MEMORIAL DAY SCHEDULE CHANGES
MOORHEAD – City of Moorhead offices will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 30 and reopen on Tuesday, May 31.
Garbage/Recycling: Monday (May 30) garbage and recycling routes will be collected on Tuesday. All other routes from Tuesday through Friday will be collected on their regularly scheduled day. Please be aware the shift in route schedules may cause early or delayed collection this week; set your trash out by 4 am to ensure it is collected. The City of Moorhead Garbage Transfer Station will also be closed on May 30.
MATBUS: There will be no MATBUS or MAT Paratransit service on May 30; the Ground Transportation Center will also be closed. Services will resume May 31.
All Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) branches and LINK sites will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day, with regular hours of operation resuming Tuesday, May 31.
CAMPING RESTRICTION LIFTED FOR MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will lift the Tuesday-Wednesday no-camping restriction for the upcoming Memorial Day week, which will allow overnight camping May 31 and June 1 on those WMAs that otherwise have this two-day restriction in place.
A complete list of WMA regulations, is available on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
FLOOD DAMAGES?
Due to the ongoing flood event occurring in NW Minnesota, the State’s Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is pursuing a Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP) for private property owners. Working through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD’s), landowners are asked to report any erosion and/or sedimentation damages they have experienced because of this event.
The Clay SWCD has been charged with reporting damages to BWSR by June 1st. If you are one of these landowners, please call the Clay SWCD at 218-287-2255.
USDA TO END WAIVERS, MEAL CHARGES SET TO RESTART FALL 2022
MOORHEAD – Moorhead Area Public Schools (MAPS) Food and Nutrition Services has been operating since 2020 under USDA waivers that allowed the district to serve meals to students at no cost to them. This waiver is set to expire at the end of the 21-22 school year. If it is not extended, MAPS Food and Nutrition Services will be expected to return to charging full priced meals next school year.
What should families do to prepare for this?
Families will need to complete an Application for Educational Benefits form in order to qualify for free or reduced meals for next school year. Families who do not qualify will need to pay for school meals. The upcoming 22-23 meal prices will be approved by the school board in June 2022 and will be updated to the district website. These applications need to be completed every year, but current benefits will remain until October 18, 2022. The 2022-23 Application for Educational Benefits will be available after July 1st and will be mailed to families when available.
Moorhead Area Public Schools encourages all families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits, as there are many more benefits available to families and schools.
Activities/Sports Fees are reduced or waived for qualified students.
College Applications/Standardized Tests fees may be reduced or waived for qualified students.
School funding is dependent on the Free/Reduced Rate. This often impacts the district’s ability to receive grant funding as well.
Continue to follow the district app, website and social media for the most up to date information regarding the extension of waivers. Any questions or concerns can be directed to the MAPS Food and Nutrition Services department at 218-284-3324 or by emailing Ashley Schneider at ashleyschneider@moorheadschools.org.
THE J. M. SMUCKER CO. ISSUES RECALL
The J. M. Smucker Co. is recalling select Jif® peanut butter products sold in the U.S. due to potential Salmonella contamination. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled peanut butter was distributed nationwide in retail stores and other outlets. Recalled products include the products below with lot codes 1274425 – 2140425. Lot codes are included alongside best-if-used-by date.
If consumers have products matching the above description in their possession, they should dispose of it immediately.
HOMEHELPMN CAN HELP HOMEOWNERS WITH PAST-DUE EXPENSES
The HomeHelpMN program has begun accepting applications for assistance. The application period will be open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 17, but homeowners should not wait to apply.
HomeHelpMN provides assistance for homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage or other eligible housing-related expenses due to effects of the pandemic. Eligible homeowners may receive up to $35,000 in assistance for past-due expenses.
Funds for the program are limited, and the need is expected to be high. If applications received during the application period exceed available funding, applicants may be put on a wait list. Homeowners should submit their applications as soon as possible after the application period begins. A submitted application is not a guarantee of funding availability.
For more information about the program, including who is eligible to apply and what expenses are eligible, visit HomeHelpMN.org or call 800.388.3226. The Call Center is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The website is available in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. The call center supports these languages and more; when you call you’ll be prompted to select a language.
NORTH BUFFALO CHURCH TO OBSERVE QUASQUICENTENNIAL IN JULY
North Buffalo Lutheran Church, Kragnes Township (rural Moorhead) will celebrate its 125th anniversary (“quasquicentennial”) on Saturday & Sunday, July 9 and 10, 2022. The church is located 2 miles north and ½ mile east of Kragnes, MN (2542 120th Ave. N.-Moorhead, MN 56560).
The North Buffalo River Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation (later changed to “North Buffalo Lutheran Church”) was organized in a Kragnes Township schoolhouse by Norwegian-American pioneers on January 6, 1896. The congregation was an offshoot of the nearby Concordia Lutheran Church, with whom North Buffalo was in a three-point parish for many decades. This parish also included Scandia Lutheran Church in Averill, MN.
The first church building was built in 1897, and the present building was built in 1955-57. Both church buildings were built on land donated by the Peder M. Tufton family, with members of the congregation completing most of the construction work.
The North Buffalo Cemetery, which predates the congregation, was established around October, 1894 and is the resting place for about 226 departed souls of the congregation and community.
The church’s 125th anniversary committee was organized on June 14, 2020 and consists of Alex Swanson, Chairman; Joanne Sipe, Secretary; Nancy Valenzuela, Treasurer; Larry Tufton, Mike Kvanvig, Karen Harmonson, Diane Hurner, and Jaclyn Petik.
The anniversary committee is collecting North Buffalo memorabilia for the event, and is interested in ANY that people would be willing to loan or donate to the church archives.
Anyone interested in this celebration, especially present and former members, pastors, and families of the church, are encouraged to attend. RSVPs are requested and may be made at https://www.eventcreate.com/e/northbuffalo.
For more information, contact Alex Swanson, Committee Chairman at (701)-540-8930 or apswanson@hotmail.com.