On February 11, several businesses in the area were visited by “Tinker” the official mascot for Riding on Angels’ Wings equine therapy program. Tinker was promoting Giving Hearts Day for ROAW.
www.impactgiveback.org 24 hour fundraising event is today, February 13.
City Office, Library & Garbage
Schedules for Presidents Day
FARGO, N.D. (Feb. 11, 2014) – Non-essential City offices will be closed for the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, Feb. 17. All Fargo Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, Feb. 17. Garbage and recycling collections will run on schedule. The Sanitary Landfill will be open on Presidents Day.
Locals invited to 4-minute CPR
training at “Save a Life Saturday” event
FARGO, N.D. (Feb. 11, 2014) – The Fargo Fire Department and F-M Ambulance Service are partnering for a community CPR event to be held at the Macy’s Court in West Acres Shopping Center on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 12 – 5 p.m. In a free 4-minute training session participants will learn “Compression Only” CPR and basic AED awareness.
CPR is a life saving skill. Every year in the United States, Sudden Cardiac Arrest claims more than 400,000 lives. A trained bystander providing CPR as early on in the event as possible is often the victim’s only chance at survival.
Library hosts Darwin-themed event
Geared for school-age youngsters and titled “Darwin’s Cabinet of Curiosities”, is set for Saturday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the downtown Main Library. Presented by the North Dakota Association of Women Geoscientists, this unique event will provide kids an opportunity to learn about the evolutionary sequence with hands-on displays of various fossil collections including insects, horses, extinct and extant birds, mammoths and even trilobite eyes. Kids will also have the opportunity to design their own evolutionary story. All materials will be provided. Contact Children’s Services at 241-1495 for details.
Fargo Public Library events are free and open to the public. Adults must accompany children under 10 years old.
Spring Gardening Saturday Set for March 8
Landscape mistakes, garden pests and square foot gardening are among the topics that will be covered in the daylong 2014 Spring Gardening Saturday workshop March 8 at North Dakota State University’s Loftsgard Hall.
The keynote speakers are Joe Bergeson of Bergeson Nursery and Russel Emerson of Ball Horticultural Co. Bergeson will discuss growing roses in the northern climate and Emerson will talk about new annuals.
The NDSU Extension Service and University of Minnesota Extension are sponsoring the event, which begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. Presentations start at 9.
Other topics will include Extension’s Junior Master Gardener program, basic lawn care, plant problem diagnosis, environment-friendly landscaping and FARRMS (Foundation for Agriculture and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability). Also, three Master Gardeners will share some of their experiences.
Speakers include NDSU Extension specialists and agents, a University of Minnesota Extension educator and horticultural industry representatives.
The cost of attending this event is $20 per person if you register by Feb. 28 or $25 at the door. The fee includes lunch.
Visit http://tinyurl.com/gardeningsat for more information or a registration form. A registration form also is available from Todd Weinmann, Cass County’s NDSU Extension agent for horticulture, at todd.weinmann@ndsu.edu.
“Beware of some of the claims
made for space heaters,” Hellevang cautions.
The cost to operate the heater is the electric cost per kilowatt-hour (kwh) multiplied by the kilowatts (kW) of the heater. For example, the cost to operate a 1,500-watt (1.5 kW) heater with an electric rate of 10 cents per kwh is 15 cents per hour. Most electric heaters that plug into a common house electrical outlet are 1,500 watts or smaller. A 1,500-watt heater will draw 12.5 amps on the electrical circuit, which is nearly the maximum for most house electrical circuits.
Do not use unvented combustion heaters in a home because they produce numerous pollutants, including carbon monoxide and water vapor. Select only vented combustion heaters and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for venting combustion gasses outdoors, Hellevang advises.
Comparing fuel costs and heating efficiency can help you chose the most economical heater. For example, electric resistance heat at 10 cents per kwh is equivalent to propane at $2.48 per gallon in a high-efficiency (92 percent) furnace and $2.02 in a 75 percent efficient propane furnace.
An NDSU Extension publication, “Fuel Cost Comparison Chart,” can help you make comparisons easily. It is online at http://tinyurl.com/fuelchart. A smartphone app is available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/energy.
Air leakage causes a home’s largest heat loss. A well-sealed house will have an air leakage rate of about 0.5 air changes per hour (ACH), while a poorly sealed house may have an air leakage rate that exceeds 1 ACH. The difference between a well and poorly sealed home – an air leakage of 0.5 ACH – will increase fuel use by about 500 gallons of propane for one heating season.
Hellevang suggests sealing openings in the walls and ceiling to reduce air leakage. Places to check in walls include between the sill plate and foundation, and around windows, pipe penetrations and electrical outlets. Look for openings, feel for a draft or use a lighted stick of incense to check spots for a draft. Use weather stripping or caulking to seal openings.
Windows with sliding parts typically have higher air leakage than windows that seal by compressing the weather striping. Install plastic over the window to reduce air leakage. Reduce air leakage through doors by installing weather stripping and using a storm door.
Recessed lighting is the most common location for air leakage through the ceiling. Use approved enclosures or seals for recessed lights.
NDSU Extension has a series of publications to help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient. Check out the online resources at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/energy or contact your local NDSU Extension office for the following publications:
* “Top Ten Home Energy Checklist”
* “No-cost, Low-cost Home Energy Saving Tips”
* “Insulating to Reduce Heating Costs”
* “Tips for Saving Energy and Money for Renters”
Also consider that you feel colder in a room with cold wall surfaces, even though the air temperature isn’t lower, because of radiation heat loss from your body. Hellevang suggests closing draperies to create warmer inside surfaces,
which increases the feeling of warmth.
Do not vent a clothes dryer into the home to save energy because this puts excessive amounts of moisture into the air, which normally will cause condensation and other moisture problems.
Lake Agassiz Regional Library Closed Monday,
February 17 in Observance of Presidents Day
All Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) branches and LINK Sites, including the Regional Office in Moorhead, will be closed on Monday, February 17 in observance of Presidents Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, February 18.
LARL serves the residents of Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Norman, Polk and Wilkin counties, with branch libraries in Ada, Bagley, Barnesville, Breckenridge, Climax, Crookston, Detroit Lakes, Fertile, Fosston, Hawley, Mahnomen, McIntosh and Moorhead and LINK sites in Cormorant, Frazee, Gonvick, Halstad, Hendrum, Lake Park, Rothsay, Twin Valley, and Ulen.
More information about LARL services and programs at www.larl.org.
Sanford Health now offers
heart check center in West Acers Mall
(Fargo, N.D.) –Visitors to West Acers Mall can now check their blood pressure for free thanks to a new service provided by Sanford Health. At a blue heart kiosk located near Bath and Body Works, users simply places their arm in the testing cuff, and the heart check center provides a clear and accurate blood pressure reading in just two minutes.
“The heart check center at West Acers Mall is a great resource for the community,” said Dr. Thomas Haldis, a cardiologist at Sanford Health in Fargo. “Because it’s so easy to use, it is a powerful tool for early detection.”
Although blood pressure testing is one of the easiest and most important routine health checks available, many people neglect to have regular screenings. High blood pressure puts people at risk for stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three adults in the United States – an estimated 68 million – has high blood pressure. Typically, there aren’t symptoms, which is why high blood pressure is often called the silent killer.