Dakota Beacon

The Bismarck Tribune obituary for Ann Grenstiner (88) is a shocker. Grenstiner had three sons: Dale, Don and Dean. The obituary said she was proud of Dale and Don. Dean is charged with murdering his mother and stealing her car.

The end of her column in the Fargo Forum has the following small bio: “Chris Linnares is an international author, Brazilian psychotherapist and creator of Diva Dance. She is the founder of Naturally Diva and Diva Connection Foundation for women’s health and empowerment.” One thing missing from the bio is that she is also the wife of the Forum’s publisher. The column is intensely personal with items like the following: “I suffered post-partum depression and lost my self-identity because, at the time, I couldn’t separate who I was from what I did.” So, it was a relief to learn later in the column “we don’t need to learn any avant-garde psychological theory about self-esteem.”

Newspaper letters to the editor often represent extremes and need to be read mindful of writers’ biases. Yet, even the most extreme, contain some information. Reader Herber Lansing blasted the Forum (“Just about had it with newspaper”) alleging that inexperienced, indifferent management was producing “a gossip paper.” What Lansing’s comments reflect is that Forum management has changed and is attempting to appeal to a younger, hipper readership.

Like most online newspapers, the Forum has an obituary section, but don’t expect to find obituaries there. Most days there are only Death Notices, brief information about the deceased and memorial services. Obituaries are now “paid advertisements” and there appear to be few advertisers. This is a trend among daily newspapers. Obituaries are a nuisance for newspapers -- it's difficult to make them both accurate and acceptable to relatives and friends of the deceased. It’s too bad, obituaries are not only histories of individuals, but are an important part of the history of communities. Historians and other researchers are losing an important resource as obituaries become the province of weekly newspapers.

The U. of Wisconsin just released its county-by-county assessment of the nation’s health. ND’s healthiest counties are Griggs, Barnes and Grand Forks in that order. Sioux, Rolette, and Benson held down the bottom. If you care to generalize, the majority of the top ranked counties are in the Red River Basin; the poorest ranked counties are those with large Indian populations. Eastern ND counties generally have better health than those in the west.

It should not be surprising that health outcomes correlate tightly with social and economic factors. However, the extent of disparities may be surprising. Griggs, the best county, had 15% of children in poverty, 19% in single-parent households, and a high school graduation rate of 100%. Sioux, the county with the worst outcomes, had 52% of children in poverty, 54% in single-parent households, and a high school graduation rate of 14%.

On June 12, the voters of ND will decide if UND should keep the Fighting Sioux nickname. Opponents of the name had hoped the state Supreme Court would invalidate a law requiring UND to keep the famous nickname and Indian profile logo, and remove the Measure 4 referendum from the June ballot. The Supreme Court took a pass -- they may consider the law at a later time, if it is sustained by voters in June. Those who want to retire the name are discouraged; supporters see an opportunity to go at least one more round.

If there is a camera or microphone, Tex Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, will not be far away. He wore a black cowboy hat as he told a U.S. House subcommittee that proposed regulations on hydraulic fracturing could cause oil and gas production at the Ft. Berthold Reservation to cease, because federal agencies lack the capability to administer the rules. He also asked for a little favor -- $54 million to work on reservation roads damaged by oil and gas truck traffic. In 2011, the reservation received over $100 million of oil and gas royalties.

Lauren Donovan of the Bismarck Tribune wrote that Tex Hall’s voice and stature are weakened by a recent serious illness. So, it was impressive, that shortly after the subcommittee hearing, Hall joined Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for a tour of oil development on the Ft. Berthold Reservation. Currently, the reservation has 414 Bakken wells and 28 drilling rigs at work. All but one of the wells has been drilled in the last three years. The reservation collects $7 million a month as its share of the state’s oil tax. Emboldened on his home ground, Hall lifted his request for road money to $100 million. Salazar’s trip was part of an Obama administration effort to maintain tribal relations and polish its energy credentials.

Williston (#1), Dickinson (#4) and Minot (#8). What’s that about? It’s the standing of the three cities among the fastest-growing “micropolitan” areas in the nation. Their respective area populations at July 1, 2011, were 24,000, 26,000 and 72,000.

DAKTOIDS: In 2000, ND was 38th in the nation in personal income -- in 2011, it was 9th, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis . . . Williston’s Amtrak station has the fastest growing ridership in the nation - oil workers coming and going . . . Gov. Dalrymple wants the FEMA trailers after they are no long needed by Minot flood victims. The trailers are designed for cold climates and the governor wants them to go to the Ft. Berthold and Turtle Mt. reservations.