River Report

Goose River at Hillsboro
Highest Crest 16.76 feet April 21, 1979
Last year’s Crest 13.98 feet April 2, 2006
Flood Stage 10 feet
2007 Crest 7.25 feet March 27, 2007

RED River at Halstad, Minn.
Highest Crest 40.74 feet April 19,1997
Last year’s Crest 39.91 feet* April 7, 2006
Flood Stage 26 feet
2007 Crest 24.3 feet March 27, 2007

Sandbags not necessary yet

Spring flood 2007 comes in waves

By MICHELLE MCLEAN
Fueled by the spring thaw, March and April are traditionally “high water” season along the Goose and Red Rivers in Traill County.

This year was no exception — both rivers filled and overflowed on schedule. However, there was one big difference this year — no sandbags in sight.
Both the Goose and Red crested Tuesday well below flood levels and quickly started to recede.

100 year milestone celebrated by Kathryn Floyd

“She’s a gentle person, but she set rules.”
— Deb Kroger

Described by family, friends and nursing home staff as a “very gentle lady,” all were delighted to share in Kathryn Floyd’s 100th birthday party at the Hillsboro nursing home March 10.
Kathryn has spent most of her life in the Hillsboro area. Born Katherine Berdahl, she spent her early years near Buxton, N.D. Facing hard financial times, she and sister Adeline, both in their early teens, moved to Hillsboro to help out Grandma Lilleberg and to work in town. Kathryn did various jobs in the community including ironing and working at a cafe in town to assist with family finances.

Grandin celebration quilt unveiled

When the community of Grandin, N.D. celebrated its 125th birthday last summer, residents and visitors signed a guestbook of sorts.
Local quilters proposed a lasting remembrance of the celebration and cut up 2×6-inch quilt squares and asked people to sign their names and leave a written message about the big gathering.
In the months since in the basement of the Presbyterian Church, 170 signatures have been stitched together into a 6×8-foot red, white and blue quilt by the Presbyterian ladies of Grandin and a few quilting friends of other faiths. About a dozen women worked on the project and signed their names on the finished quilt.
Myrna Ecker completed the machine embroidery while Arlis Pfingsten did the machine quilting.

Kindergarten registration set for April 27

Kindergarten registration for the the 2007-08 school year is planned for Friday, April 27 at Hillsboro Elementary School.
Parents will receive a detailed letter regarding registration, including an appointment time for parents to visit the office between 8:10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Elementary secretary Brenda Muller said letters had been mailed to the parents of 31 prospective students.
If the parent of a student does not receive a letter, they are asked to contact the elementary school office at 636-4711.

Traill commissioners agree with cuts in home care services

In response to a letter addressing cuts being made by Traill County Social Services, Traill’s five commissioners were in agreement with director Kim Jacobson’s cost-savings measures in the home care program.
“We’re proud of the high level of services we provide,” said Jacobson, “but we can’t afford it anymore.”
The local agency simply cannot continue to serve everyone in the county needing home care, Jacobson explained at the March 19 meeting of the Traill County commission.
Jacobson explained how she and her staff are moving a segment of their clientele who receive home care to agencies in the county equipped to handle the services and the people needing them.

Grandin Presbyterian Church to celebrate 125th anniversary

The Presbyterian Church of Grandin, N.D. will celebrate the 125th anniversary of its formation Sunday, June 24.
The celebration will open with an 11 a.m. worship service followed by a family-style ham dinner at the Grandin fire hall.
An anniversary program will be presented at the church at 2 p.m. Former pastors will share commentary and the audience will be invited to join a hymn-sing accompanied by the original pump organ, which was restored for the centennial celebration. A permanent historical display will be dedicated and cake and coffee will be served.

Traill County 16th in N.D. population ranking

Traill County, despite losing around 300 residents in the last six years, has moved up a slot on the state’s population ladder since its ranking of No. 17 in July 2000.
According to the July 1, 2006 Census estimates, Traill has climbed past Pembina County and is now ranked 16th in resident numbers.
Traill County had a population of 8,178 in the Census taken last summer, compared to 8,477 in the year 2000.
Pembina County in the last six years lost 679 people, dropping from 8,585 in the 2000 Census to 7,906 last year.

March 20, 2007

50 YEARS AGO
March 28, 1957 — City commissioners asked Hillsboro residents what they were willing to pay for future street improvements.
Druggist Nels Brakke celebrated 20 years in business at the Rexall Drug in Hillsboro.
William Johnson took over duties as director of the Traill County welfare board.
After being out with a back injury for a couple weeks, police officer Ed Hill returned to duty in Hillsboro.
Warm spring weather prompted a group of local boys to play a spirited game of baseball on the front lawn of the courthouse in Hillsboro. The unusually pleasant weather and the spontaneous game were worthy of a photograph in the Banner.