Dakota Beacon

Dale Wetzel has covered ND government and politics for the AP for 28 years.  He resigned to host a radio show called “The Legislature Today”  to be aired on KFYR Radio in Bismarck.  Wetzel is a partner in Bakken Beacon Media, a new venture that includes the Great Plains Examiner newspaper, also in Bismarck.  Organizers of the show said it will “include all political perspectives.”

Herald publisher Mike Jacobs is cautiously skeptical about that last part.  Jacobs respects Wetzel and his professionalism, but observes that Wetzel’s partners are active in conservative causes.  In an editorial, Jacobs further speculated that Bakken Beacon might be backed by oil billionaire Harold Hamm.  Jacobs expects the new venture will have a big presence in ND, particularly in the Oil Patch.   The Herald published a response from Gary Emineth, one of the partners, who indicated his investment in Beacon was a business opportunity, not a political agenda.  Emineth said “North Dakota is the talk of the nation.  Why shouldn’t it be the talk of a special legislative talk show with live, local reporting?”

U.S. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack sounded the call, “rural America with a shrinking population is becoming less and less relevant to the politics of this country.”  His comment linked to Congress’ failure to pass a farm bill.  The Mitchell Daily Republic, a Forum paper in S.D., responded: “The lesson from all of this is clear: If rural America wants to remain relevant, it must put forth strong leaders and stand up for itself. Our congressional delegates and other officials must be firm, and they must band together with other rural-state leaders to be heard.”

The NDSU Bison are going to a national championship football game, but some Bison athletes act more like criminal gang members than student athletes.  While the football team was advancing to the championship game, the head softball coach announced, “I am extremely disappointed in the actions of our athletes,” as the university turned over the results of an investigation of softball players to the Cass County State’s Attorney.  NDSU athletes have been responsible for a string of crimes.  Earlier, a signature gathering fraud by NDSU football players invalidated two initiatives on the state ballot; another group of athletes was responsible for looting a Best Buy store.  Penalties were lenient in both cases.  To add to the disappointment, a recommendation for higher admission standards at NDSU and UND includes an exemption for student athletes.

President Obama and eight Cabinet members, led by Interior Sec. Ken Salazar, recently met with Native American tribal leaders.  Prior to the elections, Salazar toured reservations, usually bearing some type of good news.  In ND, Salazar informed the Three Affiliated Tribes that their oil refinery plans had been approved and financing vehicles were available.  Indians and Alaskan Natives were part of a coalition that helped Obama hold office.  Currently, the tribes worry that loose rocks from the fiscal cliff will come “tumbling down on Indian Country.”

The mayor of Grand Forks carries a concealed handgun.  Mayor Michael Brown has a permit for a 9 mm Kahr semi-automatic.  The GF Herald said, “Recently, a Herald journalist spotted Brown’s gun during an interview.”  The broader context was that gun purchases and applications for concealed carry permits soared in the state and region after the Connecticut shootings.

What a deal!  An unidentified party has purchased the 400-acre Safeguard Complex in Nekoma (about 50 miles northeast of Devils Lake) for $530,000.  The Defense Department  built the anti-missile complex in 1975 at a cost of $5.5 billion -- it closed in 1976.  During that short period the facility housed 100 ABM missiles and an extensive radar system.  The Cavalier County Development Authority had hoped to be the buyer, but did not have a winning bid.  The initial cost of the facility is about 10,000 times the winning bid.

Newcomers stiff Williston.  The city is owed $360,000 by people who used its ambulance service in 2012 but didn’t pay their bills.  Thousands of people have come to the region looking for work.  The fire chief said the ambulance bill issue largely stems from new arrivals.  He said, "Sometimes they don't know where they live, and others give us a bogus address and you go to send them a bill and it doesn't exist."

A Somali man with a criminal record in Minnesota used a knife to rob another man in downtown Grand Forks.  Abdullah Ali Guled was jailed and charged with a drug crime as well as the robbery.  Somalis with Minnesota backgrounds have been involved in a number of serious crimes in ND, including multiple murders.  The Twin Cities have the largest concentration of Somali in the nation.  North Dakota may be an attractive destination for those seeking employment and attempting to sidestep criminal backgrounds.

Feel the pride!  Fargoans used to be defensive about the 1996 movie using their name.  No longer -- their new motto may be “Fear the Chipper.”  There is a popular beer named Wood Chipper and Proper & Prim boutique in downtown Fargo sells a T-shirt with the saying: “Fargo: Chipper People.”

Fargo is accustomed to being the center of attention in ND and is having difficulty watching growth and attention shift to western cities.  Fargo is amazed, envious and wary.  A Forum editorial said, “By any measure, the rate of population growth in Williston and Williams County is amazing, and all of it is tied to oil and gas development.  Before the boom, the county and city were losing population . . . Significant progress is being made (providing services and facilities), but population projections indicate that Williston and other similarly situated oil country cities and counties will be playing catch-up for a long time.”

“I'm going to need you to get back into your car, sir.  We have a high-powered rifle here." -- A law officer in New Town warning a resident about a wanted man barricaded in a house.  The FBI said they had no such information about the weapon.  This was a continuation of Keystone Cop episodes in New Town, where one police vehicle rammed another in the excitement following November murders.  The wanted man was captured when police used a front-end loader to “dismantle the house.”  Only about half the house was left. 

DAKTOIDS: Fargo has the most air boardings in ND (36%), but Minot (22%) and Bismarck (23%) are coming up fast.  In the first 11 months of the year, Fargo boardings grew only 4% -- those in Minot and Bismarck grew 52% and 21%, respectively . . .  A Tribune editorial noted flaring is increasing in ND -- wells are being drilled faster than gas collection can be expanded . . . About 80 percent of workers’ compensation claims in the Oil Patch come from individuals employed less than a year.