Mission Impossible.

“Somebody” devoured the last slice of bread — actually the last half of the loaf, but who’s counting. We need bread — now.
The grocery list had a couple other items on it so I thought I’d make a quick trip up to Dale’s for some necessities.
Just a simple errand to the grocery store, I imagined. Seven blocks away — I should be back in 10 minutes tops. Right? Wrong. My simple errand became my Mission Impossible.
As I backed out of the driveway, I checked both ways for traffic. There was one brave pedestrian, a couple kids on bikes, a Mom with a stroller, two large trucks, a stray car, a pair of pickups (one with a trailer) and three pieces of heavy equipment in a variety of sizes — small, medium and large. I paused and waited until the parade had passed.
I headed west — recalling the orange construction pylons stationed in the middle of the three intersections ahead. I’d run this obstacle course before and I had mastered the proper approach and ideal angle to weave through the construction zone markers.
Out of nowhere, another truck — a semi with asphalt, I judged — approached from the right. I paused and yielded the right of way. The truck preceded to pass in front of me, only to stop, back up a few feet and then pull forward again. The driver repeated this evasive maneuver until I was nearly hypnotized.
I snapped out of my trance at the sound of the beep-beep-beep of a piece of heavy equipment — large size. As the truck and payloader finally cleared the intersection, I continued on my way to the next intersection, where a small piece of heavy equipment waltzed around what had been a manhole.
Chunks of concrete had been excavated and strewn about the street. I avoided these new obstacles and continued weaving through the pylon maze.
A street worker jumped out of a pickup parked on the side of the street. I gasped and swerved. He didn’t miss a step and crossed in front of me. Fearless, he was. Panicked, I was.
Only five blocks to go. I passed through the next two intersections without incident — other than the rock-and-roll motion my van made on the uneven pavement. I slowed and go-ed and continued on, accustomed the rhythm.
When I tried to cross old Hwy. 81, I had to wait patiently for the passing convoy of two concrete trucks, three dump trucks and a quartet of beet trucks.
At last, downtown was in sight. I turned south and saw Dale’s sign up ahead. One more intersection to go. Some fellow had been appointed traffic monitor at the four-way stop. He stuck out his hand to halt traffic from the west and then waved people through from the north and south. His neon yellow suit gave him an air of authority, I suppose.
Safely stopped in Dale’s parking lot, I reassessed my mission. It was bread I needed, wasn’t it? I wandered inside and pushed my shopping cart down the aisle, expecting to find orange pylons around every corner.
I exited the checkout and climbed in my van. Since the usual route home was a bit congested, I decided to venture down an alternate route.
Forty-five minutes later . . . after touring every construction zone in town, I found my way home. Mission accomplished.

Traffic chaos could have been avoided

We joked about it at first. We griped about it later. Eventually we learned to live with it — but that doesn’t mean we’re happy about it.
Hillsboro city-wide street improvement project is a $2.44 million overhaul of our fair city’s thoroughfares. A wise investment we are convinced — once the work is done. These past few months, though, have tested our patience, our sense of humor and our reflexes.
We understand that road construction zones create certain inconveniences for motorists. We expected detours and heavy equipment stationed on our avenues. We didn’t anticipate the get-the-heck-out-of-the-way attitude of the construction crews. We weren’t prepared for the contractor’s haphazard approach to public safety. A little common courtesy and common sense could go a long way on a project like this. Ever heard of public relations?

Smiles, all around

Doors opened at Hillsboro’s elementary school and high school this week, but not before pictures of the kids were taken.
Other students simply smiled at the thought of returning to school.
Even the teachers in the Hillsboro School system were smiling.
Smiles, all around.
Meanwhile, bus drivers were not smiling when challenged to find a direct route to both schools. They didn’t get close to the high school until midweek.
Conditions improved this week with the paving of roads surrounding the two schools.

Bike rally in Hillsboro Sept. 8

Hillsboro’s Vets Club will be the destination point in a motorcycle rally Saturday, Sept. 8.
Motorcycle clubs from the region have been invited to participate in the rally for veterans, coordinated by Betty Terry.
Roast pork will be served, compliments of barbecue specialist John Preston. The evening meal will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
“This will be an opportunity for Hillsboro community residents to say thank you to the veteran motorcycle groups, who have been instrumental in welcoming home the many Iraq War veterans.
The rally and meal are open to everyone, said Terry.

2nd CHANCE

Probation revoked for driver involved
in fatal car-motorcycle crash

After violating the terms of his supervised probation, Bennett Pagnac has been re-sentenced to six months in jail.
Pagnac, 25, was involved in a fatal car-motorcycle accident in June 2004 and given a 10-year deferred prison sentence in December 2005 on the felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death.
In court Wednesday, Traill County states attorney Stuart Larson asked Judge Wade L. Webb to revoke Pagnac’s probation and to re-sentence him to two years in the state penitentiary.
Larson argued, “This young man has not chosen to take probation seriously. He only gets involved when the pressure is applied.
“He doesn’t understand the seriousness of what’s occurred.”

Principles, elementary

New principal at
elementary school expects
smooth transition

By NEIL O. NELSON
So far, so good.
Paula Pederson understands how change can impact a school.
Transition is everything.
Aware that the immediate past principal was associated with Hillsboro’s elementary school more than 30 years, Pederson, hired this spring and on the job since Aug. 8, insists everything is going well.
“So far, so good.”
More importantly, she hints, the enrollment numbers are up.
When enrollment numbers hint on an increase, most everything in the world of school administrators is well and good.

Hillsboro emergency personnel responds to Northwood tragedy

Northwood publisher, Beth Johnson, promises to print newspaper; says city will rebuild

Beth Johnson was running on community pride this past week.
As publisher of the Northwood Gleaner, the Hillsboro native needed generators to run her office and her house — and the help of fellow newspaper people to get her weekly newspaper to print.
After a devastating F4 tornado hit Northwood, N.D. Sunday night with 170 mph winds, nothing in town was “normal.”
With encouragement from family and friends, Johnson was determined that the next edition of the Gleaner would offer a dose of much-needed normalcy.

Local firefighters monitor fire at Crystal pellet bin

Hillsboro firefighters monitored a fire at the American Crystal Sugar Co. sugarbeet processing plant for nearly 11 hours Wednesday.
No injuries were reported and ACSC was still assessing damages Thursday morning. The cause of the fire was still being investigated, a company spokesman said.
An employee called 911 for help at 7:33 a.m. to put out a blaze that had started in a pellet mill. ACSC spokesman Jeff Schweitzer said the mill had “failed” in the early morning hours and fire spread first to a pellet cooler and then to pellet bin No. 3.
Heat and pressure are used to form pellets from a fibrous by-product of the sugar beet processing. The pellets are sold for livestock feed, Schweitzer said.

Shop talk

Lawmakers Kent Conrad and Collin Peterson meet with RRV farmers at Hillsboro farm

By NEIL O. NELSON
With a pitchfork hanging from the machine shed wall behind him and a crowd of North Dakota and Minnesota farmers sharing concerns across a shared river and border and breaking from their farm operations for the afternoon, U.S. Senator Kent Conrad talked shop Tuesday at the Lynn Kritzberger farm west of Hillsboro.
Sharing the shop talk dialogue Tuesday with the Senator from North Dakota were Roger Johnson, state agricultural commissioner, and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in Washington.

Baby’s cry for help answered by community

By ANNA AUSTIN
In small-town North Dakota, when a neighbor is in trouble it’s uncommon for those in distress to have to ask for help.
It has become common courtesy and an area trademark to be proud of.
New to the area, Amy and Craig Conner have already experienced several doses of that North Dakota nice. However, on account of a nightmare the family experienced back in June, the young family has been left still in need of help.