MOORHEAD, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Customers are stopping by Mango’s Mexican and American Grill before the Moorhead restaurant closes its doors on May 25.

Loyal diners from both sides of the border are making sure they get a final visit in at the restaurant, which announced its closure earlier this week.

“I was glad I was going to be in town so I could stop in,” said Cassandra Miller. “I needed my Mango’s fix.”

Cassandra Miller said the restaurant has built a strong customer base across the region, and she expects the final days to be busy.

“They have a huge following from both Minnesota and North Dakota, so it’ll probably be very packed here, and it will be a great sendoff for them,” she said.

Her husband, John Miller, said he was surprised by how quickly the closure is happening but hopes the owners have plans to reopen elsewhere.

“I was a little surprised that they didn’t take very long for them to close down, but it’s probably for, you know, good reason,” John Miller said. “Hope you guys open up somewhere else so we can enjoy your food.”

Customer Donna Miller said her favorite item on the menu is shrimp.

The owners are not available this week but are inviting customers to stop by before the final day of service on May 25.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – After several recent apartment fires in Bismarck-Mandan, a volunteer group is helping families rebuild.

North Dakota Lions Emergency Relief has been helping families affected by apartment fires in the Bismarck-Mandan area since 2019. The non-profit is still in need of volunteers and financial donations while it works to get fire victims closer to normal.

Coordinator Patty Barrette said the focus is on more than immediate needs.

“So our goal is not to just get them through today and tomorrow. Obviously that’s very, very important, but we want them to think long term. We want to try to help everyone get as close to normal as we can,” Barrette said.

The organization is positioned to help 150 people in the first 48 hours after a disaster with clothing, hygiene supplies, bedding and household basics.

Once families find a place to stay, volunteers help them prepare for the months ahead by providing winter clothing and other essentials they may not think about in the moment.

“We have people that can kind of have been through this before either personally or have been part of our organization. They can sit down and say, okay, you know, what size underwear do you need? What size socks do you need?” Barrette said.

Barrette said helping families through traumatic situations can also weigh heavily on volunteers.

“We get the residual trauma. And so I have to monitor the team, make sure that they’re doing okay too, because there’s a lot we’re dealing with. You get a lot of tears coming in,” Barrette said.

Clothing and household donations are temporarily paused because of the overwhelming community response.

The group said financial donations, gift cards and volunteers are still needed to support families. Donations are helping families impacted by the Alberta Heights and Kirkwood Park fires.

The volunteer-run group said the first week after a disaster often brings a strong response, but as time goes on, families are still rebuilding and the need for help continues.

The group is looking for drivers, sorters, intake takers and bilingual volunteers. One-shift commitments are welcome.

One hundred percent of donations go through the North Dakota Lions Emergency Relief fund. More information is available on the group’s Facebook page.

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — With the temperatures warming and the summer around the corner, emerald ash borers are picking up their activity.

Governor Kelly Armstrong proclaimed May 17-23 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) is giving North Dakotans advice on how to protect their trees.

Emerald ash borers (EABs) attack true ash trees. The larvae feed under the bark, which disrupts the movement of water and nutrients. This often leads to the death of the tree within several years.

According to the NDDA, EABs have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the United States over the past decade.

North Dakota is home to more than 90 million ash trees, which are found along streets, in city parks, rural plantings, forests, and along the edges of rivers and lakes. EABs have been found in LaMoure and Cass counties.

The NDDA says EABs can be moved in firewood, and people in North Dakota should do what they can to prevent the spread.

“EAB spreads slowly on its own, but it can be moved long distances in firewood and ash nursery stock,” State Forester Tom Claeys said. “Please buy your firewood from local sources, and if you are coming from out of the state, please don’t bring firewood with you.”

The NDDA and North Dakota Forest Service (NDFS) will be placing nearly 300 traps around the state this month to attract EABs. These are two-footlong, three-sided, and purple, and people are asked to leave them alone.

People can use a treatment to prevent EAB from establishing in an ash tree, but this is not recommended until EAB has been found within 15 miles of the tree. It is prohibited to move firewood or other things from an ash tree outside a regulated area, including LaMoure and Cass counties.