Sheriff Laney
receives award
On Sunday, June 17, 2012 Cass County, ND Sheriff Paul D. Laney accepted the Ferris E. Lucas 2012 National Sheriff of the Year Award during the awards ceremony of the National Sheriff’s Association Conference in Nashville, TN.
Sheriff Laney is the 18th recipient of this award and the first ever from North Dakota. During Sheriff Laney’s acceptance speech he credited the support and hard work of his family, friends, staff and all those who have molded him into the leader he has grown to be. Sheriff Laney emphasized that this is not an award for Paul Laney, but an award for the whole Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the wonderful citizens of Cass County, ND and surrounding areas.
The 40 pound award will be proudly displayed at the Cass County Sheriff’s Office upon his return on Monday, June 2.
A Child Born in 2011
Will Cost $234,900
to Raise According to USDA Report
The USDA released its annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, finding that a middle-income family with a child born in 2011 can expect to spend about $234,900 ($295,560 if projected inflation costs are factored in*) for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise that child over the next 17 years. This represents a 3.5 percent increase from 2010. Expenses for transportation, child care, education, and food saw the largest percentage increases related to child rearing from 2010. There were smaller increases in housing, clothing, health care, and miscellaneous expenses on a child during the same period.
The report, issued annually since 1960, is a valuable resource to courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. The report is based on data from the Federal government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey, the most comprehensive source of information available on household expenditures. For the year 2011, annual child-rearing expenses per child for a middle-income, two-parent family ranged from $12,290 to $14,320, depending on the age of the child.
The report, developed by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, notes that family income affects child rearing costs. A family earning less than $59,410 per year can expect to spend a total of $169,080 (in 2011 dollars) on a child from birth through high school. Similarly, middle-income parents with an income between $59,410 and $102,870 can expect to spend $234,900**; and a family earning more than $102,870 can expect to spend $389,670.
For middle-income families, housing costs are the single largest expenditure on a child, averaging $70,560 or 30 percent of the total cost over 17 years. Child care and education (for those incurring these expenses) and food were the next two largest expenses, accounting for 18 and 16 percent of the total cost over 17 years. These estimates do not include costs associated with pregnancy or the cost of a college education or education beyond high school.
The report notes geographic variations in the cost of raising a child, with expenses the highest for families living in the urban Northeast, followed by the urban West and urban Midwest. Families living in the urban South and rural areas have the lowest child-rearing expenses.
This is the 51th year USDA has issued its annual report on the cost of raising a child. In 1960, the first year the report was issued, a middle-income family could have expected to spend $25,230 ($191,720 in 2011 dollars) to raise a child through age seventeen. Housing was the largest expense on a child both then and now. Health care expenses on a child doubled as a percentage of total child-rearing costs. In addition, some current-day costs, such as child care, were negligible in 1960.
Expenses per child decrease as a family has more children. Families with three or more children spend 22 percent less per child than families with two children. As families have more children, the children can share bedrooms, clothing and toys can be handed down to younger children, food can be purchased in larger and more economical quantities, and private schools or child care centers may offer sibling discounts.
The full report, Expenditures on Children by Families (2011), is available on the web at www.cnpp.usda.gov. In addition, an interactive web version of the report is available where families can enter the number and ages of their children to obtain an estimate of costs.
*Projected inflationary costs are estimated to average 2.55 percent per year. This estimate is calculated by averaging the rate of inflation over the past 20 years.
**For the purposes of this report, a middle-income family is defined as the middle third of the income distribution for a husband-wife family with children.
Curbside Chat
coming to Fargo
A discussion with elected officials, community members and small business owners on the changing economy and responding to difficult times.
Strong Towns, a non-profit organization, will hold two Curbside Chat Presentations on Tuesday, June 26. The first will be from 11:30am- 1:00pm at the Fargo Theatre located at 314 Broadway North and the other will be held in the City Commission Room located at 200 3rd Street North from 3:30pm- 5:00pm. The presentations are being sponsored by the Downtown Community Partnership of Fargo-Moorhead.
Summer eReader
Help Sessions at
Moorhead Library
Stop by Moorhead Library with your Kindle, NOOK or other eReader and library staff will help you learn more about how to use your eReader. Help Sessions:
Thursday, July 5 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 21 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Learn how to checkout and download eBooks from Lake Agassiz Digital Library!
Don’t forget to bring your library card!
For more information, please call 218-233-7594 or visit your library at 118 5th St. S. Information is also available online at www.larl.org. Moorhead Library is a branch of Lake Agassiz Regional Library.
Four Arrested
at Fargo Police
Checkpoint
The Fargo Police conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday, June 16, from 1:10 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. The checkpoint was located in the 1100 Block of 25th St. S. in Fargo, ND. A total of 152 vehicles entered the checkpoint. 12 vehicles were flagged for further testing. Four people were arrested for Driving Under the Influence. One of the people arrested was also issued a citation for Driving Under Suspension.
HERO HAS
RECORD MONTH
IN MAY
Last month, more requests for healthcare requests were filled, a record amount of medical equipment was donated, and the most fees were waived from HERO than ever before. May was a record month for HERO, Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization; a local nonprofit that provides healthcare supplies for those in need to our local and global community. With this rate, HERO will have its best year to date. In May, HERO took in 17,193 pounds of donated healthcare supplies and medical equipment. HERO is up 89% from last year at this time in donations. This also means they are able to redistribute them quickly to our local community. By being able to fill 294 requests for supplies, HERO is busier than ever. With three full time staff and two part time staff, HERO reaches out to the community for volunteers. HERO volunteer hours are up 137% since last year. The additional help and support has been tremendous. Since about half of HERO customers are struggling financially, the organization is able to waive the suggested handling fees. HERO is grateful for the financial support of the community and because of this support; HERO was able to waive $9,747 worth of handling fees for supplies and equipment in May. HERO helps those in recovery from surgery and accidents, helps the elderly stay in their homes longer, and assists those with ongoing healthcare needs.
To learn more about HERO and how you can receive supplies or get involved in other ways, visit www.HEROFargo.org or call 701-212-1921.