Dakota Beacon

Finally -- some balance!  The New York Times and National Geographic articles about ND were accurate, but one-sided, mostly portraying negative aspects of the oil boom.  The March Economist offers a broader perspective and discusses the state’s prosperous, diversifying economy; its budget surplus; and job and population growth.  The Economist also mentions challenges, such as the huge salary gap between public employees and those in oil and gas.

A few years ago most ND counties were losing population -- that’s changed, in 2012 only 15 of the state’s 53 counties were losers.  A typical loser is a rural county in the central part of the state.  Jamestown and Stutsman County are the center of an eight-county area that slightly lost population since the 2010 census.  The area had 1,400 deaths and 1,100 births.  However, Jamestown expects a turnaround -- two large industrial projects will bring people into the area.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released its 2013 assessment of county-by-county health rankings in ND.  Generally, counties in and bordering the Red River Valley scored the highest, while counties in the western half of the state ranked lower.  The four counties at the absolute bottom were all counties with major Indian populations.

“Heart-breaking,” “sad” and “lame,” and variations of “Fighting Sioux Forever!” --  Reactions to the news that UND is selling sets of “Home of the Fighting Sioux” letters which have been removed from the exterior of the Ralph Engelstad Arena.  The letters are 24 inches high and a starting bid for a set is $1,000.  The news of the auction renewed unhappiness over loss of the nickname and logo and bitterness toward the NCAA.

“Many thought UND’s first-round game against the U. of Minnesota was the de facto national championship.  After playing an epic, triple-overtime, 118-minute, 51-second thriller that lasted well over four hours, it’s hard to disagree.” -- The Forum’s commentary on the women’s hockey playoff which UM won 3-2.  UND’s Lamoureux twins finished their career as the top two scorers in WCHA history.

“Those lawmakers might want accountability for the other colleges, just not their college or university. It’s a case of beware what you wish for, you just might get it.” -- Part of a Bismarck Tribune editorial cautioning the Legislature about making radical changes in ND’s University System.

Viewed from outside the state, it’s hard to see how ND could have a governor more suited to the times than Gov. Dalrymple.  He has expertise in ag, business, and the legislative and executive branches of government.  His tone is firm and moderate, but compromising.  Asked about the problems of University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani, the governor said it was no secret Shirvani was “off to a bit of a rocky start.”  Dalrymple suggested Shirvani’s pace had been too rapid and the problem was not so much his changes, but  “the way those changes are being made.”   Dalrymple does not see a better system of university governance than the one the state is presently using.

Readers of the Fargo Forum may have felt like pinching themselves to see if they were awake.  A letter from Winona LaDuke, American Indian activist and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate, praised the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for his courage and commitment to indigenous peoples.  LaDuke lives on Minnesota’s White Earth Reservation -- her reservation and some in ND received millions of dollars in winter fuel assistance from Chavez.

Forum readers confused by LaDuke's letter would really be baffled by one from Rachel Wassberg of Fargo.  She accused the Forum of "cultural disrespect" for Christians by referring to state legislators Rep. Bette Grande and Sen. Margaret Sitte by their official titles.  Wassberg said the use of the titles disrespected their husbands who are "the dominant voices in their households."

“I work hard not to define myself by my weight, nor should I let others define me by my weight.” -- The credo of Forum SheSays columnist Meredith Holt.  How does Holt carry out her credo?  By sharing stories of her weight-loss journey in her column.  A note to the column indicates Holt lost 105 pounds during her most recent weight-loss bout.  She says she is a victim of Google-type fat-bashing: “One of the last ‘acceptable’ forms of discrimination.”

Political bloggist Rob Port expressed concern in a Forum letter about new federal law which expands the jurisdiction of American Indian tribes to non-tribal members.  He described the rather shaky history of the reservation courts in ND and wondered whether non-tribal victims and accused would be fairly treated in those courts.

Minnesota companies are finding ways to participate in ND’s oil boom.  Real estate developers and banks from the Twin Cities are active in the Bakken.  Twin City banks provide loan capacity and expertise that’s missing in western ND.  Companies from Wayzata and Eden Prairie, Minnesota, have joint-ventured to build a $50 million rail transloading facility for crude oil in New Town, ND.  The project will include two rail loops, each about 1-1/2 miles long and capable of 120-car trains.  The loaded trains will travel east on the Canadian Pacific joining its main line at Drake.

Murder in the Oil Patch.  They are rough and drunk -- last weekend Williams County had two murders, a stabbing and a shooting.  The victims and their assailants were from California, Idaho and Michigan.

The pastor’s wife -- rarely is so much expected of one person.  The late Cathryn Rykken (88) grew up in Hatton, ND, and obtained a dual degree in English and Economics from Concordia College, where she was a soloist in the choir.  Her challenges really began when she married a man named “Unk” Rykken who attended the Luther Seminary in Minneapolis.  They began a merry ride which took Unk on 7 pastoral calls spanning 54 years to outstanding locations like McClusky and Cando.  Cathy was a pastor’s wife, mother of four, and a substitute teacher.  She also gave piano lessons in her home for 25 years.  Cathy sang and sang -- soloing at 38 weddings and 38 funerals in one year.

DAKTOIDS: Since 2011, ND has added 42 hotels and 3,500 rooms . . . The ND oil industry is thirsty -- it used over 5 billion gallons of water in 2012, a 75 percent increase from 2011 . . . Thank the oil boom -- Bismarck is presently served by Frontier, United Airlines, Delta Airlines and Allegiant.