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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - OCTOBER18, 2016

EQUILIBRIUM AT UND “Note Kennedy’s choice of word: thoughtlessness, not racism.” -- Tom Dennis of the GF Herald applauded UND President Mark Kennedy for defending campus free speech by being tolerant with students who sent offensive Snapchat photos. Kennedy said, “If we value freedom of speech, we must acknowledge that some may find the expressions of others unwelcome, painful, or even, offensive. We can, however, speak out and condemn such expressions, and we can work to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment.” Kennedy’s action received national attention (as had the student behavior) including an article in the Washington Post.

TOM DENNIS contrasted Kennedy’s even-handed policy to that at the University of Minnesota. College Republicans at the UMN posted messages in support of Trump and “Build the Wall.” A university official at the Multicultural Center directed the messages to the UMN bias incident team.
OPTIMISM At his inauguration ceremony, UND President Mark Kennedy invoked the names of famous alumni, including Judge Ronald Davies, who ruled to desegregate Little Rock Senior High School; Phil Jackson, who won 11 championships as an NBA coach; and Carl Ben Eielson, who became the first person to fly across the Arctic in an airplane. Kennedy said UND has always charted new frontiers and will continue to do so under his leadership.

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES refuses to release its 2017 plan for refugee resettlement in ND. That’s the contention of Lee Murdock in a letter to ND newspapers. Murdock says it’s time for LSS to come out of the shadows. A Fargo city commissioner confronted LSS CEO Jessica Thomasson about excluding the city from determinations about refugee resettlement.

THANKS FOR NOTHING “As for the DNR and Gov. Dayton, thanks for nothing. I expect the next time we have a severe flood, you will be here to help sandbag.” -- Forum columnist Jim Shaw commenting on the decision of the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources to deny a permit for the F-M flood diversion project. He said, “The DNR has also abandoned many Moorhead residents who need their homes protected and their jobs in Fargo protected.” A majority of Moorhead residents work in ND.

JAMESTOWN is the center of a 9-county area in south central ND. The ND Housing Finance Agency estimates the area will lose four percent of its population during roughly the next decade. The remaining population will grow older and poorer. Prospects for the area and Jamestown, in particular, were much brighter a little over a year ago before CHS, a large farm cooperative, abandoned plans for a $3 billion fertilizer plant near Jamestown. The Agency expects a drop in needed housing units.

DIDN’T SEE NFL POTENTIAL The football coach at Century H.S. in Bismarck has coached two NFL players, but in neither case did he see NFL potential. Ron Wingenbach coached Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz at Century. Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser was a junior high player in Wingenbach’s program in Carrington.

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK Income is not the only reason to go to college, but it’s right up there. We might assume that graduating from a prestigious college will lead to a high income. Well, maybe not. A survey of Minnesota’s 43 largest colleges and universities found that 10 years after enrollment students from Capella U. and Walden U. (both are for-profit schools using online instruction) had the highest salaries and highest percent of former students making more than high school graduates. The U. of Minnesota Twin Cities students were well below the online schools on both counts. Capella and Walden are both headquartered in Minnesota.

A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT has ruled that work may continue on the Dakota Access Pipeline, although approval of the Corps of Engineers is still required for the Missouri River crossing. It does not appear protests will end soon. What began as narrowly focused opposition to a pipeline river crossing has morphed into a national “cause celebre” which has attracted activists to ND. Most of the over 100 people arrested thus far are from other states. The ND Stockmen’s Association has expressed alarm at the level of theft, vandalism and intimidation by protesters. They allege school buses have been stopped by masked protesters.

THE DAPL PROTESTS are a magnet for liberal celebrities and politicians. Winona LaDuke is a little of each. Once a Green Party candidate for vice-president, she is presently an activist and member of the Minnesota White Earth Ojibwe tribe and opposes the ND oil industry. The Hollywood-born LaDuke led a protest horse ride along the 270-mile route of the DAPL from Cannon Ball to Tioga. Amy Goodman, the voice of Democracy Now, a left-leaning version of the news aired on some NPR stations, was arrested at the protests. Celebrities have been charged with felonies for tampering with pipeline valves in Minnesota and Walhalla, ND.

MORTON COUNTY Commission Chair Cody Schulz said, “About 50 county, city, state and federal agencies; with more than 725 individual law enforcement or emergency management personnel, have assisted Morton County in dealing with the protests.” Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said, “We have basically tapped the resources to a level that we’ve never seen here in North Dakota for one particular incident.” He will call in deputies from other states if necessary to respond to simultaneous protests. The president of the Western States Sheriffs’ Association pledged the support of his group and Wisconsin is sending 40 deputies.

HOW ARE PROTESTORS SUSTAINED? A partial answer comes from a newspaper column in Sonoma County, California, about a Native American woman there who drove to Standing Rock to deliver blankets and such. She said the trip “changes your perspective completely” and validates Indian beliefs and rituals. She witnessed children being taught how to skin and cook elk and buffalo. A GoFundMe appeal in Sonoma County raised $14,000 for encampment toilets and shelters -- more fund raising is planned.

BIZARRE EVENT OF THE WEEK Bryce Ironhawk of Standing Rock drove a stolen Camaro over 110 mph and is accused of drunken driving and allegedly crashing into an occupied teepee at the DAPL protest camp.

DAKTOIDS: As of last Saturday, ND teams were on top of their respective conferences: Missouri Valley -- NDSU (2-0) and Big Sky -- UND (3-0) . . . Construction began on the $240 million Williston Airport . . . General Electric purchased wind blade manufacturer LM Wind Power, one of Grand Forks’ largest private employers . . . Eugene Dahl, who played a prominent role in the growth of both Bobcat and Steiger, received this year's Rough Rider Award -- ND's highest honor.

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