Hi Everyone, Dave Carlsrud. BURN BAN:  While we had a quarter inch of rain or so, it was more than a week ago, we are DRY and the Burn Ban is still in place!

Fun news for the “Open Door Center Art Experience” crew.  Congratulations to all the folks who facilitated the securing of significant grant funding from Sheyenne Valley Community Foundation and the North Dakota Council for the Arts.  Early projects of the Open Door Center Art Experience involved pottery and ceramic painting with the wares being displayed for sale with Thunderbird Ranch Gourmet Foods.  “Hats off” to you all, thank you.

Property Taxes are used for funding senior centers, schools, airports, fire departments, law enforcement, etc. at local levels.  There doesn’t seem to be a sustainable funding plan to replace property taxes so the aforementioned local services could be defunded if property taxes are eliminated.

Congratulations to Brenda Klein, finance director for the City of Valley City, as she earned her leadership certification through the Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) course. LEAD is a workforce development program presented by Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) helping to ensure valuable leaders are in place for its members.

In 1961 Calvin Griffin moved the Washington Senators baseball team to Minnesota and it became the Minnesota Twins.  Our Dad took my brother and me to a Twins – Yankee Game at Metropolitan Stadium that year.  Seeing the Yankees in those days was special as they were on television often and we knew more players, Maris, Mantle, Berra, Bauer & Skowron to name a few. Some familiar names for the Twins were Killebrew, Allison, Battey, Pascual and Billy Martin (a former Yankee)!  Like you may have heard others say, the stadium grass was the greenest and the field was groomed with a beauty I had never seen.  Thanks Dad.

Thank you to all who provide and proof material for this column.

“I only wear two rings: a wedding ring and my World Series ring“.    ~ Joe Garagiola

        Blessings, Pray, be Respectful and Grateful,

Dave