New signs have been post on untility post.  Exercise is valuable for phisical and mental health. 

The Roughriders 4-H club posted signs and repainted the green dots and smilie faces (: ) on Saturday marking the Green-dot walking trail.  The cost of the paint and signs will be shared by Horizons and a grant from Northern Plains RC&D.

Happy Trailes to You.

The Rolette block party was a great success.  People attended despite the rain.  Lots of GRATE FOOD and Conversation.

       The games were fun for all ages: tug-o-war, turtle races, minnow races and the Merry-Mixer (you had a sheet of paper with events that you had to get people to sign who had done the events). The kids all received a back-pack.  The National Guard lead some games. 

FUN TIME HAD BY ALL.

Reconnecting with your neighbors and learning about other peoples interests and goals is a good thing. 

Horizons article in the Minot daily.  Comment on whether you think I am right.

…….

Rolette is going forward with plans to introduce Cash 101, a game to educate youth on money management, to schools and youth clubs.

“People in Rolette also feel that the real benefit from the whole Horizons process was the Leadership Plenty,” Jo Gilje of the Rolette Horizons Committee said. “Leadership Plenty really helped us out in working as a community.”

The leadership training program promoted community consensus rather than letting a few people make decisions and do the work, she said.

……..

There was a ribbon cutting event at the future home of the Rolette Care Center.

Archie Ingersoll Grand Forks Herald
Published Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The sheriff of Rolette County, N.D., has been removed from office pending a hearing to address a laundry list of charges filed by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.Richard Turcotte is accused of “misconduct, malfeasance, neglect of duty in office or gross incompetence,” according to Stenehjem’s complaint.

The state only needs to prove one of those charges for Turcotte to be ousted, Stenehjem said Tuesday. “But I think we probably could prove all of them.”

The complaint says that Turcotte:- Failed to comply with corrections regulations, leading to closures of Rolette County jail. Turcotte did not have properly trained staff supervising inmates on “repeated occasions.”

- Allowed individuals not licensed as peace officers to serve as deputies.

- Failed to instruct or require deputies to arrest and keep individuals in custody as directed by district court.

- Authorized, or did not object to, directions from deputies to not arrest individuals for offenses because the county jail was closed.

- Did not keep written records of county property, including firearms, pepper spray, cameras, computers, uniforms or other equipment used by employees of the sheriff’s department or the county jail.

- Did not have deputies or other employees return their uniforms or other equipment after their employment ended.

- Did not set up drug and alcohol testing procedures for offenders or people out on bail.

Stenehjem said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been scrutinizing Turcotte and his office for the past several months at the request of Rolette County State’s Attorney Mary O’Donnell.

O’Donnell received the BCI’s findings earlier this month and consulted with the Rolette County Commission. It was eventually decided Stenehjem should handle the matter.

“.?.?. it is clear to me that I cannot make legal/prosecutorial decisions about these allegations because, as Rolette County State’s Attorney, I have a conflict of interest, and I also would be a witness in any legal proceedings that may potentially evolve from an investigation,” O’Donnell wrote in a July 18 letter to Stenehjem.

That letter says the allegations include “dereliction of duties by the Sheriff, and missing/stolen inventory from the Sheriff’s Office.”

Stenehjem said he reviewed the investigation report and filed a civil complaint with Gov. John Hoeven. The complaint was served to Turcotte late Monday, a release from Stenehjem’s office stated.

Hoeven has temporarily removed Turcotte from office until an Aug. 13 hearing is held in Bismarck, Stenehjem said.

The County Commission must appoint an interim sheriff within five days of receiving notice of Turcotte’s removal. The commission met Tuesday to discuss its course of action but did not choose a replacement, said County Auditor Valerie McCloud.

On July 16, the county commission closed the Rolette County jail, located in Rolla, because of a series of violations of state laws and regulations, said Steve Engen, director of staff development and facility inspections for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Engen said the jail was previously shut down Jan. 7 after a DOCR investigation found the facility lacking trained staff. It reopened July 7, he said.

During the closures, the county’s prisoners have been held at other county jails in the area, Engen said.

The Rolette County jail, which is allowed to house inmates for as many as 90 days, held an average of 13 people per night in 2007, according to Engen.

Messages left for O’Donnell at her office Tuesday were not returned.

The Rolette County Sheriff’s Office referred questions to the Attorney General’s office.

Turcotte said he had no immediate comment on the allegations.

“I really don’t want to talk about it because I haven’t made up my mind about what I’m going to do,” he said.

Turcotte, 61, served as a police officer in Belcourt, N.D., for about 17 years before being elected sheriff in 2006 and taking office in January of last year.

Stenehjem said it’s rare for the state to seek the removal of an elected official.

“It needs to be a very serious allegation, and I think that exists here,” he said. “I have grave concerns about the administration of justice in Rolette County.”

At the July 9 celebration, North Dakota Horizons Project Director Lynette Flage recognized the communities that have completed the program; Anamoose, Bowdon, Cando, Cooperstown, Dodge, Gackle, Grant County, Harvey, Hazelton, Lidgerwood, Linton, Maddock, McKenzie County, New Town, Rocklake, Rolette, Rutland, Sheyenne, Stanley, Steele and Walhalla.

Governor. John Hoeven congratulated the representatives for providing the leadership their communities need to develop not just economically but also socially. Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension D.C. Coston explained how the communities’ work melds with NDSU’s Grow 21 efforts of working towards three essential attributes for healthy communities; (a) a diverse, resilient economy, (b) effective, efficient infrastructure, and (c) leadership.