Spring has indeed sprung

With this news, it's now officially spring.

River's Rise Threatens N.D., Minn. Floods
By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press Writer

FARGO, N.D. - City officials say the Red River's rapid rise took them by surprise, but the sandbag walls that volunteers quickly built around homes and businesses were so far protecting the city.

"This has been a very dramatic rise. We have not seen a 5-foot increase (each day) for two or three days ever," said Public Works Director Dennis Walaker.

The Red River, which runs north along the North Dakota-Minnesota line, has been swollen by melting snow and heavy rains.

Residents in the rural county around Fargo already had used up 160,000 sandbags, 50,000 more were on order, and officials had shut down dozens of roads, Cass County Commissioner Vern Bennett said.

"We had to rent about 50 road closing signs because we ran out," Bennett said.

(Renting signs. I should be in that business.)