Dakota Beacon

“WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.” -- Bismarck Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson used a biblical quote to describe the nearly unanimous reaction to Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s decision to retire in 2016.

“THUS SHE HAS DEFINED HERSELF as a North Dakotan in the Senate more than as a Democrat in the Senate.” -- GF Herald columnist Mike Jacobs referring to U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp. He said, “Her press releases—and they are frequent—stress three themes: federal grants to North Dakota interests, her disagreements with the Obama administration on issues such as coal, water and guns, and her advocacy for women and American Indians.”

LOST PRESIDENCY Last week, a Tom Dennis column in the Herald was headed “Don’t saddle next president with UND nickname issue.” He contended that Robert Kelley’s presidency at UND was lost due to the Fighting Sioux nickname issue. Dennis said, “Let’s not lose yet another presidency to this issue” and urged Kelley be permitted to settle the issue before his January retirement.

FOX GUARDING THE HEN HOUSE A strong argument can be made that Kelley is exactly the person that should not settle the issue. The issue has been in front of him since he joined UND in 2008 and he has never provided leadership for a satisfactory resolution. Moreover, many believe that Kelley’s indifference (or dislike) was a major factor causing UND and the state to lose a beloved and commercially valuable brand. Should an unpopular lame duck make such an important decision?

ARROGANCE? The worst fears of Kelley’s critics were confirmed when he announced late last week that “UND/North Dakota” will not be a choice in an upcoming nickname vote, although polls indicate it is an overwhelming favorite. The GF Herald asked readers to vote on a list including five names plus “None of the above.” No surprise, “None” got over half the votes. “Roughriders” was second with 16 percent. Why not give UND stakeholders a choice -- why only the five uninspiring names on Kelley’s list?

"IN MY JUDGMENT, your performance this year has exceeded expectations." -- Kelley’s assessment of UND Provost Thomas DiLorenzo. A UND faculty group bypassed Kelley and asked ND University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott to dismiss Dilorenzo.

IS THIS A PRELUDE? Increasingly, statewide news articles in the Bismarck Tribune are identified as originating with the Forum News Service. One day last week, six of seven statewide news articles in the Tribune were from the Forum. The Tribune staff now covers mostly local stories.

THE 2015 ACT SCORES by state have been released. When a state does well, its media praise the result. When it doesn’t, the media in that state is relatively silent. Minnesota and South Dakota schools were praised by their media for exceeding national average scores. ND’s scores in all categories were below national averages and its media was quiet.

THERE’S A CATCH The average ACT scores in MN and SD are suspect because only three out of four students in those states took the test. It is quite likely weaker students, those not college bound, were the ones who did not take the test. ND, Montana and Wyoming are among 13 states where all students were required to take the test. ND’s overall scores ranked 3rd among the 13 states.

HOW NOT TO MAKE FRIENDS Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton referred to Nodaks as Neanderthals. Why? ND was able to overturn a MN law barring the purchase of coal-generated electricity.

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN The U.S. Corps of Engineers is under pressure from Congress to use a promising new funding method for federal projects. Fargo-Moorhead needs funding for its $2 billion flood diversion project, under normal circumstances a low priority project for federal funding. The F-M Diversion Board is considering a public-private partnership, or P3, to get the project done faster and cheaper. Under P3, a private firm would finance, build and operate the diversion and would be repaid over time with sales taxes.

SHARING FARM EQUIPMENT Custom combiners were once a big feature of ND grain harvests -- they followed ripening crops from Kansas to Canada. The practice permitted high utilization of expensive harvesters that would otherwise be used for only a month or two each year. Today, farmers have individual pieces of equipment costing several hundred thousand dollars which are idle most of the year. FarmLink in Kansas City wants to change that. It has an online platform to help farmers rent out unused equipment to other farmers, some, hundreds of miles away. The practice is especially attractive now because of a weak farm economy.

FEAST OR FAMINE In 2011, Dickinson hotels were 95 percent occupied; this year it’s about 55 percent. Williston opened 16 hotels since 2010; this year, their occupancy rate is also about 55 percent.

THE DICKINSON STATE FOUNDATION is such a mess that a court-appointed receiver recommends the foundation be dissolved. The reasons are complex, but basically the receiver believes a court dissolution is needed to clear up significant unresolved legal issues.

FEMINIST FACULTY AT NDSU label any unwanted comments, gestures and actions toward women as one end of a “spectrum of sexual violence.” -- From Meredith Holt, columnIst on women’s issues for the Forum. Her column was about “catcalls.”

A SALARY BY ANY OTHER NAME . . . Athletes at NDSU and UND on full scholarship will receive $3,400 this season to cover costs other than tuition, fees, books and housing. NDSU says the payments are essential for recruiting.

“ONE THING ABOUT THIS LOSS: It was further evidence why the NDSU president was a little too premature in his confidence of ‘GameDay’ (ESPN) coming to Fargo for a third straight season.” -- A Forum sportswriter commenting on Montana’s dramatic 38-35 victory over the No. 1-ranked NDSU Bison.

DAKTOIDS: A new grill and bar near NDSU called Herd & Horns will serve 21 tap beers. Patrons chug from bison horn-shaped mugs . . . TV stations in ND are receiving a large unexpected bonus -- ads purchased to sway Heidi Heitkamp’s Senate vote on the Iranian nuclear agreement.