Available Grass Clipping Disposal Sites

Grass sites are now open.

1. 42nd Street NW & 30th Avenue NW; Grass Collection
2. Mandan Brave Center; Grass Collection, Newspaper & Cardboard
3. Mandan Public Works; Grass Collection & Tree Branches
4. 6th Avenue SE & Hwy 1806; Grass Collection
5. 24th Avenue SE & Longspur Drive; Grass Collection
6. 39th Avenue SE & 29th Street SE; Grass Collection

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota National Guard members working full-time in the Public Information Office and part-time in the field to tell the story of their fellow Soldiers and Airmen recently received a slew of awards from three media-related contests. Two of the competitions pitted them against their active-duty counterparts around the world.

“The North Dakota National Guard’s Public Information Office has once again been recognized for the outstanding work they do every day to tell the story of the Guard’s successes and accomplishments here at home and abroad,” said Gov. Jack Dalrymple. “I have seen firsthand the professionalism and expertise of these Guardsmen, especially throughout last year’s flood fight. They did a great job informing the public of the Guard’s response and working with local, state and federal agencies to ensure the dissemination of valuable information. I applaud the Public Information team for receiving this deserving and prestigious recognition.”

While a couple of the awards stem from the team’s flood coverage, a variety of other events also came through in the winning entries.

“Whether photo, video or feature news stories, our public affairs team continues to excel and produce high quality media products,” said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general. “The recent repeat national recognition in U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and National Guard Bureau media competitions is definite proof of the quality of their products. I am proud of their efforts in telling the N.D. National Guard story.”

The North Dakota National Guard’s oft-recognized social media sites again took honors, this time as the best in the entire U.S. Air Force. The Guard’s submission, which focused on its efforts on Flickr, but also highlighted its Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ sites, earned top place among all Air National Guard units before advancing to the 56th annual Air Force Media Contest and winning there. During the course of 2011, the North Dakota National Guard’s now-three-year-old Flickr site doubled in products available, ending the year with more than 7,000 photos showing Guard members in action in their communities, throughout the state and representing the nation. More notable, though, is the audience reach of the site, which experienced more than 4.3 million photo views last year.

“What’s behind those significantly increased stats is a dedication and commitment to a number of strategic objectives,” the Guard’s entry in the contest read. “1, telling the NDNG story, 2, providing up-to-date visual information for our communities, state and nation to help during times of crisis, and 3, to document a historical record of the people, equipment and missions within the NDNG.”

In the U.S. Army-wide Keith L. Ware Competition, Staff Sgt. Amy Wieser Willson, deputy public information officer for the North Dakota National Guard, won top honors in the Story Series category “Profiles in Guard History,” four feature stories highlighting the service of Soldiers and Airmen throughout North Dakota National Guard history. It’s the second time in three years that she has won the Army-wide honor in that category.

The winning entries from both contests now advance to the Department of Defense-level Thomas Jefferson Awards, which will be announced April 19.

In order to qualify for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force levels of competition, all North Dakota National Guard entries needed to place in the National Guard Bureau-level contest that boasted more than 800 entries from across the United States.

“I am in awe at the hard work and immeasurable hours the public affairs members give in providing vital information to the Guard, media organizations and to the communities where we live, work and serve. Today’s 24-hour information environment necessitates we remain easily reachable and respond to events and questions day and night,” said Capt. Dan Murphy, of Bismarck, N.D., North Dakota National Guard public information officer. “The North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs staff is remarkable and although appropriately recognized nationally in their hard work, the commitment demonstrated through floods, snow storms and deployments is really the efforts that show they are the best at what they do — telling the story of your National Guard to the world. ”

In the 2011 National Guard Bureau Media Contest, writers, photographers and videographers from the state excelled.

The North Dakota Guardian, a monthly magazine featuring stories and photos from across the North Dakota National Guard, placed second among all magazine-format publications in the Army National Guard. Staff Sgt. Eric Jensen, of Mandan, N.D., has served as the publication’s editor since its inception in 2007.

Jensen also won in the Photojournalism category for “Business is Booming: Engineers Assemble at 164th RTI (Regional Training Institute) for Exemplary Training.”

Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, of Fargo, N.D., took second place in Photojournalism for a photo spread titled “All in the Black,” which documented the success of the Guard’s Biathlon Team. He also placed second in the Sports Photograph category for “Girl Power,” which showed a National Guard social worker and her daughter running for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) during the Fargo Marathon events. Lipp also earned three third-place wins: one in News Photograph for “One Sandbag at a Time,” which documented the Guard’s 2011 flood response, another in Feature Photograph for “Into the Flame,” which shows firefighters training at the 119th Wing’s Regional Training Site in Fargo, and a final third for “Roles of the Military Mom” in Illustrative Photograph.

A Television Feature Report produced by Master Sgt. Eric Johnson, titled “Donation,” won its category. It documented the story of a North Dakota National Guard Soldier who donated a kidney to a fellow Guardsman. Johnson lives in Fargo, N.D.

In Video Field Production, Staff Sgt. Than Baardson, of Moorhead, Minn., earned second place for “Missions,” which highlights the missions of the North Dakota Air National Guard, from flying the C-21 Learjet and MQ-1 Predator to providing security in the missile fields in northwestern North Dakota.

In the writing categories, Wieser Willson, of West Fargo, N.D., won first place in Story Series for “Profiles in Guard History,” as well as second in the News Article category for “All Hands on Deck: Combined Efforts Help Evacuate WWII Veteran from Flooded Home.”

Staff Sgt. Laura Bearfield, a unit public affairs representative for the 191st Military Police Company, also won for her writing. The Mandan, N.D., resident placed first in Contribution by a Stringer (Writing) for “Broadening Horizons: Guardsmen Return from Haiti Humanitarian Mission.”

The North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs Office also placed first in the Air National Guard’s Initiatives in New Media category.

——

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,800 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, about 275 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.

Bismarck, ND—Adams, Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Hettinger, and Morton Counties have declared a Fire Emergency and instituted Burn Bans effective immediately and until further notice. The areas are under abnormally dry conditions and have either sustained or been threatened with rural fires as of this date. The burn bans (including campfires and garbage burning) remain in effect when the North Dakota Rangeland Fire Danger Index is in the “Very High” or “Extreme” Index and/or a Red Flag Warning has been issued.

The City of Bismarck has permanent burn restrictions in place through an adopted fire code and is excluded from the burn ban.

The above-named counties will be joining Billings, Bowman, McIntosh, Mercer, Oliver, and Slope Counties which currently have burn bans in effect.

THE PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF THIS BURN BAN IS A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR (NDCC 37-17.1-10.1: MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF 30 DAYS IN JAIL AND $1,000 FINE).

The National Weather Service issues the Rangeland Fire Index every morning: www.weather.gov/bis and look for “Fire Weather”.

Dakota Digital Film Festival (DDFF) will be held Friday, March 30, 2012 at the Belle Mehus Auditorium in downtown Bismarck. The event is administered by Dakota Media Access (DMA) and managed by a volunteer committee made up of member representatives from area schools, production companies, and arts organizations. Volunteers Anita Casey-Reed and Jackson Bird, hosts of DMA’s “Reel Retro” program, are co-chairs.

The mission of the festival is to support and encourage film-making and audio/video production in all forms by providing a venue for professionals in the industry and students to meet and show their work.

The structure this first year will have an 8:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. daytime session which will include workshop presentations by production professionals and screenings of student films. An evening session will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include screenings of several unique, short films and a chance for the public to interact with the filmmakers.

The daytime session production workshops will include; Start to Finish Video in One Hour – The Complete Picture in 60 Minutes presented by Dave Diebel, KAT Communications & Matt Fern, The Creative Treatment; Interview Techniques – Tips & Tricks for Getting Clips & Bites presented by Tom Gerhardt, KXMB TV & Dave Swenson, Makoche Recording Company and; 2-Minute Film Contest – “best of” 2012 Fargo Film Festival presented by Greg Carlson, Ph.D., Concordia College, Moorhead.

The daytime session will be emceed by Jamieson Ridenhour, Ph.D., University of Mary. Joining him on the Response Panel will be Brian Brady, Artistic Director for Dakota Stage, Ltd., and Linda Gehring, Cinema 100 Board Member, to provide commentary and discuss selected student films. The evening hosts will be Anita Casey-Reed, Jackson Bird, and Shadd Piehl, Academic Dean, Rasmussen College. A listing of films selected for the evening session will be published after March 20.

Tickets for the Daytime or Evening Sessions are $10.00 each. A Full Event Pass can be purchased for $15.00. High school and college students and teachers who have pre-registered will be admitted at no charge. For more information visit www.freetv.org, find us Dakota Digital Film Festival on Facebook or call 701-258-8767.

BISMARCK, N.D. – “We are doing our best to keep our roads safe and drivable due to the early springtime weather. Spring thaw and wet snow will create soft road conditions where the asphalt was damaged from last spring’s flood protective measures,” said Jeff Heintz, Director, Service Operations. Preliminary work is underway to restore Riverwood Drive. Currently, the condition of Riverwood Drive is a crushed asphalt surface that is being maintained and monitored by city crews to alleviate unsafe driving conditions. Due to spring thaw, snow melt and rain, the roadway at times may become rutted. Residents are encouraged to use care when these conditions are present.

City crews are working to improve the drainage of surface water in transition areas on Riverwood Drive at the beginning and end of the crushed asphalt areas. The city is also evaluating the use of crushed concrete at transition zones to reduce the rutting and pushing taking place on the thin layer of material that currently exists on the old roadbed.

Asphalt hot mix plants haven’t yet started up for the spring so roadway improvements cannot begin using asphalt until they begin making hot mix asphalt. Traditionally these plants start after road restrictions are removed, usually in mid-May.

Road improvements are being designed by City Engineering for bid this spring. Plans are for the roadway to be raised between North Southport Loop and the corner at Bismarck Expressway so it functions as a permanent levee. Plans also include widening the road to thirty-two feet, with a shelf on the west side to accommodate future HESCO barrier placement if needed. This will allow the roadway to function normally should a HESCO wall ever become necessary during future flood events.

Once the design is completed, the City Engineering department will bid out the work, and the bid will be awarded. The successful bidder will begin work to widen the road base and install asphalt pavement. Once bids are awarded, the construction timeline will be determined. “We ask for patience from the motoring public during these spring roadway conditions as we work to improve them – weather permitting,” said Heintz.

For more information visit www.bismarck.org