SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - FEBRUARY 3, 2013
Is it ND “nice” or “ice?” A Fargo man has written “Close Encounters of the Fargo Kind,” anecdotes about anonymous acts of kindness. His thesis is that ND has a unique culture of human kindness brought to the state by Scandinavian immigrants. Critics say his stories are “rose-tinted” and the state really doesn’t differ much from many other areas. Some critics go further and suggest that the author failed to note that Scandinavians also tend to be “introverted and exclusionary” -- that’s where the “ice” comes in.
WHOO HOO! Almost all of ND’s interstate highways closed; there was a 14-vehicle pileup in rural Ward County involving an array of semis, an ambulance and a fire truck. Schools and shopping centers closed. Industrial and residential natural gas customers of Xcel Energy in the Red River Valley were rationed because of a pipeline explosion in southern Manitoba. These are symptoms of winter in ND -- people take it in stride.
Amtrak service in ND is usually poor, but for riders in Rugby, Devils Lake and Grand Forks it’s about to get worse. Amtrak is no longer running westbound trains from Fargo to those cities. Westbound passengers will take buses from those cities to Minot, while westbound trains go directly from Fargo to Minot through New Rockford. Temporarily, Devils Lake is also without air service.
“Millionaire” is defined at least two ways in ND. One measure is “investable wealth.” On this measure, ND’s ratio of millionaires to total households is 4.6 percent, a little below the national average of 5.2 percent (1 out of 20 households), although the state’s standing is rising rapidly. The other measure is income over $1 million (as shown on state income tax returns). This is a steep standard and, measured in that manner, ND had only 1,100 millionaires in 2012.
“North Dakota cropland values are now the highest ever, even when adjusting for inflation.” -- Andrew Swenson, NDSU Farm Management Specialist, says the game may be over. He said, “The future is much more sobering in 2014 than the last seven years.” He said lower crop prices and rising interest rates will impact farmland values.
The Wall Street Journal discussed the friction between the oil industry and conservationists in ND. The article mentioned how the State Industrial Commission highlighted 18 areas for possible protection. The WSJ provided context: “A surge in oil-related construction and investment has brought wealth and jobs to North Dakota, which suffered from a stagnant economy and high unemployment for decades. State coffers are flush from the tax dollars the oil generates.”
Pinch me -- ND is proposing a large public project that is not federally financed. The $800-million Red River Water Supply Project would divert water from the Missouri River to the Red River Valley. The pipeline paths under consideration parallel either I-94 or Highway 200 (Washburn past Carrington to Lake Ashtabula on the Sheyenne River). The Sheyenne flows into the Red.
ND leaders would do well to study the current Fortune magazine article about Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. The fund is approaching $1 trillion and is the largest in the world. But Norway stumbled badly before realizing “We are harvesting a natural resource, and it is not sustainable.” Norway then began a prudent long-term fund. Norway needs another reform -- to move away from dependence on energy and attract more diversified industries, as Sweden has done. ND should also do both -- conservatively fund its future and invest in a diversified economy.
What’s the fastest growing state in the country? It may be ND. In 2013, the state had 18,000 of net in-migration and a 4,000 natural increase for a total population increase of 22,000. That’s about a three percent increase.
Many out-of-staters come to ND for a fresh start courtesy of the oil boom. Unfortunately, some are trying to escape criminal pasts. The Mountrail County Sheriff (Stanley) says he deals with many out-of-state offenders. He recently arrested individuals with outstanding warrants from Minnesota, Utah and Montana.
Operation Pipe Cleaner snared 22 people in Dickinson for distribution of a variety of illegal drugs. The joint law enforcement action was an attack on organized drug distribution in the Bakken region. The ringleaders were from Bakersfield, Calif., but most of those charged were good old Dickinson boys.
Call it heavy-duty shoplifting. Young men entered a Bismarck Kohl’s store, heaped shopping carts with merchandise and rushed the carts out the door. The carts were thrown into a waiting pickup which sped from the area. Police arrested three men in their mid-20s and recovered a $250 shopping cart with $1,800 of merchandise, another vehicle got away. Kohl’s employees said there have been other recent incidents of this type.
It was freezing cold, but over 100 employees in blue shirts chanted “Sell, sell, sell!” It was all part of the grand opening of a 200,000 square foot Menards store in Dickinson, the largest store in the 280-store chain. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin, home improvement business transferred 100 employees to Dickinson from other stores. Jamestown is planning a Menards store.
“He was a stand-out basketball player despite his short stature and thereby acquired his nickname of ‘Stubby’ -- by sneaking between the legs of taller opponents to steal the ball.” -- From the obituary of Harland “Stubby” Swatfager (91) of Fargo. Thus began a lifetime interest and prowess in athletics. During WWII, Stubby was enrolled in Joe Lewis’ Army boxing school. After the war and until his retirement in 1999, Stubby worked as a carpenter for a Fargo construction company.
Fargo Forum editor Jack Zaleski continues his public service video blog, “You Don’t Know Jack.” After studying reality TV, Jack concluded it’s for morons: “It will rot your brain.”
Do you spot a little irony? On January 19, Carrie Sandstrom (19), editor of the UND Dakota Student, wrote a letter to the Herald addressing the issue of high-risk drinking. She is a member of the Community and Campus Committee on High-Risk Alcohol Use. A week later she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and resigned from the Dakota Student.
Want a lawn bag looking like a NFL helmet? If that’s the case, you are in business. Len Orr of Orriginals (get it?) in Jamestown has acquired a license from the NFL to produce lawn and leaf bags designed after NFL helmets. He has 12 little machines that together print 500 items an hour. His normal business is customized T-shirts, hoodies and jackets.
DakotaBeacon