SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - JANUARY 6, 2020
THE ND POPULATION grew by 90,000 since the 2010 census and reached 762,000 in mid-2019. But it wasn’t a straight line, after the 2015 break in oil prices the state had no population growth for two years. Most of the increase took place in the 2010-2015 period. SD has added 70,000 since the census reaching 885,000 in mid-2019.
GRAND SKY, the unmanned aerial system (UAS) business and aviation park at the Grand Forks AFB, was the top area business story of the decade. The head of GF Economic Development said, “There's not many areas in which a region can say that we are among the very best. We have all these aspirations as a community . . . but this is real.”
FIGHTING SIOUX “We have some alumni who have embraced the new name fully and some that probably never will embrace it. Then we have those in between that understand why we are where we are and yet love the history of the Fighting Sioux nickname.” — UND Alumni Association CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink, who declined to speak for all alumni on the subject. The GF Herald selected the nickname change as the top UND story of the decade.
LOSS OF FARM INCOME HITS BUSINESS “The bottom line is the effect the miserable harvest will have on the finances of the region’s businesses. Agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of the economy, and the reduction in farmers’ incomes likely will be felt in small town and major city businesses, alike.” — The 2019 harvest disaster was the Herald’s top agriculture story of the decade.
A DISPIRITING DECADE It looked like Jamestown was in for the ride of a lifetime. In succession, three new manufacturing plants were announced: CHS fertilizer plant ($3.3 billion), Dakota Spirit ethanol ($155 million) and a soybean plant ($245 million). Of the three, only the ethanol plant was built. The Jamestown development CEO had a plucky response after the CHS cancellation: “This is not a game stopper. It is a chance . . . to catch up.”
SANFORD FLUNKED The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals for patient safety. No hospital in ND earned an A, while Altru in Grand Forks and CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck obtained Bs. Trinity in Minot received a C and Sanford Hospital had only a D ranking for its three largest hospitals in the state. Sanford did not participate in Leapfrog’s survey and strongly disputes the rankings. Alaska and Wyoming were the only other states without an A rated hospital.
SHORT ON SOLUTIONS The GF Herald is troubled by the decrease in women-owned businesses in ND. The Herald editorial noted that ND ranks last in the country in growth of female entrepreneurship. The Herald speculated that oil and ag, the state’s economic drivers, may be a cause because they are dominated by men. The editorial was short on firm remedies and had only “softies,” like “universities also must focus on ways to specifically help women start, run and maintain businesses in the region.”
HOCKEY STAR TURNED PHILANTHROPIST Hockey followers will recognize the name of Matt Cullen, a Moorhead native who spent 21 years in the National Hockey League and played in 1,648 games. He was a member of teams winning three Stanley Cups. Retired in Moorhead at age 43, he leads charitable efforts related to youth hockey. He was selected as the Forum’s Person of the Year. Previous recipients include: U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (2018), NFL quarterback Carson Wentz (2017), Gov. Doug Burgum (2016) and Lutheran Social Services CEO in ND Jessica Thomasson (2015).
LEFT WITHOUT A LADDER The Jamestown Fire Department’s ladder truck died and the department lacks a way to reach multi-story buildings, such as those at the state hospital. Other fire fighting equipment also needs replacement. A new ladder truck will cost about $1.3 million — the city lacks money to make that replacement and meet other fire department needs at the same time. The city will beg the state for a new truck. This illustrates a common problem for small cities in rural areas with limited growth.
JOCELYN BURDICK (97), ND’s first woman U.S. Senator, died this week in Fargo. When her husband Quentin Burdick died in 1992, she filled his unexpired term. Son Birch Burdick is Cass County State’s Attorney.
SHE WAS IN ON IT! As general manager Jerry Hennessy systematically robbed and bankrupt the cooperative elevator in Ashby, Minnesota, there was always a nagging question — why wasn’t it noticed? We got a partial answer this week, the bookkeeper was in on it. Kimberly Dysthe Goeden of Fergus Falls is charged with helping herself to $88,000. A pittance compared to Jerry’s $5 million, but helpful in explaining her lack of alertness.
SD TRIBES & LGBTQ Forum newspapers in ND increasingly run news from their correspondents in South Dakota. The GF Herald had a lengthy article this week about an American Indian couple in SD who are identified as “two spirit” — an umbrella term used in tribal communities to identify, in this case, lesbians. Muffie Mousseau and Felipa De Leon left regular jobs to devote themselves to lobbying SD tribes to allow gay marriage and protect gays from hate crimes.
ACTIVIST AG Keith Ellison is a Black Muslim who gave up his seat in Congress and became Minnesota Attorney General. He says “rebalancing the economic scales is my long-term goal” and he wants to help Minnesotans “afford their lives and live with dignity and respect.” Much of his activist agenda is related to civil rights. The principal responsibility of a state attorney general is to see that laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced.
DAKTOIDS: Eliot Glassheim (81) died in Grand Forks — for over forty years, he was one of the city’s most respected public officials . . . Joshua Wynne, UND interim president and head of its medical school, was name GF Herald 2019 Person of the Year . . . A farm silo accident last week took the lives of two brothers in Millerville, Minnesota and seriously overcame the 11-year-old son of one — Alex Boesl was taken off life support and died this week . . . Columnist Lloyd Omdahl believes the decline of small newspapers has harmed the sense of belonging in communities . . . Actor and Minot native Josh Duhamel has a two-year contract to remain the face of ND tourism.
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