Luann Dart

“Christine became seriously ill after inhaling strong fumes rising from a bag of decorative wood chips that she had opened to use in the Gillund’s yard. This poisoning resulted in severe and lasting health problems for Christine, which left her unable to use commercial products containing perfumes, solvents, pesticides and a bevy of other synthetic chemical ingredients. This poisoning also caused Christine to be unable to leave the family farm,” the company website says, sharing Christine’s story.

For the next three years, Christine described herself as being in a fog.

Fifty-two years later, in 2020, Norma will not be working at the polls. She is opting to cast her absentee ballot and stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Norma still encourages others to get involved – and stay involved – in the election process.

Just 17 years old, Gabe has also forged his own business, Cracked Anvil Blade Smithing, melding metal, muscle, fire and expertise to create hunting, utility and chef’s knives.
“I like swinging the hammer. The whole process is taking raw materials and making something unique out of it,” he says.

Formed in 1895, a mention of the city band was found in a Feb. 17, 1898, Kulm newspaper by local historian Jeff Malm. The article was about three Kulm men, Frank Coon, John H. George and Fred Buechler, leaving on the train for the gold fields of the Alaskan Klondike. It read: “Half the population of Kulm turned out and attended the boys to the depot and the band, of which Buechler was a member, discoursed inspiring music to give them heart for their enterprise.”

And band members have been playing with their hearts ever since.

Preparing healthy meals around a fully loaded family life, a devoted career and unrelenting farm/ranch chores isn’t always an easy task. Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Carrie Gerving has eaten her share of tacos in a bag during her children’s sporting events.

“There would be weeks where we wouldn’t be home any night except Wednesday and if it was the Wednesday of my school board meeting, then I wasn’t home at all, so it was always trying to think of something that was quick and easy,” Carrie says. “And the quick and easy things are often the unhealthy things.”

North Dakota’s five tribal colleges are prairie gems, describes Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, who has served as the Cankdeska Cikana Community College president for 17 years.

“People refer to us as these little gems out in rural America,” she says. “We know education matters, that education makes a difference, education is the answer. … If my little college, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, was not there in Fort Totten, we would not have college graduates. It’s really the gateway, and we do so much more than just higher education.”

“It’s really catching on. It’s kind of a go-to thing now to do in the state parks in the winter, because it’s so friendly to a lot of different user groups,” says Kristin Byram, the public information officer with the N.D. Parks and Recreation Department.

“Statewide, we have a lot of trail opportunities with packed trails. The state also lends itself to opportunities off-trail,” she says.

Way’s mother, several aunts, a sibling and even an uncle had all been diagnosed with breast cancer, and other relatives battled other types of cancer.

“She had the classic family history,” says Linda Wolf, a genetic counselor at Bismarck’s Sanford Health who guides patients through the decision-making and genetic testing process.

Despite her family history, deciding to undergo the genetic test still wasn’t easy for Way.