Clay County DFL Holds Precinct Caucuses in Four Locations

MOORHEAD – Clay County DFL will have four locations around the county that will host precinct caucuses on Tuesday, February 25, 2020. For those wishing to confirm their caucus location online, they can look it up on the MN DFL website – https://www.dfl.org/

Precinct caucuses are held every even year in Minnesota. A precinct is a voting district established by your city or town.  A caucus is a gathering and meeting of neighbors for the purpose of discussing local political issues, offering resolutions to the DFL Party Platform, electing delegates to represent your area at county and state DFL conventions, and organizing the local DFL party unit for the next two years. No straw poll at the caucuses, because of the MN Primary on March, 3rd. All parties have their caucuses on the same night, and the next precinct caucuses will be on February 25, 2020. 

Each precinct needs a meeting leader, called a convenor. Anyone may volunteer to be a caucus convenor. The DFL has created a simple online video training to help people understand the flow of the meeting process, how precinct elections work, and how resolutions are considered. https://www.dfl.org/dfl-training-hub/

The presidential primary is where you can vote for your preferred presidential candidate.  The Minnesota Presidential primary is on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Polling places will be open from 7:00a.m. until 8:00p.m. Early voting for the presidential primary begins on January 17, and ends on February 2, 2020. Early voting can be done at your county courthouse. In Clay County, the address for the county courthouse is below. Vote early at the Clay County Recorder’s Office, on the second floor of the courthouse. Clay County Courthouse, 807 11th Street North, Moorhead, MN 56560. Phone: 218-299-5012.

Barnesville Caucus Convening Site:

Address:  Barnesville HS Library – 302 3rd st SE, Barnesville 

List of precincts that will meet at this location:

Alliance Twp, Barnesville W-1, Barnesville W-2 Barnesville W-3, Barnesville Twp, Comstock, Elkton Twp, Elmwood Twp, Holy Cross Twp, Humboldt Twp, Kurtz Twp, Sabin, Skree Twp, Tansem Twp.

Felton Caucus Convening Site:

Address:  Felton Community Center -253 6th St., Felton  

List of precincts that will meet at this location:

Felton, Felton Twp, Flowing Twp, Georgetown, Georgetown Twp, Hagen Twp, Keene Twp, Kragnes Twp, Morken Twp, Ulen, Ulen Twp, Viding Twp.

Hawley Caucus Convening Site:

Address:  Hawley High School -714 Joseph St., Hawley

List of precincts that will meet at this location:

Cromwell Twp, Eglon Twp, Goose Prairie Twp, Hawley, Hawley Twp, Highland Grove Twp, Hitterdal, Parke Twp, Riverton Twp,Spring Prairie Twp.

Moorhead Caucus Convening Site:

Address:  MSUM Comstock Memorial Union Bldg –  615 14th St. S, Moorhead

List of precincts that will meet at this location:

Dilworth, Glyndon, Glyndon Twp, Moland Twp, Moorhead W-1 P-1A, Moorhead W-1 P-1B, Moorhead W-1 P-2, Moorhead W-2 P-3, Moorhead W-2 P-4, Moorhead W-2 P-5A, Moorhead W-2 P-5B, Moorhead W-3 P-6A, Moorhead W-3 P-6B, Moorhead W-3 P-7, Moorhead W-3 P-8, Moorhead W-4 P-9, Moorhead W-4 P-10, Moorhead W-4 P-11, Moorhead W-4 P-12, Moorhead Twp P-1, Moorhead Twp P-2, Oakport Twp.

Overall building permits dipped in 2019

FARGO – Considering all sectors of construction, building permit numbers were down about 8 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. Total permit value was down about 14 percent compared to 2018. This is according to the Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead’s year-end building permit report encompassing the F-M metro area, plus eight outlying communities.

Numbers include single-family and attached housing, multi-family housing, residential remodeling, new commercial, commercial remodeling, public and miscellaneous permits. The F-M metro includes Dilworth, Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. Outlying communities include Barnesville and Hawley in Minnesota, and Casselton, Harwood, Horace, Kindred, Mapleton and Oxbow in North Dakota.

HBA of F-M President Darrick Guthmiller, Kochmann Brothers Homes, Inc., says, “Fluctuations in construction activity are common as markets adjust. There are a lot of factors including weather, demand and cost to build. Speaking specifically about housing, a bright spot was in row house and town house construction which more than quadrupled over last year. Twin home construction also saw a surge, increasing 10 percent over 2018.”

Specifically looking at housing in all communities, starts were down by 82 units (8 percent) and value was down about $20,800 (9 percent). 

HCSCC hosts St. Cloud State professor to discuss slavery’s legacy in Minnesota

 MOORHEAD – The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County will host Dr. Christopher Lehman for a discussion of slavery’s legacy in Minnesota. The free lecture, entitled “Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders & the North Star State,” will be held at the Hjemkomst Center on Saturday, February 22, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lehman, professor and chair of Ethnic Studies at St. Cloud State University, draws on research conducted for his recent book, “Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders & the North Star State.” The book was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press and recently nominated for a Minnesota Book Award.  

Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public.

Prairie Public launches 2020 PBS Kids Writers Contest

FARGO – Prairie Public has launched the 2020 PBS Kids Writers Contest to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning. The deadline to submit stories is March 27, 2020.

The contest encourages children in grades K-3 in the prairie region to write and illustrate stories. Each story entered will be evaluated by Prairie Public staff and a team of local teachers and librarians until a first-place winner and three Red Ribbon Favorites are chosen for each grade level.

Every child who enters the contest will receive a certificate of achievement and personalized, positive feedback from contest evaluators. First-place winners will receive prizes, have their stories featured on the Prairie Public website, and have the opportunity to read their stories on Prairie Public’s statewide radio network.

Entry forms and complete rules are available from Prairie Public online at prairiepublic.org or by calling Christine McClellan at 701-239-7527.