Home Contact Register Subscribe to the Beacon Login

Monday, September 29, 2014

SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

 

THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THERE . . . Most miners left the 1849 California gold rush the way they arrived -- empty-handed. The people most likely to make lasting fortunes were those who provisioned the miners with food and tools. Duane Barth of Jamestown is the owner of the The Rental Store in Jamestown -- he has a full line of equipment, but portable toilets are the burgeoning part of his business. Starting with a few toilets, he now has hundreds spread all over the Oil Patch. A fleet of trucks services the toilets.

“WHAT THE GRIZ LEARNED IN FARGO” was a headline in the Missoulian after the U. of Montana Grizzlies lost to the NDSU Bison 22-10 in the Fargodome. What did the Griz learn in Fargo? First, the pregame program was spellbinding -- Bison fans have a special app on their iPhones which flashes school colors as the players rush onto the field amidst ear-shattering music. And the noise, lots of it, echoes and is disruptive. Inexperienced Montana players found it hard to adjust. But the overriding conclusion: “Steel sharpens steel,” the Grizzlies and Bison are an FCS showcase event -- the game should be played every year.

NO THANKS Andy Peterson, CEO of the Greater North Dakota Chamber, says ND should politely say “thank you” each time Minnesota makes an anti-business decision. The “thank yous” may be ending. The Minnesota PUC took an “unprecedented action, on a split vote” to significantly delay the Enbridge Sandpiper pipeline which crosses Minnesota as well as ND. The delay will create rail and road congestion in both states and cause further rail problems at grain elevators. Peterson said the ND PUC efficiently permitted that state’s portion of the pipeline.

THE WEST WANTS THE MONEY Presently, the oil production tax in ND goes 75% to the state and 25% to local government, mostly in the Oil Patch. Legislators are proposing a massive realignment that would give the state 40% and local government 60%. Legislators from the eastern part of the state may be expected to resist such a large change in the billion dollar allocation.

CHS, the big Minnesota coop, will build a $6.5 million propane terminal in Hannaford, a town of less than 200 located on the BNSF Railroad in east central ND. Each week, the terminal will receive 48 rail cars of propane from a CHS loading facility in the Oil Patch. Trucks will distribute the propane to most of eastern ND. The new terminal should reduce prices and avoid shortages.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION . . . Almost every large city has neighborhoods which visitors are advised to avoid. Those warnings do not usually extend to the chief of police. Minneapolis police Chief Janee Harteau skipped a community forum in the city’s South Side because police intelligence indicated “potential for physical violence” and “I have decided it is in the best interest of community public safety to cancel my appearance.”

IS SOMETHING ROTTEN IN MINNEAPOLIS? Community Action of Minneapolis receives $2.8 million in state aid to provide services to low-income residents. The services have declined, but CEO Bill Davis and his board have enjoyed celebrity cruises, trips to tropical resorts and even a car loan for the CEO. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison was on the board, but never attended a meeting; city council president Barbara Johnson was on the board, but sent an alternate; State Sen. Jeff Hayden was on the board, but appointed his wife on his behalf -- the couple traveled to the questionable retreats.

OF COURSE, THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALL DISMAYED. But a member of the Senate Finance Committee said that was not enough: “The board members should also be held accountable. Each one has a fiduciary duty to protect that public money.” Community Action risks losing state aid and may have to repay $800,000.

PROPAGANDA WAR The Twin Cities are a “prime recruiting ground for overseas terrorists.” -- A Star Tribune explanation as to why the U.S. Dept. of Justice is launching a counter-propaganda campaign targeting the local Muslim community. The director of a Somali youth outreach program says they are being outspent, outmaneuvered and quickly losing ground in the propaganda war with Middle East terrorists seeking to recruit Somali youth in Minnesota. An FBI spokesperson said, “What the recruits of 2007-08 and 2014 have in common is a missing father or strong male religious role model.”

FAMILY FIGHT Polaris and Arctic Cat have common snowmobile roots and their machines often battle in races. Both also make ATVs and have plants in northeast Minnesota near Grand Forks. Currently, their biggest battles are about patents and take place in federal district court.

AMTRAK DELAYS The westbound Empire Builder still skips Rugby, Devils Lake and Grand Forks. An alternative route has been used since March. Two members of the Minnesota Legislature blame Amtrak delays on ND crude oil shipments.

AT LAST Subway is out, Red Pepper is in as a concessionaire at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Red Pepper is known for its Mexican menu -- hockey fans will now be able to purchase one of their favorites -- the Garbage Plate.

AN ECONOMICS LESSON IS NEEDED The Bonanza steakhouse in Dickinson closed -- unable to find employees. A trigger-happy journalist at the Dickinson Press immediately spotted the problem: greedy landlords who charge $1,500 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. His article said “they’re not just a part of the problem -- they’re the root cause.” The journalist thought they should charge pre-oil boom rents. His antipathy for landlords ignored some inconvenient facts: Walmart and Menards offer $5 an hour more than the restaurant and benefits.

EASY FOR YOU TO SAY Maybe you didn’t know -- Gardar and Mountain are the heart of ND’s Icelandic community. The late Sigrun Sigurdson (98) of Mountain was born in Gardar the 12th of 13 children of Geirmundur Bjorn and Thordis Davidsdottir Olgeirson. Sigrun was married for 56 years to Stefan Baldur Sigurdson and outlived all her siblings. Stefan and Sigrun dialed back in the baby department and had only three children.

 

Click here to email your elected representatives.

Comments

No Comments Yet

Post a Comment


Name   
Email   
URL   
Human?
  
 

Upload Image    

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?