Compiled by LAUREN DONOVAN

Bismarck Tribune

The Beulah Eagles Club turned out the lights for good Saturday night.

The club's board of trustees decided last week that it would shut the social and meeting establishment down after some 20 years of operation.

The aerie was chartered in 1977, with more than 100 members, who eventually built the spacious club on a high hill overlooking Beulah, where food, drinks, dancing and fun were routinely served up.

Club manager Robert Barron said the club closed because of debt. The trustees will sell the building and its contents for a non-negotiable $80,000, enough money to pay outstanding bills.

"If it doesn't sell, then we auction it off," Barron said.

He was hired six months ago, knowing the club was in financial trouble, but he hoped he could turn things around. The club members and trustees talked about their options, but the final impetus to close came after one of the vendors said it would no longer do business with the Eagles.

Darrell Bjerke, Beulah's mayor, was a charter member.

"That's a rotten shame, because I think we need that place," Bjerke said. "I believe it will be a real loss for the city."

Barron said one potential buyer has already stepped up.

- Beulah Beacon

New lake on Oahe

Visionaries figure if Lake Oahe won't cooperate, they'll build their own lake right next to it.

The idea is gaining some traction down in Emmons County. At a recent meeting, a group called "Voices for Lake Oahe," held a meeting to talk about its proposal to dam up Beaver Creek on the east side of Highway 1806.

The impoundment would create a 900-acre lake, big enough for fishing and water sports. The highway would serve as the impoundment and the small lake would provide water fun in those years when, like now, Lake Oahe, which is normally right on the other side of the highway, is all but dried up back to the original Missouri River channel.

Agencies that are looking positively at the idea include state Game and Fish, Parks and Recreation, Department of Transportation, the Water Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Agencies involved in fisheries said walleye spawning would not be hampered by the impoundment. The highway department will study the effect on Highway 1806 if it's used as an impoundment.

Game and Fish said a boat ramp at Beaver Bay could be moved or improved to fit the new lake's elevation of about 1,607 feet. The lake itself would be about 8 to 10 feet deep.

A task force will dog the project and an engineering study would be the next step to get the ideas down on design paper.

Based on discussion, much of the work could be done this year.

- Emmons County Record

School for sale

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-era school building in Riverdale is up for sale.

The city of Riverdale took over ownership of the building in 1992, when the school closed, maintaining it for athletic camps and community events. But it's gotten to be more hassle than it's worth, and the city plans to sell it for $49,900.

"We're tired of heating it, tired of owning it. It's gone," said city alderman Charles Sorenson.

Barb Bernhardt, with Alliance Real Estate of Wilton, told the city she's listed the building in several publications and on television.

"It will get exposure," she said.

Alderman Clark Wurtele said he hopes whoever buys the white three-story wood building, with an attached gymnasium, will make it into a business venture. The brick elementary wing was purchased several years ago by Mike McCleery, who renovated the classrooms into motel-style lodging.

Some land will be sold with the school building, but not the football field area.

City officials say that any equipment in the school that's not part of the building's inventory should be removed prior to the sale.

- McLean County Independent

Saving freshmen

Next year's New Town High School freshmen might find school different than they expected.

The school board and a school improvement team are talking about implementing a freshman academy instead of the usual schedule.

The plan involves keeping the class together in a portion of the high school in classes that focus directly on their learning levels. They would be put into smaller groups for core classes, with the final two hours devoted to electives, tutoring and skill building.

Superintendent Marc Bluestone said the academy-style setting would allow for both a vigilant curriculum and better tracking of students and their academic progress.

"What we've been finding out over the past few years is we have a lot of kids who historically fail at freshman level," Bluestone said. "We want to try to group them so we're addressing their academic needs."

When between 18 and 25 freshmen fail each year, a backlog of problems quickly builds up.

"If we don't do anything, we're saying it's OK for 18 to 25 kids to fail freshman level every year," he said. "It's not OK."

Bluestone said the freshmen would have a closed campus and their lunch hour would be separate from the older students.

The idea of a freshman academy is modeled after one in the West Fargo school system. Bluestone said freshmen are kind of stuck in the middle - too old for some things, too young for others.

"Too much freedom is getting them in trouble," he said. "We hope we can make a difference in those kids that are at risk."

Meetings will be held in March to explain the concept the board will make a final decision in April.

- New Town News