PAGE 4 PRESS PERSPECTIVES JULY 3, 2017
FROM THE
EDITOR'S DESK...
BY ALLISON OLIA4B
EDITOR, WALSH COUNTY PRESS
What does it take to make a
small-town celebration happen?
Easy answer: A handful of vol-
unteers, a few generous dona-
tions, and a whole lot of town
pride.
What isn't easy is throwing to-
gether a reunion, a jubilee, a cen-
tennial, a quasquicentennial, or a
Summerfest, HillClimb or Fourth
of Jury for that mattez: It takes
months of planning and even
more heart. People just expect
these things to happen. There is
no magic wand that makes a pa-
rade appear. It takes a lot of hard
work.
For us, we wanted to make
sure we squeezed every last bit of
into into this issue before the hol-
iday delay, so that means the
Wednesday Press became a Tues-
day Press (for this week anyway).
Every last schedule change we
could find, along with the press
releases and reunion news be-
came this issue. Every schedule
sponsor we could dig up helped
make it happen and next week we
will be back on Wednesday with
a full spread of your every Fourth
photo op we could catch.
Several years ago now, Crys-
tal hosted their big 125 celebra-
tion. For me, that meant a lot of
town clean ups, and an entire day
in a dunk tank. The parade was
bigger than the town and there
was so much candy being thrown
on the streets, kids were starting
to get picky about what they
would and wouldn't take home.
A few years after that it was
Park River's turn and that meant
many long office hours scroung-
ing for stories and ads, and mak-
ing an attempt by Katrina, Larry
and I to get everything in on
deadline. Though I seem to recall
the air conditioning m +aking
my office hours worthwhile
This year, Whitman, Forrest
River, and Dahlen (forgive me if
I forgot anyone) are inviting
everyone to come on down and
check out their towns. There is
the promise of parades and street
dances to boot.
To these towns, as well as to
Grafton for SummerFest, Park
River for the Fourth and
Fordville tbr the HillClimb,
thank you! It is because you have
volunteers who care about your
town and your tradition that we
even celebrate events like this
that bring communities together
allowing us all to visit, relax, and
remember why we love living in
small town North Dakota to
begin with.
Thanks for the countless hours
in committee meetings you spend
trying to decide how best to have
something for everyone. Thanks
for lining up parades year alter
year. Thanks for hiring the bands
for the street dances. Thanks for
the face painting, fireworks, and
inflatable games. Thanks for car-
ing!
We salute you!
Like '" tile Wal,s'h CounO' Press on Face-
book and check out our blog at hltp.'/Aval,s,h-
countypress. H'ordpres's.'om
Hell(),
You know how things start out
kind of small and then sometimes
kind of steamroll? It's happening
to inc.
I have become a penpal. Fifty
years ago, when letter writing was
a more cormnon way of commu-
nication, we had penpals in
school. I suppose it was like face-
book or twitter and other social
media, but it was more personal.
As communication became
speedier, letter writing kind of
faded away for most of us.
But, because I am not a very
bright person, I am now a penpal
with the Internal Revenue Serv-
ice.
It's really not my fault. But
they don't seem to care. I was the
bookkeeper for our hotshot (oil-
field delivery) service. We had
one employee. One. Now with
one employee, even a cowboy
with a low IQ should be able to
get things done. Right? Wrong.
Each quarter you have to file a
form reporting your withholding.
Shouldn't be too hard. I can do
this. Last summer I paid a guy
Hat Tips
for the last two weeks of one
month on the first day of the next
month. This created a problem for
the IRS that threatens to bring
down the U.S. government. You
calculate the withholding on the
date you write the check, not the
days worked. So I underpaid one
month and overpaid the next
month.
I received a notice that my re-
turn was wrong and I would have
to file an amended return. Know
what I did? I filed an amended
return. With the help of a profes-
sional tax guy. That should take
care of it. Nope. Got a letter say-
ing I had overpaid and would
soon be getting three hundred
plus dollars back. I did. I thought
that was kind of cool, so I wrote
them a letter thanking them for
their prompt action.
Two months later I received a
certified letter. Have you ever got-
ten a certified letter that was good
news? I thought so. Anyway this
letter informed me in big capital
letters that this was my second
and final notice. They were com-
ing after my first born, who's
pretty old now, and all of my
physical possessions if I didn't
send them their three hundred
plus dollars. This is the money
they sent me one month previous.
I got hold of the accountant,
took the letter in to him, and with
my hand shaking, wrote out a
check and mailed it to treasury.
Case closed. The accountant as-
sured me that I was in the clear. I
wouldn't have to serve time. The
tax man wouldn't be at my door
with a court order taking all my
stuff. I was so happy.
Friday, I received a letter from
the IRS. 1 have overpaid my with-
holding by three hundred plus
dollars. It will be applied to the
next pay period. I have written
them and infornled them we do
not have a next pay period. We
sold the business.
The problem now is that I have
overpaid them and I received in-
terest on the overpayment! One
cent! One damn cent. And they
are informing me that I have to re-
port this interest on my taxes!
As the Congress approaches
the "fiscal cliff ' they keep refer-
ring to, I am contemplating what
this one cent of unanticipated in-
come will do to me. Maybe it is a
trick to get me into a higher tax
bracket'? Maybe.
One thing I do know, I'll bet
you dollars to donuts that I get
another letter saying I made a
mistake.
Later, Dean
G,ood . Happenings at Out"
Moniea Simon ADC
Upcoming Events:
July 4 Parade Watching
July 5 2:30 Monthly Colrununion Service
July 12 3:00 Monthly Birthday Party
July 13 7:30 Mennonite Singers
July 16 1:00 Walsh County Bus Ride
July 26 3:00 Auxiliary Lunch and Program
July 29 Annual Garden Party
YOUR PETS UP TO DATE
W00vH Vats?
Walsh County Health District
Short Shots
I would like to tell you about a recent case of rabies in North Dakota
that brings home how very important it is to vaccinate your pets, and to
keep their vaccinations up to date.
In April a physician contacted the ND Department of Health about a
possible rabies exposure involving a domestic cat and a skunk. The
patient indicated that he had looked outside and noticed his normally
indoor pet cat fighting with a skunk. He ran outside and the skunk ran
away. Since the skunk had sprayed, the man took his cat inside to try to
bathe it and in the process was bitten by his cat. The patient sought care
worried about the potential of the skunk saliva in the mouth of his cat,
since moments before they were in what was described as mouth to
mouth combat. The cat had been previously vaccinated for rabies, but
was no up to date on its rabies immunization.
The ND Deparmaent of Health and the ND Board of Animal Health
recommended that the patient start post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) due
to the potential for the skunk saliva transferring to the cat's mouth during
the fight. The incubation period for rabies (time from exposure until time
disease starts) in cats can be from two weeks to 6 months. The cat could
not have gotten rabies from this encounter with the skunk, but the owner
decided to euthanize the cat since it was not up to date on its vaccines and
he was concerned.
The cat, shockingly, tested positive for rabies. The exposure to rabies
was not even from the situation that occurred from the cat and the skunk
fighting! The cat actually had active rabies from a prior unknown
exposure, and was not sick enough yet for the patient to know anything
was wrong!
This history highlights how important it is to vaccinate your pets for
rabies, to keep them up to date on vaccines, and to follow up on every
animal bite, even ones from pets.
Ulll
source for Happy Happenings,
Walsh County press 284'6333
More grief comingfor
higher education board
In their unending war with the
Board of Higher Education, some
legislators are planning another at-
tack in the upcoming legislative
session.
While a variety of excuses are
being offered, the truth is that the
legislature wants to grab more au-
thority in state governance and
can't tolerate a constitutionally-in-
dependent entity over which they
have no direct control.
Most legislators accept the con-
stitutional arrangement for the
board but there are a few in every
session who are bent on grabbing
more power. After 75 years, we
have become familiar with legisla-
tive encroachment on this inde-
pendent board created by the peo-
ple in the 1930s to insulate it from
politics. However, the politicians
never give up.
As a pretext for grabbing power,
some legislators are pointing to the
board's handling of the Sioux logo.
This is an ironic argument since
the whole logo fiasco was fathered
by the legislature in the first place.
It was none of their business.
Another accusation relates to the
reckless granting of degrees at
Dickinson State. This was a failure
on the part of the staff rather than
the board itself.
A change in the structure of the
board would not have avoided any
of these problems.
"Is there a better way to do it? I
don't know the answer to that,"
Board Chairperson Grant Shaft
stated recently.
After considering all options,
the 8-member board system in
North Dakota looks like the best
possible vehicle for responsible
nonpolitical management of the 11
public institutions of higher learn-
ing.
Even so, legislators are throw-
ing out ideas but none of their pro-
posals are as good as what we al-
ready have.
House Majority Leader AI Carl-
son, sponsor of the logo fiasco, is
proposing a director of higher ed-
ucation appointed by the governor
who would be advised by an l 1-
member council appointed by the
governor with the consent of the
legislative leadership.
This proposal has a number of
defects. First, it confuses account-
ability. Gubernatorial appointees
should be accountable to the gov-
ernor. This would not be the case if
a council were giving policy direc-
tion to the governor's appointee.
Second, the governor would not
be permitted to appoint the council
without the "advice and consent"
of the "legislative leadership." This
rneans that the majority and mi-
nority floor leaders would have
considerable influence in the kind
of advice the council would be giv-
ing higher education.
An equally defective proposal
is the idea presented by the Citizens
for Responsible Government, an
alleged "think tank" in Bismarck.
They are talking about initiating a
constitutional amendment calling
for the statewide election of a com-
missioner of higher education to
run the institutions.
This is an interesting suggestion
for a state that already elects twice
as many officials as the average
state. Voters are already overtaxed
in the election process.
If it weren't for partisan identi-
fication and name familiarity, most
voters wouldn't know how to vote
on offices below governor. Citi-
zens for Responsible Government
who think otherwise should take a
list of the state offices filled by
election down the street and ask
citizens to name the present office-
holders. They can't.
Academic institutions require
more professional insight md over-
sight than the average politician
can offer.
In addition, running for office is
about as political as it gets. Instead
of protecting higher education from
politics, electing the commissioner
would make academic tenure,
courses of study, faculty qualifica-
tions and college officials fair
game. The institutions would be
scandalized by nitpicking in every
session.
Chairperson Shaft's question is
appropriate. The answer is that
there is likely not a better way to
govern higher education than our
present board system.
Ext,
Exchange
Farmers Markets-
Healthy Food with a
Side of Community
Involvement
Summer farmers markets are a
geat place to find fresh, affordable
and locally grown produce and
provide an opportunity for com-
munity members to connect and so-
cialize while supporting the local
economy. With area farnlers mar-
kets in full swing it's now easier
than ever to access seasonal fruits
and vegetables and take advan-
tage of the variety of delicious, nu-
tritious produce.
Buying produce at farmers mar-
kets is not only good for you, it's
good for your community too.
People buy food locally for
many reasons. At one level, farm-
ers markets provide an abundance
of diverse fresh foods boosting the
health and well-being of growers
and residents. Local producers pro-
vide the freshest, most delicious lo-
cally grown and produced food, es-
pecially fruits and vegetables. Farm-
es markets can also be a great place
to buy locally-sourced organic
meats, eggs, dairy and baked goods.
On another level, people like to
know where and how their food is
produced. When you buy at a farm-
ers market or pick your own pro-
duce you know the farmer. This is
someone local who earns our trust
by one-on-one discussions at the
point of purchase. You may know
where the person lives and you
might even be able to visit the farm
to see exactly where and how the
food is produced. People feel they
have more control over their own
tbod destiny when they are aware
of the process of getting the food
from the farm to their table.
Farmers markets also offer dif-
ferent economic advantages when
food is purchased locally - from the
vitality of the fanns where you buy
to the local communities the inde-
pendent markets serve. When you
purchase local fresh vegetables
and fruits, the dollars you spend cir-
culate three to four time in this com-
munity. When you purchase animal
products, the figure is two to three
times. These all boost the local
economy much more than pur-
chasing from a large, "big-box" na-
tional retailer that directs some of
the sales price to local labor in the
store but most of the funds to dis-
rant farmers and processors.
Be good to you and your com-
munity this summer, shop the farm-
ers markets. Grafton's Farmers
Market runs Tuesdays from 5-7 pm
at Leistikow Park, Jtme-September.
Park River's Farmers Market runs
Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 pm at
Little City Park, July-September.
For more information on other
area markets visit www.ndfarm-
ersmarkets.com.
Food Safety
Precautions
Even though fruits, vegetables
and juice are nutritious parts of the
diet, there are some food safety pre-
cautions. For example, contami-
nated melons, sprouts and rasp-
berries have been linked with food-
borne illness outbreaks. Here are
some food safety tips:
• Wash your hands tbr at least 20
seconds with soap and water before
handling produce and any other
food.
• Wash all fruits and vegetables
with cool nmning tap water right be-
fore eating. Don't use dish soap or
detergent because these products are
not approved or labeled by the
FDA for use on foods.
• Scrub melons with a brush and
running water, because bacteria
can be transferred from the outside
of the melon to the inside by a knife.
• Don't cross-contaminate: Use
clean utensils and cutting boards
when peeling or cutting up produce.
Wash cutting boards with soap and
water, rinse and sanitize between
uses. A solution of 1 teaspoon
bleach per quart of water is con-
sidered safe and effective.
• Cut away bruised parts before
eating. Remove the outer leaves
from lettuce and cabbage.
• Avoid serving sprouts to at-risk
populations like the very young, old,
or those whose immune system is-
n't able to function at nomaal levels.
For example, people undergoing
cancer treatment often cannot eat
fresh produce.
• Keep fresh cut produce cold by
placing serving containers on ice.
Perishable food should spend no
more than two hours in the "danger
zone" (40 to 140oF).
• Store produce in containers that
are free from excess liquid.
• Refrigerate cut produce and use
within a few days.
Around the County
Does Your Corn Look
a Little 'Floppy'?
It seems that more than ever
that when listen to a current crop
report or trying to research a dis-
ease or possible deficiency in your
corn you will need to have a dic-
tionary or translator on hand to re-
ally take anything away from it.
However, once in a while comes
along a condition that is so simply
named that many look at you like
you are lying to them. This spring
has been quite dry resuhing in new
and unheard ofproblenls for many
corn growers in the area. While
taking a walk through your field
have you noticed stalks that seem
to flop or tilt at a 45 degree angle?
Well, here comes the diagnosis of
the century. You most likely have
Floppy Corn Syndrome. (Yes, I'm
serious.)
We are seeing quite a few mild
cases in our area. When the corn
was planted it got off to a good
start and the first set of roots took.
However, between the V1-V6
stages, when the nodal roots (the
ones you tend to see above ground)
began to develop, the ground was
so dry that the new roots were un-
able to find sufficient moisture and
simply stopped developing. As
the stalk continued to grow the
plant was unable to remain bal-
anced and sturdy without the miss-
mg roots. When walking through
your field you are most likely to
see these "floppy" stalks on the
higher ground of your field as
these areas will have had the least
amount of moisture. When ex-
anaining the "floppy" stalks you
will notice that the stubby and
darkened stubs look like they
could have been injured by an her-
bicide or been infected by some
sort of a disease. However, with
our lack of current moisture you
can point to Floppy Corn Syn-
drome as the villain. The leaves on
these plants also tend to appear
purple due to the lack of root de-
velopment and the accumulation of
anthrocyanin in the leaves.
A shallow seeding, think less
than an inch, can increase your
chances of having Floppy Corn
Syndrome, but with the spring we
have had, this problem is all but in-
evitable. However, there is some
good news. The nodal roots (those
found at the crown) do have the
ability to almost start up where
they left off and try again to take
root. What we need now is a few
good soaks of rain. So 1 conclude
that everyone should cross their
fingers, jump backwards three
times, hold your breath, dance
around under the moon, or possi-
bly call in a thvor to the man up-
stairs.
So until next week, here's hop-
ing for rain.
Dates to Remember:
7-9 Walsh County Plot Tour, Extension Office Park River,
meal 6 p.m. tour 6:30 p.m.
