Students are making a habit of "taking the fifth."

Beulah Middle School principal Gail Wold told the school board she needs a little more clout to get a recalcitrant group of students to get their homework done for class.

She said some students are getting to be regulars at using the school's "fifth" period, normally for recess and social time, to make up their homework, and thus don't really feel any negative consequence.

The practice has been to send kids with late or incomplete homework to study hall during that time, and there are teachers and paraprofessionals there to give them help.

Wold said when students make it a habit to use fifth period, then it becomes a behavior issue.

She asked the board to allow her to assign those usual six to eight students to after-school detention if they've been in the "fifth" period for homework more than three times.

"There's only so much we can do with their school day, but that's not enough to build a successful student," she said. "I'm still not convinced that they will take any homework home, but I think they will get the homework done if I can have them for some more time."

One snag would be transportation.

Board member Janet Staloch said transportation is a privilege, not a right for students.

Superintendent Al Liebersbach said staff has dedicated every minute of time it can to those students.

"The parents have the ability to solve the problem and make sure the students have the assignments done," he said.

The board supported the idea for next semester and will likely take action on it in January.

- Beulah Beacon

Going for broke

It wasn't an easy decision, but the Watford City Council gave the go-ahead for a $7 million contract for a major street project in town.

The contract will go to the State Department of Transportation, which will share costs of a major revamp of Highway 23 through town that also is the community's main business street.

Bids came in $1 million higher than expected, and Watford City will have to come up with at least $3.1 million as its share of the costs.

The city is looking at using $1 million from its own reserves and issuing $2.1 million in general obligation bonds that would be repaid over 20 years.

However, city councilman Brent Sanford suggested the city look at a 10-year bond cycle, rather than 20 years.

"We can be fairly confident the city will have the income over the next 10 years to repay the debt, but who knows what our income will be after that time," Sanford said.

In conjunction with the street work, the city also is looking at spending $1.2 million on a sewer project.

City engineer Lowell Cutshaw said the city has invested heavily in the community over the past several years, for projects such as the swimming pool, the visitors center, the golf course clubhouse, the children's playground and the baseball field.

Still, the city has $2 million in reserves, and Sanford asked if it wouldn't make more sense to dip into those reserves rather than pay interest on the bonds.

The project will involve replacing the entire road, sidewalks, sewer system, ornamental trees, burying overhead lines and replacing street lighting, as well as where the Highway 23 turns easy over to Seventh Street.

- McKenzie County Farmer

Driver needed

The Wishek school needs someone willing to drive a bus and maybe let a few kids sleep in longer in the morning.

The school board voted to reverse a plan to cut back to three bus routes from four because the combined routes are longer in places and some students are getting on as early as 6:40 a.m. and traveling more than 100 miles a day.

So far, though, no one's expressed an interest in the job, which will be advertised for another week.

With the fourth route added, the routes would be 92, 84, 75 and 51 miles each.

John Wishek, who voted for three routes and against adding a fourth one, again, questioned the advantages.

Board member Les Christensen said the extra route would only add about $1,800 to the transportation costs.

Wishek was a little incredulous, after having divided the total cost of transportation by four routes last year and coming up with an average of $15,000 per route, a figure supported by superintendent Terry Erholtz.

Anyone willing to take on a bus route should contact the school.

- The Wishek Star