North Dakota Callers and

Cuers Association

Annual Callers

Convention Dance

 

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

710 10^th Street South, Fargo, ND

Tom Allen, Caller

 

 

 

 

Saturday, October 27, 2018

10:30 a.m. — ND Callers and Cuers Association Annual Meeting

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. — Dance — Tom and Association members

7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.  Dance — Tom

 

Mainstream Dances with announced rounds, lines and plus tips

$6.00 afternoon dance only — $7.00 evening dance only – per person

$10.00 both dance sessions – per person

Info:  Bernadette McNeil, President 701-293-6620 bernadette@rogermcneil.com

 or

Charley Huhtala, Executive Secretary/Treasurer 218-779-7018 cehuhtala@yahoo.com

www.squaredancenorthdakota.com

 

Good Morning!!

 

Just a quick reminder of the North Dakota Callers Convention dance to be held this weekend in Fargo.

 

Tom Allen, Caller

St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church (lower level), 710 10 St S, Fargo

Two sessions:  1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Attend one or both!!

Casual, square dance or Halloween attire

 

Hope to see you all there.

Bernadette McNeil

President, NDCCA

 

PS – please help spread the word and send info to your square dance friends.  Thanks.

The lights are on!

The lights turned on for the season on Monday, October 1st.

Lighting schedule is more-or-less 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM every day, but high winds and other weather-related issues can cause a shutdown of some parts of the display.

The radio station is “on” 24/7, with some new music selections for this year, as well as some old favorites.

The pirates seem to be taking over…

 

Pooh, Piglet, and Roo are busy on their Pirate Adventure!

Their Pirate Ship is ready to sail the seven seas!

 

The scarecrows like swinging, so they will sit there patiently as they wait for Halloween to arrive. They are holding their trick-or-treat buckets, and they are both happily anticipating treats and treasures to fill their buckets this Halloween!

 

Homemade Ice Cream

 

 

 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

That summertime jingle has probably been around since not long after Thomas Jefferson made ice cream a popular American treat.

Ice cream has been around for centuries. Ice cream evolved from chilled wines and other iced beverages, which were reputed to be favorite treats of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar. Biblical references also show that King Solomon was fond of iced drinks during harvesting.

According to the ancient records, in 62 A.D., the Roman Emperor, Nero, sent fleets of slaves to the mountains of the Apennines to fetch snow and ice which were then flavored with nectar, fruit pulp and honey.

Iced dairy products were cited in ancient Chinese literature as early as the 12th century. In the 13th century, Marco Polo brought recipes for water ices to Europe from the Far East. When Catherine de Medici married Henry II and became Queen of France in 1533, she brought with her recipes for Italian sherbet. In England, “Cream Ice” appeared regularly at the table of Charles I during the 17 th century.

It was in 1660 that ice cream was finally available to the general public. The Sicilian Procopio introduced a recipe blending milk, cream, butter and eggs at Café Procope, the first café in Paris.

Frozen desserts found their way to America. The first official account of ice cream in the New World comes from a letter written in 1700 by a guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen.

The first advertisement for ice cream in this country appeared in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777, when confectioner Philip Lenzi announced that ice cream was available “almost every day.”

Records show that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790. Inventory records of Mount Vernon taken after Washington’s death revealed “two pewter ice cream pots.”

President Thomas Jefferson was said to have a favorite 18-step recipe for an ice cream delicacy that resembled a modern-day Baked Alaska.  Dolly Madison served magnificent strawberry ice cream creation as a dessert in the White House at the second inaugural ball in 1812.

The first hand cranked freezer was invented by Nancy Johnson and patented in 1843. Between 1848 and 1873, sixty-nine other patents were issued for hand cranked ice cream freezers. Modern electric ice cream freezers have reduced the hard work involved, the motor replacing those hours of hard hand cranking.

 

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Ice Cream Recipe

The original recipe is handwritten in the Library of Congress. (These spellings are the way Thomas Jefferson wrote it)

2. bottles of good cream.
6. yolks of eggs.
1/2 pound sugar

Mix the yolks & sugar put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla. when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar. stir it well. put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it’s sticking to the casserole. when near boiling take it off and strain it thro’ a towel. put it in the Sabottiere then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt. put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice. leave it still half a quarter of an hour. then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere. shut it & replace it in the ice open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula. put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee. then put the mould into the same bucket of ice. leave it there to the moment of serving it. to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.

The Sabottiere is the inner canister.

Thomas Jefferson’s guests quite often enjoyed a cool dish of delicious homemade ice cream.

From: American Treasures of the Library of Congress, Library of Congress. “Jefferson’s Recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream.” 1780’s.

 

Cherry Cordial Ice Cream

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk  (NOT evaporated milk)

2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half

2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream, unwhipped

1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries (without stems), well drained and chopped (about 1 cup)

3/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

In ice cream freezer container, combine all ingredients; mix well.

Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze leftovers.

Refrigerator-Freezer Method: Omit half-and-half. Whip whipping cream. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or other 2-quart container. Cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Freeze leftovers.

Courtesy of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and the National Sweet Cherry Foundation

 

Root Beer Ice

Low Fat   Low Calorie    Low Sodium

Makes 8 (1/2 cup) servings

1 cup sugar

4 cups water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon McCormick Root Beer Concentrate

 

Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in root beer concentrate.

Refrigerate 2-4 hours to chill.

Place in an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.

Courtesy of McCormick

 

Irresistible ice cream cake

1 bag SNICKERS Brand Miniatures

2 quarts vanilla ice cream

2 cups finely ground graham crackers (chocolate or honey)

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 9-inch springform pan

 

In a medium sized bowl, mix the finely ground graham crackers with the butter until well blended. Pat the mixture on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Chop 12 SNICKERS Brand Miniatures into small chunks and set them aside to be used for topping.

Place the ice cream into a large mixing bowl and allow it to soften slightly.

In a food processor, coarsely grind 24 SNICKERS Brand Miniatures and add them to the softened ice cream. Mix thoroughly.

Scoop the ice cream mixture into the graham cracker crust and flatten the mixture with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle the coarsely ground SNICKERS Brand Miniatures from step 2 on top.

Place a sheet of wax paper on top and press down slightly to set it into the ice cream.

Place the ice cream cake in the freezer and allow it to harden for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Courtesy of SNICKERS Brand Miniatures

 

Granola “Fried” Ice Cream With Red Cinnamon Sauce

Fried Ice Cream

2 pints (4 cups) vanilla ice cream

1 cup butter or margarine

1 (8.9-ounce) box Nature Valley Cinnamon Crunchy Granola Bars (12 bars), crushed*

1 cup finely chopped pecans

 

Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup red hot cinnamon candies (4 1/2 ounce)

Line plate or tray with waxed paper. Scoop ice cream into 8  (1/2-cup) balls onto waxed paper-lined plate or tray; place in freezer until hard about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add crushed granola bars and pecans; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown and most of butter is absorbed (mixture will look foamy). Spread in 13×9-inch pan; cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients over medium-high heat, just until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until candies melt, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Pour sauce into glass measuring cup. Cool 10 minutes.

Working quickly, remove 1 ice cream ball at a time from freezer; roll ball in crumb mixture, pressing mixture into ball until completely covered. Return to freezer until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon 1 tablespoon cooled sauce onto each dessert plate. Place coated ice cream balls over sauce. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon sauce, letting some run down sides (reheat sauce slightly if too thick to drizzle). Serve immediately.

8 servings

Courtesy of Pillsbury 41st Bake-Off Contest and Jan Perry of Norwood, North Carolina

 

Brownie ice cream sandwich

1 bag MILKY WAY Brand Miniatures, chopped

1 bag M&M’S Brand Milk Chocolate Candies

2 19.9-ounce boxes brownie mix

1/2 gallon package vanilla ice cream

2 10-inch round cake pans

Waxed paper

 

Prepare the cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms (not the sides) with waxed paper.

Prepare brownie mix according to the package directions. Fold the chopped MILKY WAY Brand Miniatures into the batter before transferring it to the prepared cake pans.

Bake according to the package directions. Remove and cool completely.

Run a small paring knife around the edges of each brownie, loosening it from the pan.

Invert one layer onto a cookie sheet, and spread vanilla ice cream on top, coming right to the edge (slightly soften the ice cream first).

Place the other brownie layer on top, and press gently to secure. Place in the freezer until firm, about 2 hours.

Just before serving, press M&M’S Brand Milk Chocolate Candies into the ice cream.

Cut into wedges and serve right away.

Courtesy of M&Ms Brands

 

Lemon Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (based on preference for sweet or tangy)
1 pint light cream or half and half
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Mix water and sugar together and allow sugar to dissolve. Add the balance of ingredients. The mixture will thicken slightly from the acid/dairy reaction, but the ice cream will taste just fine.
Put ingredients in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions. If freezing the mixture in trays in a household freezer, as soon as it is firm, run frozen mixture through a blender or food processor and either freeze again before serving, or serve it right away.
This ice cream is delicious served just after it has finished cranking. Serve it with fresh berries in season.

 

Rolling Ice Cream

1 empty 39 oz. coffee can with tight fitting lid

1 empty 12 oz. coffee can with tight fitting lid

Duct tape (optional)

Crushed Ice

Rock Salt

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

4 crushed NESTLÉ Fun Size Candy Bars
1/4 cup nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract and salt.

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add the crushed NESTLÉ Fun Size Candy Bars and nuts (if desired.)

Pour mixture into smaller coffee can and snap on the lid.

Secure the lid with duct tape.

Set the small can inside the large can and pack with crushed ice.

Sprinkle rock salt over the crushed ice and put on the lid.

Take your Roly-Poly Ice Cream maker to the driveway, sidewalk or other flat area that won’t be hurt by a little leaking salt water.

Have two children sit several feet away from each other and let them roll the can back and forth to each other.

After they have rolled the can for 15 minutes, open the lid of the large can and drain any water. Open the smaller can and stir the thickening ice cream. Replace the lid and add more crushed ice and rock salt.

Continue to roll the can for 10 more minutes or until the ice cream is thick.

Courtesy of Nestle USA

 

Frozen Strawberry Hot Chocolate

1 cup hot whole milk

1 cup hot Original NESTLÉ COFFEE-MATE Half & Half

1/4 cup (2 envelopes) Rich Chocolate Flavor NESTLÉ Hot Cocoa Mix

2 tablespoons Strawberry Flavor NESTLÉ NESQUIK Calcium Fortified Syrup

Combine milk, Half & Half, cocoa mix and Nesquik in medium bowl; divide mixture among 2 ice cube trays. Cover with foil; freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.
Place cocoa cubes in food processor or blender; cover. Using on and off turns, process mixture until smooth, scraping sides often. If mixture is too thick to process, add a small amount of whole milk or Half & Half. Serve immediately.

Courtesy of Nestle USA

shop local?

 

The local radio stations are promoting a “shop local” campaign in Minot. They are asking the Minot residents and businesses to sign a pledge to buy local instead of buying online.

I already look for the “Made in the USA” label. If I cannot find *that* I still try to avoid buying anything made in China. Whenever possible — there are some things I cannot avoid purchasing from China, but I do make a serious effort to *not* buy things made in China whenever possible.

No, I don’t think my minor purchases will make any real difference in the trade wars. However, I also don’t think I need to contribute to the problem!

That kind of “buy local” is **not** what this campaign is promoting. They are not promoting the “Pride of Dakota” campaign, which I do fully support. They are not promoting the local crafters, the local industry, or even our local clothing factory.

Stop!

 

 

This is a campaign to stop people from buying anything online.

 

STOP!

Their position is that buying on line is stealing from the local community.

Buying online robs the community of sales taxes, sales taxes that will make the sun shine and the birds sing, sales taxes the city can use for paying for boondoggles like the ill-fated parking garages downtown.

I actually might **want** to sign this pledge, as it does fall under my personal shopping policies in many ways, but it rubbed me the wrong way when I listened to our fearless leader hizzonerthemayor promoting this pledge.

MY problem is, the city of Minot, the Minot Public Schools, and Minot State University need to take a “HIRE LOCAL” pledge before I can take this campaign seriously. Whenever there is an opening for a great job, these outfits embark on a nationwide “search for the best candidate.”  They do not promote from within, they prefer to demoralize their employees by hiring a new boss over their heads.

When these big employers start hiring people and giving them the opportunity to “work their way up” — after all, isn’t the great American dream getting hired in the mail room and being able to move all the way up to the top ranks by using your own talents? I would be thrilled to shop local when they all commit that they will stop bring in the top management from outside the organization — when **they** stop buying them online, as it were.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

open letter to the Heritage Foundation

maybe Mike Huckabee

maybe Bueller?

somebody ?

anybody ?

 

The Left owns the media.

I work with young people. In countless ways, across the board, they are constantly bombarded with the Liberal Socialist message. The Leftist policies and ideas are constantly presented as “fact” instead of opinion.

The public school textbooks – and many of the parochial school books as well – are not neutral observers in the culture war, but they all skew left. Subtle tilt — just enough to promote the message, but not enough that you can force the issue.

Much like an “innocent” stalker. He leaves you a flower on your desk chair. He puts a note in your mail box. He watches you flip through a magazine at the check out counter when you stop for a bottle of milk on your way home, and you find that magazine on your doorstep the next morning.

Creepy.

Unsettling.

But not enough to prove malicious intent.

Fashion magazines should be safe territory, but the political message contained in all of them is hard left. Che would be pleased. In every article, as they discuss the virtues of this nail polish over that nail polish, there is a small dig at the president, or the Republican party, or the United States as an exceptional nation.

This must stop.

There is an entire generation out there that has absorbed this anti Libertarian, anti Republican, anti American with their teething biscuits.

The mainsteam of America needs to reclaim the culture wars, reclaim the media, reclaim the message. There need to be magazines on the newstand that affirm America and her greatness.

I am not talking about religious publications. Any kid that would read one of those already has a seat in the church pew on Sunday morning. I am not promoting a hard right Christian message. What I am suggesting is a series of main stream magazines for teens and young adults that do NOT skew left.

Feature pretty clothes and do NOT add in the leftist propaganda. Take pictures of movie stars and popular singers and talk about their love songs, not their far left political views. Give non-political instructions on fixing hair and makeup, on how to braid or how to color mermaid hair. Give financial advice that involves personal responsibility and saving money for the future. Give college-prep advice that includes checking to make sure the degree has actual financial value — is it worth borrowing an insane amount of money to get a degree in a useless field? Value is a combination of price and utility, after all…

It can be done. My pockets are not deep enough to do this myself, but there has to be a publisher out there somewhere that can actually breathe free American air instead of leftist propaganda!

There is an urgency here — if we do not reclaim the culture soon, it will be gone forever.

 

 

 

 

 

Endorsements based on personal conversations and the published Info from the candidate’s answers as given to the Minot Daily News questionnaire and printed on the http://www.minotdailynews.com/

Excerpts provided here are the points that helped me make my decision to endorse — link is provided to read the full text

 

For the Minot Park Board, I strongly endorse Randi Monley.

 

http://www.minotdailynews.com/news/election-2018/2018/05/minot-park-board-candidates-june-2018-questionnaire/

 

 

Q: Are there gaps in the services provided by the park district that you believe the board needs to address, such as more bark parks, disc golf, splash pads or other recreational opportunities? Should there be more neighborhood parks?

Monley: One thing that has come up over and over again when speaking to citizens is that we need an indoor pool. While we have a fabulous pool at Roosevelt Park, it is only servicing the community 3-4 months a year. I also think we need to work on walkability and making use of the river perhaps with kayaking or festivals.

1. What knowledge and background would you bring to the position?

Monley: Recent demographic studies show that Minot is getting younger, and it is important to have younger families having a say in their communities. That is the perspective I would bring to the Park Board. I think that my collaborative spirit will aid me. I spearheaded the Build Minot project with the Minot Public Library and feel that I have gained insight into our community members and their wants; this project really helped me to understand the value of getting community feedback. I really think that the Park Board is not as transparent with the citizens of Minot about what projects they are working on as they could be. I also think that the Park Board needs to work in conjunction with the City in a better way. I also have board experience, as I have been on the Minot Area Council of the Arts executive board for a combined 8 years.

 

Q: Are you satisfied with the park district’s spending level? If there is a need to tighten the budget, what would guide your decisions?

Monley: I feel satisfied with the spending level. Recently there seems to have been a lot going out for big projects, which is why I am a interested to hear about how much the golf course project would cost. I think the best thing to do now is to maintain and work projects in segments, so we don’t get ourselves into a large debt. I just really want to make sure that the Park Board is transparent in sharing what is being spent and why with the taxpayers.

 

Minot Mayor

http://www.minotdailynews.com/news/election-2018/2018/05/minot-mayor-candidates-questionnaire/

 

Toss up:

Tim Mihalick

Nancy Bommelman

Both make some great and valid points. I really like Bommelman, but insider advantage goes to Mihalick

 

 

Q: What are your thoughts on breed-specific legislation and vicious dog ordinances?

Mihalick: Being a pet owner myself, I respect the rights of those who also have pets. I also believe we should have legislation that protects our citizens against harmful injuries from vicious animals.

Bommelman: I believe this should fall on the owner. I have a lab, and during the day, she is in a kennel. I can’t tell you how many times I have dogs wander into my yard. If a pit bull runs wild, it should be on the owner if something should happen to somebody else. If you want your animal to run around in your yard, I have no problem with that. I have seen pit bulls that are gentle and some that are vicious. If any animal does damage to a resident or business or human, all costs should be on the owner.

 

 

Q: With Trinity Hospital’s planned move, what do you envision as best case scenario for potentially empty properties downtown?

 

Bommelman: I do NOT want to see the city buy the old Trinity Hospital NO way!! To remodel the hospital would cost millions. We should just put it up for bids and let somebody else take care of the headache.

 

Q: Would you support an increase in the city sales tax beyond the current 2 percent?

Mihalick: Simply NO! Now is not the time to attach additional sales tax to the citizens who have just seen a substantial increase in their real estate tax portion from the city.

Bommelman: No. Absolutely NOT.

 

Q: What can the city do to create an environment more welcoming to new businesses?

 

Mihalick: Empower local business owners to become advocates for our city instead of the opposite. I continue to hear stories about the difficulties some of our local businesses have incurred as they have tried to expand or create new projects and the results have not been positive. We, as city representatives, have to have a “can do” attitude instead of stopping a project in its tracks. As Mayor I would focus on helping our existing business grow before we concentrate on bringing in outside business.

 

Q: What are your budget priorities and what actions do you believe the council needs to consider to hold taxes down? Specifically, could you support shifting more infrastructure costs to special assessments?

 

Mihalick: Maintain position of reflecting no increase in real estate taxes for 2019. Support city by encouraging innovative ideas to address the budget. Focus on increasing revenue by growing the economic tax base. Routine infrastructure maintenance should be included in the city budget and not shifted to special assessments. New developments requiring infrastructure should be paid by the developer.

 

***In other places I have lived, when a developer wants to build a subdivision, he is given the required specifications for the infrastructure — sewer lines, water lines, roads, curbs and gutters, sidewalks…the developer is required to construct those as part of the subdivision. Minot is the only place I have ever lived where the city does this for the developer ***

 

School Board

 

I strongly endorse Michael Carswell for the Minot Public School Board

 

The MDN questionnaire did not address any of the points I personally considered important for the school board candidates to answer.

 

School Board Election coming up in Minot

 

Minot City Council

I strongly endorse Edward Montez

http://www.minotdailynews.com/news/election-2018/2018/05/minot-city-council-candidates-questionnaire/

 

Q: What are your budget priorities and what actions do you believe the council needs to consider to hold taxes down? Specifically, could you support shifting more infrastructure costs to special assessments?

 

Montez: I think we need to look at having a third party audit our budget. We should consider making a simpler budget overview available to the public. We could also suggest adding cuts to the budget to the ballot and give the voters a chance to voice what areas to be cut. We should look at areas that no longer produce results to make sure we continue to fund pertinent areas and possibly reduce the budget. Most importantly we need make sure that necessary services such as utilities, roads and emergency services are funded and remaining efficient. As far as special assessments, that’s something I’d be more comfortable looking at on a case by case basis.

 

 

Q: Are there areas where you feel the city can create greater efficiencies to improve or maintain service while cutting costs?

Olson: I know it is difficult for many residents to believe, but last year’s budget was very lean and efficiencies were implemented. With that said, I fully understand that there is not an appetite for property tax increases again this year, so the City has to become more creative and more collaborative. When IEDC visited Minot, they suggested combining Parks and Recreation. I believe this is worth looking into, but without information to compare, I cannot make a recommendation at this time. At this time, I am not aware of any redundancy in services, but obviously if there are some, they should be examined and eliminated.

Pdorygula: The first thing the city can do to cut costs is to stop throwing away money.

The best examples that come to mind are: the fiasco with the parking ramps, where we were sold a bill of goods by the developer; Home Sweet Home, where we made a deal with the state without figuring out how much buying and moving the building might cost; and not charging appropriately for sanitation services.

Since the problems with the parking ramps and Home Sweet Home are so obvious, let me focus on sanitation services, which are not as well known.

With the changeover to automated trash collection, the city discovered that it had been picking up garbage (particularly for small apartment complexes) without charging the owners, something which lost us about ™ million dollars a year in revenue. The fact that we didn’t know this was happening shows we need better monitoring of all our services and their associated costs.

Just as bad, we were letting private haulers get away with not paying their landfill bills on time. In December 2017 we learned that one hauler was over $180,000 behind, and often paid two months late. Although they charged their customers 1.5 percent interest a month, we never charged them any interest (which would have come to over $2,300 in one month alone) or late fees; in contrast, all other North Dakota cities are much more aggressive in payment policies. When I found out what was happening, I immediately brought this to the attention of the Council and we have since passed an ordinance requiring payment within 30 days and charging interest on any overdue accounts; landfill privileges are suspended if a bill is two months late (and full payment is required before reinstatement). Basic city services need to be run like a business (e.g., making sure bills are paid on time).

Jantzer: I think the combining of the Recreation Department and Park District should be actively pursued to see what savings can be gained from combining them. Continuing to automate some of the city jobs to gain efficiency needs to be a constant pursuit. We need to benefit from the advances in communication and technology connecting formerly ‘dumb’ devices (e.g. as was done with water meters) to the Internet. There Partnering or coop buying activity with other organizations like the MPS District or County to save money on purchases of equipment and supplies is an opportunity. The City should look at doing centralized purchasing. The City needs to stop doing things that aren’t mandated or which don’t yield much value.

Montez: I feel like there is always room for improvement and that council members should challenge department heads to improve efficiency within their respective areas and look at areas where they can reduce their budgeting needs by at least 2 percent. We have department heads for a reason and if the council is solely working towards it, well, that in and of itself seems inefficient.

***

Q: Would you support an increase in the city sales tax beyond the current 2 percent?

 

Jantzer: I do not believe that increasing the city sales tax much beyond the current rate will be successful, and I would not vote to do so at this time. If we are the highest sales tax city in the state by say, two percent, buyers who aren’t captive here will bypass us for Bismarck, online shopping, or going elsewhere. Revenue increases may be less than expected or minimal. If we are going to support local businesses, jacking up the sales tax is the wrong way to go. I would support repurposing the current county one half penny to flood protection when it sunsets about 2022, thus keeping the overall tax rate the same as it is now. The USACE may start a Corps Project on the Maple Street Diversion, reducing Minot’s costs. The Supreme Court may decide online sales are taxable by the states, which will help ND, and indirectly Minot. Finally, a better way to finance flood protection is the approach I have worked on with local legislators for the 2019 session. Using a portion of the Legacy Fund as a revolving loan fund through the Bank of ND at below market interest rates would save Minot tens of millions of dollars in interest alone. It would allow us to accelerate completion of the project, relieving our citizens of high cost flood insurance. The cloud of uncertainty would be lifted sooner, allowing investment and progress.

Montez: Absolutely not. I may have been coerced on this before but after looking at the numbers and hearing the opinions of multiple citizens throughout the city I firmly believe that increasing sales tax would cause a much larger problem. We should be looking at ways to reduce taxes and make Minot more competitive in all markets.

 

Q; What are your thoughts on breed-specific legislation and vicious dog ordinances?

 

Montez: I am against breed-specific legislation. There is no evidence to support that one breed is more aggressive than another. While pit-bulls do make up a large percentage of dog attacks, they are the most common breed of dog in the U.S. I think the most sensible course of action is holding owners responsible for their pets and making sure that the ordinances that keep animals in control are enforced. We have to remember that these are animals and any dog can become vicious if not properly cared for and trained.

 

Pitner: I am a dog person and it is hard for me to think any specific breed should be restricted. I do believe there can be certain caveats that can be implemented to ensure we have ‘responsible’ dog owners. It only takes one to ruin it for everyone else and a lot more discussion has to be had on this topic.

 

District 3 Republican candidates

http://www.minotdailynews.com/news/election-2018/2018/05/district-3-republican-candidates/

I strongly endorse Alan Walter

 

 

Walter: My career has had me dealing with all government levels. I worked extensively with city government. And through that, with state and federal levels of government. My attitude towards all levels of government was to get the job done. I believe I worked well with the different agencies. I am not afraid to ask questions about specifics or rules that are being applied to issues or situations. The attitude “that I’m the government and I’m right” doesn’t work for me. If elected, I would bring that strength to the Legislature.

Q: How would you like to see spendable principal and earnings from the Legacy Fund treated next biennium?

 

Walter: Spendable principal or interest earnings from the Legacy Fund should be used as a revolving loan fund. Few, if any grants should be given from those funds. A revolving loan fund program would pay back the Legacy Fund. The money could then be loaned again, making it possible for the money to be put to good use to improve our communities. The loan program would be well defined and be used to support necessary infrastructure for communities. the loan program would be low interest, making it possible for communities to afford the needed infrastructure improvements.

Minot Magic Squares 2018-2019 Square Dance schedule

Dancing in Minot, North Dakota at the Minot Moose Lodge

Square Dances 7:30-9:30 PM

Plus Dances 7:30-9:00 PM

Come on Out and Swing Your Partner!

 

Sept 14 – Arnold Strebe

Sept 17 – PLUS Doc Brooks

Sept 28 – Doc Brooks

Annual Meeting

October 12 – Doc Brooks

October 15 – PLUS Doc Brooks

November 9 – Roger McNeil

November 19 – PLUS Doc Brooks

November 30 – Charlie Huhtala

Dec 14 – Jim Lizakowski

Dec 17 – PLUS Doc Brooks

Dec 28 – Doc Brooks

Jan 11 – Doc Brooks

Jan 21 – PLUS Doc Brooks

Jan 25 – Roger McNeil

Feb 8 – Charlie Huhtala

Feb 18 – PLUS Doc Brooks

Feb 22 – Doc Brooks

March 8 – Doc Brooks

March 18 – PLUS Doc Brooks

March 22 – Jim Lizakowski

April 12 – Doc Brooks

April 15 – PLUS Doc Brooks

May 10 – Roger McNeil

May 20 – PLUS Doc Brooks

 

 

 

Belles & Beaux

Square Dance Club in Bismarck, North Dakota

 

 

Contracted Callers for 2018-2019 Dance Year

 

 

 

 

Date                                                            Caller

 

August 6, 2018                                          Jerry Junck

 

September 15, 2018                                 Arnold Strebe

 

October 13, 2018                                      Lurita Fugier

 

November 10, 2018                                 R&B McNeil

 

December 8, 2018                                  Doc Brooks                  Christmas Dance

 

March 9, 2019                                        R&B McNeil

 

April 13, 2019                                         Doc Brooks                   Annual Meeting

 

May 11, 2019                                          Jim Lizakowski