also asked the stockholders to use their influence in reaching young women who are interested in the nursing profession, especially those who have knowledge of the German language. Before the meeting was adjourned, Treasurer T. A. Cummins stated that the hospital made a profit for the year of $3,818.56.”

125 Years Ago – 1887

The village of Mandan was organized in the spring of 1881; by 1887 the population was already nearing the 2,500 mark.

January 27, 1887: “On Thursday at 3:30 p.m. the thermometer stood at 8 degrees above zero.

“More snow has fallen this year than any previous year in west Dakota in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant. The prairie is covered with flakes of a feathery white to the depth from two to four feet. And many of the cuts, ravines and coulees are filled even with the banks on either side – containing snow enough for a perfect torrent when the break-up comes in the spring. Unless indications are all off this winter, the wise man can safely prepare for a little surplus water in the spring.

“Our attention has been called to the fact that the good, kind and charitable people of Bismarck are making arrangements to care for the poor of the town. We wish them ‘God Speed’ in their work and would add a word of thankfulness that in prosperous Mandan, there are no poor and hungry needing systemized charity.”

(To contact Diane Boit, email mandan-news.com.)

Is it just me or do you also feel like big brother is watching all of us?

Either of my loyal readers might recall that I was in D.C. on 9/11/01. My boss found a rental car and we deadheaded home. As you can imagine, the situation was surreal and the ensuing 24 hours of conversation was intense. The others in the car were looking for revenge and I expressed concerns about how the attacks would affect our liberties.

My traveling companions tried to minimize my concerns, but they couldn’t convince me that I was wrong when I said, “We are going to give up our privacy and many other liberties in order to feel secure…” and wouldn’t you know, I was right.

Once our courts said it was okay to entrap users and dealers, the war on drugs started this erosion into our privacy. This led to the black helicopter paranoia and the Homeland Security Act made all of us fair game… even in our homes.

Our fear of terrorism has led to no-knock warrants backed by a secret court that allows police to search our homes and then get a warrant after they find something… and that certainly erodes my sense of security.

We’ve all become desensitized to these invasions and our right to privacy has been insidiously eviscerated. No one needs permission to pull out their cell phone and record our activities, every move we make seems to be recorded and tracked and no one seems to care.

I read the other day that the military was going to add 13 more UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles-predators-drones) to Grand Forks’ existing fleet. Since they’ll likely be flying them in North Dakota’s airspace it sure didn’t make me feel more secure; rather, it reminded me of Big Brother in the book “1984.”

You need to understand that these UAV’s are presently flying over Afghanistan while being piloted out of Grand Forks and other state side military bases. The optics on these things allow the pilots watch their prey from a long, long ways away. They could likely pinpoint whatever room in your house that you’re presently occupying… not a pleasant thought, huh?

At the same time our military is assisting local law enforcement in finding fugitives in Montana and other places. All they have to do is fly over the field and find your heat signature… which shows up like a beacon. There really is no hiding from UAV’s, and that’s good for law enforcement but bad for those who think it’s not okay to invade our private lives. Like I was saying earlier, we’ve become desensitized to all this in the name of security. One can only wonder when the thought police will become part of our daily lives. And given some of the political fervor we’ve been witnessing lately, one wonders who gets to decide what bad thoughts need to be eradicated… mayhaps this column?

It all seems like we’re stuck in a bad movie and it’s not a movie. Here’s hoping I’m not the only one out there that worries about such things…

May you always be able to stand up and say whatever you think needs sayin’…

25 Years Ago – 1987

Henry Gustin has been unanimously elected chairman of the Morton County Board of Commissioners; he is in the third year of his first full term as commissioner. Gustin also served on the board in 1981-82, completing the term of the late John Dahl. He lost his bid for re-election in 1982, but was elected to the board in 1984.

Leland G. “Chub” Ulmer, president and manager of the North Dakota Ass’n of Rural Electric Co-operatives, has retired after 20 years of service with the organization. The former Mandan City Commissioner was also editor-in-chief of the N.D. Rural Electric Magazine, which has won national awards eight times.

Funeral services were held this past week for former North Dakota District Judge, Clemens F. Kelsch, 96. Born at Odessa, Russia, Kelsch was raised on a farm east of Linton and then graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1915. After service in World War I, he returned to Mandan and practiced law and served as city attorney, Morton County states attorney and first assistant attorney general before being appointed district judge by Governor Guy in 1962. He was a life member and past Commander of the American Legion in Mandan, an honorary life member and Past Exalted Ruler of the Mandan Elks and a life member of the Third and Fourth Degree of Knights of Columbus. Survivors include his wife, Mary, five sons and two daughters and their families.

Henry Gustin, circa 1987.

50 Years Ago – 1962

Blizzard conditions and bitter cold, agitated by breath-taking northwestern winds, has clamped North Dakota in an icy grip. The arctic weather is in sharp contrast to the balmy January weather of the past few years. The thermometer near the Pioneer office registered 20 below on Jan. 9. On the same date in 1959, it was 40 above, in 1960 it was 22 above, and in 1961 it was a warm 42 degrees above zero.

Victor Burgess, Minneapolis, has taken over the management of the local F.W. Woolworth Co. store, succeeding Val Hager. Hager came to Mandan in 1955 and had managed the local store since its opening on March 3 of that year.

Family members honored Arnie Haider with a farewell party prior to his leaving for service in the U.S. Army. Haider has been assistant manager of the J.C. Penney Co. in Mandan and will now be stationed at Camp Carson, Colo. Haider is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Haider, of St. Anthony.

The Mandan Braves basketball team has kept their lead in the Western Dakota Association after defeating the Dickinson Midgets, 76-63. Mandan’s scoring ace, Dan Hilligoss, paced the Braves’ attack with 23 points, followed John Hoenig with 21, Marvin Loper with 14 and Terry Zander with 10. Mandan now has a 6-2 conference record.

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Bids totaling $178,305 were opened this week at St. Joseph’s parish for a 12-classroom addition to St. Joseph’s school and a new rectory which includes adequate office space, along with living quarters for three priests of the parish. A total of 27 contractors were present at the bid opening presided over by Bernard Hillyer, Bismarck architect. Representing the parish were Father Sylvester Treinen, pastor of St. Joseph’s, and two lay members of the board, Walton S. Russell and M.J. Reichert. Construction on the two buildings is set for this spring with completion expected in late fall.

The apparent low bidders were: John Larson Company, Bismarck, general contractor; and from Mandan – Skeels Electric, Mandan Plumbing and Heating, Mandan Sheet and Metal Works and Vantine Paint and Glass Company.

An ad for Ohm's Cafe, which originally printed in the Mandan Pioneer in 1962.

75 Years Ago – 1937

Ceramic classes in Mandan under the WPA program have been conducted by Miss Laura Taylor for the past three months in the basement of the Central School. Vases, ashtrays, glasses and dishes made here by nine WPA workers are now being fired and glazed at the University of North Dakota, before returning again to Mandan for use in the state’s schools and nurseries.

Chris Wetzstein has been named chairman of the ticket drive for the 1937 birthday ball for President Roosevelt on Jan. 30. Mandan residents are invited to join in sending a mammoth telegram conveying birthday greetings to the President. For only 25 cents each, a person’s name will appear on the telegram. Proceeds from the telegram and the birthday ball are earmarked for the Polio Foundation.

Lighting a cigarette while on his way to work at 6 a.m. gave A.R. Mendez a big surprise when he saw a nearby hedge burst into flames on a cold winter’s morning. Mendez’ thrown match had apparently ignited gas escaping from a broken main. Luckily for him, he wasn’t injured, but the fire department was immediately called to extinguish the hedge blaze.

100 Years Ago – 1912

“The cold weather of the past two weeks has played havoc with train service all through the Northwest, resulting in trains running two to twelve hours behind on their schedules. Frozen engines and numerous repairs have kept the railroad’s shop force busy. The greatest trouble has been with broken rails, and trains have barely crept along in order to avoid accidents.

“Charles F. Pierce of Grand Forks, formerly of the Pioneer staff, came in on Monday and will add his experience as a first class printer to please the growing list of patrons of the Pioneer plant.

“The thermometer Thursday morning reached a record low for this winter. Most thermometers about the city registered 42 and 43 degrees below zero. The intense cold kept up through the day, and even at noon, it was still 30 to 33 below with so signs of moderation. Train service has not improved throughout the week and is from six to 18 hours late. The local letter carriers are having very little to do as the mail for the past three days have all come in during the night, giving them one delivery in the morning.”

125 Years Ago – 1887

The village of Mandan was organized in the spring of 1881; by 1887 the population was already nearing the 2,500 mark.

January 20, 1887: “On Thursday at 3:30 p.m. the thermometer stood at 12 degrees above zero.

“Tobogganing is defined as an instantaneous sensation, followed by a long walk up hill.

“The county commissioners met on Saturday and spent several hours looking over the retiring treasurer’s accounts. They also opened five bids that had been handed in for taking care of the Poor Farm and decided to reject them all on account of their being too high.

“Mr. Joseph Hager has received his commission as postmaster and will take hold of the duties of office on the first of February.

“The street commissioner has all he can do these days to keep the sidewalks passable. In fact, it would take a force of fifty active snow shovelers to keep all the sidewalks clear. What is wanted is an ordinance requiring each resident to clear the sidewalk in front of his residence and making him subject to a penalty of, say, three or five dollars in case of failure.”

(To contact Diane, email mandan-news.com.)

Okay, so after a last week’s lecture on liberalism and conservatism I thought that I would delve into something more mystical this week… the weather around here. Whodda ever thought that we’d see 60 degrees above zero in January?  Sixty below yes, but 60 above never ever since I been here. Makes me think that global warming thing might not be too bad a deal – but then again, if the rest of it comes true it’s too bad about the kids’ future.

This type of weather is not good for our reputation, as there are folks all over the world who think North Dakota is a frozen snow covered blank slate. And since we locals have been known to think that 40 below keeps the riff raff out, the riff raff might change their mind about staying out. Of course, there are also lotsa folk who think that 40 below has trapped the riff raff here, but I resemble that remark so I won’t go into that.

It’s hard to realize that last year at this time we were up to our necks in snow and flood and rain, and this year our beloved prairie is brown and dry as popcorn flatulence. Although some of us drug out our snow removal equipment, most of us seemed to know that it would melt in short order and have ignored the measly snow falls we’ve had so far. However, this has been a great winter for the car wash business, as the little snow we’ve had comes and goes, and each time it melts our vehicles are covered in mud and road salt and need washing…

I’m not complaining, just wondering how long we have before I gotta put the liner back in my parka and find my stocking hat and gloves. And, as either of my loyal readers will tell you, once I have to wear all this winter gear I will likely return to complaining about the cold and my longing for spring.

Life in winter kinda makes me feel like an old bear  All I want to do is hang around my cave, eat, peruse the internet, watch movies, read, and hibernate in hopes that it won’t be too long before I can play outside again.

Most of us locals acclimate and tolerate our weather, so winter is just part of life on the northern prairie. We also know that complaining about the weather won’t change the weather but we still do it because we all know there are days around here when the weather gets so bad that all we can do is seek shelter and complain about it.

And for those of you still wondering why we engage in such frivolity, I think I’ve found the answer… there ain’t much else to do in the winter besides stay indoors and wish you could go outdoors. Thus, our confused state this year as we’ve all put away all our outdoor stuff, moved indoors, and assumed our normal winter routines.

So this warm January has thrown us tundra folk for a loop as we can actually go outside and stay outside for a while… as opposed to bundling up we’ve dressed down, where we usually hustle from our vehicles to shelter we can walk leisurely from our cars to our destination…. and this is unusual behavior for we natives.

Thus we aren’t complaining because as each day in January passes spring gets one day closer. However, we also realize that winter is a long ways from over and payback is likely…. therefore rather than sitting there reading this stuff I’d suggest you get out there and enjoy this fluky weather before it all collapses again and we can’t get out of our caves. Stay warm, payback’s likely on its way…

25 Years Ago – 1987

This week the Mandan City Commission, under the leadership of Mayor Sharon Schafer, set a new record for the shortest city commission meeting. The commission officially met for 1 1/2 minutes. The previous record was set in 1979 when Mayor Malcolm Brown wielded the gavel for an eight-minute commission meeting.

Ideal winter weather has allowed cranes and crews to quickly put together the super structure for the Mandan All Seasons Arena, located between the MHS gym and the Mandan Community Center. The balmy temperatures have allowed Northwest Contracting to begin lifting steel into place on the 225 x 160-foot structure that will enclose a hockey ice rink, with space for 1,500 to 2,000 spectators, plus all the concessions. “With weather like this, in three more weeks, we’ll be enclosed,” said Pat Appert, the on-site supervisor for the Mandan Hockey Club.

50 Years Ago – 1962

The Morton County Bookmobile was officially turned over to the County Library Board during a Completion Ceremony Dinner held at the Lewis & Clark Hotel dining room and attended by 54 persons, including local and state library officials and representatives from all parts of the county. M.G. Syvrud, chairman of the Morton County Library Board, received the certificate of ownership from Mrs. Hazel Webster Byrnes, director of the State Library Commission. The bookmobile was delivered to Mandan in September 1960 and began its rounds with Willard Stone as librarian. According to Mrs. Thelma Klingensmith, Morton County Superintendent of Schools and member of the library board, a total of 8,000 volumes are available through the traveling bookmobile.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fried of rural Mandan have announced the engagement of their daughter, Mary, to Emil Kalvoda, son of Mrs. Joe Kalvoda of rural Mandan and the late Joe Kalvoda. Miss Fried is employed at Ohm’s Ice Cream Store; Mr. Kalvoda is engaged in farming with his brother, south of Mandan.

Patricia Clark, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Clark, marked her eighth birthday on Jan. 7 with an after-school party attended by seven playmates. A Mexican piñata made by her grandmother, Mrs. W.M. Clark, was a highlight of the party’s entertainment, along with other games and treats.

Don Adams, proprietor for nearly 30 years of Don’s Barber Shop at 122 1/2 West Main, has announced the sale of the business to Lawrence Mosbrucker who has been a barber at the shop for the past four years. Mr. Adams came to Mandan in 1928 from Phoenix, Ariz., and, after four years of working in local shops, he purchased his own shop in 1932 from Dick Brennen of Mandan.

Members of the Mandan Hospital Association Board of Directors have been assured by the State Health Department that the federal government will participate to the full 46 percent of the estimated cost of the proposed new hospital for Mandan. The board also announced the formation of several outstanding memorials for the hospital: $5,600 in memory of Walter E. Tooley, Jr., the president of the First National Bank, who was killed in a car accident last year; and the Guon memorial of $4,600, donated by Mike Guon in memory of his brother Leo.

75 Years Ago – 1937

The mercury remained below the zero mark for the fifth consecutive day; the lowest reading was recorded at 15 below zero.

Lars Wedwick reported to Mandan police that his car had been stolen and then returned to the original parking space after the gas had all been used. There are no suspects.

Four hundred people from the Bismarck and Mandan areas attended fourth annual federal employees ball held at the Dome along the highway between the two cities. Newly-elected Governor William Langer and Mrs. Howard Wood, wife of the REA administrator, led the Grand March.

Governor Langer has appointed Frank Vogel, former highway commissioner, to head the Bank of North Dakota, succeeding R.M. Stangler, who had held the post for the past four years. Vogel’s yearly salary is set at $7,000.

Application for the first wholesale liquor licenses ever issued in the state of North Dakota was made to the Mandan board of City Commissioners at the end of December by Harvey H. Williams for the Mandan Beverage Company, of which he is president. The form was accompanied by a check for the $1,000 license fee. The state of North Dakota has been “dry” since being admitted to the Union in 1889.

From 1937, and advertisement for Joe's Place, which was located across from what is now Phyne Photography.

100 Years Ago – 1912

“The music-loving people of Mandan were more than pleased with the production of Verdi’s ‘Il Trovatore’ by the Lambardi Grand Opera Company. The great company of artists arrived in Mandan from Billings by special train of seven cars, late Sunday afternoon, and the distinguished artists were apparently glad to drop off and get a rest from their long journey of 500 miles.

“There were all of 100 people in the company, but the stage capacity of the opera house was too limited to permit the opera being staged with the full chorus, nor was there room for the entire orchestra. Instead, an orchestra of 16 pieces and a company of 50 presented the opera, and it was far superior to anything that has ever been attempted in North Dakota.

“Mandan considered itself highly favored by the opportunity to enjoy such a treat, and showed its appreciation by a full house. A special train from Bismarck gave the people of the town across the river an opportunity to hear something really good, and many from Flasher, New Salem and other nearby towns came to the metropolis to witness this grand production.”

From a 1912 issue of the Mandan Daily Pioneer, advertising the opera. The opera house was once located on West Main Street, past the Lewis and Clark Hotel.

125 Years Ago – 1887

The village of Mandan was organized in the spring of 1881; by 1887 the population was already nearing the 2,500 mark.

January 13, 1887: “On Thursday at 3:30 p.m. the thermometer stood at 20 degrees above zero.

“The suggestion has been made, and it is a good one, that the Poor Farm be abolished altogether. George Norton is a good man for the place of superintendent, but his office is most of the time of no practical use. He is paid $50 a month whether he has any paupers or not, and also $4.50 a week for every pauper he has there. If the ‘farmhouse’ was closed up, hotels in town could be found who would be glad to take the paupers and board them for $4.50 a week. And that means $600 a year would be saved by the taxpayers.

“It must be very cold in the Missouri bottoms for there are no mosquitoes there.

“The warm weather that we have had for the past few days seems to be rather productive of snow. If it keeps on, we shall have more snow than we relish, if such is not the case already.”

(To contact Diane Boit, email mandan-news.com.)

This month I would like to share with you three major challenges that the Mandan School District will be facing in 2012. Whether we are able to overcome some of these challenges will be dependent upon the support we receive from the patrons of the Mandan School District. You should be hearing more about these three challenges throughout the 2012 year.

The first of these challenges will be to convince the Mandan School District patrons of the need for a new elementary school. In order to build a new elementary school it will require the passage of a bond issue to help pay for the cost of a new school. At the last school board meeting the school board directed district administrators to put a timeline in place that would allow us to have a bond issue election in the latter part of March or the first part of April. This timeline, including the date of the bond issue election, was presented to the school board at their Jan. 3, board meeting. The time period between Jan. 3 and the bond issue election school board members and school administrators will need to justify to the Mandan community the need for another elementary school.

Our elementary enrollment numbers have been a topic of discussion for the last several years. Due to the increasing enrollment in grades K-5, the number of students in some grades has surpassed the enrollment limit the school board put in place about five years ago. As an example, in grades K-2 the district suggested a limit of 23 students per classroom. At the present time we have an average of 23.3 students in our 12 kindergarten classrooms across the district. Certainly we can function with this number of students. The problem is next year when these students are in first grade, we have space for only 11 classrooms. This means the average number of students in each first grade classroom next year will be 25.5 students. The 25.5 students is a problem since in every classroom we will have students with a variety of ability levels and skills, thus making it difficult to challenge every student in the class.

Patrons may ask what guarantee do we have that the enrollment numbers are going to remain at that level. One factor that indicates our enrollment is going to continue to increase is the births in Morton County. If 80 percent of the children born in Morton County come to Mandan Public Schools, like they currently do, our kindergarten enrollment will continue to increase since our births in Morton County are increasing. Personally, I also believe that we are going to get families with children moving into our school district that work in the oil fields. This is already occurring. So our early elementary numbers are going to continue to increase which will mean an increase in per classroom student numbers well beyond the district limit if we do not find additional classrooms.

In the near future we will be having public forums to discuss our enrollment numbers and the need for additional space in our district. We hope that you attend one of these sessions once they are scheduled.

The second challenge will be to get the federal No Child Left Behind Law reauthorized. During the 2010-11 school year we have six out of seven schools in our district that did not make Adequate Yearly Progress. This means our schools will be placed on school improvement which labels these schools as failing schools. Yet, almost all students in every grade in every school in our district made a year’s worth of academic growth during the 2010-11 school year. The year’s growth is based on a Northwest Education Association test, which is given a minimum of twice a year versus the North Dakota State Assessment which determines AYP and is given once a year. We are hopeful the NCLB law will be changed this year so it fairly and accurately measures the success of the students in every school throughout the nation this year. However, with a national presidential election occurring in November 2012 politicians may be more interested in electing a president than changing a law that unfairly penalizes schools whose students are showing academic success.

The third challenge we will face is implementing the national common core standards into our language arts and math curriculums. At the present time we use the N.D. state standards that were developed for students in our state a number of years ago. Each of the other 50 states also developed their own standards in the core academic areas. The problem with each state having their own standards was the inability to have a common standard which could be used to fairly compare students nationally. Some states have rigorous standards that are difficult to achieve while many states have standards that are not very challenging. Due to the inability to compare students nationally, the nation’s governors were motivated to request national common standards in language arts and math. The work on these national standards has been completed and adopted by 44 states, including North Dakota. As a district we need to begin providing our teachers with professional development on how to implement these national standards into our language arts and math curriculums. In 2014-2015, Mandan students will be tested on these new standards for the first time. This makes it necessary for us to begin the implementation of the national core standards into our curriculum as soon as possible.

As we begin the 2012 year we will try to keep you informed of the challenges that the school district will face.  ased on my six years of experience in the Mandan School District, I am confident we can count on your assistance and support to help us continue providing a first class education to the youth in our district.