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Tuesday, March 03, 2015

SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - MARCH 2, 2015

THE BIG GET BIGGER The number of ND farms is slowly declining -- last year the state had 30,300 farms, 500 fewer than 2013. There was churning below the surface -- the number of small farms (less than $100,000 in sales) declined 1,100 while the number of large farms increased by 600. Farm acreage was unchanged, but the size of the average farm increased.
 
THEY’RE COMING The ND Census Office expects the state’s population to reach 800,000 in the next five years and 840,000 by 2025. The census folks believe Ward County (Minot) will displace Grand Forks County as the third most populous county in two to three years.

GOVERNMENT HELP I’ve indicated for a number of years that Essential Air Service subsidies to Devils Lake and Jamestown are a waste of money. SkyWest is paid around $9,000 a day for service to each city. CBS News illustrated my point by reporting that a flight from Denver to Devils Lake had only four passengers on a 50-passenger plane. In 2014, total boardings in Devils Lake were 2,889.

WILL SHE, OR WON’T SHE? One of the most discussed issues in ND politics is whether Sen. Heidi Heitkamp will give up her senate position to run for governor in 2016. The senate position is generally considered more influential and desirable than governor. Heitkamp was asked about the matter in an interview with the GF Herald editorial board. Her response was elusive, but Herald publisher Korrie Wenzel concluded “I think she is considering such a run.” Wenzel thought Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley, a former U.S. Attorney for ND, would be a likely opponent and tough to beat. He believes it would be a great gamble for Heitkamp, but “Of course, she knows that.”

MESSALUNA “The glamour of an upscale restaurant with the coziness of a small town” -- Reasons why MSN selected Fargo’s Mezzaluna as ND’s best restaurant. The restaurant’s website says “Mezzaluna is located in the historic Lofts on Roberts Street Building . . . Kilbourne Group worked diligently to preserve and maintain the integrity of many of the building's historical features, including a pressed metal ceiling, large windows, corbelled brick, simplistic stone trim, wood joists and beams, and wood flooring.”
“NORMAL IS MISLEADING in talking about North Dakota's weather.-- State climatologist Adman Akyuz. North Dakota is the world leader in temperature variation in a single year, with the state recording a low of minus-60 degrees in February 1936 and a high of 121 degrees in July 1936, a swing of 181 degrees. On average, crops today have 12 additional growing days and 0.85 inches of additional rain compared with a century ago, Akyuz said.
 
 
THE MINNEAPOLIS SOMALI have the national spotlight. This must be of immense interest to smaller Somali communities in Fargo, Grand Forks and Jamestown. The StarTribune published an opinion piece by Minneapolis Somali community activist Jamal Abdulahi, who made a plea for “the plight of Somali-American young people as a result of economic and political alienation.” He wants more help from the larger community to “help them build successful adult lives;” he urged corporations to review hiring practices, suggested Gov. Dayton should have a Somali in his cabinet and wants a Somali to be included in local TV news broadcasts. He concluded this is the time “to integrate the Somali community into mainstream Minnesota.”
 
SOME HAD RESERVATIONS Abdulahi’s article almost immediately got over 70 online responses, almost all expressed some disagreement. Although not shrill, they expressed a weariness at more demands from the Somalis. Generally, there was a feeling there were too many requests for special treatment, and little suggestion the Somali community should do more to help itself. There was a common belief the Somali were self-isolating. An extreme view was represented by a writer who said, “Translation: If you don't give us more of your money, we will refuse to assimilate and may even turn to terrorism.” In Grand Forks, a minority group advocated a city Diversity Commission. They said their group was necessary because of “the difficulty of minority communities getting access to power and resources.”
 
ONE MORE REASON TO SHOP ONLINE? “We will continue to monitor events with the help of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies” -- A spokesman for the Mall of America in Minnesota. The MOA made the announcement after the U.S. homeland security chief said a threat by Islamist militants against the MOA should be taken seriously.
 
CAN YOU KNOW TOO MUCH? A high proportion of robberies and aggravated assaults on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis are committed by suspects described as black males. As a result, a group called Whose Diversity has demanded the university end publishing the race of suspects because it “reinforces racist stereotypes of black men.” The university has agreed to the change saying it will help make the university a more “welcoming and diverse campus.” Others believe having all available information about crime makes them better informed.
NO MONEY AND NO PROSPECTS “Go to school! How would I have loved to do that! He could just as well said, ‘Fly to the moon.’ I was 17 years old with no money and no prospect of ever seeing any. Born and raised on a farm 14 miles south of Watford City . . . my parents' homestead hadn't returned the seed we'd planted for six consecutive years.” -- Odin Stutrud (95) recalling his feelings of desperation during the depression. As a child, Stutrud spoke only Norwegian, but his obituary indicates he eventually earned a M.S. degree from the U. of Wisconsin and became Chairman of the Graphics Arts Dept. at the ND College of Science. Stutrud would be properly amazed to see how the Oil Boom has transformed the sleepy little town of Watford City.
TRAFFIC VOLUMES NEAR WATFORD CITY are the heaviest in the state with the exception of some Interstate sections near Fargo. A Hwy 85 intersection just south of Watford City handles 16,000 vehicles a day. U.S. Hwy 85, the main north/south corridor in oil country, leads the state in all categories of accidents. Each day, the state issues 200 permits for oversize trucks on Hwy 85.
HOUSING FOR THE TEACHERS The principal of Watford Elementary School has an easy commute -- he lives in a trailer on campus. A number of cities in western ND cannot recruit teachers unless they offer housing at below market rates. Watford City has 30 housing units for teachers. Since 2011, Watford Elementary has doubled enrollment and has had kids from all 50 states and more than 20 countries.
TAKE WITH GRAIN OF SALT Almost every day there is a new “Top Ten” rating for one thing or another. Use the information cautiously, the rankings may not be determined in a rigorous manner. In 2013 ND was selected as the No. 1 state for well-being; in 2014 it plunged to No. 23. That’s unlikely -- the mood of a state does not change dramatically in one year. One rating or the other, or both, must be off the mark.
NO PROBLEM The driver of a SUV in Fargo left the vehicle in gear and running. While she was in a nearby building, the vehicle rolled forward and punched out the front of a store. The driver’s punishment seems a little light -- a $20 citation for not setting the brakes.

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