Dakota Beacon

CHRIS MAGNUS (59) served successfully as Fargo police chief from 1999 to 2006.  At that time he became police chief in Richmond, California, a city about the size of Fargo and then ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in America.  Richmond is off that list largely due to the efforts of Magnus.  In 2016, he moved on to become police chief in Tucson, Arizona, a city of over a half million.  Magnus again made news last week when he offered to resign as the result of the death of 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez while in Tucson PD custody.  Magnus was considered too valuable to lose and his resignation was rejected by city leaders.

SALARIES FOR STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICES in ND are thought to be at roughly a midpoint with other states.  The five supreme court justices and attorney general have the highest salaries at $163,000 a year with a small premium for the chief justice.  The secretary of state, treasurer and auditor are near the low end at $110,000.  The governor is in the middle at $139,000.  Of course, many state employees, such as doctors, coaches and other university officials, make much more. 

CORONAVIRUS SCOREKEEPING  Early this week, ND and its neighboring states were all below the national average for per capita total cases and deaths.  SD led on cases per 100,000 (759), followed by MN 636, ND 466 and MT 86.  MN led on deaths per 100,000 (26), followed by ND 12, SD 10 and MT 2.  With respect to new cases, three of the  states are going sidewise, while MT is increasing from a very low base.  In ND, Cass County stands out by having 82% of the state’s 80 virus deaths.

PUNTING  “State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says the decision to reopen schools for in-person instruction or to continue with distance learning should be made by local school boards and communities.” — Dickinson Press.  Baesler believes decision making should be in the hands of local school board members along with local public health authorities.  Her department will issue guidelines in mid-July.

THE ENERGIZER BUNNY  Mike Jacobs calls Clay Jenkinson “ND’s freelance public intellectual” who “seems to be everywhere.”  Jacob’s column described how prolific and eclectic Jenkinson has been for over 50 years.  The pandemic grounded Jenkinson, so he did what came naturally, he published three books and has a fourth in the oven.  Two books cover his favorite subjects, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt, and a third covers the history of epidemics.  His forthcoming fourth book is a collection of essays about ND.

TRIBAL GOVERNANCE  Columnist Lloyd Omdahl was the last Democrat to be ND Lt. Governor (1992).  His column last week was headed “Helping Native Americans is complex” and began with this comment about reservation populations: “They would rather live in a poverty they control rather than yield to white solutions proposed by outsiders.”  He believes there is a major need to reduce corruption on the reservations.  He advocates improving tribal governance with policies such as timely audits of all financial activities and disclosure of conflicts of interest.  Omdahl wants to see tribal councils reformed and committee meetings fully open to tribal members.  However, he is pessimistic that much will change “until something outrageous happens.”

THE HECTOR FAMILY has a long history of charitable giving in Fargo.  Property for the city’s Rose Creek Golf Course and Hector Airport are better known examples.  With the death of Fred Hector Jr. last year, the Hector Foundation will be launched with initial funding of  $7 million.  As assets of Fred’s estate are liquidated, the assets and donations of the foundation will grow.  Fred’s grandfather Martin came to Moorhead from Norway in 1872.

STEADY LEAKAGE  Columbia Mall was the main shopping destination in Grand Forks.  Then departures began: Macy’s, Sears, many others, and, most recently, Eddie Bauer and Victoria’s Secret.  Remaining tenants are concerned the mall is reaching a tipping point where it will no longer be a mall.

DANIEL GADE (45) is a retired Lt. Colonel who is the Virginia Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate.  He is a PhD and instructor at West Point.  Gade lost a leg as a tank commander in Iraq.  He served in the administrations of the three most recent presidents.  Gade was born, raised and graduated from high school in Minot.

QUOTE WITHOUT COMMENT  “Protesters apparently outraged by the killing of a popular singer in Ethiopia stopped traffic on Interstate 94 in St. Paul during Wednesday evening’s rush hour.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“NOT ON MY WATCH”  — SD Governor Kristi Noem expressed determination to prevent destruction of the presidential faces on Mt. Rushmore.  Three of the four presidents (Washington, Jefferson and T. Roosevelt) are accused of racism by protestors, only Lincoln is thus far exempt, although demonstrators in Washington D.C. want to tear down his statue there.

THE CHAIR OF THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX (South Dakota) added his voice to those calling for the removal of the Mt. Rushmore faces.  He said, "Lakota see the faces of the men who lied, cheated and murdered innocent people whose only crime was living on the land they wanted to steal.” 

DAKTOIDS:  In Fargo, 84% of the population is non-Hispanic white and 6% Black.  The Fargo Police Department is 96% white and 2% Black . . . It seems just like yesterday —it’s the 60th anniversary of the World’s Largest Buffalo in Jamestown . . . The Ward County Narcotics Task Force targets young men who arrive in Minot from Detroit on Amtrak . . . On average Fargo has 13 days a year when the temperature is 90 degrees or higher; there are a similar number of days each winter when the high is zero or lower . . . The Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank says ND is a national leader in the Paycheck Protection Program because of efforts of the Bank of ND . . . The Federal Reserve spokesman also said the biggest long-term concern for Minnesota is racial disparities including education.

CHRIS MAGNUS; SALARIES FOR STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICES; CORONAVIRUS SCOREKEEPING; PUNTING; THE ENERGIZER BUNNY; TRIBAL GOVERNANCE; THE HECTOR FAMILY; STEADY LEAKAGE; DANIEL GADE; QUOTE WITHOUT COMMENT; "NOT ON MY WATCH"; THE CHAIR OF THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX; DAKTOIDS