February Fun

Subzero temperatures and dangerous wind chills didn’t stop Friends of Woodland Park from celebrating winter on Sunday. Paul Geray (below) and Hank Geray’s team of Belgian horses were a part of the celebration.

Kids on Sunday in Woodland Park had choices: Stay in the warming house, ice skate, climb the mountains of snow outside or take a sleigh ride. The choices were many and fun. Despite the cold conditions Sunday, the annual Winter Fun Day in the park attracted a good crowd.

Sleigh rides in Woodland Park Sunday were a cold but crowded affair.

Union Block fund-raiser Friday

By NEIL O. NELSON

Friends of Union Block didn’t need a structural engineer telling them that downtown Hillsboro’s historic row of Main Street buildings could be saved.

They suspected all along the building could be saved and one day again occupied.

Granted, they knew the deterioration had spread to the point where city and county officials wanted nothing to do with the century-old storefront buildings that were standing empty. 

Engineers to supply facts, figures for water plant options

By MICHELLE MCLEAN

Tired of “comparing apples to oranges,” Hillsboro city commissioners have instructed their engineers to clearly lay out all the options for a new or revamped water treatment plant — complete with cost estimates for construction, operation and maintenance plus a “sample bill” for municipal customers.

Advanced Engineering reps Charles Vein and Roger Grimsley promised Tuesday to have all the numbers available for the commission by at least April 7 — perhaps sooner. 

Commissioners to take show on the road across Traill County

By NEIL O. NELSON
Covering old ground, Kim Jacobson, Social Services director, reminded Traill  County commissioners this week that the case for more space in the courthouse has been argued for 30 years.
Specifically, the argument for more space for Social Services has surfaced on and off since the mid-1970s.
More recently, the case has been made for a new law enforcement center. The 13-bed Traill jail in recent years has become antiquated to the point of being archaic. 

One of two convicted burglars sentenced

One of two local men convicted  of a pair of burglaries in Traill County last spring has been sentenced to probation in East Central District Court.

Jacob  Nolan Nielsen, 19, Caledonia, N.D. pled guilty last week in Hillsboro to two counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary. 

Clifford man convicted of sex crime

A 33-year-old Clifford, N.D. man pled guilty in East Central District Court in Hillsboro Feb. 13 to gross sexual imposition involving a 14-year-old girl during the summer of 2006.

Phillip Wade Platt had been charged in March 2007 with a felony offense. With a trial date scheduled last month, a plea bargain was reached on a lesser charge. Platt was placed on supervised probation for three years by Judge Wade Webb. 

Grothmann, Von Ruden crowned state champs

                 

Be sure to check out all the latest in sports pictures at the Banner’s Photo Spot

Seeing double.

One dominated; one persevered.

One pinned his way through the season; the other battled through period after period, point for point.

One is a natural athlete; the other readily admits he relies more on tenacity than talent.

Both, however, wear Burro blue and were crowned North Dakota state high school wrestling champions last weekend in Bismarck. 

2 champions wear Burro blue

A first for Hillsboro.

Two Hillsboro wrestlers were crowned state champions last weekend — the first time more than one Burro won a state title in a single season.

Senior Anthony Von Ruden took the title at 135 pounds and junior Andrew Grothmann capped an undefeated season at 189 pounds to guide Hillsboro to a 6th place finish in the individual tournament. Two more Burros were placewinners — junior Jake McLean, 3rd at 160 and sophomore Tanner Boeddeker, 4th at 145. 

Season ends with defeat in Region 2 opening round

 

The two-time defending Region 2 champion eliminated the upstart Hillsboro Burros from the post season Monday night in Grand Forks.

The Midway-Minto Mustangs defeated Hillsboro, 58-48, in overtime in the opening round of the region played at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. 

Burros lose momentum in loss to NCW

Just when Hillsboro was building up steam for the District 3 tournament starting today, with victories over Larimore and Hatton-Northwood, the Burros were defeated by Norman County West, 59-55, at the Events Center Monday night.

The loss Monday night came in the Burros’ last regular season game.

Hillsboro plays Larimore today in the first round of the district at Mayville.

The district is balanced and up for grabs, indicated Elliot Rotvold, Burro boys coach.