Dakota Beacon

ENOUGH!  “With the report (Mueller) finished, I hope both sides will move forward with a renewed focus on growing the economy.” — The statement from U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer was closely in line with those of the other two members of the ND congressional delegation.

THE TRINITY HEALTH MEDICAL COMPLEX, the largest non-government construction project in Minot history, is halted because of a series of accidents.  The $350 million project closed Thursday, March 21, when a worker fell four stories; the next day, fireballs and loud explosions at the project shook the city.  Inspections are underway and it is not known when construction will resume.

FEELING HER OATS  Mary Adams is a new state representative from Grand Forks District 43.  Like some freshmen legislators at the national level, she goes a bit overboard, likening President Trump to Hitler and publicly wishing that something bad would happen to the president and vice president.  The GF Herald took the unusual step of saying “We don’t approve or condone the posts made by Adams,” which the Herald considered inappropriate for a sitting lawmaker.  She was also criticized by colleagues from both parties.

PREDICTING LAWBREAKING  “In the movie 'Minority Report,' police arrest perpetrators before they commit their crimes, based solely on the premonitions of psychics.” — Assistant ND Attorney General Jennifer Verleger argued that opponents of the Davis Refinery near the T. Roosevelt National Park were using the same reasoning.  She said the opponents were asking the Public Service Commission to take action against Meridian (the refinery developer) because they allege Meridian “will soon violate the law,” requiring the PSC to “predict the future.”  The refinery has permits and is already under construction, but opponents, such as the Dakota Resource Council, continue rearguard actions.  Blake Nicholson (AP) wrote a Star Tribune article about the refinery.

WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?  Straight interstate highways with light traffic can be very tempting.  Kasondra Perez (21) was driving west past Jamestown on I-94 with a stolen 1997 Buick and a suspended license.  When the JPD tried to pull her over, she hit the accelerator and headed for Bismarck at speeds of 100 mph.  Numerous police departments got in the act, the NDHP spiked her tires, but she continued onward, until forced into a ditch in Bismarck — 100 miles from Jamestown.

ALL ARE WELL IN WELLS  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released its 2019 County Health Rankings (CHR).  The overall healthiest county in ND was somewhat of a surprise — it was Wells, a sparsely populated county in the center of the state.  Wells leaders attributed their ranking to “strong community support” and “a rural connectedness.”  LaMoure, Williams, Traill and Cass counties also landed in the top five.

NOT SO WELL  The CHR also has a category for food environment, which considers a combination of low incomes, closeness to grocery stores and access to reliable food.  Where do you find the worst food environment counties in the country?  Look no further than South Dakota, where a string of Indian reservation counties, from Standing Rock on the north to Pine Ridge on the Nebraska border, have the nation’s worst food environments.  The conditions on these reservations seem nearly intractable.

THE SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE held a field hearing in Bismarck at which leaders of ND tribes testified — ND Sen. John Hoeven is committee chairman.  Much of the testimony highlighted increased drug trafficking and violent crime on the reservations and missing and murdered Indians.  There was general dissatisfaction with the funding and performance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  ND reservations have a uniform shortage of trained police officers.  Sen. Hoeven said legislation would be advanced to improve law enforcement on the reservations and he suggested the BIA consider a training center in ND.  Gov. Doug Burgum volunteered Camp Grafton as a site.  A BIA official questioned the feasibility of such a training center.

A BRIDGE TO LINTON  The 1959 Long X Bridge spans the Little Missouri River on Highway 85 south of Watford City.  It is being replaced by a four-lane bridge scheduled for completion in 2020.  Because of the historical nature of the old bridge, the Dept. of Transportation placed it up for adoption.  The new parent is Paul Silbernagel, a rancher near Linton, about 200 miles to the southeast.  DOT will disassemble the bridge and transport it the first 100 miles; Silbernagel will be responsible for the remainder of the trip and assembly of the 250-foot span.

GARY GREFF’S Enchanted Highway (giant metal sculptures) between I-94 and Regent have been a major visitor attraction in southwest ND for 30 years.  In his zeal, Greff may have overlooked a major consideration — maintenance of the aging art.  Greff can’t handle it financially.  Without maintenance the art will tumble into disrepair or worse.  Sen. Rich Wardner of Dickinson rode to the rescue introducing a legislative bill to fund maintenance for the foreseeable future.

GLIMMER OF HOPE  We haven’t seen a summary of 2018 farm income for ND.  Hopefully, it is not as bad as Minnesota where median farm income was $26,000, down 8 percent from 2017.  Beef and dairy did the worst, while field crops almost had a reasonable year. The USDA predicts a better 2019.  Median Minnesota farm income in 2012 was over $200,000.

 

ISLAMOPHOBIA?  The Minnesota Dept. of Human Service runs a large child care program.  A legislative audit found the program has significant levels of pervasive fraud.  Carolyn Ham, a key DHS employee, was placed on leave.  Like many controversies in the Twin Cities, just below the surface, there is a Somali issue.  In this case, Somali child care centers are alleged to be responsible for much of the fraud.  There is speculation Ham backed away from the frauds because she thought her staff was racially and culturally biased, or she overlooked the frauds because of political correctness.  Certain Democratic House members, including two Muslims, have sent a letter to DHS saying they were “deeply disturbed and outraged” by Ham being placed on leave.

 

DAKTOIDS:  The Bison were eliminated from the NCAA basketball tournament by the Duke Blue Devils 85-62 — fans believe their team was eliminated by a “Superman” on the Duke team . . .  The Duke game (6.2 million viewers) was the most watched in NDSU sports history . . . Going fast — in 2014 there were 137 full-service grocery stores in ND cities with populations less than 2,100 — now there are 103 . . . An Insurify study ranks ND No. 1 in the country for bad driving.