Dakota Beacon

When the State Board of Higher Education set October 1 as a deadline for resolving the status of the UND “Fighting Sioux” nickname, the GF Herald supported their decision.  At the time, many others felt the board was impatiently “rushing” the decision and playing into the hands of nickname opponents.  In early September, a Herald opinion piece signed by editors Mike Jacobs and Tom Dennis urged the board to extend the deadline.  Their reason: to permit consideration of elections that may be held by the Standing Rock Sioux.  This was a COMMON SENSE RECOMMENDATION—the Herald did not predict what might come out of the elections, if anything, or how it should influence the board.  Rather, they felt ignoring tribal members at Standing Rock would unnecessarily embitter a number of parties.

WHEN IS LOSING A WIN?  The UND football team played its opener in Lubbock, Texas, against highly ranked Texas Tech.  Congratulations and expressions of pride poured in for the Fighting Sioux after the game. It was as if the scoreboard did not read Texas Tech 38, UND 13—there was a great sense of relief that the UND team had gone on a national stage and left with dignity intact (and $350,000).  An AP sports article offered a different view of the matchup: “ . . . teams also need to sell tickets, and Notre Dame is better box office than North Dakota, which played at the Big 12’s Texas Tech.”  Translation: don’t book small schools.

It hurts when a small town loses a school, a grain elevator or a grocery store—all signs of the inevitable.  But adjustments are made and life goes on.  What really smarts is losing the last coffee shop—there is no easy way to adjust to the loss of a news and social center.  Small towns all over ND have formed COMMUNITY CAFES.  Usually, a nonprofit corporation is formed to buy a building, which is then leased to an operator.  Binford ( pop.185) is an example, the Binford Cafe is owned by the town’s Economic Development Corp.  Fessenden (pop. 600) is on the move—its last two restaurants, the Main Street Cafe and T-Bones Steakhouse, both burned to the ground.  A betterment association is constructing the Fessenden Community Cafe.

In 2005, Susan Bala was convicted in the largest illegal gambling case in state history.  She was ordered to serve 27 months in prison and pay back $99 million.  After she served 523 days, a federal appeals court reversed her conviction.  Bala and her attorney have been on a REVENGE MISSION ever since, including suing state and federal officials.  A federal appeals court has thrown out her suit saying that, while her conviction was reversed for technical reasons, “she’s not actually innocent;” therefore, Bala was denied the certificate of innocence required to sue the government.

Two ND newspapers heard the same report and came up with different views and conflicting headlines.  REP. EARL POMEROY returned from an official visit to Afghanistan.  The Forum headed its article, “Pomeroy: Afghanistan conditions worsening,” and reported that Pomeroy “warned that the United States is on its ‘last best chance’ to keep public support for the war effort.”  The Minot Daily News led cheerily with “Pomeroy supports war strategy.”  It said the congressman believes, “The United States is on the right track with efforts to rebuild Afghanistan and win back the support of its people.”

“Of the 5,800 North Dakotans in nursing homes, 55 percent are being financed by Medicaid.  Some of these 5,800 made themselves poor by transferring their land and money to family and relatives so they could get nursing home care at government expense.”  The quote is from ND columnist Lloyd Omdahl who says seniors, a group of which he is a member, are BAILED OUT BY SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.  He notes seniors draw out more from these programs than is paid in for them—some never pay anything.  It was a little unclear where Omdahl was headed, but he seemed to be saying that seniors, the biggest complainers about bailouts to others, are themselves the biggest beneficiaries of bailouts.

Wheaton is a Minnesota town of about 1,500 located very near the corners of ND and SD.  It seems like a typical farm town, with one large exception.  In 2004, a black, career criminal named Danny Barnes left the Twin Cities and established THY KINGDOM COME CHURCH in Wheaton, devoted to the faith rehabilitation of alcohol and drug addicts.  The Forum reports the church became very controversial—by 2007, the Rev. Barnes was involved in 102 incidents investigated by the Wheaton Police Department.  Barnes believes he is treated unfairly because of his race and because he is disliked by the police.  Wheaton residents became increasingly concerned the church was hurting the town and would create tragedy.  Recently, two church members attacked another during a prayer service with a baseball bat and a 2-by-4.  In the milieu, the victim’s 14-month daughter was struck and killed by the man with the baseball bat.

If you read the ND dailies over a period of years, certain patterns emerge.  One example, individuals on both ends of the political spectrum, who are INVETERATE LETTER WRITERS to the state’s papers.  Ellen Linderman (61) of Carrington is one such writer.  Ellen and her husband Charles are active members of the Farmer’s Union and Democratic Party and espouse liberal points of view.  Charles has been a member of the state Legislature—Ellen has run unsuccessfully for that position.  Ellen has new material to write about.  During President Obama’s speech to Congress on health care reform, Ellen sat next to Michelle Obama and other dignitaries.  Linderman was invited by the White House.

“It was real fun, until I got to the elevator,” comment of Mike Fleck, a farmer from Flasher (35 miles SW of Mandan).  Fleck said, “IT WAS REAL FUN COMBINING.  The wheat really boiled out of the hopper.”  ND farmers are harvesting bumper crops, but getting disappointing prices.

A BRITNEY SPEARS “Circus” concert, held in the Alerus Center in Grand Forks on Sep. 12, sold around 13,000 tickets.  One indication of the beneficial business impact on the city: one in three seats for the concert was sold to a Canadian.