South Ridge Apartments Celebrate Grand Opening -- May 21, 2016

Records: record paddlefish snagged, data points:

• Grant Werkmeister, Williston
• 131-pound paddlefish; 71 inches
• May 7, 2016
• 20 miles southwest of Williston near the confluence
• heaviest paddlefish caught in ND; previous record: 130 pounds set in 2010
• snagging season is over; ran from May 1 - 13, 2016, this year
• 2015 paddlefish story here; and here; 
• some of the world's best caviar is North Dakota caviar

Grand opening: data points for South Ridge Apartments:

• 3709 7th Street West, Williston
• behind Menards west of Williston

Expansion: Meg-A-Latte opens third location in Williston:

• in the Harvest Plaza
• at the intersection of 32nd Avenue West and 27th Street West
• third site owned by Megan and Eddie Wold
• near the new high school

Transitions: after seven years of perhaps the most turbulent one could expect, Williston School Superintendent says "goodbye" -- Dr Viola LaFontaine. According to The Williston Herald:

LaFontaine streamlined the curriculum, which has drastically improved students’ academic success in reading and mathematics, and helped develop creative use of limited facility space to help offset the student growth. 

The unique circumstance of an oil boom gave rise to a student population classified as homeless due to living out of RV campers, a common remedy to the housing market during that time.  English Language Learner (ELL) students added a new a new dynamic as introduction to English partnered with academic studies, as well.

Foreseeing new schools would be needed as the hustling boomtown began to quiet into a family-oriented city and student enrollment continued to climb, she helped push for a bond referendum that would build a new $68 million high school.

After the bond was passed, plans were quickly underway to have the school built and the former high school modified into a 5th and 6th grade elementary, granting the other schools room for the K through 4 children and alleviating educators of mounting class sizes.

She will be the new school superintendent at Mott, ND. Don't tell her that they just discovered gold in an old mine just outside of town. LOL.

Transitions: also, Williston State College president for the past seven years is stepping down.

Population growth> Minot grew by 2.9% for the fiscal year ended July 1, 2015, and is now near 50,000 (49,450). Minot's population has grown nearly 21 percent since the official 2010 census.

Flashback: from the  April 26, 2013 Williston Wire (it's hard to believe this was only three years ago; some WHS graduates this year saw more in three years than many former alumni had seen in their entire 12 years of school in Williston):

• Job seekers continue to flock to Williston.
• ND oil production still on the rise.
• USDA to make it easier to qualify for home in the oil patch.
• Williston implement dealer to close after 23 years; can't find workers to staff his business.
• Editorial: the oil patch in the west also greatly (positively) impacts the Red River Valley on the east.
• New book: Northern Utopia: Rebirth of American Dream, Mat Chaudry -- a must-have guide book for folks moving to North Dakota.  
• Tesoro and Savage announce joint venture to construct/operate a CBR terminal at Port of Vancouver.
• Williston Basin exports by rail surpass 70%.
• Evolution continues: densities could reach 24 wells/pad; 6,000 wells over next three years.
• Continental Resources' Three Forks Third Bench is a significant development in the Bakken [Comment: until I see more, I equate this with the enthusiasm  we saw for the Tyler.]
• ND state auction: May 7. 14,808 acres; 195 separate tracts; 13 counties; average tract: 76 acres.
• Paddlefish season to open May 1 (2013)