1. 'A fairly regular issue,' area animal shelters see no end in sight to overcrowding
One dog at risk for euthanasia in a nearby pound has received her second chance at life thanks to a West Fargo family.
Midge, a German shepherd, was one of six dogs saved by local shelters at the 11th hour on April 14.
“She’s found her spot,” Amanda Ferguson said. Ferguson and her family welcomed Midge into their home two weeks ago and report that the two-year-old pooch is settling in beautifully; Midge has already closely bonded with Ferguson’s teenage son and the family’s young cat.
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Midge was among a pack of dogs facing the real possibility of being euthanized at the Fargo Animal pound, simply because the nearby shelters like Homeward didn’t have room to take them in.
When dogs find their way to the pound, either as strays or surrenders, they are held for three to five days before being given to rescues or being euthanized. Homeward takes their dogs from local and regional pounds, provided space is available.
Read more from The Forum's Melissa Van Der Stad
2. North Dakota Gov. Burgum signs bills to aid pregnant women in wake of abortion ruling
From the Bismarck Tribune via Forum News Service
North Dakota lawmakers sent a raft of legislation to Gov. Doug Burgum for aid to pregnant women in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling.
The ruling overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, prompting a lawsuit over North Dakota's 2007 trigger ban. The dozen or so pieces of legislation are aligned with a call last year from the North Dakota Catholic Conference tabbed "responding with love."
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"Building a culture of life means making abortion unthinkable," the organization said in a statement last year. "This will require all parts of society to reexamine and address what they can do so that no woman ever feels that the death of her child is the answer to any situation. Businesses, families, churches, charities, and governments must support and implement policies and practices that are pro-family, pro-woman, and pro-child.”
3. Good signs about COVID seen in Minn. as public health emergency about to end
From MPR News via Forum News Service
The approaching May 11 ending of the federal government’s official COVID-19 public health emergency is accompanied by several good signs about the virus, including decreasing case counts, hospitalizations and mortality, as well as decreased detection of the virus in wastewater monitoring efforts.
This week, an article in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” revealed that the monovalent mRNA COVID vaccine remained 56% effective in adults against invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and death one to two years after the last dose.
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The report looked at patients with between two and four monovalent mRNA COVID vaccine doses during the omicron wave, Feb. 1, 2022, through Jan. 31.
Overall, the monovalent vaccine was 62% effective among adults 18 years and older and effectiveness bumped up to 69% among adults 65 years and older. Additionally, vaccine effectiveness was highest, at 76%, among those who had their last dose within six months, but the vaccine remained 56% effective in people even one to two years after their last dose.
Despite the continued evidence of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, our recent “Inoculation Nation” update found that fewer Americans were vaccinated in March than ever since the shots became available, even though fewer than one in five of those eligible for the bivalent booster have received the shot.
In other less-than-sunny recent COVID news, yet another new strain has surfaced.
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4. City of West Fargo sanitation manager joins garbage truck crew for cleanup week
Cleanup week began Monday, May 1, across the Fargo-Moorhead area. And while it may be easy to put unwanted waste by the curb, it's a busy and challenging time for those working to pick it all up.
This year, it's gotten so frantic that even West Fargo Sanitation Manager Logan Jacobson has gotten on the truck himself.
It's a big change of pace compared to his usual spot behind a desk in the City of West Fargo's Sanitation Building, but Jacobson couldn't sit back while his crews scrambled to collect this clean up week.
"It's a clear sign of how busy we are. When we're able to put out an extra truck with the people we have to keep things moving that's what we do," Jacobson said.
This is not a typical move for Jacobson, even in previous cleanup weeks. But he has no problem making his crew's lives easier by getting his hands dirty.
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"I love getting out, helping out the guys. It's a chance I get to work with the guys for a while, see what they do on a day in and day out basis," Jacobson said.
In the process of helping out, he has come to appreciate how satisfying cleanup can be.
Read more from WDAY's Jay Dahl
5. The toothless smile: How Cody Mauch lost his 2 front teeth
It isn't just Cody Mauch's skills on the North Dakota State football field that have been capturing attention with the NFL and its fans, but also his electric personality and signature look.
He's a character who's captivated Bison nation as he towers over everyone with flowing red hair and, of course, his famous toothless smile.
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Many don't know how Mauch, who has the nickname Tud, got his patented look.
"It was the junior high conference championship," said Kendrick Lenzen, Mauch's friend. "Tight game, we both go after a loose ball and somehow we knocked heads and hit the wrong spot, Cody gets his teeth all messed up. At the time I didn't know, we had to finish the game but I think it was a day or two later at school Cody comes up and smiles and I'm like oh no, there is no teeth there."
"I didn't really care at that point," Mauch said, "I was just living life teeth or no teeth."
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