SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - MARCH 10, 2018
STALLED Grand Forks residents are fishing around for hopeful signs about their economy, which seems to be slowly going south. The city’s GDP (the sum of all economic activity), taxable sales and employment are all dropping. The city lost it largest retailers and suffers as the surrounding ag economy drops to normal levels. Because of a strong U.S. dollar, the number of Canadian visitors has also declined. Minimal growth in Grand Forks feels even worse because the state as a whole is seeing more and more growth.
MINOT, ME TOO Some Minot residents are waiting for Bakken oil industry growth to deliver economic development to the city. The editor of the Minot Daily News said sadly “It won’t.” He said manpower is being replaced by technology in the oil industry. Even more devastating, he wrote: “Additionally other communities more in the vicinity of the Bakken have done a much better investment in oil and gas investment and we will perpetually be behind – for good or ill.”
WALLETHUB NEVER SLEEPS — now it has ranked every state for sinfulness. How did ND and close neighbors do? All five did well overall, ND was least sinful, South Dakota and Wyoming were slightly more sinful, followed closely by Montana and Minnesota. All five states were not particularly angry, jealous, lustful, vane or lazy. However, they scored badly in drinking, with ND and MT in the worst five. MN was second worst in gambling by having an unusually high number of residents with gambling disorders. SD, WY and MT were models of modesty, each fell in the lowest five of beauty salons per capita.
AN AWESOME LIFE You didn’t know her, but the obituary pictured a poised, elegant woman. Who would have guessed a girl, who grew up speaking German in a Germans from Russia family in Streeter, would someday be a leading philanthropist in three states? Janet Wanzek’s (85) first job was teaching in a one-room Stutsman County school. From there, she acquired more education and co-founded Wanzek Construction. A new concert hall in Vermillion SD will be named for her, she was a significant donor to St. Mary’s Cathedral and Parish Center in Fargo, and she donated to a facility bearing her name at the Hennepin Medical Center in Minneapolis. She was a major benefactor for many other causes in each state. Wanzek’s obituary mentioned another aspect, “She taught everyone to appreciate the North Dakota prairie and the simple joys of life.”
THE NORWEGIAN WAY The director of the ND prison system took a trip to Norway paid for by the Prison Law Office, a Berkeley based nonprofit. After a tour of a Norwegian maximum security facility, she is said to have had an epiphany and returned to introduce a set of reforms that she called “increasing humanity.” As an example, guards are required to socialize with inmates. The reforms increase leniency and emphasize prisoner treats such as popcorn and pizza parties. Her staff says the reforms have failed and the staff and public are endangered. If I were a betting person, I would say her job is at risk.
HEY, THERE’S A PATTERN Columnist Rob Port blamed the high rate of DUI arrests in ND on tough enforcement and said attention should be given instead to consequences of drunk driving. A Forum reader chided Port for not sharing statistics about those consequences and noted “North Dakota is near the top in alcohol-related driving deaths per capita, first in DUI arrests and first in the nation for binge drinking. It is hard to come to the conclusion that these statistics are unrelated.”
STUNG AGAIN Unwanted publicity again found UND President Mark Kennedy last week. In an interview with the GF Herald, Kris Engelstad McGarry revived her criticism of Kennedy and said the Engelstad Foundation will give no direct funds to the university until Kennedy is gone. The foundation will continue to support the Ralph Engelstad Arena, hockey and student scholarships at UND. McGarry criticized governance and leadership at UND and was especially bitter about the favorable review given Kennedy by University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott.
WEAK GOVERNANCE Columnist Mike Jacobs considered the controversy at UND and suggested “Take a deep breath” and hold your fire. He didn’t intend to minimize the seriousness of the situation and repeated his long held skepticism about Kennedy. However, he believes the problem should be viewed in the broader context of the recent history of college presidents in the ND University System, where there have been difficulties with a number of presidents in the last 20 years. Jacobs believes the presidential failures are symptoms of a weak governance system and no effective review of job performance. A GF Herald editorial largely concurred with Jacobs, noted Kennedy's progress and said he should not lose his job.
HOCKEY seems to inspire special nostalgia and loyalty. Take Ralph Engelstad (above) who donated hockey arenas to UND and his hometown of Thief River Falls. The town of Baudette (pop. 1,000), Minnesota, is located on the Canadian border near Lake of the Woods. An anonymous donor gave the town $6 million for a new hockey arena.
WILL THESE ISSUES MOVE WEST? Several developments noted in Minnesota this week may eventually have regional significance: Minneapolis will move to a $15 minimum wage over the next few years . . . Gov. Tim Walz proposes to generate all of the state’s electricity from wind and solar (maybe some nuclear) by 2050 — environmentalists cheered — opponents call it impractical and unaffordable . . . Minneapolis reels from increasing violence among Somali gangs, such as the Somali Outlaws.
DAKTOIDS: A $4.1 million house being built in W. Fargo is expected to be ND’s largest and most expensive residence . . . The Dakota Access pipeline protests cost ND tens of millions of dollars and resulted in 760 arrests. Forewarned, SD’s governor is proposing legislation to go after out-of-state money that funds pipeline protests . . . Hunter Hanson is a 21 year-old grain trader who stiffed grain dealers and farmers in nearly every ND community for a total of $5.2 million (and still counting) . . . A Bismarck man has launched Dakota Gypsum Supply. He has a simple business plan — acquire used drywall, pulverize the gypsum and sell it to farmers to replenish calcium or sulfur in their land.
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