SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - MAY 26, 2015
STALKING-HORSE “In the land of tangled webs, there may come a time when the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake Sioux both support a plain Sioux logo, as has happened previously.” -- This excerpt from a letter to the GF Herald sounds like a supporter of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo? Think again. Donald Beard of Banning, Calif., an inveterate letter writer and nickname opponent, was concerned that UND’s new nickname will be some variation of UND/North Dakota, a name which he views as a “stalking-horse” for the eventual return of the Fighting Sioux nickname.
WATCH OUT! Columnist Lloyd Omdahl is full of warnings for Mark Hagerott, the new chancellor of the ND University System. Omdahl even suggests that Hagerott squirrel away some of his moving allowance, “just in case.” Omdahl said, “One of the reasons we have been going through chancellors like wheat bundles through a threshing rig is because we don't have consensus on the meaning of ‘system.’” He points out that everyone from college presidents to students and parents has a different expectation of the “system.” “Unless these various constituencies get on the same page, conflict and discontent will continue to reign on the higher education scene.”
THE TOWER OF POWER “In North Dakota, the path to power leads through the tower. That's the state Capitol tower.” -- In his “Onlooker” column, Mike Jacobs demonstrates that political power in ND is usually derived by serving in the executive branch rather than the legislature. Citizens serving in a legislature that meets every two years do not remain long in the public eye.
END OF A RUN In 11 years as coach of the UND hockey team, Dave Hakstol led the program to seven NCAA Frozen Fours, the most of any program during that period. Hakstol has resigned to become coach of the NHL Philadelphia Flyers. Assistant Brad Berry will replace him.
SMALL WORLD Recently, U.S. Attorneys in both ND and SD resigned and joined the Robins Kaplan law firm in Minneapolis to head an American Indian law group in the Dakotas. They will provide legal expertise to tribal clients. When Tim Purdon (ND) and Brendan Johnson(SD) decided to work in the private sector, they turned to an unusual source: Headhunter Jane Roberts, wife of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who linked them up with Robins Kaplan.
PLAYING FAVORITES When President Obama picked businessman George Tsunis to be Ambassador to Norway there was a chorus of loud boos -- Tsunis was an Obama campaign bundler who knew little of Norway. Tsunis was hooked offstage. Enter Samuel Heins, a Minneapolis attorney, who has a much more impressive resume. A GF Herald editorial said “Obama has turned to another bundler. And that’s a shame. There has long been something hugely distasteful about any system in which people appear to be able to buy their way into prominent, powerful and taxpayer-paid posts.” It should be noted this practice is not unique to Obama or Democratic administrations.
GUESS WHAT SHE WAS COOKING? The estate of a retired high school home economics teacher gave $2 million to Bismarck Public Schools -- the largest gift to a public school foundation in ND history. Lois Watts (93) was the widow of Bob Watts, the founder of Capital Aviation in Bismarck. Earlier, they made a $1 million gift to the Bismarck schools.
THE TOP BABY NAME for boys in ND in 2014 was Liam. Huh! I must have been sleeping when that name rode to popularity. Wikipedia says it’s a variation of William. Liam was also one of the top five names for boys in Minnesota. For girls, Harper was the top name in ND and Olivia in MN. Avery was the fifth most popular name for girls in ND -- that’s another surprise.
WHAT’S THAT BUZZING? Imagine a drone hovering over a feedlot reading the electronic ear tags on cows. Experiments of this type are taking place at the NDSU research center in Carrington. The center is also using drones to monitor crop conditions. The flights are approved by the FAA in collaboration with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site centered at Grand Forks.
A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE Jamestown, which had a population of about 15,000 in the 2010 census, has a number of new, large industrial projects. A hint at what is coming -- a developer plans a 456-unit apartment near Jamestown High School. More confirmation of future change -- Stutsman County approved an 80-acre crew camp to house from 1,000 to 2,200 workers.
FEWER RIGS, FEWER STUDENTS? Bismarck Tribune writer Lauren Donovan reports school administrators in western ND find it tough to predict fall enrollments because of uncertainty created by the suspension of oil drilling. Some students definitely are leaving the state with their parents, yet new families continue to file into the state to fill other jobs in the oil industry.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN A Tribune editorial notes there is a good side to lower oil prices. Western ND is in the process of putting $1.1 billion of special infrastructure funds to work. Bids are coming in below forecasts because of the impact of lower oil prices on inputs such as asphalt (20 percent lower). Also, more contractors are available and competition is keener.
ALIENATION Last week, the Economist was quoted as saying Minnesota Somalis are one of the most troubled groups of immigrants. This week, a Somali community organizer in Minneapolis discussed the alienation of young Somali-Americans. He blamed the alienation on “rejection by parents” who ignore their children’s issues and are overly engaged in matters related to their home country of Somalia. Secondly, he blamed the broader community for ignoring the grievances of Somali youth. He had an unusual (and probably impracticable) recommendation: “Restrict visas for the parade of Somali politicians traveling to places like the Twin Cities.”
MORE CHARGES Two of six young Somali men from Minneapolis charged with terrorism also have fraud charges, that is, for using educational loans to purchase airline tickets to the Middle East. Fifty Minnesota Muslim groups signed a petition against federal programs to counter violent terrorism: “It is our recommendation that the government stop investing in programs that will only stigmatize, divide and marginalize our communities further.”
DAKTOIDS: The AARP selected Bismarck as one of the Top Ten Most Livable Cities of its size . . . About half of the unsheltered homeless in ND are employed and living in vehicles and tents in the oil patch.
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