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May 27, 2021     Golden Valley News
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May 27, 2021
 
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May 27, 2021 .. .,...._...... _. w . fim..w~._.w.w-w.w W‘ml.m..NWW.-vm -.w~r-_w.,..wn.,»w..r.a when...“ ............,,...4« mm... "w. .. ... Golden Valley News Page 3 OPINION NEWS Pooling their labors Contractors last week work on the foundation of a pool house being built for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation in east Medora.-Ju$t to the 'north or to the right of the pool house will be a water park and a zero entry pool. A zero entry pool refers to a facility in which the water can be entered by walking into it from ground level. (Photo by Richard Volesky) Lawn care moving toward ‘ environmental pr By Carrie Knutson NDSU Extension Agent Grand Forks County If you are thinking about doing something different with your lawn space, you are not alone. Lawn trends are moving toward environmentally conscious practices that balance green space with plant diversity for wildlife and pollinators. Renovating areas of your lawn might be an option for you if your yard has areas that receive very little foot traffic or areas where getting grass to grow is difficult because of poor soil or too much shade, or if you want to add more plant diversity. You have several different choices for mixing up your lawn, depending on your needs. Groundcover plants are low- growing plants that, once established in the landscape, can reduce land- scape maintenance, and prevent soil erosion and weeds. Groundcovers can be woody plants such as creep— ing juniper or herbaceous perennials that spread via creeping roots. If you struggle to grow grass or other plants underneath the heavy shade of trees, use mulch. The mulch will prevent weed growth, conserve water and prevent your lawn mower Tofi'leedltor Immunizations werk to Dakota Gardener .Groundcover plants are low- growing plants that, once established in thelandscape,can landscape and reduce maintenance, prevent soil erosion and weeds. and trimmer from getting too close to the trees. Use garden beds or borders to in- crease plant diversity. Native gar— dens, pollinator gardens or edible landscapes can be created to benefit you and the environment. Start small and use mulch to help control weeds and conserve moisture. Time spent maintaining gardens will be similar to the time spent maintaining your acfices lawn. For large areas of land, a meadow can be created in areas that receive at least six hours of sunlight a day. Meadows are mostly native grasses with some flowering native perennial plants. However, meadows can be expensive and time consuming to es- tablish. Incorporating grasses that require less mowing and care into the exist- ing turf is an option. For sunny areas that are not watered or fertilized and mowed not more than once a week, consider using a mix of half common type Kentucky bluegrass and half fine fescue. In partially shady areas, the mix would be 80% to 100% fescue, with ‘ the remainder being Kentucky blue- grass. Fine‘fescues can be mowed less often, and they tolerate poor soil and dry conditions, but they do not tolerate foot traffic as well as Ken- tucky bluegrass. I am slowly starting to incorporate some of these options into my own lawn. I use mulch under my trees, and I am establishing pollinator gar- dens. I have saved myself some time and I still have plenty of space for my kids to play and my dog to dig. Happy gardening! reach herd immunity To the editor: As the state’s COVID-l9 emer- gency order is now lifted, and as public health advocates, the North Dakota Medical Association Physi- cian Advisory Group (NDMA PAG) takes this opportunity to help get the word out on moving forward to stop the spread. , It has been an exhausting year and as we all hope for pre-pandemic nor— malcy, this virus’ has not crossed the finish line. Although deaths have de- creased, the infection persists. Like a thief, the Virus catches its victims off guard. The fear factor of “how sick will I get” is real. The fear of not being able to breathe. The fear of hospitalization. The fear of being a long hauler. And yes the fear of death. The virus can be stopped in its tracks with herd immunity. Two main pathways to herd immunity are: 1) becoming infected or 2) getting the vaccine. Vaccines are by far the safer approach compared to the risks of contracting the disease'firsthand. Time is of the essence and here is why. When COVID-l9 continues to 'spread from host to host, variants de- i velop, making herd immunity more difficult as people can be re-infected and vaccines may become less effec- tive. Let’s not give up and lose hope. Vaccines are getting us closer to a so! lution and are the best chance for ending the pandemic, but it is impor- tant to know that not everyone is el- igible to receive the vaccine. Some classes of the population that do not qualify for vaccine pro- tection include: 01mmunocompromised individu— als; -Those with a significant history of allergic reactions. About COVID-19 and the vac- cine: °Getting infected with COVID- l 9 may offer some protection, known as natural immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is un— common in the months after initial infection but may increase with time. ~COVID—‘19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experi- ence sickness and the risk of severe illness and death. °Getting vaccinated helps protect people around you, particularly peo- ple at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-l9. , -The vaccine far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. The NDMA PAG kindly asks the eligible public to help North Dakota reach its herd immunity goal by , pitching in and choosing to be vacci— ' nated — the number one approach to immunity. The NDMA PAG encourages the following prevention measures: - Get vaccinated. 'Wear a face covering, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. 0 Practice social distancing. Avoid crowds. Practice good hygiene. OQuarantine if you feel sick or are exposed to an individual with COVID—l9. Stay strong, North Dakotans. Know we are here to support your best health. Dr. Joan Connell NDMA Physician Group Chair Bismarck Advisory How to downs Dear Savvy Senior, What tips can you ofler for down- sizing? My husband and would like to relocate from our house into a re- tirement community condo near our daughter but need to get rid of. a lot of personal possessions before we can move. , Overwhelmed Willa Dear Willa, The process of weeding through a house full of stuff and parting with old possessions is difficult and over- whelming for most people. A good place to start is to see if your kids, grandkids or other family members would like any of your unused pos— sessions. Whatever they don’t want, here are a few tips and services that may help you downsize. Sell It Selling your stuff is one way to , get rid of your possessions and pad your pocketbook at the same time. Selling options may include con- signment shops, a garage sale, estate sale and selling online. Consignment shops are good for selling old clothing, household fur- nishings and decorative items ~ they typically get 30 to 40 percent of the sale price. A good old-fashion garage sale is another option, or for large- scale downsizing you could hire an estate sale company to come in and sell your items. See EstateSales.net and EstateSales.org to locate options in your area. Some estate companies will even pick up your stuff and sell it at their own location — they' typi- cally take about 35 percent of the profits. ‘ . Selling online is also a great op- tion and opens you up to a wider au- dience. The OfferUp app (OfferUp.com), Facebook Market- place (Facebook.com/marketplace), Craigslist (Craigslistorg) and the CPlus for Craigslist app THE 8.4 " . ’ . ; ,1. By Jim Miller f C o n s i g n m e n t shops are good for selling old clothing, household furnish- ings and decorative items _— they typi- cally get 30 to 40 percent of the sale price. (Yanflex.com) are great options for selling locally, which can eliminate the packing and shipping costs and hassle. These websites and apps also don’t take a cut of your sales, but you’re responsible for connecting with your buyer and making the ex— change of money and goods. Donate It If you itemize on your tax returns, donating your belongings to charita- ble organizations is another way to downsize and get a tax deduction. The Salvation Army (SAtruck.org,i 800-728-7825) will actually come to your house and pick up a variety of household items, including furnish— ings and clothing. Goodwill (Good— will.org) is another good option to donate to but they don’t offer pickup services. If your deductions exceed $500, you’ll need to file Form 8283, “Non- cash Charitable Contributions” (IRS .gov/pub/irs—pdf/f8283.pdf). You’ll also need a receipt from the e for a move organization for every batch of items you donate and will need to create an itemized list of the items donated. To calculate fair market value for your stuff, use the Salvation Army’s do- nation guide at SAtruck .org/home/donationval- ueguide. Toss It If you have a lot of junk you want to get rid of , contact your municipal trash service to see if they provide bulk curbside pickup services. Or, de— pending on where you live, you could hire a company like l-800—Got-Junk (1800gotjunk .com, 800—468-5865) or Junk-King (Junk-King.com, 888- 888-5865) to come in and haul it off for a moderate fee. Another disposal option is Bagster (TheBagster.com, 877-789—2247) by Waste Management. This is a dump- ster bag that you purchase for around $30, fill it to a limit of 3,300 pounds and schedule a pickup, which costs anywhere between $100 and $300 depending on your area. Get Help If you want or need some help, consider hiring a senior move man- ager. These are professional organiz- ers who help older adults and their families with the daunting process of downsizing and moving to a new res— idence. To locate one in your area, visit the National Association of Sen- ior Move Managers at NASMM.org or call 877-606-2766. You can also search at Caring Transitions (Caring- Transitions.com), which is a large senior relocation and transition serv- ices franchise company that has more than 200 franchises nationwide. Send yoursenior questions to: Savvy Senior, PO. Box 5443, Nor- man, OK 73070, or visit SavvySe- nior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Legislature did fund technical education centers N . D . Contrary to what we reported last week, the Legislature did appropri- ate money for the technical educa-‘ tion centers proposed by Sen; Rich Wardner. They stripped the bonding bill of the proposed $60vmillion and passed $70 million for the centers in general appropriations. (And lost me in the process.) If effectively administered, the technical education centers will mean a new day for thousands of North Dakotans — young people not interested in 4-year college degrees, workers whose jobs disappeared in COVID, convicts hoping for a new start, and older-than-average stu- dents who want to join the new economy. “Technical education” substan- tially means STEM — science, tech- nology, engineering and math. More specifically, STEM in- volves life sciences, agricultural and environmental sciences, physical and earth sciences, architecture, en- gineering, computer and information sciences, math and statistics, and many health— related fields. Writing in Governing, Carl Smith noted that “COVID-19 forced a reimagining of work and work- places, accelerating shifts to new technology and workplace practices. Workers who lacked skills to navi- gate this disruption faced over- whelming obstacles, and many jobs ‘temporarily’ filled by automation will never return.” “The need for training systems that can keep pace with rapid changes in technology, and the na- ture of work itself, has never been @Dfit’féflgt‘l/NQ Geo“ pm #10414: We”; . 0M Matters By L l oyd Omdahl more obvious or urgent,”.h,e ob— served. Sophie Quinton, reporting on state training for Stateline, notes that some economic development spe- cialists worry about short term train— ing, proposing that states should invest in programs of at least six months training for good—paying jobs in today’s economy and work- force training on a grand scale will require more federal money. Smith quotes Rachel Lipson, di— rector of the Harvard Project on Workforce: “The plurality of the US. labor force does not have a four-year college degree. We can’t throw up our hands and say that four-year colleges are the only an- swer.” Lipson’s comments about four- year colleges hit a sensitive spot in North Dakota. First, there is an unwritten as- sumption that a college education creates a Tier One of society, mean- ing that those without college de- grees are in Tier Two. Parents are defensive when they have children who would rather go for technical training than the four—year degree. After 60 years of serving and teaching government,I have noted a number of pitfalls that could plague the development of workforce edu- cation provided in the Wardner pro— gram. In previous columns, I have noted that North Dakota, being a low—population state, suffers from personal politics, meaning that deci— sions are sometimes made, not on the basis of what, but on the basis of whom. . r Example: When I was presiding in the Senate, the appropriation bill for the 11 state universities came be- fore the body and someone moved that the question be divided. So we methodically went through the col— leges, each one squeaking through by one or two votes. The 11th item was the University of North Dakota headed by Thomas Clifford. It lost by one vote. The silence was loud. Casting aside all formalities out— lined in Mason’s rules, a senator from Bismarck jumped up and ex- claimed: “We can’t do this to Tom.” The vote on Item 11 was recon— sidered and the appropriation for the _University passed. Another pitfall will be interfacing the new technical institutes with the existing programs in the educational institutions new teaching parts of STEM. ‘Every institution with a STEM course will want to include it’s curriculum for a piece of the pie. Most of us know how the 1889 North Dakota Constitutional Con— vention doled out institutions to dif- ferent communities, a political ploy that plagues us today with more in— stitutions than we need. So if new institutes are built, where will they be located? At any rate, the technical educa- tion program will be a boon for the state’s economy and people.