Dakota Beacon

“There’s a perception by people in the state and elsewhere that we have sort of a Wild West going on out there, with massive amounts of violent crime.” -- Carol Archbold, a NDSU researcher studying crime in the Oil Patch. She says alcohol- and drug-related crimes, traffic incidents and disorderly conduct are the cause of most police calls, not violent crime. Archbold believes much of the increase in police workload can be attributed to alcohol.

It won’t surprise you then to learn that ND has the most bars per capita in the U.S. Followed closely by neighbors: Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska.

Williams County says “enough” -- man camps near Tioga have experienced two murders and a stabbing. The county threatens to close the camps if security is not improved.

Taxable sales in ND increased 29% from 2011 to 2012 -- a record not equaled by any state. The tax commissioner noted sales are at such a high level that the rate of growth must begin to level off. The four largest cities, which are all outside the Oil Patch, averaged 12% growth. Williston had 37% growth and its sales of $3.5 billion were roughly half again as great as Fargo.

Minnesota papers hesitate to discuss this subject, because of concerns about racial and religious stereotyping. But the murder of the British soldier in London last week involved a man linked to the Somalian terrorist group al-Shabab. Al-Shabab is the group which recruited at least 20 young men from Somali populations in the Twin Cities for terrorist training and acts. Some of the men returned to the Twin Cities. Also, two women in Minnesota have been convicted of raising money for al-Shabab. Keep in mind these are only the Somalis who have been arrested or did not return -- there is no reason to think they account for everyone involved. The FBI is monitoring Somali populations in the Twin Cities. ND communities with Somali populations should also be alert.

The widening significance of Somali communities is reflected in the 2013 grants of the Bush Foundation in St. Paul. The $800 million foundation founded by 3M executive Archibald Bush named ten 2013 Bush Fellows who will each receive from $30-80,000. A Minnesota woman received a grant to “empower Somali American women to take on the challenges of political leadership.” A Fargo man received a grant to “work with newly resettled refugee families (in the F-M area) to help them improve their English.”

Ryan Taylor, a former ND state senator and 2012 candidate for governor, will use his Bush fellowship “to study the successful oil economy of Norway.” Taylor wants to see how Norway handled the risks and rewards of a booming oil industry.

Richard Betting, a retired English professor in Valley City, is the “voice of doom” for all things related to Devils Lake flooding. Here is a typical pronouncement: “In short, the most significant effect of the Tolna Coulee operating plan will be that the Sheyenne River will have become a drainage ditch for all of Devils Lake.” He predicts the plan will create a disaster downstream. Betting has been on this subject for about 15 years.

“We are pretty much an industrial city with a fairly young labor force.” -- the mayor of Richardton, ND (pop. 650). If you have heard of Richardton at all, it’s probably for its Catholic abbey. But today, this farming community east of Dickinson is home to an ethanol plant, a manufacturer of grain silos, a large new grain terminal, and an immense BNSF Railway facility for unloading fracking sand (under construction). The town’s schools are bulging.

By now it’s an old story -- Bison football players involved in a major election fraud received only a slap on the wrist because they were on a winning NDSU football team. They were penalized with minor community service (after football season, of course). A Forum editorial approved of the leniency, after all “boys will be boys.” In the latest installment of this story, several players skipped the community service part. A GF Herald editorial by Mike Jacobs sadly observed, “Shame on you NDSU for the handling of this whole sorry episode.” The Forum was strangely silent.

Columnist Lloyd Omdahl says when people move to ND from eastern states, they are shocked to find politicians from both parties look alike. According to Omdahl, the only ideological categories offered in ND are moderate, conservative and ultra-conservative. No liberals.

“Thanks, Doc, I really appreciate not having to drive all the way down there to Fargo.” -- A common reaction from telemedicine patients of the Fargo VA center. A brief appointment at a VA center could require a day of travel or an overnight stay. The Fargo center serves ND and parts of Montana, SD and MN. Technicians in ten outreach clinics assist doctors in Fargo and electronically serve 3,000 patients in the region.

It’s a fading memory, but after WWII, we often heard of DPs (displaced persons) from Europe. The late Kaza Brewinski (91) of Grand Forks was one. During the war, she and her husband were taken from rural Poland to Swabisch Hall, Germany. As a child she dreamt of going to America. A Catholic church sponsored their immigration to Thompson, ND, where Kaza worked in the potato fields and the Thompson Cafe. She saw that her four children were successfully educated.

"All those euphemisms are nothing more than poll-tested, feel-good phrases. At some point it doesn't make economic sense to continue to stay in Minnesota." -- A Minnesota attorney’s view of higher taxes for upper income residents and terms such as “fair share.” He is considering moving his law practice to another state. Whether he and other wealthy Minnesotans make good on their threats remains to be seen. ND has the welcome sign out.

DAKTOIDS: A majority of new police hires in western ND come from Minnesota, where tight budgets make law enforcement jobs harder to get. In Williston, 62% of the police force is from MN . . . Devils Lake may approach its record elevation this summer due to recent heavy rains.