Dakota Beacon

TOO CUTE! “If we do decide to officially lend our editorial voice to choosing Roughriders as the next UND mascot, we would do it because it is a nickname that exudes strength, confidence, bravery and hope -- all of which were traits of Mr. Roosevelt himself and, we like to think, of all North Dakotans.” -- From a GF Herald editorial by Tom Dennis discussing the merits of Roughriders as a UND nickname. Looks like an endorsement.

UND AND BOSTON COLLEGE, the two winningest college hockey teams, are planning a game in Madison Square Garden in December 2016. UND has the biggest traveling fan base in college hockey.

DR. MARY WAKEFIELD, a Devils Lake native and formerly associate dean at the UND med school, has been nominated for the number two spot at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. She was also director of the UND Center for Rural Health. Wakefield must be confirmed by the Senate.

CONGRATULATIONS, AL UND grad Alvin Royse has been named chairman of the American Heart Association, one of the nation's largest nonprofit organizations. He will be responsible for the business affairs and fundraising of the association. Royse has an MBA and JD from UND and is a retired senior partner of Deloitte, an international consulting and accounting firm. Royse is a Mandan native and longtime reader of this newsletter.

MAKING IT THE HARD WAY “In South Dakota, we don’t spend money we don’t have, we keep our budget structurally balanced and we seize opportunities to spend in the short-term where it can lead to savings.” -- SD Gov. Dennis Daugaard. SD was ranked third in the nation for fiscal solvency; ND was No. 2 and Alaska was No. 1. Daugaard noted Alaska and ND derive a large percentage of their revenues from oil production. SD just reported its fourth consecutive annual surplus.

HEADS UP! “That means unequivocal support for the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion . . . and continued generous appropriations for in-city Fargo flood works.” -- It will not surprise you to learn this advise to the Legislature comes from the Fargo Forum. Their editorial said it was well and good that western water needs were receiving attention, but the Legislature should not forget the needs of the Big Guy.

PLEASE DON’T TRY IT AGAIN “If no new agreement can be reached . . . oil producers on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation may have to pay two tax rates to two governments and potentially meet two sets of regulations, a complex system that could lead them to exit from operations on tribal land.” -- From Reuters Media in reference to a threat by the tribes at Ft. Berthold to walk away from their tax-sharing deal with ND. The Three Affiliated Tribes have collected over $650 million since they made an oil tax revenue-sharing agreement in 2008. Gov. Dalrymple, while optimistic that compromise will be found, warned that failure to reach an agreement could set back oil development on the reservation -- a problem the tribes had before the agreement.

THE NORTHERN CROPS INSTITUTE at NDSU teaches business people from other countries how to use crops grown in NDSU’s region. Over time, visitors from 140 countries have attended the institute. Recently, businessmen from Nigeria and Peru were in Fargo to learn about making pasta. Pasta from 100 percent ND durum is too expensive for some countries, so their representatives are taught how to make pasta from blended wheats.

THE MINNESOTA CIVIC CAUCUS The GF Herald published summaries of interviews conducted by The Civic Caucus, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that analyzes public issues. Workforce challenges in Minnesota were the subject. The caucus concluded that Minnesota is facing an inevitable human capital shortage that will eventually have a negative impact on the state’s competitive position and productivity.

TWO BROAD PROBLEMS, among others, are behind the expected decline in qualified people: One is the immediate problem of a mismatch between job openings and the education of applicants -- too many unneeded degrees, too few needed degrees -- the nature of work is shifting. The other is the changing demographics of the state. From 2000 to 2010, 80 percent of population growth in Minnesota was racial minorities, many who are immigrants. They have sharply lower high school graduation rates than whites and may have little exposure to work and role models.

WHAT TO DO? Caucus reports are directed at the total political spectrum and recommendations need to avoid pointing fingers at any faction. Blunt recommendations and specifics are difficult. Therefore, the Civic Caucus is best at defining workforce problems, less so, at providing sharply focused recommendations. The caucus sets a tone: "Developing Minnesota's human capital is neither a partisan issue nor a rural/metro issue; it is an imperative statewide issue, touching all our lives and the well being of future generations." The caucus also makes broad recommendations: "Major improvement in E-12 education is imperative if the state is to resolve its deplorable achievement gap." In some areas, the caucus is relatively specific: It urged educators to explain "why and in what circumstances a four-
year college degree might not represent a better investment than a two-year degree."

BE NICE! The national attention to confrontations between blacks and police has energized the NAACP. In Minneapolis, the NAACP wants repeal of laws regarding spitting and lurking because they disadvantage minorities. A 21-year-old black man was roughly arrested on Metro Transit for fare evasion and resisting arrest -- the NAACP said their are “more humane ways” to address those who don’t pay.

THE ENCHANTED HIGHWAY, you know, the 30-mile stretch from Gladstone (I-94) south to Regent featuring seven large metal sculptures by artist Gary Greff. He would like to add an eighth piece, a 70 foot by 70 foot steel spiderweb with four spiders made out of cement mixers. Where to get $30,000 for construction? The answer was crowd funding -- Greff is using “Kickstarter” and is already well down the road to his goal. The highway has become a major tourist attraction in southwestern ND.

DAKTOIDS: Fargo residents are concerned because in the past 15 years the inflation-adjusted cost of city government has grown about three times faster than population. Revenues are not keeping pace . . . ND has the nation’s highest rate of death from Alzheimer’s and the reasons are not clearly understood. Experts say the logical conclusion is there is an underlying common factor that researchers haven’t discovered yet.