Hilltowns

“Why I got into kinship care and meeting grandparents raising kids is that my home was really a broken home,” Wallace says in this week’s Enterprise podcast. “My father was an alcoholic, worked on the waterfront. He was a good person but, when he drank, it was a nightmare …. We grew up in a state of toxic stress.”

“It was actively snowing for part of the time, but the cold is always a problem,” said Molgard. “Pieces of equipment do freeze up. We were able to get water fairly quickly on the fire but the fire was just too advanced. There wasn’t any real way to save the house.”

The new town board in Berne is looking to evaluate town practices, like how to handle solid waste, and to fill gaps in contracts and policies.

“I know you’re upset,” Giebelhaus told the crowd. “I am too. I’m probably the most upset person in the room. It’s my job to take your slings and arrows … I’m the town supervisor.” But no slings and arrows were forthcoming. Rather, there was a sense of shared misery and concern with some suggestions for help.