SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - FEBRUARY 15, 2021
KEYSTONE XL “It's not fair, or good for the nation for an already-issued permit to be suddenly rescinded when the political winds blow in a different direction.” — U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstorng (ND) explaining why he has introduced legislation to reverse Pres. Biden’s decision to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
A BOOST FOR GRAND FORKS The postseason tournament for the national Collegiate Hockey Conference will be held at the Engelstad Arena between March 12-16. The CBS Sports Network will broadcast the semifinals and championship game.
THE LAMOUREUX TWINS They will go down as among the best athletes the state has ever produced with a combined 14 World Championship and six Olympic medals. Prior to South Korea in 2018, a North Dakotan had never won an Olympic gold medal in any sport. The twins are the only born-and-raised Nodaks to win multiple Olympic medals. They also led the UND hockey team to back-to-back NCAA appearances. Grand Forks natives Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux (31) retire from playing hockey this month and are releasing their book, “Dare to Make history: Chasing a Dream and Fighting for Equity.”
A UND SUCCESS STORY was arrested and charged as an international felon. Peter Nygard is a 1964 UND grad and a member of its Center for Innovation Hall of Fame. He is a Manitoba native who formed a namesake clothing company and became one of Canada’s wealthiest people. Nygard is in a Winnipeg jail awaiting extradition to the U.S. where he is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.
THE F-M FLOOD DIVERSION is free to proceed with construction. The Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources has ended legal wrangling and approved the $2.75 billion project, which allows extreme floods to be diverted around Fargo’s west side. The Corps of Engineers has been working on two control structures, but can now begin the 22-mile diversion channel and a project to raise a portion of I-29. The entire project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2027 in time for any 2028 floods.
MUG SHOTS House Bill 1296 would exempt booking photos from open records law in ND, meaning they would not be in newspapers and television. The Bismarck Tribune came out swinging against the bill. The bill’s sponsor is concerned that everyone arrested is not guilty; the Tribune acknowledged that point, but said there were reasons that outweighed that concern. Basically, HB1296 favors suspects over victims. Mug shots make victims feel more secure and encourage the public to come forward with further evidence against the suspect. Also, the mug shots are routinely released to other law enforcement agencies — the bill would prevent that.
PROPOSED LAW IS PUNITIVE The Tribune was also troubled by HB1458 which proposed taxing future wind farms and giving the tax to the coal industry. The editorial said discouraging new wind energy is contrary to state policy and does nothing to solve the fundamental challenges of the coal industry.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH House Bill 1182 encouraged candidates in local elections to declare a political party affiliation. The bill was defeated this week 55-36. A GF Herald editorial said it was a bad idea from the start and “Local elections should be decided by voters who believe in a candidate’s vision for local progress and ground-level decision-making.” The law would have led straight-ticket voters to consider local candidates only on their party affiliation rather than their knowledge of local issues.
A VACCINE LEADER ND ranks third in coronavirus vaccines administered per capita, behind only Alaska and W. Virginia. At a recent cutoff, 17% of ND residents had received at least one shot. The success in ND was attributed to good planning and deep community involvement in distribution, particularly, in rural areas. Overall, the New York Times classified ND as a state where the virus “was lower and staying lower.” On a per capita average for the past week, ND had the second lowest number of new cases and the sixth lowest number of deaths. Burleigh (Bismarck) County was somewhat of an exception jumping to the front of the line with more new and active cases than Cass (Fargo) County, which has double Burleigh’s population.
WINTER WHEAT is planted in the fall, is dormant in the winter and harvested in the following summer. Winter wheat is not a significant crop in ND. Spring wheat, as the name suggests, is planted then and harvested in late summer. Hard red spring wheat dominates wheat production in ND, the nation’s largest producer. The size of the two plantings was more balanced in South Dakota in 2020 — its farmers planted 770,000 acres of spring wheat and 630,000 acres of winter wheat.
THE H-2A PROGRAM allows “essential workers” to visit the U.S. for farm work. South Africa is a popular source of workers — 1,800 South Africans come each year to ND alone. Pres. Biden announced a ban on travel from South Africa in January. Farm organizations obtained an exception for H-2A visitors. That did not unlock the problem, because U.S. Consulate employees who clear the H-2A travelers in South Africa were only allowed one or two days a week in their offices because of South African rules related to coronavirus. The workers are trickling through, but many will be a month late.
DAKTOIDS: The Minot Air Force Base reported that it contributed $622 million to the Minot area economy in 2020, an increase from $559 million in 2019 . . . The Fargo Forum said the Minnesota Newspaper Association selected the Forum as “the best overall daily newspaper in Minnesota” . . . Jane Fonda is a name you would recognize on a letter signed by 200 activists and celebrities asking Pres. Biden to close the Dakota Access Pipeline.
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