SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
TOO THRILLING FOR WORDS Sure, the likes of Clint Black, Charley Pride, etc. were at the Norsk Hostfest this week, but let’s look at the acts people really wanted to see. Trembling with anticipation, the crowd in the Great Hall of the Vikings awaited the delightful Norwegian Bachelor Farmers and the unforgettable Norwegian Cowboy, singer Bjoro Haaland. Famous relatives roamed the grandstands — Ricky Nelson’s sons, as well as singers Matt Vee and Killer Vees, son and nephew of the late Bobby Vee . . . and there was more.
DARIN ERSTAD, an inductee into this year’s Scandinavian Hall of Fame, spoke to a joint service club meeting in Minot. Steve Shirley, Minot State president, introduced Jamestown’s Darin Erstad as “the finest athlete ever to come out of North Dakota.” Admirers of Carson Wentz and Jim Kleinsasser might pause at that comment, but nevertheless agree, that as a member of a World Series winner (Anaheim Angels) and a National Championship football team (Nebraska Cornhuskers), Erstad is among the very best athletes to come out of ND.
THE NO. 1 NDSU BISON hung in there, but barely, defeating No. 4 UC Davis 27-16 at the Fargodome. The win did not come easily and was only accomplished by two interceptions by the defense late in the fourth quarter. The Bison have a 25-game winning streak — the Bison also own the longest winning streak in FCS history, 33 in a row from 2012-2014.
WHAT ABOUT THE THREE Rs? The Dickinson Press headline declared “Lincoln expands social/emotional learning; teaches inclusiveness, regulating emotions.” How will Lincoln Elementary School do that? For starters, each school day will begin with 30 minutes of social/emotional learning. Then on to the good stuff: Monday - posing for an aerial photo, Tuesday - greet usually ignored peers, Wednesday - wear yellow for positivity, Thursday - wear orange and enjoy clementines (citrus fruit), and Friday - prepare sticky notes with kind words.
WHERE’S THE ACHIEVEMENT? Rob Port said, “I am not against compensating our educators generously,” and then noted school spending (K-12) in ND had risen 67% in the last decade, while enrollment increased only 18%. He would feel better if the spending increases were matched with achievement improvement, but test scores were basically flat.
NOT SO BAD TODAY “Maybe 10% to 15% of the farmers have ‘very deep’ irretrievable problems, where in the 1980s, everybody had problems.” — Scott Steffes, president of a Fargo farm auction company. Steffes believes today’s farmers are much better financial managers and are more “debt-conscious” than in the 1980s. He sees a healthy farmland market, “Right now there are way more buyers than sellers in the farmland world.” He noted the average retiring farmer sells equipment grossing $600,000 and almost none of retiring farmers are selling their land. Most auctions today are online in some form.
WINNERS AND LOSERS The Brookings Institute projected the estimated economic damage from climate change by 2080-99 on individual states. Generally, states on the southern border were most affected, for example, Florida and Texas. States on the northern border will often have their economies improved by climate change. ND was one of the most-benefited states.
CHUCK HAGA has an off-and-on relationship with the GF Herald. Haga wrote for the Herald until 1987 when he left for 20 years with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Returning to the Herald, he retired six years later. After teaching journalism at UND for another six years, Haga is back at the Herald with a weekly column. In an introductory column, he said, “Like many of you, I lament some of what’s happened in the news business. I regret but understand the economic necessity of paywalls, and while I still eagerly await the arrival of my printed newspaper in the morning, I accept the inevitability of the digital age.” The Herald recently introduced an online paywall.
HYPOCRISIES A Minot Daily News editorial acknowledged “blackface” charges against Canadian PM Justin Trudeau went too far: “Human beings make mistakes.” But the News said one question about Trudeau may be worth asking: “How would he have reacted in public to a similar situation involving a conservative foe?”
ARE THEY RETREATING, or being realistic? About 84% of South Dakota high school students graduate on time, but less than half are "fully prepared for post-secondary education and the workforce.” -- From a report of the SD Dept. of Education. The problem is particularly acute on Indian reservations where little more than half of students graduate on time. Gov. Kristi Noem is making a push for technical skills programs in high schools. A technical high school will open on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation — over 10% of the SD population is American Indian.
WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA, is not on your radar, unless you saw a Washington Post article this week. The city is in the southwestern corner of the state on I-90 about 50 miles east of Sioux Falls, SD. The Post article identified Worthington as a place that received the second most unaccompanied minors (refugees) per capita in the nation. The farming, meatpacking community has 35% ELL students, mostly from Central America. The city has an unresolved education crisis which has caused bitter division. Five times in a row, school district residents, including many white farmers, have refused to support a school expansion. Fifty years ago Worthington was almost all white.
DAKTOIDS: The GF Herald noticed that much of a proposed contract for ND university presidents is lifted from former UND President Kennedy’s U. of Colorado contract . . . The Air Force wants new wind turbines to be at least two miles from missile facilities — the reason: flight safety for AF helicopters . . . Carson Wentz’s deal with Amazon is news — equally newsworthy, he may have a dozen other commercial endorsements . . . The new Williston Basin International Airport is scheduled to open October 10th . . . The U.S. Census Bureau released a report on 2018 income inequality — ND and SD were among the five states with the most economic equality.
DakotaBeacon