SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - APRIL 12, 2015
TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS ND sweats a time bomb. If oil prices stay low for two more months, the state will lose billions in oil taxes due to a suicidal provision in ND tax law. Oil producers, while hating low oil prices, are rubbing their hands in anticipation of the tax break.
LIFE IS GOOD “Brown delivered a speech that one would expect in a town like Grand Forks and in a state like North Dakota, where unemployment is low -- frustratingly so, to some employers -- and quality of life generally is high, thanks to a booming economy and a constant eye toward the future.” -- GF Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel on Mayor Mike Brown’s State of the City address.
GO WEST YOUNG MAN! During the 2008 recession, the Bakken was a salvation for Twin Cities developers and builders. Many large contractors moved into western ND. With the drop in oil prices, some are backing up and concentrating on an improved Minnesota market. The Three Affiliated Tribes placed plans on hold to build a Hyatt hotel in Bismarck, but the StarTribune reports demand for infrastructure-related projects in ND remains high and Minnesota companies such as Mortenson, Park Construction and Oppidan are moving forward with projects.
WILLISTON CROSSING is a $500 million, 200-acre, mixed use development in Williston proposed by Swiss developers. It has seemed improbable, but moved one step forward this week when it was approved by the Williams County Board in a split vote. If built, it will be by far the largest retail and commercial center in the region and would impact both Dickinson and Minot.
PERSISTENT POVERTY “It’s not just that incomes have been very low on reservations for decades. We now have large-scale and very current evidence of poverty persisting across generations within individual families.” -- Minneapolis Fed President Narayan Kocherlakota citing reasons for establishing the Center for Indian Country Development, a national center to spur development on Indian reservations.
ONE RESERVATION IS AN EXCEPTION Commuting zones (a census definition) in the Dakotas with large reservations rank in the lowest 25 of all 709 commuting zones in the country for upward mobility. Standing Rock in ND is one of the 25; the Turtle Mt. Reservation was not in the 25, but was a close candidate. The big exception -- the Fort Berthold Reservation, home of the Three Affiliated Tribes, is rolling in Bakken oil tax revenues.
LEGAL STANDOFF Two Fargo fathers were awarded custody of their respective daughters by a ND district court. The mother of both daughters refused to take a drug test, kidnapped the children to a South Dakota Indian reservation, and, as a consequence, was sentenced to two years in the ND women’s prison. A tribal court awarded custody of the children to the mother’s sister on the reservation. The tribe refuses to give up the children and will not discuss the situation. With the assistance of the Cass County Attorney, the fathers are attempting to regain their children
MINNESOTA HMONG “Don’t look Hmong customers directly in the eye, and always accept offers of food before talking business deals.” -- Tips from the Hmong Chamber of Commerce in Minnesota. They are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their arrival in the state -- today, the Hmong have a firm middle-class foothold and influential leaders. They are a resource and model for newer refugees, particularly the Somali. A StarTribune reader who is a Viet Nam veteran said “We owe the Hmong big-time.” He said, “Newer immigrant populations . . . need to look to the Hmong as a good example, and step-up their game.”
DRUGS FOLLOW MONEY “Where money goes, drugs tend to follow, and the wealth of oil money in western North Dakota is no different . . . The Bakken region presents an obvious market for gangs and cartels to sell the drug, and more potent supplies of it.” -- Dickinson Police Captain Dave Wilkie reflecting on the sharp proliferation of meth in Oil Patch communities. He said his community lacks resources to keep up with the rise of meth, “It’s that lack of resources that hinders local law enforcement officials and local social service providers.”
IT'S NOT REAL MONEY The fake currency was a bad job of washing $1 bills and converting them to poor-quality, smudged, fuzzy $100 bills. Another detail, the bills all had the same serial number. That didn’t stop five Jamestown businesses from accepting the counterfeits -- one business accepted 17 bogus $100 bills. The Jamestown police had a modest suggestion -- please talk with your employees and train them to spot fake bills.
DON’T LET THIS BUG YOU Events pairing food and wine have become popular. The Hotel Donaldson in Fargo is taking the concept one step further. They held a pairing of insects and wine -- crickets, grasshoppers, scorpions and beetles were among the delicious possibilities. Chef Mark Schmidt said “seasoning is everything,” otherwise “They all taste like nothing” -- he prefers salt and vinegar. The man brought in to select the wines failed enthusiasm, "There's no way I would eat one unless I was tied down and was forced to eat it."
GRATEFUL SON “I (Vernon Grothe) Terry and Ardell's son, felt the need to give my parents the obituary they so deserved. They loved each other deeply... and it is only fitting they can share their obituary together.” -- From the obituary of Terry (82) and Ardell (67) Grothe of Fort Ransom, ND, both who died during the last year. Vernon was adopted in Chile in 1988 -- the Grothes were exemplary parents. The Grothes, particularly Terry, dedicated their lives to public service and volunteered in nearly every aspect of public life, one example, they sang duets at funerals. Terry was a grade school teacher with a special fondness for children. Vernon concluded his tribute, “I, as well as many others, love and miss both of them deeply. Until the day we meet again, I love you, Mom and Dad.”
DAKTOIDS: Stutsman County (Jamestown) authorities are somewhat puzzled because domestic calls (arguments and violence) in 2014 were double 2013. Their best guess as to the cause -- an influx of newcomers . . . It’s a little complicated to explain, but as average summer temperatures in ND have risen, heat waves have become less common . . . USDA Rural Development Director Jasper Schneider is stepping down after over five years in the high profile position. Observers believe the resignation has political implications. Since he will no longer be a federal employee, Schneider will be free to again become a candidate for state office.
DakotaBeacon