Dakota Beacon

“THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON”  — A Minot City Council member voiced the city’s dilemma.  The air was full of rumors that the city manager had created a hostile work environment — even potential civic and criminal violations.  Yet, no formal grievances were filed.  Blogger Rob Port triggered the concern in his column in the Fargo Forum and complaints also sifted in to individual council members and key city employees.  A decision was made by the council to clear the air and avoid liability by hiring an outside investigator.

WARD COUNTY (Minot) became the first county in ND to have a confirmed case of coronavirus.  SD has eight cases; Minnesota nine.  The NCAA has pulled the plug on winter sport tournaments.  UND hockey will not have an opportunity to play in the "Frozen Four." The NDSU Bison basketball team will lose a chance to participate in March Madness.  Forum columnist Mike McFeely referred to the basketball tournament as “March Sadness.”

HWY 2 TWINS  The economies of Minot and Grand Forks rely on Air Force bases.  That was evident Monday when newspaper editorials in both cities emphasized the importance and uniqueness of their respective bases.  The Minot Daily news focused on MAFB’s dual nuclear capability — B-52 bombers and ballistic missiles — the nation’s only base with those assets.  The GF Herald highlighted GFAFB’s northern border location and unique unmanned aircraft competence.

BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE gets a new president March 26.  Three finalists for the $200,000 position were chosen from 41 applicants and will meet with the State Board of Higher Education at its March meeting.  The finalists are all men with doctorates and leadership positions at community colleges in Wyoming, Illinois and North Carolina.

SELECTIVE TOLERANCE  It’s fair to say that ND residents expect their politicians to follow rules and laws.  There seems to be a large exception — a tolerance for drunk driving.  A number of state leaders with DUI offenses have gone on to reelection.  This week a Forum editorial said “Baesler has earned our understanding and forgiveness” — a reference to Supt. of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler who seeks reelection, but was arrested for DUI.  Baesler’s arrest had a ND touch — she was noticed swerving in a 2010 Ford pickup.

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?  Columnist Rob Port speculates that may be the case for the ND lignite coal industry.  Coal must compete with low-priced, cleaner natural gas and, in Port’s opinion, unfair subsidies for wind and solar.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY at UND should not have been shut down four years ago according to Lloyd Omdahl.  He said the decision was all about money.  Omdahl said it failed to consider “the years of success in major league hockey, the impact on high school hockey around the state, the image of the University, and the unfair treatment of the women in the program.” 

A SAD TRUTH  You all remember “The North Dakota Hymn” which began "North Dakota, North Dakota, With thy prairies wide and free.  All thy sons and daughters love thee, Fairest state from sea to sea.”   Although a little difficult to sing, the song was popular — it was obviously the inspiration of a “tried and true” Nodak.  Sorry, the lyrics were written by California resident James Foley in 1926.  You may feel better knowing Foley spent his early life in ND.

HARVESTING CORN IN THE SPRING can result in increased test weight and lower moisture content.  One-half of the ND corn crop was stranded by weather in the field last fall.  Due to improved corn varieties, a grower said, “Today, (corn) stands like a fence post. Very little of that is tipping over. You don’t drop any ears to the ground. It’s almost nothing.”  Referring to still-standing corn, he urged farmers to “Go get it!”  Farmers who harvested in the fall face another problem — significant damage to their fields in the form of deep ruts caused by harvesting vehicles.

THE MISSOURI RIVER, the longest river in North America, runs through Montana and the Dakotas.  It then flows down the Nebraska/Iowa border touching Kansas and crossing Missouri before entering the Mississippi near St. Louis.  Senators from those four downstream states want the three upstream states to release water from their reservoirs at an earlier stage, so as not to coincide with spring runoff.  The upstream states are wary that early release could leave them short in dry years.  A flood specialist at Washington U. in St. Louis says the real problem is the river has been narrowed to facilitate barge traffic in the downstream states.

WAR ON PREDATORS  How determined is South Dakota to support its pheasant population?  If you are a raccoon, skunk, badger, possum or red fox you won’t like the answer.  The Nest Predator Bounty Program offers $5 for your tail.  The state has allocated $250,000 for bounties in a program that has an annual cost of nearly $2 million.  The idea is that by removing the predators pheasants and ducks will increase.

THE PINE RIDGE RESERVATION in SD is often referred to as the home of the nation’s poorest and most desperate tribe.  The Oglala Sioux have become the only tribe to approve medical and recreational marijuana in a state where it is otherwise illegal.  SD voters will vote on marijuana legalization in November.

DAKTOIDS:  A cold, wet harvest in ND has been followed by an unusual number of grain storage fires attributable to decisions last fall to store high-moisture corn . . . Long-time GF Mayor Mike Brown will  be challenged this fall by Robin David, a city staffer who is Welcoming Coordinator for immigration and workforce development . . . ND was an outlier last Tuesday, when state Democrats voted for Bernie Sanders, while larger states gave their votes to Joe Biden.