Dakota Beacon

Yes, it really happened:  Williams and Ree are a comedy team performing under the name “the Indian and the White Guy.”  Terry Ree is a member of a Sioux tribe in South Dakota and the act includes good-natured bantering about races and, true to the team’s name, much of it is about Indians.  They frequently perform at Indian reservations, recently, at the Spirit Lake Sioux Reservation.  In Ames, Iowa, Phil Potter books acts for the Alerus Center in Grand Forks and attempted to get the popular duo, but cautioned they should not make reference to Indians, because of the Fighting Sioux nickname controversy.  Ree said, “When I pulled myself up off the floor and stopped laughing, I told him yeah, we’ll do it.”  

A Herald article suggested that Ree then began to plot an ambush built around the UND  nickname fight.   “I was going to hang this son of a bitch out to dry, any moron who could be that narrow-minded,” he said.  The engagement never materialized, but Ree said, “I don’t know any Indian that doesn’t like Fighting Sioux.  I don’t know any.  I’m a Sioux and I think it’s a hell of a deal.  I like to see that Indian head on there.”  Williams and Ree will perform two shows at the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks on March 15 -- with no restrictions.

As the Fighting Sioux battle rages on, each side purports to speak for the majority of UND students, state residents, Standing Rock Sioux, etc.  It’s quite surprising there are no current polls to back those assertions.  Newspapers are logical candidates to sponsor polling on this hot button issue.

There is a loud debate in ND about the proper level of funding for higher education.  The debate is complicated by 11 institutions of higher education (plus 5 federally funded Indian colleges) in the state.  The desirability of so many schools is never thoroughly discussed because it is a political third rail in the communities which are home to the smaller schools.  A group of prominent ND executives, who want better funding for UND and NDSU, tiptoed around the issue with the following statement: “We also concluded that while all 11 institutions offer a quality education to their students, UND and North Dakota State University . . . are in a class by themselves -- yet comparatively, these two institutions are the most underfunded institutions in our state.”

A letter to the Bismarck Tribune concluded: “Our U.S. senators, Kent Conrad and John Hoeven, have a choice.  They have the opportunity to make our nation stronger, more economically secure and environmentally friendlier . . . But they must oppose any effort to block American motorists’ access to clean renewable ethanol.”  This stern warning came from Russ Newman who is with Tharaldson Ethanol in Casselton and is concerned about potential Congressional limits on ethanol subsidies.

Minnesotans have always viewed ND as that desolate, less enlightened province to the west.  Can’t say that has forever changed, but some new views are emerging.  State Sen. Gretchen Hoffman of Minnesota opposed Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposal to steeply increase taxes on rich residents because she feared “Minnesota will become a high-tax island and that will make us even less comparative with out neighbors.”  She said, “We will see that North Dakota has grown their economy while those communities on the east side of the Red River have remained stagnant.”  The tax measure was defeated 63-1 in the Senate and 131-0 in the House.

OK, its been a long, hard winter and Minnesotans have been short of things to celebrate, but they are making do.  Take this: The Minneapolis Loring Theater will celebrate Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who wed there 50 years ago.  If this warms your heart, rejoice, you can see a screening of “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a “Tammy Talk” symposium and a 1960s themed wedding reception.  Minneapolis makeup shops have seen a run on mascara.

There is a strong possibility that Amtrak rail service in much of ND will be discontinued.  A grade and a bridge west of Devils Lake will be compromised if the lake continues rising, as is expected.  The bill for raising the grade is projected at $60-70 million.  In the short-run, a  bus solution is being considered between Minot and Grand Forks; later, Amtrak might use the Surrey Line from Minot to Fargo (through New Rockford).  The mayor of Devils Lake is very discouraged, he said, “It’s just another manner in which the town is being chipped away at.”

Here’s the issue: In many small ND towns, a bar is one of the few places to eat.  A bill in the ND House would permit minors to eat in smoke-free bars, although bars would not be required to offer that option.  A Bismarck Tribune editorial opposed the bill on the grounds it was “not a good enough reason to submit children to the kind of behavior that can go on in liquor establishments.”  Readers overwhelmingly disagreed -- one indicated it was a form of elitism against rural areas -- children in Bismarck can eat in restaurants serving liquor; those in small towns may not have that choice.

What is the Fargo Forum view of the Legislature?  In a single editorial they described the Legislature as obsessed, a “we-know-better cabal,” “anti-business,” arrogant and intrusive, and “lemming-like.”  Other than that, the Forum thinks the Legislature is swell.

In an interview with the “The Daily Beast,” ND Sen. Kent Conrad, Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, blames both Bush and Obama for failing to provide strong leadership to trim the nation’s budget deficit.  Obama formed the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility of which Conrad was a member, then failed to support its recommendations.  Conrad is currently working with five other deficit hawks, “The Gang of Six,” to forge a new budget compromise.  The editor who conducted the interview tried in various ways to get Conrad to admit he felt let down by Obama’s performance -- Conrad would not go that way.

DAKTOIDS: In 2010 there were 376,000 jobs in ND and per capita personal income was $41,000; respective increases of 15 and 58 percent from 2000 . . . During the last decade, ND’s two largest counties, Cass (Fargo) and Burleigh (Bismarck), each had population increases of 17%; during the same decade, Grand Forks County’s population was unchanged . . . A Gallop poll found ND to be the third happiest state . . . Washington, D.C. is an expensive place to live, but ND’s new congressmen should manage:  Rep. Rick Berg’s wealth ranks 10th among 435 members of the House; Sen. John Hoeven is 13th among 100 members of the Senate . . .  ND continues to have the nation's lowest unemployment rate.

Parshall is a town of about 1,000 on the northern fringe of the Ft. Berthold Reservation -- its population is almost evenly divided between Indians and whites.  Prior to the oil boom, Parshall was barely hanging on -- the median household income was $24,500 and over a fourth of the population was below the poverty line.  A TV series called “Boomtown” (Planet Green Discovery Channel) is set in Parshall -- it’s not a pretty sight -- it’s a raw and often negative dramatization of the social and economic impacts of the oil boom.  The series emphasizes how people in the area are being divided into “haves” and “have nots” by oil royalty checks.  In the short run, relationships have not changed much, but you are left with the impression that will not last.  Clips from the series can be found on the Planet Green website.

Get ready!  The Middle East broadcaster Al Jazeera is sending a team to ND to get a firsthand look at the the oil boom on the Ft. Berthold Reservation.  Guess who they will be talking to: Tex Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes and the biggest mouth on the Missouri.  Al Jazeera is funded by the Emir of Qatar.

ND has about 4,000 farms grossing over $500,000 a year -- that’s about 12 percent of the state’s 32,000 farms.  Two-thirds of ND farms gross less than $100,000 a year.  A study by the NDSU Extension Service over the last decade indicates the number of large farms is increasing as is their profitability.  The state’s farmers have been aided by growing world demand which pushes crop prices higher, better seed and farming practices, and bigger and better equipment.

An article in the Minot Daily News about Omar Mohamed Kalmio brought a storm of racially-tinged, some barely rational, online responses.  Kalmio is a Somali man with a criminal history in Minnesota who is currently being held by immigration authorities in ND.  He is the father of Sabrina Zephier’s infant daughter.  Sabrina is one of four related murder victims found in Minot.  A number of online readers pleaded for understanding and respect for the American Indian victims; an equal number questioned the character of the victims, particularly Sabrina and her mother.  Several responses pointed to Kalmio as the likely murderer and others criticized the agencies and laws which permitted him to be free and avoid deportation.  One reader described Kalmio as the “unintentional consequences” of good intentions by agencies, such as Lutheran Social Services, which resettle refugees.

A common thread among editorials around the state was the foolish nature of some proposals in the state Legislature.  The editors felt the Legislature was sufficiently challenged this year by serious matters such as flooding threats and infrastructure needs.  Editor John Irby of the Tribune said that “every two years when the Legislature convenes in Bismarck, it seems a few circus performers tag along” and the 2011 session “has been overrun with trivial legislative attempts when there is serious lifting that needs to be done.”  

ND probably has the most lax laws in the country for licensing teenage drivers, and it shows in the accident statistics, yet there is still a substantial libertarian streak that resists new law.  Here is one parent’s view: “We don’t need anyone telling us when our kids are ready to drive.  As parents, that should be our call to make.”

You must be kidding!  A raccoon ended Carrington’s quest for a regional wrestling championship.  While the Carrington school bus was on its way to the event, students tossed a raccoon into the storage area under the bus.  Later, it occurred to school administrators that the wild raccoon could have rabies.  The raccoon escaped, but, while it is believed that none of the students were harmed, an assessment needed to be made.  The Carrington team was pulled from the championship and North Border-Cavalier won by forfeit.

As people on the web probed the meaning of the raccoon story, some suggested that Carrington change its team name to the Raccoons -- little masks would be appropriate for the wrestling team.

Chuck Haga of the GF Herald has prepared the most comprehensive summary yet of the recent history of the UND Fighting Sioux issue.  The outcome is still cloudy, but this much seems certain: the State Board of Higher Education and UND President Robert Kelley will be wounded, the former more than the latter.  Former UND president Charles Kupchella was taken down by the nickname issue.

Forum opinion page editor Jack Zaleski still sees ox carts, covered wagons and telegraph wires as he looks out the window of his Fargo office.  He believes small rural post offices are still needed at any cost, he says, “Post offices, no matter how small or remote, should be about service, not profit.”  Zaleski is confident Benjamin Franklin would agree.

Would you like to get out in the garden or field and implement some organic conservation measures, but don’t have any money?  The acronyms are waiting to help you.  The USDA through its EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) has $50 million in funding.  If you are a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, EQIP will share 90 percent of your cost.  Nodaks received $1.2 million last year through this program.

Sen. Tim Mathern of Fargo co-sponsored a bill to give $250,000 to recent immigrants to buy and renovate a building for a market plaza in Fargo.  Mathern said. “Jobs are created, and the broader community becomes much more sensitive to the positive attributes of other cultures.”  He said there was not as much spending for culturally diverse projects as he would like to see.

The last supper.  Clayton Catchthebear (51) and Shannon Carrymoccasin (42) sauntered into Applebee’s in Bismarck and began a long and pleasurable evening of drinking and dining.  Eighteen beers and many delicacies later, the pair were presented with a $130 bill.  It did not include the complimentary birthday dessert.  They refused to pay, made no attempt to leave and were taken to jail.  Applebee’s does not care to discuss the incident.

Estimates of spring flooding were raised for the majority of the state.  Those for Devils Lake were particularly grim.  The National Weather Service spring flood outlook for Devils Lake shows about a 70 percent chance the lake will rise three feet higher than its current level.  Estimates for the James, Souris and Missouri rivers were also raised.

I don’t know much about hockey (and am about to prove it), but a description of Andrew Panzarella, who will be joining the UND hockey team in the fall, left me quite impressed.  Panzarella is a defenseman who has played in the U.S. Hockey League the last four years and is now with the Waterloo Blackhawks.  He must be a good student of the game since he has spent 615 minutes (over 10 hours) studying it . . . from the penalty box.  His coach says, “He has a mean streak as long as the day.”  Panzarella would have been right at home in the best hockey movie of all-time, “Slap Shot” starring Paul Newman.

Several bills to protect UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname are before the Legislature.   A House Education Committee hearing on the bills lasted more than eight hours and at its peak was attended by over 150 people.  There was emotional testimony from both sides, although an AP article said “Supporters of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo greatly outnumbered its critics.” 

The UND Fighting Sioux issue has a significant new twist.  The Commissioner of the Summit League said it was UND that caused the League to insist the nickname issue be resolved before UND’s membership could be considered.  In other words, UND used the League to pressure the State Board of Higher Ed to resolve the issue.  Commissioner Douple went on to say “he would have had no other good reason to do it (offer an ultimatum on the nickname).”  UND later turned its back on the Summit League and joined the Big Sky Conference.  

A UND spokesman said President Robert Kelley “categorically denies” the Commissioner’s statement.  A GF Herald editorial says that, while evidence in the matter is scant, "Kelley has earned the benefit of the doubt."

Lower taxes, less government and more freedom are the agenda of FreedomWorks, an organization for which ND native Dick Armey is chairman.  Armey grew up in Cando and earned degrees from Jamestown College and UND.  He received a PhD in economics from the U. of Oklahoma and became an economics professor in Texas.  Texas sent Armey to Congress, where he eventually became House majority leader.  Armey left Congress, but remains a political figure who is not easy to categorize -- he would phase out farm subsidies, privatize social security, replace the progressive income tax, but, as he indicated in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, also favors reduced defense spending.

“Paupers, idiots and the insane” may no longer be appropriate language for ND’s Constitution.  The state senate voted 46-0 to place an amendment erasing the language on the state ballot in 2012.  The phrase is part of archaic poll tax measure which would also be removed by the proposed amendment.

Consultants advise there is little or no demand for a new gasoline refinery in ND.  They indicate a diesel refinery might work, but would require a subsidy.  For years, the Three Affiliated Tribes having been working on an application for a refinery on the Ft. Berthold Reservation near Makoti.  The application is stalled because the EPA contends the tribes have not provided adequate analysis about the amount of pollutants that would be emitted by the proposed refinery.  The EPA says it has been requesting the information for more than a year.

A Herald article laments the closing of the last brand-name bookstore in Grand Forks.  The other three largest ND cities each still have a Barnes & Noble store.  Barnes & Noble was replaced as operator of the UND bookstore in 2009 and a B. Dalton store was recently closed.  The article includes notes of hopefulness that, when the national economy recovers and all is well again, a national chain will invest in a new bookstore in GF.  That scenario seems quite unlikely.  The combination of GF’s flat population and Amazon’s growth in both hard copy and e-books makes the prospect of a name bookstore in GF seem dimmer and dimmer.

You probably suspected as much, but now it’s confirmed -- in 2009 the oil industry was ND’s leading industry with a direct economic impact of $5 billion, easily passing agriculture which has an impact of about $3 billion.  A study prepared by researchers at NDSU also indicated the oil industry provided over 18,000 jobs in the state in 2009.

Immediately following the above item in the GF Herald was the following: “A Texas man pleaded not guilty . . . in the shooting of a Louisiana man in North Dakota’s oil patch.”   The men were working on a pipeline project.  Those calling for greater diversity in ND are getting it.

Sen. Conrad was unable to attend the State of the Union speech because he was home with a cold.  But he watched intently on TV and considered the speech “inspirational,” except for that part about eliminating earmarks.  Sen. Hoeven and Rep. Berg were there; Hoeven said the talk “sounded some of the right themes,” but lacked specifics.  Berg said Obama failed to lift “the cloud of uncertainty” delaying economic recovery.

They’re doing it again -- letting selective facts conceal the truth.  A Bismarck Tribune article began “North Dakotans were among the best in the nation in science testing in grades four and eight.”  Yes, average scores in ND (162) were better than the national average (149).  Science does appear to be a strong suit of ND students, but if you compare the scores of white students in ND (165) to white students nationwide (162) the difference is quite narrow.  Indian students in ND (135) scored very similar to national Indian counterparts.  There you have it -- ND science students do well compared to Hispanic students in New Mexico and Black students in Mississippi, but are near average in any apples to apples comparison with white counterparts.

Are Red River Valley winters especially harsh, or are residents just complainers?  The Forum set out to score the question considering matters such as coldness, wind, and snow.  Their answer -- winter in the RRV is actually quite bad.  WDAY meteorologist Daryl Ritchison summarized: “This is certainly one of the harshest habitable places people live.”  Heavier cold air pools in the shallow depression of the Red River basin.  Cold and wind create a wicked combination -- the Forum stated “there’s no city with higher winds that’s as cold as Fargo.”

Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall addressed the Legislature on behalf of ND’s Indian tribes.  He said ND tribes have the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the U.S. and in Indian Country.  Hall stated that drawbacks of the state’s oil boom outweigh the benefits for ND’s tribes.  His reservation (Ft. Berthold) has 87 oil wells with many more to come -- ND’s other three major reservations have none.

Hall’s solutions to reservation problems all leaned one way.  His predecessor recently negotiated an agreement with the state to share oil tax revenue -- Hall wants to reopen the agreement and increase the tribe’s share.  He also wants more money and help for roads, unemployment, education, water and law enforcement.  Was anything missing?  Yes, Hall did not present any specific proprosals for the tribes themselves to address these problems.  This is an all too familiar pattern.

Gov. Dalrymple says it should not be necessary to reopen the revenue sharing agreement with Ft. Berthold.  He said his proposed budget already includes money for roads on the reservation.

Hall indicated ND’s 10,000 Indian students have a 57% high school graduation rate.  The principal at Ft. Totten attributes the low achievement to lack of parental involvement, poverty and isolation.  The issue is difficult to address because of the number of tribes, school boards, and agencies involved.

Federal spending in ND in 2009 totaled $8.6 billion -- $13,300 per capita.  The largest portion (20%) is social security, federal crop insurance (15%) was next, and Medicare was 10%.  ND is usually one of the highest per capita states due to its high proportion of Social Security recipients and farmers.

The San Francisco 49ers were once the most feared and respected team in football.  No more, the team just completed its eighth consecutive losing season and celebrated by firing its clownish coach.  You ask, with slight impatience, what does this have to do with ND?  The new 49ers general manager, Trent Baalke (46), was once athletic director at Shanley High School in Fargo and an assistant football coach at NDSU.  Baalke is a Wisconsin native who graduated from Bemidji State.  Baalke’s profile rose in early January when he hired Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh.

In his 2001 book about “Visionary Entrepreneurs of Agriculture,” Concordia Professor Hiram Drache described Ron Offut of Fargo as “the nation’s largest potato farmer.”  Offut also founded a chain of heavy equipment dealerships.  The Offut School of Business will open at Concordia College in the fall of 2012 with a very forward-looking feature: the business school expects to raise $50 million and of that amount nearly two-thirds will go into an endowment to support its program.

THE SUNDAY OPINION PAGES:  Herald Editor Mike Jacobs discussed ND’s new congressional delegation: “Politically, Hoeven and Conrad are closer than Berg is to either of them, even though he and Hoeven are both Republicans and Conrad is a Democrat.”  To cure Berg’s loneliness, Jacobs suggested that Berg team with Rep. Collin Peterson whose Minnesota 7th District has much in common with ND.  The Fargo Forum cautioned that ND had much work to do to create “well-paying jobs and career opportunities” outside the oil industry -- the state must continue to diversify its economy.  A Bismarck Tribune editorial on the same date was almost a refrain: “The Tribune thinks that lawmakers should continue to be aggressive in doing what they can to diversify the economy.”

Columnist Lloyd Omdahl has an independent point of view.  He noted that the Board of Higher Education turned down UND’s request for a new medical school building, but he does not feel badly about that outcome, citing the ratio “seven out of 55.”  Of 55 UND med school graduates last year, only seven are doing their residency in the state.  ND needs more doctors and Omdahl said if the medical school expects more funding, it needs to improve the 7 to 55 ratio.  A Bismarck doctor responded: “Residencies cannot be created by legislative whim in a state where there is an insufficient number of patients to provide an adequate training experience.”  He contended that many of the state’s doctors had been trained in out-of-state residencies.

Each time the UND Fighting Sioux nickname issue seems settled -- it springs to life.  In mid-January three bills were introduced in the Legislature to preserve the nickname.  The bills face an uphill challenge, but they are indications of a great latent discontent with the manner in which the Fighting Sioux issue was handled by the Board of Higher Education.  House Majority Leader Al Carlson, a sponsor of one of the bills, said he considered the nickname “a proud part of North Dakota history.”  The grumpy Fargo Forum called Carlson a "panderer."

The Spiritwood Station power plant near Jamestown, scheduled to begin operations next year, will have a lot of unused steam capacity.  A group spearheaded by consultant Steve Froehlich proposes a 30-acre greenhouse using steam from the power plant to grow leaf lettuce for regional distribution.  The proposal needs to be taken from the fantasy stage to a feasibility study and strategic plan.

Bosnian brothers Sead (44) and Senad Mustafic (25) staged at least 37 auto accidents in Fargo, collecting from $1,000 to $7,000 on each incident.  The brothers will be jailed for only 30 days, but may face deportation.  Their attorney argued for no jail time, saying the brothers had learned their lessons and were cooperative.  Oh, we don’t want to hurt their feelings.

DAKTOIDS: The ND Geological Survey has detected shallow natural gas in 52 of 53 counties in the state . . . About one percent of UND’s 14,200 students are from Norway and almost the same percentage are from Canada.

“Our investigation found a chronic state of crisis at the Indian Health Service’s Aberdeen Area.” -- Sen. Byron Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.  He added, “It requires urgent and immediate corrective action.”  The outgoing senator must have had a wry smile on his face as he made that last statement.  Incompetence and corruption at the IHS are an endemic part of its culture.  Check for yourself, the Committee’s 68-page report is on its website.  For example, a section on stolen narcotics indicates the IHS Hospital at Belcourt, ND (Turtle Mt. Reservation) has experienced substantial losses since 2003.  The conditions described in the report would be intolerable in public corporations and most government entities, but are business as usual in the IHS Aberdeen Area, which serves 100,000 Indians and 18 tribes in four states.

A Bismarck Tribune article about the investigation received many comments attesting to the long-standing nature of problems at the IHS.  A number of readers suggested that the IHS should be abolished and its services contracted to large health care providers such as Sanford.  Those readers believed outsourcing would result in better service at lower costs.

Gov. Dalrymple used his State of the State address to outline a five-point strategy for the state.  His first strategy was to sustain a positive business climate: low taxes, friendly regulators and a responsive state government.  The other four strategies were either supportive or complementary of the first.  Democrats were cautiously supportive, but will attack on the edges.

Dalrymple’s budget calls for record spending on infrastructure in the main oil producing counties, including assistance with housing.  The Bismarck Tribune ran up the “proceed with caution” flag.  Roads and bridges, yes, something needed to be done and it is the state’s responsibility.  But housing, the Tribune sees that as more of an issue for local government, the oil industry and private investors.  The Tribune allowed the state could help with loans and guarantees.

ND residents are getting older.  The state Data Center estimates that within 20 years the majority of counties will have a third of their residents who are at least 65 years old.  That was the backdrop for the biennial comments of ND Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle who appealed to the Legislature to order a study of public administrator and guardianship services for the elderly.  He said there is shortage of public guardians to care for those without friends or relatives willing to help.

A New York Times article headed “Remarkable Run Ends for Team North Dakota” described the 18-year collaboration of ND’s congressional delegation.  Rep. Pomeroy is quoted as saying an aide once remarked that if the three North Dakotan lawmakers were a single organism, which at times seemed the case, “Conrad would be the brain, Dorgan would be the voice and you’d be the heart.”  Nodaks may be glad to know the brain is still on the job.

Rep. Pomeroy failed to get reelected; however, the “heart” landed lightly on his feet.  In the first week of January Pomeroy and an aide had already joined the Washington law firm of Alston & Bird, specialists in insurance and health care, also Pomeroy’s specialty.  Revolving doors! 

You would think they might notice.  A manager at Applied Products in Grand Forks stole $250,000 worth of pickup bed covers and sold them to a hardware chain near Winnipeg.  William Fredlund (33) was detected by other employees and confessed to a police investigator.  To me, a quarter million dollars seems like a lot of covers -- how many?  For the sake of discussion, let’s say they average $250 each in wholesale value, that would mean 1,000 covers walked away.  Maybe the owners of Applied Products need to stay a little closer to their business.

Major farm equipment manufacturers, such as Deere and Case IH, have new diesel tractor engines to comply with EPA emission regulations effective in 2011.  One problem, the greener technology adds about 10 percent to tractor prices.  ND farmers are suspicious of the more complicated, higher priced tractors and many vow to continue to operate old tractors, or buy used tractors.  New tractors cost from $100,000 to $300,000.

Amtrak in ND is an expensive boondoggle.  It’s difficult to get hard info, but past data indicates it would be much cheaper and faster to move ND passengers by van or bus.  The Empire Builder is unreliable and usually late, even if you don’t mind boarding in the middle of the night.  Amtrak had this storm message for travelers early in the new year: “Passenger trains will run between Seattle and Whitefish, Mont., and Chicago and St. Paul, Minn., but not at points in between.”  Points in between -- that would be ND.  Passenger rail economics are best-suited to densely populated corridors, not the wide spaces of the Great Plains.

The Interstate was no paradise either, the Highway Patrol announced it took six hours to clear vehicles stranded on I-94 near Fargo, where about 100 cars, semis and pickups were stuck after a multi-vehicle accident.  Snowplow operators found it difficult to clear Interstates because of stranded vehicles. The Highway Patrol issued 66 citations for disobeying road closures.  A Forum editorial demanded stiffer fines, saying a $20 fine is ridiculously low.

Stiffer laws are being proposed in ND for the licensing of teenage drivers.  A Bismarck Tribune reader suggested that tighter licensing is also needed at the other end of the age spectrum.  The letter writer recommended more frequent competency tests for older drivers.  The letter received many online responses and, surprisingly, most of them agreed with the writer.

Ross Nelson, an occasional columnist for the Forum, had this to say about the loss of the UND Fighting Sioux nickname: “So we have gutless, white-bread folks forcing a change the North Dakota Sioux don’t want in order to protect those same Sioux.  Does this make any sense to you?”

“A tale of two states” was the title of a Forum editorial.  I’ll boil it down for you: ND should spend more; Minnesota should spend less.

Betty Osborne Maule was born in Bowbells in January 1936, ND’s coldest winter.  It didn't seem to harm her -- 18 years later Betty was crowned State Dairy Queen and Lake Ashtabula Water Carnival Queen.  Her life thereafter took a more quiet path, she married, finished college and taught in rural South Dakota for 32 years.  She died in Aberdeen just short of her 75th birthday.

BRENT MACCARTHY: NEVER FORGET WHO THE DEMOCRATS REALLY ARE

TOP TEN NORTH DAKOTA STORIES OF 2010

1. OIL, OIL, OIL

In the absence of oil, North Dakota would have enjoyed a good year along with other Great Plains states like South Dakota and Nebraska.  But North Dakota has oil and had a great year -- oil production soared almost 40 percent from 2009 to 2010.  A Grand Forks economist called the Bakken “huge,” saying it could affect the state’s future for half a century.  A Bismarck Tribune columnist said “North Dakota is going to be awash in cash” and predicted a shift of wealth from the Red River Valley to the Oil Patch.  The timing couldn’t be better, environmental regulations threaten the state’s lignite coal industry, one of the most profitable segments of the state economy.

2. OIL BOOM CONSEQUENCES

There was a predictable lag, but after a couple years of oil boom the challenges became evident.  Badly damaged roads, shortage of water for “fracking” oil wells, housing either unaffordable or unavailable, soaring costs of county government, and labor shortages are some of the more obvious problems.  Social costs are yet to be recognized, including the effects of industrialization and changes in the landscape and environment.  The state is moving steadily to address the issues, for example, its two-year budget includes nearly $1 billion for improvements to western roads and infrastructure.

3. ELECTION ROUT

Republicans swept all state offices, increased their majority in the Legislature and took two of North Dakota’s three spots in Congress.  The downside -- the state has lost experience and clout in Congress -- earmarks will not flow so readily.

4. KELLEY IS NOT A FIGHTING SIOUX

The UND Fighting Sioux nickname and logo is a valuable brand and a unique and exciting image for the state -- a source of pride to North Dakota whites and Indians alike.  When the Spirit Lake Sioux were given a chance to vote, they approved the nickname with a 67 percent approval.  With all this support, how did the UND administration and the Board of Higher Education manage to screw it up?  How did they fail to find a solution to retain the name and benefit all concerned?  It’s not clear.  UND President Robert Kelley joined UND with very little enthusiasm for the nickname and an apparent desire to appease a loud, bullying faculty minority.  Fairness and the majority lost -- a radical, politically correct minority prevailed.  Nobody emerged a winner, least of all the North Dakota Sioux tribes.

5.

VALLEY CITY HAS AN “OH, OH” MOMENT

This was the year a light went on in communities on the Sheyenne River.  It became apparent Devils Lake could naturally overflow, washing out the Tolna Coulee and sending a cascade toward Valley City.  The mayor of Valley City summarized that possibility as “a world of hurt.”  The governor, congressmen, mayors and even the Corps of Engineers realized that after spending a billion dollars to contain the lake, it was time to start draining it.  The Bismarck Tribune said, that if the lake overflows, Acts and Treaties will be washed down the Sheyenne River.

6. WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS

After the floods of 2009, the Fargo area was left tired and scared.  They could foresee a year when heroic efforts would not be enough.  The floods came again in 2010, another year of epic sandbagging.  Economists estimated that Fargo’s future growth would be adversely affected by flood risks.  A consensus emerged at local, state and federal levels that the Red River at flood stages should be diverted past Fargo-Moorhead by a channel on the North Dakota side.  Fargo voted a sales tax for the diversion and the state budget also includes a funding commitment.

7. THE STRANGE FATE OF EARL POMELOSI

Rep. Earl Pomeroy won a lopsided victory in 2008; in 2010, he won the the Indian reservations and most northeastern counties, but lost the state to Rick Berg by ten points.  Pomeroy, a Barnes County native, remains a sympathetic, popular figure in the state.  But he was balanced on a rail, pulled one direction by Nancy Pelosi and cohorts, pulled the other by the opposing interests of many voters.  Eventually, he fell off the rail and it was probably the health care bill that did it.  Pomeroy was an equivocator -- he was repeatedly against the health bill, until he voted for it.  That was too much, and Berg slipped easily into the vacuum.

8. “IT’S VERY EMBARRASSING” -- INTERIM PRESIDENT DICK HANSON

NDSU may have felt 2009 was a bad year when it lost President Joseph Chapman in a spending scandal.  Little did they know that 2010 would be a year of complete humiliation.  State auditors stripped the school bare -- it lacked financial controls, outran its resources, and, according to one critic, the school’s recruiting of out-of-state students was lunacy.  New president Dean Bresciani is pumping water out of the hold and righting the ship.  One party still doesn’t get it -- the Fargo Forum sees the whole affair as mere paper cuts, not deep wounds -- they see NDSU as a victim of “political and petty scrutiny.”

9.

OIL IS PAVING THE WAY

North Dakota had a bountiful year.  Never was there a year when the state was Number 1 in so many categories of growth and prosperity.  Yet, there was this nagging self-esteem thing -- the state’s lack of population growth.  Well, even that cleared up at yearend, when the 2010 census indicated the state had grown five percent since 2000 and was nearing its 1930 population high.  This all could have something to do with oil.

10. SOMALIS ARE COMING

Estmates range broadly from 30,000 to 80,000, but there is agreement that Minnesota has the largest concentration of Somali immigrants in the country.  It was probably only a matter of time before they became evident in North Dakota.  Fargo-Moorhead has a substantial Somali population, Grand Forks has about 300, and hundreds of Somali families have applied for housing in Jamestown.  Somalis create enormous social issues in Minnesota; Fargo and Cass County face those issues on a smaller scale.  Expect to see Somalis increasingly mentioned in news about North Dakota.

RUNNER-UP STORIES: Governor Jack Dalrymple, Senator-elect John Hoeven, and the Ft. Berthold Reservation (Life After Oil).

BEST COMMENT OF THE YEAR:  “City people have clock minds -- work is eight-to-five.  Farmers have ‘chore minds’ and focus on a task until they are done.” -- Columnist Lloyd Omdahl writing about the late North Dakota governor and farmer Art Link.  It would be nice to think that “chore minds” is also an aphorism for the state. 

When the National Weather Service presented its December flood outlook for the Red River Basin, it cautioned there is much winter remaining.  Having said that, the NWS believes Fargo-Moorhead faces a greater than 50 percent chance of major flooding in the spring.  The NWS gives the same odds that Devils Lake will break its record level by 2.5 feet.  The outlook is presented earlier than usual because of the seriousness of the situation in Devils Lake.  Building blocks for flooding are already in place -- soil moisture and stream flows are high and snowpack is well above normal.  The major unknown is the nature of the spring melt.

For 110 years annual rainfall in Fargo averaged 20 inches.  In the early ‘90s that began to change and since then Fargo annual rainfall has averaged 24 inches bringing increased flooding.  Fargo weatherman John Wheeler says don’t blame rural drainage or expanding cities, a 20% increase in rain and snow is the obvious cause of increased flooding.

On the last day of 2010, ND's new governor declared a statewide winter storm emergency.  You didn't read about it in the Fargo Forum because it couldn't be delivered.  A 100-car, quarter of a mile accident on I-94 west of Fargo fortunately did not result in any deaths, but eight hours were required to complete snowmobile rescues.

U.S. Highways 52 and 281 both originate at the Canadian border and merge in Carrington.  Hwy 281 continues south through the Great Plains terminating in the very tip of Texas.  Hwy 52 joins I-94 in Jamestown and continues southeast to Midwest manufacturing areas.  Sitting among Indian artifacts in Carrington’s Chieftain Restaurant, you can watch the heavy flow of large trucks on Hwy 52/281 -- the ubiquitous grain semis, but also loads of construction equipment and pipe headed for the oil fields.  Two-lane Hwy 52 is unique among ND highways in that it presents a diagonal path through much of the state.  This year, there have been three heavy truck collisions near Carrington, killing two and hospitalizing others.  Hwy 52 is becoming a state priority for a divided highway.

Just a few institutions hold a small ND town together: usually a school, grocery, cafe and pharmacy.  Pharmacies are not only important to individuals, but also nearby nursing homes and hospitals.  As the owner operators of retail pharmacies retire, there is often no young pharmacist willing to take their place.  The need is met with telepharmacies operated by trained pharmacy technicians supervised at a distance by videoconferencing.  The practice is spreading rapidly -- ND has 72 telepharmacies.  Research indicates the telepharmacies are every bit as reliable as their predecessors.

In the last decade, the ND population grew about 5 percent; its American Indian population grew about 15 percent.  About 36,000 Indians live in ND comprising about 6 percent of the population.  The executive director of the state’s Indian Affairs Commission said, “We don’t migrate out of the state.  For the most part, we stay in North Dakota and stay close to home.”

You are supposed to call them “crew camps,” but most people use the politically incorrect term “man camps.”  These are the dormitory type facilities that house single people working in ND’s Oil Patch.  The rooms are rather small and spartan, but the camps otherwise have many of the amenities of good hotels.  Some have excellent chefs and provide better meals than nearby towns.  Lauren Donovan of the Tribune says employers often pick up the tab, which typically amounts to $3,000 a month for room and board.  The North Williston man camp has 280 rooms and is run by Target Logistics with a staff of 15.

St. Paul people, listen up!  If you have $82, you can buy a roundtrip to Devils Lake on Amtrak’s famous “Perch Express.”  The train carries hundreds of ice fishermen from Wisconsin and Minnesota to Devils Lake to pursue jumbo perch.

Business leaders in Bismarck are upbeat about 2011.  One said “that Bismarck, with its proximity to government and services, could become a commercial center for the parts of the energy industry that work out of offices rather than in the field.”

I confess I didn’t know who they were and had to look them up: Josh Duhamel, a movie and TV actor born in Minot, and his wife, Stacy Ferguson (Fergie), an actress and singer.  The couple spent time in Fargo during Christmas weekend.  The Minot Daily News alleges that the Forum encouraged readers to send in photos of the celebrity couple during their visit -- essentially recruiting paparazzi.  MDN said “We’re not about to go chasing him around town” hinting the Forum was both tasteless and intrusive.

Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson is constantly on the go.  The scholarly host of the “The Thomas Jefferson Hour” has many consulting and academic engagements, but has found a way to deliver his weekly Tribune columns while maintaining a busy travel schedule.  His travel experiences become the subject of his columns.  Recently Jenkinson drove from ND to Kansas on a trip he frequently makes for family reasons.  Here are a few of his observations: ”I love the fact that every town on the plains has an implement dealership out at the edge of town, with one of its tractors or combines carefully outlined with Christmas lights. I love to see the doctor's or dentist's or lawyer's "mansion" at the edge of town with an expensive wrought-iron fence that raised eyebrows around the coffee table at the coop store.”  He proclaims “This is America.”

The sports editor of the Jamestown Sun has a favorite 2010 story. The Bowden-Fessenden 9-man football team was shrinking away, their roster whittled down to 12 players, but they charged onward winning the state championship at the Alerus Center.  That contest proved to be the final game of their existence.

Wanted: A big steam host.  The coal-fired heat and power plant near Jamestown called Spiritwood Station, which will begin commercial operation in one year, was designed to furnish steam to a large corn-ethanol facility.  All is going smoothly, except for one thing, there will be no ethanol plant.  The combined operations were to be the synergistic jewel of Jamestown’s industrial strategy.  The good news is the plant uses new technologies to dry coal and capture emissions -- it will be the cleanest coal-fired plant in the state, possibly anywhere.

For the time being, there are dramatic shifts in relative business activity in ND.  In the third quarter, state taxable sales rose 28%. The increase is impressive by any standard, but is only part of the story.  In the northwest sector of the state five counties had increases over 50% -- Williams (Williston) had an increase of 155%.  In the northeast sector, many counties had decreases -- Pembina had a decrease of 25%.

There is a ND economic indicator we might call “the pickup index.”  For small town and rural Nodaks, not having a pickup is almost unthinkable.  When times are good, you buy a pickup; If the economy is slow, you put another year or two on the old pickup.  This year, pickup sales are crashing through the ceiling  -- dealerships reported increases ranging from 45% to 75%, this is on top of a very good 2009.  ND dealers are scrounging pickups around the country.  A dealer in Grand Forks told the Herald, “Unbelievable.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

What a difference a decade makes.  Tribune columnist Ken Rogers compared the NDs of 2000 and 2010.  In 2003, state oil production dropped to 29 million barrels; this year will probably surpass 100 million.  Today, every sector of the ND economy, except manufacturing, is in a sweet spot and the state is contemplating a two-year surplus of $1 billion.  In 2000, the state envied the growth of its neighbors; today it’s the other way around.  October unemployment in ND was 2.8%, Minnesota was 6.4% and the nation was 9%.  The decade corresponds to the term of Gov. John Hoeven.  At his start, per capita income in ND was 84% of the national average, now, the state is 103%.

ND historians agree that it’s too soon to know how history will remember Gov. John Hoeven, but that didn’t stop them from expressing a view.  Hoeven will be ND’s first governor to voluntarily resign (he’s joining the U.S. Senate); other governors who left before their terms either died or were thrown out.  Hoeven is the second-longest-serving governor and the only one elected to three four-year terms.  The consensus expressed to the Forum by historians and political scientists is Hoeven did a very good job.  Yes, he had the economic wind at his back, but they believe his strong long-range planning helped position the state to grow.  About the only major critic was his unsuccessful election opponent in 2008, who claims Hoeven neglected human services unless they fit an economic development model.

“This is not the result of politically correct liberals telling us good heartland folk what to do” --  Chase Iron Eyes talking about the retirement of the UND Fighting Sioux name.  Iron Eyes is an activist and former UND Indian student leader who concedes there is overwhelming disappointment among ND’s non-Indian population.  He might have added, to the extent they have been allowed to vote, ND’s Sioux Indians are similarly disappointed.  As to politically correct liberals, particularly those on the UND faculty, he couldn’t be more wrong -- there is every indication they fermented the atmosphere that led to the change.  

It may not have mattered much, but we shouldn’t forget the editorial cheerleading of the Fargo Forum against the Fighting Sioux nickname.  Just this month, the Forum gave Prairie Roses to the NCAA for briskly denying the Spirit Lake Tribe's appeal of the nickname retirement.

Is this how you get ahead?  In 1994, Edgar Kranz, an airman at the Minot AFB, was sentenced to two years confinement for use of cocaine, adultery and writing bad checks.  In 2006, he was promoted to the rank of master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank.  Kranz was one of nine people pardoned in December by President Obama.

What are “ND values” and are they different from those of other states?  ND politicians happily answered the first part for the Forum, but said little about the second part of the question.  For Sen. Kent Conrad the values are “hard work, personal responsibility, honesty and integrity.”  State Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle thinks it’s a good work ethic, coupled with honesty and a conscientious attitude.  Representative-elect Rick Berg sees Nodaks as hard workers living within their means and helping each other.  All three agreed NoDaks are helpful and support their communities.  Is this a good summary of ND values and, if so, do they differentiate the state from other states?  What do you think?

The Bismarck Tribune had a three-part series about ND’s largest cities.  The first two instalments were about Bismarck, Fargo and their differences.  Fargo is characterized as the larger, more eclectic and urbane of the two.  Fargo looks east, somewhat indifferent to its smaller neighbor 200 miles to west.  Bismarck is seen as friendlier and more informal, as one Fargoan said, “People in Bismarck go home for lunch.”  Bismarck people see Fargo as having “an inflated sense of importance.”  The relationship may be shifting -- the oil boom is making Bismarck “a hub of the West.”  A history professor at Bismarck State said, “We don’t care about sugar beets.  We have energy.”

The third instalment examined four other cities.  Grand Forks, eased out of the No. 2 spot by Bismarck, is largely defined by UND and the GFAFB.  Minot, once a railroad center, became home to a large AFB and earmarks.  Now the town is becoming a player on the edge of the oil patch, but is also known for two large visitor events, the State Fair and Norsk Hostfest.  Core employers in Jamestown are its eponymous college and the state hospital -- the retail sector suffers from being a little too close to Bismarck and Fargo.  Oh, yes, don’t forget buffalos.  Dickinson has been buffeted by past energy booms, but the current boom may have more staying power -- the city, along with Williston, is growing. 

Smile, you may be on Smartpen.  If you can, follow this carefully: At Minot State a squad of students take class notes to help the disability services program.  They do so using Smartpens which simultaneously photograph the notes and record the instructor’s voice.  The notes are uploaded to a Web site where they can be seen and heard.  The pens were purchased with a federal disability grant and anyone may use the service.  Imagine future classes with only a note taker and instructor in attendance.

The Post Office has awful losses -- something has to give -- the Internet and UPS are closing in.  ND has 320 post offices -- the one in Cathay (50) is closing indefinitely.  It was open two hours a day for 16 customers.  Cathay residents will get their service from Sykeston (150), six miles away.

DAKTOIDS: Somehow, it didn’t come up during the elections, but Rick Berg, ND’s newly elected U.S. Representative, is the richest of all 100 new representatives.  He reported over $20 million in assets.

Rugby is the center of North America.  That brings some disadvantages you won't hear from the ND Tourist Bureau.  Daryl Ritchison, Forum companies meteorologist, says the state's location in the center of the continent brings "one of the harshest climates in the United States.  The farther from an ocean the more extreme the weather.  We live in the land of extremes."  Richardson said a mild ND winter would classify as the worst weather ever in much of the U.S. 

The U.S. Dept. of Education is hard at working developing new and imaginative ways to use your money better than you.  Life on South Dakota’s nine Indian reservations is shattered by poverty, alcoholism and violence.  To combat those problems, 14 Indian students at the Sitting Bull College in ND and 16 students at the U. of SD will receive $2,000 a month for two years to learn the dying Lakota language.  The program is seen as a way to motivate Indian students to get degrees.  SD’s Indian population is growing at three times the rate of the regular population.

Edward Lotterman’s Bismarck Tribune column is not especially political -- he interprets current events in mainstream economic terms.  His logic is not always popular and his views on farm subsidies are sure to ruffle feathers in ND.  His view: farm subsidies are costly, but “they do little for anyone.”  Lotterman believes subsidies pose a special challenge for Republicans who advocate smaller government and lower taxes.  The St. Paul economist says it is increasingly hard to defend subsidies with slogans such as “national security” and “saving the family farm.”  ND is seventh in national farm subsidy rankings, but is close to the top on a per capita basis.

Tribune political columnist Rebecca Beitsch writes: “Earmarks, pork barrel spending, Christmas tree bills, pet projects. All have found  their way to North Dakota.”   ND is second only to Hawaii in the amount of earmarks per person.  So it’s no wonder that both Sen. Kent Conrad and Sen.-elect John Hoeven are reluctant to let go of earmarks.  Too risky.  Both profess a problem with the current system, but favor only vague measures for reform.

Earl Pomeroy is going out in style as the undisputed 2010 earmark leader in the U.S. House.  Over in the Senate, Byron Dorgan did his bit with 79 earmarks passed or pending in 2010.  

In liberal San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi is queen -- in the red states she is the byword for ultra-liberal politics.  A Forum editorial blames her for nearly every race where veteran Democratic congressmen were tossed out and says ND Rep. Earl Pomeroy “was one of them.”  A Forum editorial claims Pomeroy urged Pelosi to step aside and says house Democrats made a big mistake to re-elect her as leader. 

Herald Editor Mike Jacobs writes, “For more than a decade, U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan has been the biggest impediment to designating wilderness in the Badlands.”  Jacobs is hopeful that Sen.-elect John Hoeven will be more friendly.  Jacobs says ND has less public land than other western states and the last areas that might qualify as wilderness under federal law are threatened by oil development and road building.

They hate their jobs and can’t wait to retire or win the lottery -- the sentiment of many Americans.  That attitude is less common in ND, where many try to stay on the job as long as possible.  Sharon Willhelm (65) of Minot has worked as a restaurant server since she was 21.  She enjoys her work at the Sevens Bar & Restaurant so much, she hopes to continue as long as she is able.  “I have no interest in working anywhere else . . . If I could, I’d work seven days a week.”  The Minot Daily News pictures the dignified, well-dressed Wilhelm in the elaborately decorated fine dining area of the restaurant.

All three were named Norman -- from 1917 until 1969 a member of the Black family was always publisher of the Fargo Forum.  That changed in 1969 when Bill Marcil, who married Jane Black, became publisher.  Marcil is retiring now after over 40 years as publisher -- he will remain chairman of Forum Communications which owns 9 daily newspapers and 20 community newspapers in ND and surrounding states.  Radio and TV stations and other businesses are also in the mix.  Marcil was responsible for a steady, but cautious expansion of the Forum companies.  In 1995 he sewed up I-94 by acquiring the Jamestown Sun and Dickinson Press; in 2006 he went north picking up the GF Herald and Duluth News Tribune.

The Forum papers in ND profiled 16 people over 80 (many over 90) who continue to make a difference by volunteering in schools, hospitals and service clubs.  Jim Rathert (101) of Forman was one -- he remains active by working at the Sargent County Museum which keeps his collection (the state's largest) of significant antique autos and tractors.  The museum modestly calls itself the “Best Kept Secret in Southeastern North Dakota.”  The 25,000 square foot museum is planning to add 12,000 more square feet, but with characteristic ND caution states, “We will not break ground until we have the money in the bank.”

Football playoff games come and go all over the country, but the average fan is unaware of the “behind the scenes” logistics and financial arrangements.  In late November, the Fargodome hosted its first ever playoff game, a contest in which NDSU beat Robert Morris 43-17.  NDSU made a bid to host the playoff game -- a bid not linked to the school being a participating team.  The NCAA received 75 percent of the net income from the game with NDSU getting the remainder.  Game expenses, deducted in determining net income, include esoteric necessities, such as “Press box food: $1,000.”  The NCAA paid the travel expenses of the visiting team and had all broadcast rights.  The Football Championship Subdivision level where NDSU competes has 134 teams -- NDSU is No. 10 among them in average attendance.

Bison like cold weather and snow.  But the NDSU Bison lost that trait by staying too long in their snug Fargodome.  They are trying to recover their mojo -- in early December the Bison prepared for a playoff game with Montana State at Bozeman by practicing in cold and snow.

“They’re messing with a real fighting Sioux.”  With those words, members of the Spirit Lake Sioux launched a campaign to get the NCAA to “re-examine” the deadline for retiring the UND Fighting Sioux nickname.  The Spirit Lake members said “the vast majority of all people across our state feel great pride and honor” in UND’s use of the Fighting Sioux name and logo.  An indifferent member of the State Board of Higher Education said, “I do think it is a moot issue.” 

Linda Brown vs. Linda Brown.  One Linda Brown started a controversy in Jamestown with a letter urging residents to take their shopping to Fargo.  Another Linda Brown began her letter, “I write in response to Linda Brown’s (not me) Nov. 13 letter about shopping out of town.”  The second Linda urged Jamestown residents to use or lose local shopping.