Dakota Beacon

WHO IS THE BIGGEST LITTLE GUY?  ND and the three similar nearby states (MT, WY and SD) have economies which are among the nation’s ten smallest.  But who is the biggest of these regional little guys?  Measured by 2018 GDP (), it’s ND (56) followed by SD (53), MT (50) and WY (40).  If you consider GDP per capita (), it’s still ND (73) followed by WY (70), SD (59) and MT (47).  Even MN (65) is lower in per capita GDP than ND which places No. 8 in the nation.

WHAT ABOUT TRENDS?  ND growth in per capita GDP, while a little bouncy, far exceeded any of its neighbors during the last decade.  MN’s growth was moderate, SD and MT were almost flat in constant dollars and WY declined.  Here’s a little perspective:  MN’s GDP is about ten times WY, California is about eight times MN.

FEWER UNIVERSITIES  Jeff Holm, UND’s vice provost for online education, sounded a warning.  Fewer students will be going to college in coming years and those who do will be sought by aggressive marketing from online schools such as Arizona State.  He said it’s possible many universities will shut their doors in coming years.  When the crisis arrives, UND will have to compete in a national online market — the school presently has 3,500 online-exclusive students.

LET’S TALK PENSIONS  Which states do a good job of funding their pension liabilities?  Unfortunately, ND is not one of the best, it ranks No. 28 and is only 66% funded.  The state can and should do better.  MT and WY do a little better and have funded their plans over 70%.  SD is a superhero, it’s 97% funded and No. 2 in the nation.  Wisconsin, congratulations, is 100% funded and No. 1.  Minnesota, shame, it’s only 53% funded and in the bottom quartile.   The bottom feeders are New Jersey and Kentucky — tied at 31%.  Illinois is right behind them.  These bottom three states are in crisis — they need to reduce benefits or come up with big money.  Data comes from Bloomberg.

A WASHINGTON STATE LAW is being challenged by Montana and ND.  The law makes Pacific NW refineries and ports effectively off-limits to crude shipped from the Bakken region by rail.  Attorneys general for both states argue federal authority over railroads pre-empts the state law.

DON’T OVERDO IT  A GF Herald editorial cautioned that the search for a new UND president should not overly focus on finding someone who is the opposite of former president Mark Kennedy.  The Herald said Kennedy’s strengths included: “Strategic thinker. Innovator. Decision maker. Delegator.”  So, the “the ideal candidate will have many of the traits Kennedy is accused of lacking, while still having many of the traits Kennedy seems to have had.”

FIRST WESTERN BANK & TRUST is a Minot-based bank with $1.2 billion in assets, 5 locations and 175 employees.  It’s notable that U.S. Sen. John Hoeven is on the board of directors as is his father and founder J.H. Hoeven, Jr.   Brenda Foster is the CEO of the bank.  First Western is acquiring Fargo-based BlackRidgeBank.  The combined companies will have assets of nearly $1.7 billion, 15 locations and 300 employees.  They will operate in Minnesota and ND.  The Minot Daily News called the merger a “Big Deal.”

BOBCAT  Cute little tractors that turn on a dime are called Bobcats (skid-steer loaders).  They are manufactured at Gwinner and Wahpeton, ND, and Litchfield, MN.  Bobcat is owned by Doosan, a large, international heavy equipment manufacturer headquartered in S. Korea.  Doosan Bobcat’s North American headquarters is Fargo, it has an Acceleration Center in Bismarck and plans to open a digital business innovation center in Fargo.  The Bobcat product line has grown well beyond the original little Bobcats into a broad line of construction equipment.

LOUIS L’AMOUR is a Jamestown native whose name you will recognize as the prolific author of western novels.  A room is dedicated in his name at the Alfred Dickey Library in Jamestown.  You are probably less familiar with his oldest sister Edna LaMoore Waldo (1893-1999) who is the author of “Dakota” and a historian of the Dakotas.  A room was also dedicated in her honor.  Grandson Bob Waldo made a presentation about Edna’s Jamestown roots, as well as her life as a librarian, journalist, nonfiction writer and historian, at the room dedication last Tuesday.  Edna and Louis (he changed the spelling of his last name) were awarded honorary doctorate degrees in 1972 from then Jamestown College.  

PEOPLE EXPORTS  ND makes a significant contribution to the professional class in the Twin Cities.  Take Nickolas Westman (87), a native of Anita, who became a leading intellectual property attorney in Minneapolis.  His obituary said he was selected “Super Lawyer” for 14 years in a row and was president of the Minnesota Property Law Association.  He was a pilot who flew back and forth trips to his home farm in ND.

WORST KEPT SECRET  The murder conviction of Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was the most sensational Minnesota story in the last year.  For his safety, Noor was transferred to serve his sentence in an unannounced out-of-state prison.  Those who deftly use the internet quickly determined that location was the ND State Penitentiary in Bismarck.

AMY KLOBUCHAR  Her name is “double underlined because she has a lot of the attributes we’re looking for to build a strong general election ticket.” — A Democratic donor, one of many who believe the Minnesota senator's best potential is as a vice-presidential candidate.

DAKTOIDS:  Ten Midwest states received most of $8.6 billion paid to farmers to compensate for losses from tariffs — Minnesota was the No. 3 state ($681 mil), ND was No. 8 ($445) and SD No. 10 ($430).  Payments in Montana and Wyoming were not significant . . . What do Fargo, Sioux Falls and Bismarck have in common?  WalletHub found them to be among the ten least stressed cities in the nation . . . Should Grand Forks change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day?  In a Forum poll, two-thirds said “no” . . . SD, ND’s prudent sister to the south, ended fiscal year 2019 with it eighth straight annual budget surplus . . . The Jamestown Sun ran the obituary of Imogene Perleberg Stoppleworth (97) — I mention her solely because of her courageous name.