SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - APRIL 6, 2014
“I think he's been the most important journalist in North Dakota in the past half-century”-- One of many tributes to Mike Jacobs retiring as publisher after a 35-year career with the Grand Forks Herald. The Pulitzer Prize won by the Herald for its coverage of the Red River flood of 1997 was a highlight of his career. When asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “Well, yes. I'd like to recover all the ink and aggravation that was spilled over the UND Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.” What does he mean? Readers are left to provide their own interpretation.
A glimpse of a world governed by the politically correct. At the end of 2012 the UND Fighting Sioux nickname and logo were banished because the NCAA considered the symbols offensive to Indians. In the years immediately preceding and following the ban, sales of Fighting Sioux merchandise jumped to record levels, although stockpiles are diminishing. Many of the sales are to Indians. Frank Haynes, a UND graduate, legally sells Sioux merchandise through his website SiouxPride.com -- most of his sales are to Native Americans.
UND is in the NCAA Frozen Four hockey championship tournament for the sixth time in the last decade. The former Fighting Sioux will meet Minnesota in the Frozen Four for the fourth time in the last ten years. They will meet in a primetime game in Philadelphia on April 10 to be shown on ESPN2. Boston College and Union College (Schenectady NY) are the other two schools in the Frozen Four.
Minnesota’s largest paper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, is changing ownership for the fifth time in 16 years. Mankato millionaire Glen Taylor agreed to buy the paper. The Tribune was sold to McClatchy Newspapers for $1.2 billion in 1998 -- in successive transactions the value dropped to about $50 million -- no value has been furnished for the pending sale. The Tribune was once one of ND's most popular Sunday papers.
Whoa! The proposed $2 billion CHS nitrogen fertilizer plant near Jamestown would be the largest construction project in ND history. Plans are on hold. A CHS spokesperson said the project is not viable at current cost estimates. Another reason for delay -- CHS is negotiating incentives with the state of ND.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has issued a report on how American children are positioned for success. Asian and white children are best positioned; American Indian and black children have the worst positions. The report uses an index on which the highest score is 1,000. Nationally, Asian children scored 776 (the highest group), while black children scored 345 (the lowest).
ND children generally scored above national averages with one glaring exception. Indian children in ND scored 280 -- the second lowest in the nation for that group. At 185, South Dakota Indian children were the lowest. ND was one of the best states for black children -- here's a guess, that may be because a large proportion are military dependents. Minnesota's white students (794) were among the best in the nation, while the scores of its Asian students were among the poorest. Again, a guess, a good share of Minnesota's Asian students are immigrant Hmong.
Half of the migratory waterfowl in North America make their way through ND's Prairie Pothole Region, hence the nickname “duck factory.” A coalition of federal, state and nonprofit organizations have joined hands to draw attention to the plight of the Pothole Region. High grain prices have caused a dramatic conversion of grasslands and wetlands.
ND has an extreme shortage of nurses. Sanford in Fargo aggressively recruits registered nurses from around the country and offers relocation assistance grants. Sign-up bonuses of up to $15,000 are also available. Sanford has 130 openings for nurses in the Fargo area.
What do you expect? When a man works for Road Rage Towing in Williston, that should be sufficient warning. Tow truck driver Douglas Bothwell was repossessing a vehicle when the owner tried to drive away. Doug did the natural thing, chased the vehicle with his truck, blocked it, and, well, fired a shot. He says he doesn't remember much, “because he was caught up in the heat of the moment.” Doug's in trouble -- charged with reckless endangerment.
Terry Rosendahl (62) was born in Minot, grew up in Fargo and attended Macalester College in St Paul. From that point, he took the road that poet Robert Frost calls “the one less traveled.” He toured the country as a juggler and minstrel at Renaissance fairs. He relocated to the redwoods of Northern California and sold software, but remained a Renaissance man as a musician, juggler and eclectic dancer. On the first day of spring, Terry died doing what he loved -- running in Ragle Park in Sebastopol, California.
DAKTOIDS: UND will award honorary doctorates to four alumni including retiring Herald Publisher Mike Jacobs and astronaut Karen Nyberg . . . Sykeston native Travis Hafner is one of ND's few major league baseball stars. His career may be over -- he's 36 and recovering from a serious shoulder injury.
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