From the Archives: April 30 in the Pioneer
Apr. 30—April 30, 2015 — Nepalese students at Bemidji State are holding a fundraiser for their home country after it was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 5,200 people. Funds raised during the event will support either Oxfam America or the World Food Program USA, which are directly involved with the relief effort.
April 30, 2000 — Nearly 1,000 people walked in Red Lake this week to raise awareness of child abuse. Attendees walked from Red Lake Elementary School to the Red Lake Community Center. Organized by Willa Beaulieu of Red Lake Health Comprehensive Service, the event also featured a program and community feast.
April 30, 1975 — The Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff's Office are set to begin operations out of the nearly-completed joint Law Enforcement Center. The police department has been readying for the switch from their home of 78 years in city hall, which had become increasingly cramped.
April 30, 1925 — Seventy-five boys and girls, the largest class in the history of Bemidji High School, are set to graduate in May. Six of the graduates are finishing their school work with a total average above 90%. Commencement activities will begin next week with the presentation of the senior class play.
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The 75th Anniversary of The First Ascent Of An 8,000m Peak: Annapurna I
Seventy-five years ago, on June 3, 1950, French mountaineers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal achieved what no climber had done before: summit an 8,000m peak. Herzog and Lachenal topped out on 8,091m Annapurna I, the 10th highest peak in the world, via the North Face and without supplemental oxygen. In west-central Nepal, Annapurna I is the highest peak in the Annapurna massif. The name Annapurna originates from Sanskrit, combining "Anna" (meaning food or grain) and "Purna" (meaning full or abundant). It translates to "the giver of food," or "she who is full of food." In Hindu mythology, Annapurna is a goddess of nourishment and abundance, an incarnation of Parvati, Shiva's consort, revered for sustaining life. There are no registered attempts to climb Annapurna I before 1950. Its first ascent was not just a climb, but a race against time, weather, and human limits, marked by unparalleled courage and harrowing consequences. The expedition, organized by the French Alpine Club and approved by the Nepalese government — the first such permission in over a century — included Maurice Herzog (leader), Louis Lachenal (a skilled Chamonix guide), Lionel Terray (a powerful, experienced alpinist), Gaston Rebuffat (another Chamonix guide known for his technical prowess), Jean Couzy and Marcel Schatz (both strong climbers), Francis de Noyelle (a diplomat facilitating logistics), Jacques Oudot (the expedition doctor), and Marcel Ichac (a filmmaker documenting the expedition). The Sherpa team, which provided critical support during the expedition, included Ang Tharkay Sherpa (sirdar), Ajiba Sherpa, Ang Dawa Sherpa, Ang Tshering Sherpa, Dawa Thondup Sherpa, Ila Sherpa, Phu Tharkey Sherpa, and Sarki Sherpa. The expedition began in mid-April 1950, with the team traveling from India to Nepal's Kali Gandaki Valley. Originally, Herzog's team had climbing permits for both Dhaulagiri I and Annapurna I. The climbers first set their sights on Dhaulagiri I. From their base in Tukucha at 3,000m in the Kali Gandaki Valley, they explored the area around Miristi Khola river and the east of Dhaulagiri Glacier for potential routes. However, after making a reconnaissance of Dhaulagiri I's Southeast Ridge and northern side, Dhaulagiri I seemed too difficult, especially with not much time before the monsoon season arrived. Instead, the team decided to shift to Annapurna I. "As to Annapurna, we knew the northern slopes were accessible, but apart from that, although we had hopes, we could not be sure that the expedition could find a way up. We thought there were three possible routes, but only the glacier route proved practicable," Herzog wrote in the Alpine Journal. Time was short. The expedition had to explore, scout, and climb the mountain in a single season, an unprecedented feat. The distance between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna is approximately 35 to 40km, and the two peaks are separated by the Kali Gandaki Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world. Herzog's party arrived in the Annapurna region in early May. The approach offered them several challenges: dense forests and treacherous moraines. The team initially explored the North and East faces of Annapurna I, but the complex terrain and lack of viable routes forced them to reconsider. Herzog, with input from Terray and Rebuffat, decided to focus on the North Face, which offered a feasible but difficult way to the summit. According to Herzog's report, the other possibility, the East Glacier route, would have been technically more demanding. Their final decision was critical, as the monsoon's approach left no room for further delays. The team adopted a siege-style approach, establishing a series of camps to support the ascent and abandoning their initial idea of carrying out a lighter, alpine-style climb. The route reconnaissance involved significant exploration, with key contributions from Terray and Rebuffat, who helped identify a viable line through the complex terrain of seracs, crevasses, and ice walls. The route up Annapurna's North Face began with the establishment of Base Camp at 4,500m on May 18. From there, the team set up five further camps. Camp 1 was at 5,000m, at the base of the North Face. Camp 2 was at 5,500m, below a sickle-shaped glacier full of crevasses and steep ice slopes. This camp served as a key logistical point, stocked with supplies for the upper camps. They set up Camp 3 at around 6,000m on a windy snowfield, offering a starting point toward the upper slopes. This was followed by Camp 4, at 6,800m, situated above the rock band on a narrow ledge. Their small, exposed Camp 5 at 7,400m would be the climbers' last stop before the summit attempt. The ascent was grueling. Snowstorms, avalanches, and bitter cold tested the team. The Sherpas, led by Ang Tharkay, hauled heavy loads to stock the camps, while Herzog, Lachenal, Terray, and Rebuffat scouted routes and fixed ropes. The terrain was treacherous, with steep ice, loose rock, and deep snow. Crevasses and avalanches were constant threats. Teamwork kept them going, though exhaustion and altitude strained their spirits. On June 2, Herzog and Lachenal, supported by Terray and Rebuffat, reached Camp 5. Herzog invited Ang Tharkay Sherpa to be in the summit party, but Ang Tharkay declined, explaining that his feet were starting to freeze. On June 3, Herzog and Lachenal launched their summit bid from Camp 5. They started at dawn, climbing without oxygen, through deep snow and fierce winds. Each step of the last 700m was a battle, and the thin air consumed their strength. Lachenal, wary of frostbite, hesitated near the top, but Herzog, driven to reach the summit, urged them onward. At around 2 pm, Herzog and Lachenal topped out in -40°C, becoming the first people to summit an 8,000m peak. "I hardly knew if I were in heaven or on Earth, and my mind kept turning to all those men who had died on high mountains and to friends in France. Our moments up there were quite indescribable, with the realization before us that we were standing on the highest peak in the world to be conquered by man," Herzog wrote in the Alpine Journal. Herzog took photographs at the summit, planting a French tricolor in worsening conditions. Lachenal, more pragmatic, urged a swift descent as the storm was about to arrive. The way down from the summit was where triumph almost turned to tragedy. As Herzog and Lachenal descended, a storm hit the mountain. Herzog lost his gloves, and both climbers suffered severe frostbite on their feet. At Camp 5, Terray and Rebuffat met them. Herzog's hands and Lachenal's feet were already severely frostbitten. Rebuffat and Terray warmed them overnight. On June 4, in a whiteout, the snowblind Rebuffat and Terray tried to descend to Camp 4. Unable to find it, the four spent a harrowing night in a crevasse, sharing a single sleeping bag in freezing temperatures. On June 5, during their descent to Camp 2, Rebuffat helped rescue Herzog and two Sherpas from an avalanche. By the afternoon, the team reached Camp 2. Finally, everyone reached Base Camp alive. "We had beaten it, and I could lie back and think: the job has been finished, the struggle is over," Herzog wrote. Herzog and Lachenal, unable to walk because of their injuries, were carried by Sherpas across the moraines. Dr. Oudot began treating their frostbite in camp, making multiple amputations without anesthesia to combat gangrene. Oudot saved their lives but at great cost; Herzog lost all his toes and most of his fingers, and Lachenal lost his toes. They left Base Camp on June 10, reaching Kathmandu a month later and returning to Paris on July 17. Herzog, Lachenal, and Ang Tharkay were awarded the Legion of Honor, and Marcel Ichac's film, Victoire sur l'Annapurna, premiered to acclaim. Herzog's book, Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Meter Peak, became a mountaineering classic. The book ends with the classic line: "There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men," which inspired generations of climbers. However, controversies later emerged. Rebuffat felt Herzog downplayed his contributions, particularly in route-finding, and was dismayed by the expedition's hierarchical structure. Lachenal's posthumously published journals (1996) revealed tensions, including his frustration with Herzog's prolonged summit photography and the official narrative's omissions. In his book True Summit, David Roberts revealed that the expedition was marred by internal discord. Herzog's book portrayed a unified, heroic effort, but Lachenal's diary and Rebuffat's writings exposed tensions, including Herzog's capricious leadership, and the marginalization of Lachenal, Terray, and Rebuffat's contributions. In his 1954 memoirs, Ang Tharkay Sherpa wrote that the French members of the expedition treated him with friendship and equality. The 1950 Annapurna expedition remains a landmark in mountaineering history, a testament to human endurance, but also the price of ambition.
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Borough welcomes first ever Gurkha mayor
The new mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth is the borough's first ever Gurka to take on the role. Councillor Bhim Saru, a retired captain from the Royal Engineers regiment, was appointed at a ceremony on Wednesday evening in Nuneaton Town Hall. Saru, who represents St Mary's ward and has an embroidery shop in the borough, said it was a "tremendous honour", for himself and the "entire Gurkha and Nepalese community". His wife, Sharmila, is the new mayoress. "I am thoroughly looking forward to the next 12 months and especially having the opportunity to meet many of our borough's residents during my civic engagements," he added. Saru is also a president in the British Gurkha Veterans Association and volunteers as an advisor to support several Nepalese communities in the UK. A spokesperson for Nuneaton and Bedworth Council said the the borough was home to a large Gurkha and Nepalese community and a Gurkha War Memorial had been built in Riversley Park, Nuneaton, in 2015 to commemorate 200 years of service to the Crown and country. The new mayor received the chains of office from councillor Bill Hancox, who had held the post for the last year, which was his third term of office. Councillor Tracy Sheppard has been appointed deputy mayor for 2025-26. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. New mayor of Wolverhampton appointed Nuneaton and Bedworth Council British Gurkha Veterans Association
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03-05-2025
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Bemidji fire chief receives Northwest Technical College's inaugural IMPACT Award
May 2—BEMIDJI — When Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood started his career more than 20 years ago, he considered himself "just a guy who loved the fire service." Since then, his role has blossomed into much more. On Thursday, he returned to the institution that helped kickstart his career to receive Northwest Technical College's inaugural Innovation, Mastery, Progress, Achievement, Community and Technology (IMPACT) Award. "(This award) is presented to a truly remarkable leader in both industries and public service," NTC Executive Vice President Ketmani Kouanchao noted during the program. "(Sherwood) has dedicated his career to advancing fire service technology, transforming challenges into opportunities and inspiring the next generation of first responders and innovators ... His dedication to excellence, leadership and service embodies the very spirit of this award." Sherwood was named fire chief in 2021; at the time, he had 18 years of fire service under his belt. He holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Bemidji State, a fire service technology certificate from NTC, an associate of applied science degree in fire service technology from the College of Western Idaho and is pursuing a master's degree in public safety leadership and administration at Arizona State. He also earned a chief fire officer certification from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Managing Officer Program, and serves as the Region 2 northern representative for the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association. In addition to his accolades, Sherwood is a writer with work published in the Minnesota Fire Chief and Firehouse magazines. Much of his writing focuses on the importance of mental health practices and work-life balance, values that play a huge factor in Sherwood's role as a leader and mentor. "I love the way that Justin's story ties to what we try to do here at NTC of career expertise, the technical, the work that (he has) done and learned in those spaces," BSU and NTC President John Hoffman said, "but also the commitments to mental health and holistic health and life beyond the workplace." During his acceptance speech, Sherwood took a moment to note the stigma surrounding mental health in the fire service. "This job is incredibly hard and I guess I get emotional because we put a lot of time into it," he said. "...Here I am being vulnerable because fire chiefs aren't supposed to be criers, but I'm probably the most emotional fire chief in the country. But I own it." Sherwood recalled the day he was notified that he would receive the award, expressing feelings of gratitude and relief. Looking out into the audience filled with his family, friends and colleagues, he credited his support system for getting him where he is today. "Regardless of the impostor syndrome, it isn't about my individual accomplishments or ... the types of awards I'm getting, but it is truly about those who support me," he said. "So I want to say thanks to my mentors and supporters in this room, my colleagues from the city ... but most importantly, my family. "You guys have really supported me even in those seasons that were really hard. So your love, and, I have to note, extreme patience, is what got me here." In closing, Sherwood thanked NTC for choosing him as the first-ever recipient of the IMPACT award and noted the symbolism of the item, which he plans to display at his office in the fire hall. "(This award) will always serve as a strong reminder for me and a powerful motivation to continue leading with purpose, integrity, motivation and dedication, because all we can do is give our best effort," he said. "When I started this path, (I) wanted to help people, but ultimately be a dreamer and do my best and try to always use my position to advocate for those who couldn't."
