Compiled by LAUREN DONOVAN

Bismarck Tribune

A man who has put all his energy into preserving some of North Dakota's most historical places now needs help preserving his own life.

Dale Bentley, director of Preservation North Dakota, was airlifted to Mayo Clinics in Rochester, Minn., on New Year's Day, where he is being treated for complications related to a disease that is affecting both his liver and kidneys.

He is in need of a transplant of both organs. He is now officially on the liver transplant list and awaits a mid-January decision about a kidney transplant.

Bentley is well-known in the Dunn County area, where he has been working with volunteers to restore and preserve the stone-constructed Hutmacher farm.

His efforts attracted people from all over the country and North Dakota to help rebuild the farm's dwelling, made from stone and mud and straw mortar, with thatched roofs. The farm site consists of six buildings in the rocky hills of rural Dunn County and was donated to Preservation North Dakota by the Arnold and Myron Burian family.

The organization plans to use it as a hands-on learning school for people interested in how stone construction was done nearly a century ago.

Folks in Dunn County have set up a medical benefit account for Bentley at American Bank Center in Killdeer.

In addition, Bentley's family has established a benefit fund at Dacotah Bank, P.O. Box 997, Valley City, N.D. 58072. Donations up to $5,000 will be matched by Lend a Hand of Fargo.

- Dunn County Herald

Facade collapses

The old Christmas poem with the words "There arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter," happened a little belatedly in Garrison.

On New Year's Day morning, the BHG Inc. offices of Garrison sustained substantial damage when a 75-foot stretch of snow-covered awning pulled away from the building, taking the entire front facade and exposing the interior from the window tops clear up to the roofline.

Don Kerzmann had been parked across the street and left briefly to fill gas at the station.

The avalanche of building materials occurred during his brief absence, sudden enough to leave him figuratively rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

He reported the situation to McLean County Deputy Terry Mehlhoff, who placed a call to Mike and Jill Gackle, owners of the building, which is part of their newspaper publishing and screen printing operation, and home to Ash Clayben, a clothing store on one end of the structure.

Even though it was a holiday, in virtually no time at all, the site was buzzing with volunteers. They scraped up the debris, sheeted and tarped the exposed structure, and removed loose bricks and a cracked portion of a concrete roof cap.

Others helped inside, cleaning up building debris and moving inventory out of harm's way.

Through it all, the Gackles appeared remarkably calm.

Mike Gackle said he may have exuded calm, but it came from the caring and capable direction and actions of people who came to help.

"They knew what they were doing," he said.

Gackle said they had looked at the awning the day before, when it was carrying about 6 inches of snow, and determined that there was no immediate problem.

It seems an overnight westerly wind added significantly to the snow load, piling up too much weight for the structure to handle.

Gackle said he plans to rebuild the building front and tie it into adjoining BHG buildings.

- McLean County Independent

Two down,

more to come

The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is slowly joining the much more robust oil development going on around it.

Chairman Marcus D. Levings (a recent name change from Marcus D. Wells Jr.), said that two new wells are being drilled on the reservation, in addition to one started last year.

The tribe has a mineral interest in both wells. One, the Nathan Hale well, named in honor of a recently deceased tribal council member, is being drilled near Mandaree by Zenergy Operating Co.

The other is being drilled near Parshall by Questar E&P Co.

Oil development goes relatively slowly on the reservation because of a lengthy permitting process, which can take months and years to complete.

Fred Fox, who heads the tribe's new energy department, said the tribe hopes a recent "one-stop shop" concept for permits, designed to bring the various steps under one roof, will move things along more quickly.

He said the Bureau of Indian Affairs is conducting a 90-day environmental assessment on drilling and well sites across the reservation.

When that's complete, the drilling permit process should be greatly expedited, Fox said.

- New Town News

Way too rowdy

Oliver County State's Attorney Mike Liffrig says Center officials need to take more control of bar fighting in the community.

Liffrig recently told city attorney John Mahoney that bar fighting is a serious problem and recommended the city use its licensing authority to enforce control.

He wants bars to maintain video surveillance, keep the videos for at least one week, be required to report fights as soon as possible and quit serving alcohol to anyone in a fight.

Two bars have video surveillance. One doesn't.

Wolfie's Place owner Jody Wolf said he would install it, but said his bar isn't the problem.

"I don't have the blood on my floor," Wolf said.

Oliver County Sheriff Dave Hilliard said his officers have made one arrest based on video evidence.

He said immediate reporting is the key.

"Even if it's just a pushing match, I want to know about it," Hilliard said. "We don't want anyone hurt or even killed. We already had one person beaten up pretty bad."

Mahoney said the city can revoke liquor licenses for failure to report altercations and said he would remind bar owners of that fact.

- Center Republican