SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - NOVEMBER 11, 2019
YEAH! This newsletter has often referred to the Amtrak Empire Builder as an unreliable, expensive anachronism that arrives in Fargo in the middle of the night (maybe?). Fast, reliable morning service from Fargo to the Twin Cities with a return in the evening would be far superior. Guess what — it’s being considered — Minnesota DOT planners are preparing proposals, although they indicate it may take four years to get service. Fargo people say that’s too long.
THEY REALLY DIDN’T MEAN IT "We did not intend to take Jamestown and give it away. Perham (Minnesota) did not get anything. Nothing was taken off premises.” — Tina Busche, a member of the Frontier Village Ass’n board. After key resignations, the FVA board narrowly approved turning over all assets to the city of Jamestown. The decision was made at a raucous meeting where police were called to maintain order. You will be happy to know goats and horses are among the assets being transferred to Jamestown. The acting president of the FVA offered an apology to the community and Jamestown City Council saying "I'm so sorry it ever went this far.”
COMPETITIVE? There is a concern that the search for a new UND president has not attracted inspiring candidates. A GF Herald editorial agreed with columnist Mike Jacobs — UND’s $365,000 annual salary for its president may not be competitive on a national basis. The national median for presidents of public colleges of all sizes is $438,000.
DISASTERS On ND’s 130th birthday, Gov. Doug Burgum issued a proclamation full of long-term optimism. Columnist Mike Jacobs said that’s very well, but in the short term the state faces two disasters. The first is the extraordinary wet fall weather which threatens to ruin farmers already on the edge because of a series of bad years. The second is the nearly 400,000 gallon Keystone pipeline spill in northeast ND. The spill is contained and is being remediated, but Jacobs sees it as a bad omen in the debate about fossil fuels and global warming.
PIPELINE PROTESTS BOLSTERED “That pipeline should be pulled out of the ground. And Keystone XL (a proposed pipeline passing through SD) should be stopped as well.” — Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Mike Faith referring in the first instance to the Dakota Access pipeline. The Keystone spill mentioned above has bolstered protests against both pipelines. Chase Iron Eyes, lead counsel for the Lakota Peoples’s Law Project, said “This latest Keystone leak demonstrates why we stood against Dakota Access in the first place, why we’re doing so again now, and why we’re prepared to fight Keystone XL every step of the way.” Federal regulators have closed the Keystone pipeline in ND until corrective action is taken.
HIGH WAGES ARE NOT ENOUGH Paula Hickel manages the state workforce center for the Northwest Region (Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties). Over 1,400 jobs are posted in that region and average $29 an hour compared to a state average of $27. Hinkel told a group of oil industry executives that while her region has the highest wages in the state it also has a high cost of living. McKenzie County has the state’s highest cost of living. Jobs in the region can be hard to fill because of difficult hours and working conditions. One worker said, “I earn great money,” but “Who cares about how much we make if we have no life.”
DOLLARS FOR NURSES On the surface, it seems like ND should have an adequate number of nurses, it has 14 nurses per 1,000 residents compared to a national average of 9.5. However, the state’s nurses are concentrated in cities — Burleigh County (Bismarck) has 20 nurses per 1,000, while Indian reservations have as few as 3 per 1,000 (Sioux County). The state is offering a $4,000 incentive to health care facilities that recruit an out of state nurse and that person works in the state for four years. That hardly seems sufficient to change the pattern.
MOBILE RECON SYSTEMS, a Kentucky company that manufacturers drones with capacity to lift over 200 pounds, will set up shop in Grand Forks using the proceeds of a $1.2 million loan from a bank and two state development agencies. The project is seen by Grand Forks as a validation of their UAS strategy.
WHAT DOES THIS GET THEM? In 2015, a drunken driver in Mandan crashed into a car killing two people and permanently injuring another. The drunken driver is serving a prison sentence and has an expected release date of 2036. A jury awarded over $1 billion to the survivor and families of the deceased. Where can this go? Insurance money and other resources of the imprisoned driver will never make a dent in $1 billion.
JOHN CALVERT, a Fargo retired political science teacher, takes a dim view of teacher colleges. In a letter to the Forum, he claimed the colleges are anti-intellectual and push content-free critical thinking. Calvert says there is a consequence: “This reputation means that education majors come mainly from the lower half of college-bound high school grads. They know that an education degree is the easiest degree to get.” Many will see Calvert’s view as harsh and unfair.
FEWER BIRDS “There’s a decline in the number of insects all over the world. Less insects means less birds. That’s pretty fundamental science.” — Ron Martin, a Minot birder, commenting on the loss of birds in ND, particularly, meadowlarks. Bird numbers in North American have declined 25% since 1970. One of the reasons for the insect decline is pesticides.
MISS MONTANA is a vegan, an animal rights activist and advocates against agriculture . . . and appears to live in California. A strange outcome in a state where ag is the No. 1 economic driver. Forum columnist Katie Pinke said Melissa Underwood used a production company that represents several states to enter the contest and concluded “Miss Montana misrepresents the state.” Underwood previously competed in Miss California pageants.
DAKTOIDS: Last Sunday was ND’s 130th birthday — the same is true of SD. Are they twins, or is ND the 39th state and SD the 40th? . . . Only Bismarck and Minot in ND will still have a Kmart — Minot’s will be downsized. Minneapolis has the only remaining Kmart in Minnesota . . . Jessica Thomasson, the CEO of Lutheran Social Services in ND, will become the head of the state Dept. of Human Services . . . NDSU football remains the top-ranked team in the FCS poll . . . The High Plains Fugitive Task Force made up of local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 100 fugitives in Bismarck-Mandan since its formation four months ago.
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