SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - JANUARY 24, 2014
A correspondent for The Weather Channel minced no words about Fargo: “These were the worst conditions I’ve ever set up in.” He was filming a ground blizzard. The flat terrain, lack of trees and funneling effect of the valley make the Red River Valley notorious for blizzards. On average, the RRV has more blizzards than any other place in the lower 48 states.
The western part of ND has another weather phenomenon -- Alberta clippers. These are fast-moving systems that move southeast out of Canada. Cool Canadian air mixes with warmer U.S. air and momentum is transferred to the ground, typically bringing strong winds, light snow and colder temperatures. A recent series of clippers in western ND brought wind gusts of 75 mph. Sustained wind over 75 mph is considered hurricane force.
The newest member of the ND Supreme Court said she grew up in a small town and developed a “Class B mentality.” Doug Burgum, the former CEO of Great Plains Software, used a similar term when he said he was going to build a world-class company with “Class B kids.” The quotes need interpretation. “Class B” is inside ND talk and is a reference to the state’s small towns with Class B high schools. They produce talented people with a strong work ethic and a spirit of service. Lisa Fair McEvers is the new justice and grew up in Minto, ND.
Who’s the most famous of us all. The Forum tried to determine the most famous Nodak. It wasn’t easy, young people had entirely different lists than their elders. In a somewhat wobbly process, it was eventually decided that the four most famous Nodaks are Theodore Roosevelt, Roger Maris, Phil Jackson and Lawrence Welk. However, there’s a catch, of those, only Welk was born in ND.
“Out there on the godforsaken prairie in the Sauerkraut Triangle, it’s a lonely but important shrine. It is worth a long day’s pilgrimage.” -- Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson is pleased that the State Historical Society has voted to buy Lawrence Welk’s homestead at Strasburg. Not many people go there and Jenkinson says that will probably not change much, even under good management by the SHS. But he thinks Welk is historically important. Welk was proud of his ND and Germans-from-Russia background -- Jenkinson hinted that Angie Dickinson was the very opposite.
ND has not been a wealthy state and has ranked low for philanthropic giving, although it ranks high in volunteer effort. Some of that may be changing -- there is increasing evidence of large cash gifts. Chuck Westlie was the owner of an auto business in Minot. The estate of Chuck and Madge Westlie has given over $1 million to each of Minot State University, Bishop Ryan Catholic School and Hostfest.
Zaleski attacks “sloppy.” In his video blog, “You Don’t Know Jack,” Forum editor Jack Zaleski goes after certain trends in business dress. He said it all started with casual Fridays, then the entire week became casual, next casual morphed into sloppy. Sloppy dress breeds sloppy thinking, according to Jack. Furthermore, the “sloppies” don’t seem to realize they represent companies and blur their employer’s efforts to project a positive image. Jack took note of his own casual dress, which he said was because of especially bad weather.
Employees are retiring “en masse” at Basin Electric power plants in ND. The turnover is caused by a combination of circumstances, but one cause is quite unusual. Retiring employees may receive either monthly payments or a lump sum. The lump sum is determined in part based on current interest rates. The lower the interest rate, the higher the payment. Basin retirees are scurrying out the door withe their lumps before interest rates rise. Basin had 180 retirements in 2013.
CHS hopes to begin construction on a nitrogen fertilizer plant near Jamestown this year and begin production in 2017. In 2012, CHS estimated the plant would cost $1.2 billion, during planning the estimate rose to $1.5 billion, and the most recent estimate is $1.8 billion. Final cost -- who knows. CHS expects to employ 160 workers at the plant with average salaries of $85,000. The Northern Plains Nitrogen plant in Grand Forks is in the planning stage, has a cost estimate similar to CHS and also hopes to begin production in 2017.
Like it or not, many Minnesota public policy issues eventually work west into ND. Also, Nodaks historically go to the Twin Cities for education and careers. Those are some of the reasons Red River Valley newspapers keep a sharp eye on developments in Minnesota. The Forum papers report that a civil rights committee is trying to determine why the Twin Cities have the highest disparity in the nation between employment rates for whites and blacks. Black unemployment rates are three times that of whites. One of the committee’s findings was that Twin City whites had higher rates of education and lower rates of criminal records than their counterparts around the country. The opposite was true for black Minnesotans. As the state’s workforce ages, the disparities become more important.
It’s January, knuckleheads are out in full force. Rodrick Dida and Randi Fritze held up Casey’s General Store near Fargo -- almost immediately they were picked up by police. Two black men with East African accents are believed to have held up Mister Money stores in the Fargo area. Police are looking for Valeri Dida and Nyantey Gaylah -- booking pictures in the Forum indicate both were previously known to police. Faisal Diriye Abdullahi (19) was arrested for armed robbery of a pizza delivery person in Fargo.
James Henrikson of Watford City faces weapons charges and is a murder suspect in Spokane Washington. Henrikson had business dealings with an oilfield subcontractor company formed by Tex Hall, Chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Hall’s ownership of the company raises conflict-of-interest questions. The TAT Tribal Business Council said they have no relationship with Henrikson.
The ND Petroleum Council sponsored a survey of ND voters. About 44 percent of the people in the survey were from the 19 oil-producing counties. Statewide, about 65 percent felt the nation was headed in the wrong direction, while 75 percent believed ND was headed in the right direction. A large majority favored oil development and thought benefits outweighed risks. People in the oil patch held views much like the rest of the state, except for two areas: Oil patch people were most concerned about roads and infrastructure; those statewide were more concerned about crime. Oil patch people favored spending tax money on roads, while those statewide favored education.
Were they desperate? CNN selected a “top must see place” for each state. What did they find for ND? The National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown with its three white buffalo.
DAKTOIDS: Early on, J C Penney (the man) had a fondness for ND. JCP (the company) recently announced a round of store closings -- none in ND . . . In the last five years, the number of estimated homeless in ND has gone from 500 to 2,000 . . . The Minot Daily News reported a “large crowd of excited people.” What happened? A grand opening for Home Depot (their second ND store) . . . There is a reason it’s named Shady’s -- the Jamestown liquor retailer was fined $1,000 for its second offense for selling liquor to minors.
DakotaBeacon