FLOOD RECOVERY Home by home, neighborhood by neighborhood. That's how Minot will rebuild itself, Mayor Curt Zimbelman said last week at an announcement to kick off the Summer of Hope. Members of the Souris Valley Long Term Recovery Committee put together the project, which will assist 500 to 600 homeowners in the next two years. A $3.5 million grant is helping fund the project, which is getting help and support from Recovery Warehouse, Hope Village, the Unmet Needs Committee, Souris Valley United Way, Minot Area Community Foundation and other faith-based and nonprofit groups in the area. Volunteers from across the country will be in Minot to help flood victims repair and rebuild their damaged homes. Many of the volunteers will be staying at Hope Village, on the grounds of Our Savior Lutheran Church in southwest Minot. The Rev.?Paul?Krueger said between 250 and 300 volunteers are expected per week. It's a grand plan, and the spirit of volunteerism from around the country has been an amazing sight. Minot welcomes the help, which will be crucial in getting hundreds of homeowners and families back into their homes as the city continues to push forward with recovery and protection plans for the future.
NEW STATE FLAG Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Secretary of State Al Jaeger presided over the unveiling of a new, historically accurate North Dakota state flag Thursday. Specifications for the new design were set by lawmakers during the 2011 Legislature, with guidelines to make sure the state flag conforms to the color, form and size of the regimental flag carried by the North Dakota Infantry in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Philippine Island Insurrection in 1899. North Dakota adopted its flag in 1911. Does this mean everyone who flies a state flag must buy a new one? We're fans of history, too, but was there an outcry over the design of the former, apparently historically inaccurate, state flag? We didn't know this was an issue, but perhaps it was a personal crusade for some state lawmaker.