Dakota Beacon

BAD RAP! "Obviously, there's no comparison between North Dakota and Greece." -- A spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Hoeven. CNBC called ND “the American version of Greece” for receiving vastly more federal money than it pays in taxes. Hoeven’s spokesman said, "We have a budget surplus and have prudently set aside a rainy day fund." However, it’s true that ND, a state with a low population, receives large ag subsidies and support for two Air Force bases.

TAKE THAT CNBC! Pam Sharp, director of ND’s Office of Management and Budget, told an interim legislative finance committee that the state finished its June 30 fiscal year with $700 million in the general fund and $4.4 billion in special funds. Considering its size, ND has one of the best financial positions in the nation. Lynn Helms, head of the Dept. of Mineral Resources, said state oil revenues and oil production were holding steady, although low prices could put a strain on future oil revenues.

BETTER TRITE THAN NEVER GF Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel interviewed Mark Hagerott, the new chancellor of the ND University System. I read the interview eager to learn where NDUS was headed -- it was disappointing. The questions were good, but the answers were vague with a scattering of cliches. Here’s a sample: “And collaborating is really good -- More information is better than less -- We still need someone to be making the light switch -- They have the pulse points of what's happening in detail -- We're all in this together -- Your university here has been leaning forward on that quite a bit as well.” Let’s give the former Naval Academy professor the advantage of the doubt and attribute his comments to not wanting to get cornered early in the game.

TRUMPETS BLARED as XTO, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, contributed $5 million to the ND Housing Incentive Fund to support housing projects in Williston, Watford City and Killdeer. Gov. Dalrymple and other dignitaries praised XTO’s example. Let’s talk straight -- XTO was not generous. Contributions to the fund are returned dollar-for-dollar in state income tax credits. Put another way -- it cost XTO nothing.

FLOGGING A DEAD HORSE Sound-bite noise -- the ND Industrial Commission shook its fist and said it would pursue $900,000 in fines against Idaho-based Alturas Energy for not cleaning up oil well spills. Alturas has eight wells in ND -- six are inactive and two are abandoned. Where do you think this is going?

THE GREAT AMERICAN LODGE was the fancy name of a hotel being built in Culbertson, MT -- pictures indicate “man camp” is a better name. But that’s not the problem, the units were part of a $62 million investor fraud and were never completed. A second class action suit was filed against Pearce & Dierick, the Bismarck law firm which was an escrow agent for the investors. The suit alleges money was released without verifying construction progress. The city of Culbertson, about 40 miles west of Williston, is not entirely enjoying the oil boom -- they were stiffed by developers of the hotel, are near the site of two recent oil train derailments, and 30 to 40 oil trains pass through the city each day.

THREE STRIKES AND . . . A 76-year-old Bismarck woman lost money on a time share property. A caller identifying himself as a representative of a federal crime victims fund persuaded her to send a money order for more than $25,000 as a downpayment on restitution money. Strike No. 2.

“THEY WERE FABULOUS FARMERS and their productivity may have exceeded that of European peasants. Their density was higher than a European market town at the time." -- A quote from Elizabeth Fenn, author of “Encounters at the Heart of the World: A history of the Mandan People,” the book won the Pulitzer Prize for history this year (Bismarck Tribune).

NOT NORTH DAKOTA NICE -- A West Fargo woman faces felony charges after being accused of breaking into her ex-boyfriend's home, stealing his dog, then kicking him in the testicles.

ANGER & CONTEMPT As mentioned last week, the UND Nickname Committee dropped the no nickname alternative (UND/North Dakota). The anger was immediate -- President Robert Kelley was pilloried in social media. The comments were brutal: “Someone please tell me why he gets to be involved (since he’s leaving) in naming our college.” Another, “There are several trains heading west out of Grand Forks...GO!!!!!” Kelley attempted to cut his loss, saying he would consider returning the no nickname alternative to the list, but it was too late. Again, harsh comments: “Nobody should listen to this clown” and “Don’t trust Robert Kelley.”

AFTER THE STORM GF Herald columnist Tom Dennis tried to soften the debate. Last week he urged Kelley to consider keeping “North Dakota” on the list, this week he praised Kelley. After noting Kelley’s conviction that a new nickname is needed, Dennis said, “And yet despite that conviction, despite having a personal stake in the issue and despite being utterly savaged on social media by critics of his views, Kelley still found it within himself this week to admit that those critics might have a point.”

MIKE JACOBS, a Herald columnist and former publisher, has followed the nickname issue for many years -- even he may be experiencing nickname fatigue. He suggested settling the matter by a vote of active athletes. Expedient, yes; representative, probably not. The athletes are an overly narrow group and a good share of them are not from ND. Jacobs himself said, “This isn't a trivial issue. The nickname is a kind of brand. A nickname will represent the university across the globe.” It’s fair to add that the nickname represents more than the university and its athletes -- it also represents the region and the state.

A NEW TWIST Columnist Lloyd Omdahl gave the “Fighting Sioux” issue a new angle. He applauded U.S. Sen. John Hoeven for recommending that the federal government strengthen governance on Indian reservations. Omdahl said politics on some reservations is similar to the boss rule that prevailed in major American cities in the late 19th century. He then said, “We need only look at the way the Fighting Sioux logo issue was handled on Standing Rock. The chairman arbitrarily decided he would not let the tribal members vote on the question. His decision killed the logo because, without Standing Rock approval, the NCAA would not permit use of the logo.” Omdahl said, “It is obvious the Standing Rock chairman blocked the vote because he felt that his constituents would vote to keep the logo if they had the chance to vote.”

"AN ILLNESS THAT ROBBED YOUR CHILD and ours of the ability to have the love, joy, peace, patience, goodness and mercy You promised." -- A prayer to God at the end of a book by Cynthia Nyflot and her mother, LaVerne, chronicling the year (1983) Cynthia’s bipolar order was discovered. The two were advocates for the mentally ill and the book is said to have helped many people. On July 7th, Cynthia’s body was pulled from the Red River in Moorhead -- at the time, Cynthia was a 52 years old.

DAKTOIDS: A California high school girl, part of a championship team in US Junior Wrestling in Fargo, was very impressed by her stay at the NDSU campus -- when asked “And Fargo itself?” She responded, “Very flat.” . . . The mayor of Watford City said they are still catching up on housing needs -- he said “40 percent of students in the community still live in campers.” . . . Arrests for drug violations in ND were up 18 percent in 2014 following a 17 percent increase in 2013.