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The Bemidji School District is a step closer to issuing bonds that will help it pay for post-employee benefits in the future. The Bemidji School Board voted unanimously Monday to approve a resolution calling for the sale of general obligation Other Post Employee Benefits bonds in the amount of $4.95 million. The board plans to consider approving the sale of bonds and approving an irrevocable OPEB trust agreement June 15. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board requires the district to put a current value on the amount of health insurance it will provide for retirees in the future, said
The Bemidji School Board will continue its discussion on budget reductions Monday. At 7 a.m., the board will hold a special meeting in the District Office conference room to discuss staffing at Bemidji Middle School for the 2009-10 school year. At 4 p.m., the board will hold its regular monthly meeting in the Bemidji High School Media Center where budget reductions also will be a topic. The meeting time is earlier than usual due to the BHS Hall of Fame Banquet scheduled for 6 p.m.
Aspiring to be a pilot, Park Jeong-moon of South Korea wants to improve his English. As part of the Work, English Study and Travel program, the junior majoring in aerospace engineering at Korea Aerospace University has traveled to the Bemidji area for a one-month immersion program at Concordia Language Villages. Park said he felt he needed to improve his English because a pilot needs a certain level of skill in the language.
The Bemidji School District is paring down its budget in light of shifting enrollment, minimal increases in state funding and other factors, district administrators say. Throughout the past few months, the Bemidji School Board has explored ways to address a nearly $944,000 deficit that was projected for this school year and deficit of around $2 million that was projected for the next school year. On Monday, the board cut staff at elementary, middle and high schools; alternative programs; and other areas of the district.
When Ben Ranson started playing guitar more than a dozen years ago, it quickly struck a chord with him. "I pretty much got serious about it right away," said Ranson, a 26-year-old former Bemidji resident who released his debut album, "Eighteen Wheels of Pain," April 7. Ranson, who now lives in Sebeka, Minn., started working on the album in 2004, and a few short passages on it were written as early as 1999 or 2000. "I'm a perfectionist and I wanted it to be good," he said. Ranson wrote all the music and lyrics for the 15 songs on his album.
Some themes exist in U.S.-American Indian policy history, Deonne Pansch said Friday morning in Bemidji. Pansch presented "A Beginner's Guide to Native American History" during the one-day "Historical Trauma and the American Indian Experience" conference at the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University. The conference was sponsored by the AIRC, BSU Department of Social Work and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Office of Diversity. "Historical trauma is a huge Indian issue within Indian culture," said Don Day, executive director of the AIRC. Pansch, the program man
From its early days at Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge to its current downtown location in the Chief Theatre, Helen Gill has enjoyed many years at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse. Today, the playhouse will honor Gill as its celebrity star patron at Stars in the Street, a block party to celebrate the playhouse's 2009 summer season. The first show of the season, "Sisters of Swing: The Story of the Andrews Sisters," will open June 10. Stars in the Street will begin at 5:30 p.m. with attendees visiting Brigid's Cross Irish Pub, Chocolates Plus, Keg N' Cork, Backyard BBQ and Tutto Bene for appetizers.
Offering a helping hand, or at times even just a friendly smile, TrekNorth Junior & Senior High School students are reaching out to people in need. Through the school's Service Learning Program, students have the opportunity to volunteer across town, across the state and across the Midwest. This week as part of National Volunteer Week, the school is recognizing more than 100 of its 160 students who have volunteered approximately 2,775 hours since October. "I think a lot of people don't know just how easy it is," said sophomore Anna-Lena Zillig, a foreign exchange student from Germany, about
The Bemidji School Board has cut staff at various levels in the Bemidji School District for the 2009-10 school year. The board made the decisions Monday night. These cuts are part of a series of decisions facing the board as it aims to make about $2 million in budget adjustments for next year. The district faces a deficit of about $2 million from overspending last year and projected overspending this year.
After 142 nights of shelter, 2,826 meals and 56 guests making 942 individual stays, the first season of Servants of Shelter has drawn to a close. "We had a really successful first season," said Kathie Pederson, SOS director. Due to the success, plans are underway to repeat the program next winter, Pederson said. Similar to the first season, the second season will likely run from November to March. Starting last fall and continuing through March, SOS provided shelter for the homeless at churches in Bemidji.