Dakota Beacon

GLORIOUS TEN DAYS  Through Wednesday, ND had 10 days of consecutive declines in active coronavirus cases.  Active cases were down to 5,236.  This took ND out of the national news; regional attention shifted to Minnesota which last week held the national record for new cases per capita.  ND residents appeared to have grown more serious about the virus after finding themselves the object of unfavorable national attention.  New restrictions in the state were also a contributing factor.  On Wednesday, the number of new cases was 486, on Thursday that number snapped back to 978, so the battle continues.

GOV. BURGUM solemnly proposed a 2021-2023 budget of $15 billion.  It is very similar to the current budget, although higher education took a six percent reduction because of decreasing enrollments.  The proposed budget included an increased effort to reduce the state’s pension deficit.  Apart from the budget, the governor proposed issuance of $1.25 billion of state bonds, principally for low-interest infrastructure loans to local government.

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY in Omaha, Nebraska, prepares a monthly index of business confidence in Mid-America.  In November the index fell to 69.0 from 70.2 in October.  An index of 50 is neutral; higher readings are an indication of growth.  Mid-America for these purposes is defined as the two tiers of states with ND and Minnesota on the north, and Oklahoma and Arkansas on the south.  ND had the lowest index of the nine states slumping from 59.0 in October to 57.2 in November.  An upturn of coronavirus infections in the region weighed on the indexes.

DON’T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS  Ron Ness is president of the ND Petroleum Council, so his Viewpoint in the GF Herald obviously had a public relations purpose.  Nevertheless, his data deserves serious attention.  Ness said, “All in all, our industry accounts for 60% of all revenue the state of North Dakota collects every year.”  He had the local audience in mind when he indicated the new UND Med and Law School buildings were paid for by taxes generated by his industry, as was most of the Grand Forks water treatment plant.

OUT OF SYNC  SD and Montana have both approved recreational marijuana this fall with respective tax rates of 15% and 20%.  Canada had previously granted approval.  So it’s not really a question of whether cannabis will find its way to ND, it’s a question of whether ND will control distribution and participate in the tax.  Minnesota law enforcement is wringing its hands about the possibility of impaired drivers coming from SD.  Perhaps, Minnesota should be more concerned about harmonizing its marijuana laws with SD.

PARENTS SUPPORT HOMESCHOOLING  The ND Newspaper Association commissioned a survey to determine how ND parents wanted their children taught during the pandemic.  The results were 42/35/23.  Forty-two percent of households with children wanted classes taught online.  But 35% favored a hybrid approach with some in-person learning, while the remaining 23% wanted their children to immediately return to classrooms full time.

IF YOU LEAVE, STAY AWAY  UND officials have informed students who left campus for the Thanksgiving break that they should stay at home until the next semester.  Students are expected to finish the semester online.

BOO BIRDS ARE ACTIVE  The Philadelphia Eagles lost another football game Monday night and quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked six times.  He’s used to it — before that game he had been sacked 40 times and had 14 interceptions and 18 turnovers.  The Forum’s Mike McNeely said Wentz bears “the brunt of relentless criticism, and not without good reason.”

AVOID BECOMING DETROIT  The headline for a Star Tribune editorial read “Minneapolis momentum is being crushed by the crime wave” — a subhead read, “The city was rebranding for a vibrant future, but today you can't go to the grocery store without fear of being attacked.”  The editorial by community leader Kate Mortenson will certainly be countered by politicians.  The heart of her comments: “In recent years many regional leaders and groups have invested in rebranding our region for a more vibrant future. We planned to use our built and natural environment to welcome a new generation of visitors, workers and residents. How I would love to have those days of blossoming possibility back.”  Over 640 online comments made in response to the editorial indicate the high level of concern about the topic.

ANTICIPATING A PROBLEM  In Minnesota’s Beltrami County (Bemidji), Commissioner Craig Gaasvig said, “As construction begins (on the Line 3 pipeline), it is important that our state transitions smoothly and safely from the review process into the construction process. Sadly, some of the more extreme opponents of the project have made threats to interfere with construction.”  Gaasvig was clearly looking over his shoulder at Indian activist Winona LaDuke and her cohorts.

LINE 3 PIPELINE  A GF Herald editorial got behind the Line 3 project emphasizing its importance to safety and the Minnesota economy.  The Herald said: "As opponents stress Line 3 shouldn't be built due to ecological concerns, we believe it should be built for ecological reasons. The current line is old and corroding, and Enbridge says a new line will greatly improve safety. It also will help keep oil off rails and roads." 

DAKTOIDS:  Before the pandemic, CHI St. Alexius and Triinity Health in Minot had not significantly used telemedicine to deliver primary care — now telemedicine is flowering among area patients and may become a mainstay . . . Because of the pandemic, ND Snowbirds are indecisive about going south . . . The I-94 corridor (Fargo-Jamestown-Bismarck-Dickinson) is receiving the most electric car charging stations in ND . . .  A Minneapolis flight school saw an influx of students after the UND aviation program shutdown because of the pandemic . . . The Minot area had the driest November in 88 years.