Dakota Beacon

A fringe of academic and tribal radicals see the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo in ominous, abusive terms. But they are no longer near the center of the argument. At this point, most of those who support the name and those who oppose it agree that the name is honorable, not abusive, a source of pride and a distinctive part of the region’s culture. Those who want to give up the name are weary and fearful the NCAA is prepared harm a defenseless UND. Those who support the name see a great wrong in the making -- a corrupt NCAA bullying a small college to varnish the NCAA’s tarnished reputation. Forum editor Matt Von Pinnon is more relaxed than either side. About the election, he says “Let the values debate rage on,” let people vote, this is the way things are supposed to work.

The mob is coming down the road with pitchforks, drinking as they go and getting louder as they near. Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson is concerned the mob may be after Dickinson State, which is in a whole lot of trouble for granting phony degrees and other irregularities yet to be determined. Jenkinson disclosed his long association with DSU. He pleads that the school was under great pressure to maintain its slipping enrollment, it became “creative and gutsy,” and that’s where the questionable students from China and Belarus came in. Jenkinson says the faculty and students are not all bad and DSU should be reformed, not punished.

GF Herald publisher Mike Jacobs acknowledges the obvious -- ND is on a roll, but he urges the state to stay alert, there are dark figures lurking in the shadows. Among them: the future of GFAFB, expiration of federal programs (sugar, for instance), damage from the Fighting Sioux debate, the spreading debacle at Dickinson State, and growing fear of side effects of the oil boom. Jacobs says he remains an optimist who sees the donut and not the hole.

The arithmetic is pretty simple -- if you want to influence the U.S. Senate your money goes much further in ND with its estimated population of 684,000 than states such as California (38 million) and Texas (26 million). Thus far in the 2012 election cycle, senate candidates Rick Berg (R) and Heidi Heitkamp (D) have both received over half their support from outside ND. Berg’s out-of-state contributions are bunched in the energy industry, while Heitkamp’s comes mostly from trial attorneys.

Sixty years ago, Catholic priests in ND seemed more or less similar -- often men who grew up in one of the region’s Catholic communities and entered the seminary shortly after high school. Today, the profile is more varied -- many priests are from foreign countries. Fr. David Syverson died at age 45 in Carrington -- his path to priesthood was not a straight line. The Bismarck native grew up as a Lutheran and obtained a degree in nutrition and food science at NDSU in 1989; for a spell he worked in the food industry. In 1999 he became a Catholic priest and served in two Fargo parishes and seven of the state’s smaller communities. Fr. David was an avid sportsman who loved hunting and fishing. After publishing his obituary, a Forum article reported his death as a suicide which followed a troubled life.

Last August, I mentioned three young farm brothers from Starkweather, ND (north of Devils Lake) who embarked on a bicycle trip from Alaska to Argentina. I said it was difficult to sustain physical and mental condition for such a long period and wondered if they were not significantly overreaching. The Forum reports that illness and slow-going in Mexico compromised the trip. The Berg brothers took a flight from Miami to Columbia and will continue to push on. They get an “A” for courage and character building.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is generally not considered a real candidate for president, but the tireless Libertarian seeks to influence the nature of debate. He was welcomed with open arms in ND -- in Jamestown he said, “In this state, people are very much oriented to limited government and more freedom, and that’s what we need.”

$15,000 of pancake feeds gets the Edgeley (pop. 600) Volunteer Fire Dept. a new $290,000 truck. A FEMA grant makes up the remaining $275,000. Are 18:1 grants too generous -- do they encourage expensive toys? The EVFD’s current pumper truck is 32 years old.

The Jamestown Sun awards bravos each week and sometimes, well, they are pretty cheesy. However, we can all get in step with this one: bravos to the Carrington Cardinaires dance team for being the first team in history to sweep all categories in the state dance championship.

Consider avoiding ND if you have FCAS (familial cold auto-inflammatory syndrome), a rare, inherited disorder triggered by cold -- it can be debilitating. Suffering is greatly reduced by daily injections.

Tribune writer Lauren Donovan probed tall tales coming out of the oil patch -- many didn’t stand up. This one did: "The Williston General Motors dealership has now become the number-one seller of Corvettes in the upper Midwest." The owner of Murphy Motors in Williston would not be specific, but said, "Sales are way up more than I ever dreamt was possible. And Corvettes? Yup, those too.”

The Williston Herald conducted a reader poll on the question “How have city leaders managed growth?” Readers were given five choices. The winner with 35% of the votes was “failed miserably.” The rating “great” got only 9%.

DAKTOIDS: In January, airport boardings in ND were up 19% over a year ago. The state average was pulled by Williston (up 172%) and Minot (up 63%) . . . Hotels in the two cities are also going wild: In less than two years the number of rooms in Williston will have doubled from roughly 600 to 1,200. Minot is more restrained, but has several hotels under construction and six in the planning stage.