Dakota Beacon

How do you know when Nodaks are no longer suffering the rigors of prairie pioneer life?  When they obsess whether they have the “winter blues” or “SAD” (seasonal affective disorder) -- both maladies appear with the offset of winter.  The blues give you moderate mood changes and mild loss of interest in socializing; SAD gives you a sense of hopelessness and causes social withdrawal.  Stephanie Corneliussen, a Fargo clinical psychologist, specializes in treating SAD, that is, when she isn’t treating her own case of SAD.  Researchers (those without SAD) are busily working on the problem -- meanwhile they advocate using lights as therapy.

Need a little kindness?  Go to Jamestown.  The Sun often publishes letters from visitors grateful for unexpected kindness in Buffalo City.  Here’s one: An elderly visitor stopped at a Jamestown gas station for help finding the VA Clinic.  The next day he discovered his pocket cash was missing.  Panicked, the man called the clinic and they retraced his prior day steps.  He couldn’t recall the name of the station, but the VA contacted Dan’s Sooper Stop where an employee checked and found the visitor’s missing $150 lying on the ground.  That wasn’t the end -- obliging Dan deposited the money and sent the visitor a check.  The visitor from Devils Lake profusely praised Dan for his honesty and the VA clerk for his initiative.

Job growth is slowing in a tier of nine states that include ND and Minnesota on the north and Oklahoma and Arkansas on the south.  The Mid-America business conditions survey is conducted by Creighton University in Omaha.  One state was an exception, the report said: "Firms tied to agriculture and energy will continue to push North Dakota's economy to record high levels of employment and robust economic growth in the next three to six months.'' 

Gov. Jack Dalrymple told the state’s newspapers “North Dakota is on the move.”  The governor ticked off ways the state was leading, from low unemployment to a balanced budget, while other states were tackling budget shortfalls, job losses and cuts to critical services.  He noted ND also has big challenges: Improving and building infrastructure; and addressing the strain on safety and public services.  He said, “There is no place like North Dakota, and right now, the world is watching our progress.  These challenges of our prosperity will be met, and our growth will continue.”

American Crystal Sugar workers in ND and Minnesota have been locked-out for about four months.  Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton relies heavily on union support and has volunteered to host contract talks.  ND Gov. Jack Dalrymple said “that a professional mediator, approved by both sides, would likely provide the best chances for resolving the dispute.”  Unions have less influence in ND than in Minnesota.

Missiles and B-52s at Minot AFB will be upgraded, more Global Hawks will go to Grand Forks AFB, and new cargo aircraft will be arriving for the Air National Guard in Fargo.  Consider all of this a Christmas gift to ND from the U.S. Senate, where ND Sen. John Hoeven is a member of the Appropriations Committee.  A Global Hawk is an unmanned high-altitude surveillance plane, a successor to the U-2.  When development costs are considered, the planes cost about $200 million each.

Pity the poor investor in Lee Enterprises, the Davenport, Iowa parent of the Bismarck Tribune and 40 other newspapers.  In mid-2004, Lee’s stock reached nearly $50 a share.  This year, on December 2nd, the stock closed at 53 cents a share.  Lee is preparing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.    A Tribune headline was more delicate: “Lee Enterprises moves to refinance.”

UND President Robert Kelley grimly announced procedures to make the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo disappear by the end of the year.  Perhaps he should look over his shoulder.  One of his procedures is to take down the UND Fighting Sioux facebook page and replace it with a generic page.  The GF Herald reports that 48,000 people indicated they like it as it is, while only 800 voted for the replacement.  

Editor/publisher Mike Jacobs announced the Herald will copy UND and “phase out use of the terms Sioux and Fighting Sioux (that goes for the logo as well) to describe UND’s athletic teams.”  He added “We’re not intending to make any kind of statement.”  Apart from the fact that the policy is a clear statement, one would think a new policy was not needed.  Why not use the same policy that applies generally to reporting, to wit, use a term when it is natural to do so?

Here they come!  Archie Fool Bear and Antoine American Horse Jr represent the Standing Rock Sioux reservation and Eunice Davidson and John Chaske the Spirit Lake Nation.  They have started a petition to place measures on ND ballots in 2012 requiring UND to continue using the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

Tex Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, has been named to a national commission to study the Interior Department’s trust management.  To his opponents in ND, Hall is considered an egotistic incompetent who nearly bankrupt the tribes during his last administration.

Somebody needs to talk to the Lady Bravehearts.  The Oglala College women’s basketball team fell behind Jamestown College 49-0, before the Pine Ridge team recovered its poise.

In October the Forum introduced a new women’s section: “SheSays will be a trusted source of information for women who are smart and savvy.”   Now we see what the Forum meant.  Here are SheSays headlines for a recent day: Writer Tracy Frank extolled her “all-time favorite candy” -- truffles available in four flavors at Walgreens.  Dr. Susan Mathison was more profound, “I feel naked without my mascara.”  She eagerly explained that long eyelashes are the latest fashion trend, replacing voluptuous lips. 

“You know . . . if you’re fat, you’ve got red hair, look, they’re going to pick on you” -- the ever gracious Ed Schultz, host of the MSNBC “Ed Show” and former ND TV and radio personality, responding to his selection by GQ magazine as one of “The 25 Least Influential People Alive.”

"She was not being properly medicated," according to her attorney, but her husband was getting his.  Judith Tosseth (68) of Steele was charged with attempted murder for mixing prescription drugs into her husband’s enchiladas.  She checked into a psychiatric unit; her husband Russell (69), who now feels better, is not in favor of charges against his wife.

DAKTOIDS: Signs of the times -- a Minot couple opened their FEMA trailer to the 2011 Holiday Tour of Homes . . . Auto fatalities in oil patch counties in the first 11 months of 2011 were already double the year 2010.  The principal causes are alcohol and no seat belts.