Dakota Beacon

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.