Dakota Beacon

A current Montana murder case has ND parallels. In 2003, Dru Sjodin was kidnapped in Grand Forks and her body was found in Minnesota. Her killer, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., received a federal death sentence which is under appeal on the grounds he was retarded and temporarily insane. Sherry Arnold was recently kidnapped in Sidney, Montana, and her body was discovered in ND. Two transient Colorado oil workers have been arrested -- an attorney for one is pleading that his client is retarded.

When a foreign student scandal was exposed at Dickinson State, officials indicated problems seemed largely confined to international programs. A retired professor didn’t think so, he alleged DSU was administratively dysfunctional and cited a former chancellor who called the university “a rat’s nest.” That description appears prophetic. A new state audit report describes an institution administratively out of control. Three department chairs and a number of senior staff are leaving. The report renews questions about how such long-standing problems escaped the attention of the State Board of Higher Education and the chancellor of the state university system.

State Rep. RaeAnn Kelsch is a serial tax evader, yet District 34 (Mandan) Republicans nominated her for reelection. The decision does not sit well with many observers. One online reaction was typical: “Can I trust someone to make laws for ND when she clearly has issues herself she needs to deal with (a DUI was also mentioned)?”

It may mean something, it may not. A Georgia newspaper indicates 196 of the nation’s 3,125 largest school districts had statistical indications of cheating on national tests. The report said “that the odds of the results occurring naturally were less than one in 1,000.” In other words, a strong possibility, but not a certainty. Fargo and Bismarck were on the list of flagged school districts. The Fargo Superintendent of Schools says the accusations are groundless-- his counterparts in Bismarck said they are flabbergasted.

The subject of Ken Rogers’ weekly Tribune column was tolerance in ND. He said, “Non-North Dakotans find it confusing.” And well they might. Rogers described how people of diverse backgrounds formed supportive communities in ND, but once those communities were established they grew suspicious of newcomers and those from somewhere else. It was as if the communities formed protective shells. He would like to see people of the state “express tolerance across a wider landscape.”

“The message we’ve delivered to our young people in North Dakota for decades has been, in order to be successful, you have to move off the farm, you have to get a baccalaureate degree, and you have to move to Minneapolis, Chicago, or Denver,” said John Richman, president of the State College of Science in Wahpeton. ND community colleges are advertising an alternative -- programs that better match the state’s job openings. The colleges say Four-year programs have been overemphasized and there are good-paying careers in energy, manufacturing and health which require only two-year degrees.

The White Earth Reservation, Minnesota’s largest and most populous, is about 60 miles northeast of Fargo. Chairwoman Erma Vizenor says the tribe desperately needs health care, education and housing. She has a solution -- the tribe should be allowed to open a casino in the Twin Cities. Half the estimated $300 million annual profit would go to the tribe; the other half would go to the state for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. Reception to her idea has been frosty, not only by those who oppose more gambling, but also by other Minnesota casino-owning tribes. Vizenor is undaunted, she says you can quote her, “They’re shackled by money, power and greed.”

Nearly everyone who reads this newsletter has likely been to the Twin Cities Mall of America. If you felt it was too small and crowded, relief is in sight. Developers are planning a $200 million expansion.

The 1996 movie “Fargo” created a small earthquake in the real Fargo and aftershocks continue to this day. What if there is a TV adaptation of “Fargo?” Will there be a new set of tremors? Well, minds at MGM TV are considering such an adaptation for the FX cable network.

Would you like to be a rodeo queen or princess? You do -- well, things are falling into place. Get ready for the rodeo queen seminar to be held in Bismarck in April. An impressive list of former national Miss Rodeos will discuss basics such as horsemanship, but also provide tips on some of the juicier essentials such as hair and makeup, and securing appropriate rodeo queen clothing.

Spring is early in ND, but it’s too early for a swim. In Fargo, a suspected thief jumped into the Red River to avoid police by swimming to Moorhead. About half way across the young man was overcome by hypothermia and lost his life in the 44 degree water.

Gudrun Sand Nelson Peterson Skalicky (88). As readers know, I peruse obituaries for bits of ND history. Gudrun was born in Van Hook, a town now submerged in Lake Sakakawea, became a nurse in the Powers Lake area, stayed healthy and outlived three husbands. Her family reflects ND migration patterns: her daughters scattered to Illinois, Texas and Virginia; her five sisters drifted away, two survive her in Denver and Kansas City. The obituary of Nora Melvold Paulson (103) indicates she was “the last of the homestead families in the state of North Dakota.” For 22 years she was the head surgical nurse at Jamestown Hospital.

DAKTOIDS: Dunn County deputy Leif Anderson had three careless crashes in a little over a year and was fired. He had a ready explanation -- “the worst luck in the world” . . . Airport directors often beg for facility upgrades -- Minot’s director has gone further, he wants to triple the size of the terminal because it is one of the fastest growing airports in the nation . . . The mayor of Medora wants to hang himself (in a safety harness) to entertain wild west tourists -- astonished city commissioners said, aaah, we’ll get back to you.