SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - DECEMBER 14, 2020
COAL CREEK As a well-known public figure is fond of saying “Here’s the deal.” Great River Energy in Minnesota wants to get out of the coal industry by closing or selling its money-losing ($170 million in 2019) Coal Creek plant in Underwood, ND. Early attempts to give the plant away found no takers. Great River has discovered that the transmission line it owns, which runs from the plant to the Twin Cities, is the really valuable asset. Using the line as leverage, Great River says it has found interest in a joint deal for the plant and transmission line.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, SD, is the largest provider of health services in ND. Sanford has grown through acquisition including its presence in ND. Last year, a large merger with UnityPoint in Iowa was called off with little explanation. So, the recently announced merger with Intermountain Healthcare in Utah was viewed with caution. Leadership at both companies were quick to say there was no trouble ahead. An Intermountain executive said about the planned merger, “But it felt right, and it feels right.” This week Sanford shelved the merger, attributing the change to the abrupt departure of its CEO. The new strategy suggests the merger had less internal support than was commonly known.
QUICK SWITCH Bipartisan groups in ND were backing former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp for Sec. of Agriculture. They got over that very quickly, when they learned former Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsak will probably be appointed. Both the Farmers Union and Farm Bureau in ND approved of Vilsak as someone who had been governor of a nearby farm state (Iowa) and has the appropriate background. As for Heitkamp, they see Vilsak as having the experience edge.
FALL FROM GRACE Forum columnist Mike McNeely says Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Carson Wentz is the most criticized and scrutinized ND athlete since Roger Maris (60 years ago). They receive attention for different reasons: Maris for his accomplishments; Wentz for his recent difficulties on the field. Straining for analogies, McNeely said Wentz has gone from candidate for MVP in the NFL to a broken shell. What’s Wentz’s future? McNeely sees trade or retirement among the possibilities.
DANIEL ANDERSON (83) lived most of his life between Christine, ND, and Wolverton, MN, two small communities on opposite sides of the Red River about 25 miles south of Fargo-Moorhead. On the surface, Daniel’s life seems unremarkable, although he represented the end of an era. He was one of the last home births in the area, he was among the last to attend country school, his farm did not get electricity until 1970 and never got indoor plumbing. His obituary said his farm was among the last steam threshers in the area.
HINTS OF AN ECCENTRIC MAN For 60 years, Daniel participated in steam threshing demonstrations; another sideline, he was a volunteer grave digger with 100 handdug graves to his record. In 2014, Daniel had to give up farming and entered a care center in Fargo. At the time, an auction was held at his homestead which drew buyers from 13 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Antique machinery was the draw. There was another hint in the obituary: “Daniel did not live a perfect life, but lived simply.” This is an unusual statement, why? I’m afraid you would have had to live in Christine to have the answer. He was unmarried.
JAMESTOWN BETS ALL The city has $8.6 million remaining in its infrastructure fund — it’s all being loaned to a greenhouse project at the Spiritwood Energy Park. Howeling’s Tomatoes announced a 30-acre greenhouse project there in August. The greenhouse will use byproducts (steam and carbon dioxide) from other businesses at the park. The $8.6 million is part of a $15 million revolving loan from the Bank of ND.
DANGER IN SD The Mitchell Republic described the horror of coronavirus deaths in SD nursing homes. At a recent date, SD has 455 virus cases per 1,000 nursing home residents, of those, there were 107 deaths per 1,000 residents.
THIRSTY FARGO The proposal to bring Missouri River water to the Red River Valley in the event of extreme drought took a step forward. The U.S. Dept. of Interior has given the green light to use the McClusky Canal, part of an an earlier scheme to irrigate central ND. Using the canal will reduce construction and operating costs for the RRV project. The proposed project, which delivers water to the Sheyenne River, is at least ten years into the future.
FULL CENSUS COUNT The ND census manager expects the state’s census data to be released in April. Kevin Iverson also said, “The feeling is that they probably got just about everybody counted, but we never really will know.” The lowest self-response rates came from rural counties, the oil patch and Indian reservations. April 1, 2020 is the official census date — a time when employment in the oil industry in ND was low.
IDEAL EMPLOYEE It never gets sick, it is never late for work and doesn’t complain. St. Alexius Hospital in Williston employs a robot which uses UV-C light to kill germs and pathogens. The robot roams the hospital on its disinfectant mission. The robot is an extra layer of protection and doesn’t replace regular cleaning.
TO THE TRENCHES An excerpt from an editorial in the Duluth News Tribune highlights the conflict developing over the Line 3 pipeline: “Few of us want to see the many clashes that marred protests over the Dakota Access pipeline project repeated in northern Minnesota. But violent protesters from around the country already are staging and readying, and law enforcement has been equipping itself with armor and mutual-aid agreements to respond en masse.”
DAKTOIDS: The Northern Great Plains (includes ND) is pegged for a 42% increase in net cash farm income in 2020.
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