Dakota Beacon

“Fargo is too big and too important to North Dakota to live with its unsettling level of flood risk any longer.” -- An editorial in the GF Herald supporting flood diversion for Fargo, where once again there is a major flood alert.  Fargo’s mayor talked about the need for 1 million sandbags.  The Cass County Sheriff said, “Well, here we go again.”

“Bitter cold, windy, spring flood risk; 43 days of subzero cold; 13 days of 90+ heat.” -- Reasons why Fargo is the defending champion and a contender for the Weather Channel’s “Toughest Weather City” crown.

“I think plenty of people in the (Republican) party would love to push this to the Supreme Court and they would love to be the state that overturns Roe v. Wade.” —  UND political science professor Mark Jendrysik commenting on the Legislature’s passage of the toughest abortion laws in the nation.  Gov. Dalrymple signed the legislation and urged the Legislature to consider a litigation fund for challenges which could be long and costly.

“Perhaps the chancellor, unfamiliar with North Dakota’s political culture, failed to observe the North Dakota mantra that ‘everyone gets a say’ on all issues. When everyone gets a say, the whole process of change gets stalled.”  -- Columnist Lloyd Omdahl urging Nodaks to not give up on Hamid Shirvani or his reforms.

The Bismarck City Commission voted unanimously for a $27 million addition to the downtown Civic Center.  The mayor said timing was critical to get bids for construction.  However, the decision felt hasty and was surrounded by divided opinion.  The commission said their decision was 60 percent supported by the public, although the supporting data was not ready for the public at the time of the vote.  A survey by the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce resulted in a 60/40 split favoring the project.

The ND State Development Center in Grafton began as the Institution for the Feeble Minded.  The mission of the center diminished as the developmentally disabled moved to group homes around the state.  Grafton officials have a novel idea for using the space and capability of the center.  They propose to offer space to western ND group home residents and elderly being displaced by high rents caused by the oil boom.  It remains to be seen if the idea goes anywhere.

The dateline of a front-page Wall Street Journal article reads “Epping, N.D.”  In case you don’t easily pick up on that name, Epping is a flyspeck town on the BNSF railroad between Williston and Tioga.  The article is about boom times in railroading -- the result of a growing efficiency and reliability of railroads, but also oil-related business out of ND.  Warren Buffet’s BNSF Railway and ND are mentioned repeatedly.  Epping is one of a growing number of rail stations which load 100-car, mile-long trains.  BNSF has track in most of the oil producing counties in ND and Montana.  There is a downside, a Canadian Pacific oil train derailed between Fargo and Minneapolis losing 14 cars.

Wisconsin is going full throttle, South Dakota wants to get going, but Minnesota is considering a moratorium.  These are various reactions to the mining of fracking sand -- a key input in the Bakken oil fields.  There are important environmental concerns around the mining and hauling of fracking sand.

“The industrialization of western North Dakota will damage the sanctity of this national treasure.” -- Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson continued his concern about the encroachment of the oil industry on the Elkhorn Ranch.  The ranch was once the home of Theodore Roosevelt.

It was past midnight, a drunken couple with no seat belts careened down a gravel road near Jamestown in a pickup -- the result: a rollover, a dead passenger, and the woman driver hospitalized.  That is the ND way.  Another type of traffic fatality is coming into vogue in western ND.  It used to be if you spun out of control on an icy road, you ended up in the ditch.  Today, you are likely to spin into the path of a heavy truck bound for the oil fields.  U.S. Hwy 85 is a main oil field corridor -- Johanna Njos of Rhame was killed when her car spun into the path of Pedro Hernandez’s Mack semi.  Let’s add one more category: people from outside the state not accustomed to ND winter driving -- two young Wisconsin men died on I-94 west of Valley City when their pickup rolled on the ice.  These accidents occurred this week -- 2013 may be a record year for ND traffic deaths.   

“Campers and motorhomes are not intended to be lived in in subzero temperatures.” -- Williston Rural Fire Chief Dave Benth after two people died in an early morning camper fire.  Williams County officials were initially unable to identify the couple, but said “the two are likely not from here.”

Should South Dakota say "thank you ND?"  Rapid City, the SD's second largest city, is growing because of indirect effects of the oil boom.  But something else is growing: traffic and crime.  The SD Highway Patrol established a special squad in the northwest part of the state to deal with fallout from ND's oil boom.

The late “Rosie” Trondson (76) of Donnybrook was born during the Great Depression and worked in coal mines during high school.  She also worked at Howdy’s Cafe in Burlington where she met charming Willie from the Minot AFB.  They were married and spent ten years at Air Force bases around the world before returning to Donnybrook after Willie’s retirement.  Her children caught the wanderlust and live in four different states.

DAKTOIDS: PRACS is a company that conducted clinical drug studies and was one of Fargo’s largest private employers.  The company closed suddenly and is headed for bankruptcy . . .  The monster may be back -- after a year in which Devils Lake dropped three feet, heavy snow melt may bring new high water levels . . . Yea, George Mason U. picked ND as the freest of 50 states.  SD is close behind, but Minnesota, well, 34th.