Compiled by LAUREN DONOVAN, Bismarck Tribune

Darn it, anyway.

It's one of those situations where close is just not going to be close enough.

Garrison city officials thought their recently extended water intake in Lake Sakakawea was somewhat safely tucked away down there at 1,785 feet elevation.

Now they hear that number is 5 feet off, in the wrong direction.

An intake at 1,790 feet is getting too close to the ever-dwindling lake level for comfort.

As of now, the lake is at 1,806 feet and expected to keep dropping.

Rather than go through another water failure, the city will dig into its pockets and extend the intake out to deeper water sometime this summer.

- McLean County Independent

No horse race

Chris Mosbrucker wanted one of his last days of school at Elgin to be a standout.

To make it memorable for himself and his classmates, he jumped on his 20-year-old quarter horse, Chubbs, and rode the horse to school.

"I just wanted to do something that would stick with my classmates forever, and give them something to remember me by," said the high school senior.

He lives 11 miles from school.

He said the best part of the trip was the tranquility and beauty of the early morning, at that time of day interrupted infrequently by any passing traffic.

Mosbrucker said he'd do it again in a heartbeat. Next time, though, he'd ride a younger horse and start earlier.

- Grant County News

The force within

A Divide County family is more than capable of multiplying four times 4.0.

They are the answer.

Dad and Mom, Linda and Jim Kimball, were valedictorians of their high school classes back in the day.

Then, the honor was achieved by oldest son Landon in 2002.

Along came younger brother Jordan, class of 2005.

Jordan Kimball said there was no mistaking he was following in some pretty big footsteps left by his brother.

He said his teachers expected good things from him.

"They probably would have been disappointed if I'd been a rotten apple," Jordan Kimball said.

He was far from that and, during graduation exercises at Divide County High School, he'll be the valedictorian of his class.

Linda Kimball said no one pushed her son, and her and her husband's accomplishments were never held up as an example.

She said the boys didn't seem to be competitive with each other or fellow students, nor were they specially gifted.

Her own parents never graduated from high school, to their regret.

When Linda Kimball did and did the best in her class, her dad was pleased that she was headed to college.

"He said no one could take my education away from me," she recalled.

Landon Kimball said it's different in college, something his brother might want to take into account.

"There's always next-door neighbors that are up to something. … But you have to focus yourself," Landon Kimball said. "Doing well in high school has helped a lot in college."

- The Journal

Spirit message

The number of suicides among young people on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation has received attention here and in Washington, D.C., where an Indian Affairs Committee headed by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan held hearings on the situation.

Tom Iron, vice chairman of the Sioux tribal council, took pen in hand last week, to try to help young people see their way.

Iron reminded them that the Sioux are a warrior nation and that they should handle problems like a warrior would.

Stand up tall, face problems head on and they will melt away, he said.

Iron said warriors don't need crutches like drugs and alcohol. The use of them makes problems worse and may lead to suicide as a consequence.

Iron said his own health problems have taken him near death's door and that the Great Spirit spoke to him.

"He told me, 'Tom, why do you treat me so bad? Don't you know that when you treat your body bad you also treat me bad?'" Iron said.

- News-Messenger