Dakota Beacon

CRYSTAL BALL IS FOGGY  “The coronavirus is going to blow a hole in North Dakota’s budget.” — Columnist Rob Port.  His alarm was based on the state’s May revenues which were 19% lower than forecast.  However, a table accompanying the article indicated revenues to date (11 months) for the 2019-2021 biennium were still up 2% from forecast.  Port may be right, but there are 13 months remaining in the biennium and there are many unknowns about the state of ND’s economy a year from now.

VIRUS FREE  Five ND counties have no coronavirus cases.  They are Adams, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Logan and Towner.  No single reason stands out — the counties are all far from cities and have populations less than 3,000.  Overall, new virus cases in ND are gently declining.

ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN  You don’t know what it is.  No surprise — it’s a Jamestown volunteer charitable group with an unusual specialty — they send clothing, medical supplies and food to Christian communities in Liberia.  One of their donors is the Jamestown Police Dept., which donates abandoned bicycles twice a year.  The bikes are refurbished by a Grain Train volunteer and included in the shipments to Liberia.

FOOD INSECURITY  Grocery stores in ND towns of less than 2,500 have been steadily disappearing.   During the pandemic, the closures have ceased and the little stores are flourishing.  The reasons are somewhat unclear, but more people working at home seems to be one of the reasons.  When the pandemic slows, the little stores expect to see business shift back to larger cities.  The stores say the pandemic emphasizes their importance to rural areas in time of emergency and shows they deserve greater support.

AMAZON PRIME  The pandemic has produced another retail phenomenon in ND — online sales have soared.  As measured by sales tax collections, online sales in ND in April 2020 were six times those in April 2019 and brought in nearly $3 million in taxes.  If this trend sticks, it will be yet another threat to retailers in ND.

END OF AN ERA  Last Sunday marked the end of Fargo Forum home delivery — hereafter there will be only two papers a week (Wednesday and Saturday) delivered by mail.  The Forum interviewed a number of soon to be ex-carriers — some are families that have held the job for decades.  The carriers picked up papers at 3 a.m. at the Fargo distribution center and were an early warning network for fires, break-ins and other emergencies.  The carriers featured in the story thanked their loyal customers and, in turn, the Marcil family (Forum owners) thanked “all the families that helped us be so successful over the years.”

LOUIS AGASSIZ was a prominent 19th Century geologist for whom glacial Lake Agassiz (of which the Red River Valley was part) was named.  Fargo proposed his name for a planned greenway — 30 miles of continuous trails along the F-M flood diversion.  The name Agassiz Greenway was swept away when it was alleged Louis had improper views on race.  A poll by the Fargo Forum found 84% disapproved of that decision.

WHAT A RELIEF!  Something called “cabletv.com" has determined that ND is the best place to be in the event of a zombie apocalypse.  Next best, SD.  It’s a little shakier in Minnesota which came in at No. 11.  Low population density and extensive farmland are helpful for warding off zombie invasions. 

LONG SHOT  Mike Jacobs believes the Democrats have little chance of winning a statewide office this fall.  He thinks Mark Haugen of Bismarck has the best chance — he will be running for Treasurer against Republican Thomas Beadle, a state representative from Fargo who is supported by Governor Burgum.  Jacobs says Haugen, who is involved in emergency medical services, has solid credentials.  It’s hard to determine if Haugen has skills in the financial area and he has never held elected office.  The Treasurer position pays about $100,000 a year — an individual with significant financial experience is unlikely to be attracted to the job, unless it is seen as a career stepping stone.

SHE HAS 22 HORSES  Many famous people are associated with Minnesota, but, after Bob Dylan, none is more fascinating than Winona LaDuke.  She presents herself as a little old farmer and environmentalist from the Ojibwe White Earth Reservation (about 65 miles equidistant from Grand Forks and Fargo); however, there is much, much more.  LaDuke manages to stay in the public eye, examples, in 1996 and 2000 she was the Green Party candidate for Vice President, she was a leader of the 2016 Standing Rock protests in ND and is currently a columnist (the Forum News Service uses her opinion articles).  

LADUKE’S West Coast background (her father, who was Ojibwe, was a Hollywood actor and her Jewish mother was a college art instructor and political activist) and Harvard education in economics further belie the simple Ojibwe image.  Although a political activist, she is not the bitter type and frequently articulates positive opportunities — her latest, growing and promoting hemp for the economy of the White Earth Reservation. 

DAKTOIDS:  Recent marches and protests in Fargo cost taxpayers $842,000 . . . Criminal homicides in ND during 2019 (42) were the highest in four decades . . . On June 18, the Grand Forks airport had the highest number of flights in the nation — it’s the UND flight school.