Gate City Bank donates $129,500

In the past few months, Gate City Bank has donated $129,500 to statewide organizations.

Local donations included those to LifeSmarts, the Bismarck Mandan Home Builders Association, the Bismarck Rural Fire Department, Missouri Valley Family YMCA, the University of Mary, Mandan Forestry Division, Charles Hall Youth Services, Heartview Foundation, Bismarck State College, Mandan Band Boosters and Special Olympics.

Additional donations were made to statewide organizations including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Mental Health America of North Dakota, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Alzheimer's Association and Northern Lights Council-Boy Scouts of America.

Co-op scholarships announced

Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative recently announced the winners of the Basin Electric Power Cooperative/Mor-Gran-Sou scholarship awards.

Mor-Gran-Sou formed a committee to select the scholarship winners. The committee consisted of employees Laverne Seehafer, Jolene Jochim and Clinton Begger.

They selected four students to receive $500 scholarships: Samantha Riehl, Tanner Coyle, Alexis Schick and Travis Lennie.

Two of the four scholarships were designated for qualified applicants who plan to attend a certified vocational or technical school.

Board of directors elected

The Information Technology Council of North Dakota recently elected its 2008-09 executive officers to lead the board of directors.

The 2008-09 executive board members are President Gary Inman of Echelon, Fargo; vice president Mike Eggl of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Bismarck; and treasurer Jeff Swank of the North Dakota Information Technology Department, Bismarck.

Executive officers are elected to serve a one-year term by fellow board members.

Workforce challenges discussed

The Legislative Council's Interim Workforce Committee is asking high school seniors, college students and young professionals to help develop solutions to North Dakota's workforce challenges. They have been invited to participate in a focus group in Jamestown from 9:30 a.m.to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Jamestown College's Nafus Center.

Anyone interested in attending should preregister at www.luvnd.com/workforce.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce has helped coordinate this and four other workforce focus groups throughout the state. More than 235 business people and local leaders participated in the focus groups.

The committee also will host a statewide Workforce Congress on Thursday at the Capitol to report on the input received from the local focus groups and identify priorities that will be included in a package of proposed workforce initiatives.