Dakota Beacon

ELECTION RESULTS in ND can be summed up “no surprise, no change.”  Republicans easily held all statewide offices and the Legislature (4:1 Senate, 5:1 House).  An election across the Red River in Minnesota may have consequences for ND.  Democrat Collin Peterson has long represented the 7th Congressional District in Minnesota, an agricultural district which borders ND.  Peterson chairs the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, a position he used to champion the Red River Valley sugar beet industry.  Peterson was defeated by Republican Michelle Fishbach who will not have that clout.  NDSU estimates the sugar industry has a $5 billion impact on the economy of the Red River Valley.

MIDWESTERN STATES have a lock on low unemployment rates.  Nebraska, SD, ND and Iowa are among the states with the lowest rates in October — their economies are clearly recovering more quickly than the nation.  They are also states which took a relatively hands-off approach to the coronavirus and are now experiencing some of nation’s highest per capita infection rates.  There is a debate — are their economies strong because of the hands-off approach, or is it more the nature of rural economies that held up well in the pandemic?

UNCOMFORTABLE AT NUMBER ONE  "We're number one NDSU football team. … We love that. … But we never wanted to be number one COVID state in the nation.” — Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoneyused his emergency powers to order a mask mandate in ND's largest city.  A Creighton University economist cautioned that politicians should be careful — closing the economy down could “be very deadly and push unemployment rates back up.” 

RELUCTANT COUNCIL  An open records request by the GF Herald turned up thousands of emails and texts between UND President Andrew Armacost, GF Mayor Brandon Bochenski and members of the City Council regarding action needed to stem the soaring number of coronavirus cases in GF.  Acting behind the scenes, Armacost urged city leaders to order a mask mandate.  The council finally took that step in a unanimous vote on October 26, which culminated an intense, slow-moving debate.  Armacost has asked UND students to stay in GF during the Thanksgiving recess to minimize spreading the virus.

IT’S GOOD THEY ARE YOUNG  “Cots and bedding are provided by the American Red Cross” — GF Herald.   Was the Red Cross dealing with a natural disaster?  Not exactly.  Mayville State has a rash of coronavirus cases — positive cases were moved into the Wellness Center gym.  That’s where the Red Cross went into action.  The small campus had 41 active cases among students and 13 among staff.  The MSU president asked students to “stay in place” and nonessential staff to work from home.

LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES account for about 60% of the coronavirus deaths in ND.  Dr. Paul Carlson, a public health specialist at NDSU, said, “The idea that we can somehow ‘shelter the vulnerable’ while letting the epidemic go in the broader community is a fatally flawed idea, as we have seen demonstrated in our state.”  Jamestown Mayor Dwaine Heinrich urged residents to slow the spread of the virus in the “city’s greatest hour of need” — as of Wednesday, 47 people at long-term care facilities in Jamestown were infected.  Dr. Jeffrey Sather at Trinity Hospital in Minot said “We North Dakotans are in crisis” because of a shortage of hospital beds and qualified staff.

BALANCING ACT  The Fargo School District is changing school boundaries.  Their controversial objective is twofold: First, to reduce overcrowding in the south side and, secondly, to improve the socioeconomic mix of students.  About 33% of students are considered low income (free or reduced meals).  They are bunched up in a few schools and many are English Language Learners.  Increased busing will be required to achieve the objectives.

THE HEADLINES LOOKED BAD —  $16 million of coronavirus relief money given to frackers.  The headlines were correct — the ND legislative Budget Section voted 33-5 to reimburse oil companies $200,000 to complete each of 80 wells drilled, but not fracked.  Critics saw the allocation as a giveaway to big oil companies.  A Williston area legislator said the $16 million would help an area disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.  Dept. of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms argued that the fracking grants will employ 500 to 1,000 people and easily pay for themselves in tax and royalty payments to the state.

A SHARED STADIUM  Taylor Stadium at the University of Jamestown will be renovated and renamed.  A $11.5 million project will provide a new football field and track to be shared by the university and Jamestown Public Schools — a resourceful use of the facility.  First Community Credit Union was the lead corporate donor with $1 million, the largest corporate donation ever made in the area — the new stadium will be named for Gordon and Charlotte Hansen, former Jamestown Sun owners.

RESETTING WENTZ  “He’s an elite athlete who runs the team and makes brilliant plays,” the Philadelphia Daily News cited the strengths of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, BUT also noted he leads the NFL in turnovers and has been sacked 32 times.  The Daily News said the ND native needs a vacation, “His job is simply overwhelming him. It’s too much. He has to reset his mind. So: No football for a week.”

DAKTOIDS:  Correction: last week it was reported that a new Fargo Amazon distribution center will employ 1,000 people — a revised Forum article said the number should be 500 . . . This has been a good year for most ND farmers, but not for growers of fresh potatoes — they waited too long to dig — the potatoes froze . . . This spring, a drone network will be laid out and ready in ND’s Williams and McKenzie counties, the most prolific oil producing counties, to permit drones to operate beyond visual line of sight . . . ND is nearly surrounded:  Canada has legalized recreational marijuana; SD and Montana voters made the same decision this week.