Dakota Beacon

Score: Bats 2, McClean County 0.  A second McClean County employee has been diagnosed with a serious illness believed to be caused by bat droppings at the courthouse in Washburn.  The 100-year-old courthouse may have to be abandoned.  Voters turned down a new courthouse in 2002.  McClean County straddles Lake Sakakawea and is about halfway between Minot and Bismarck.

Politics is local.  Brows were furrowed at the Minot City Council when members of a task force discussed President Obama’s goal of phasing out nuclear weapons.  Minot AFB has a nuclear mission which includes B-52 bombers and underground missiles.  The Council was comforted to hear that discussions of nuclear reduction rarely go anywhere.  Relieved, the Council quickly moved to approve a $470,000 bid for restoring the Amtrak depot -- a job to be done with federal dollars.

Former NDSU President Joseph Chapman took heat for a variety of spending and budgetary problems at the school -- he was also accused of not playing nice with others in the ND higher education community.  It seemed almost inevitable that his chief financial officer would be next to get the cudgel.  So it was no great surprise when John Adams, NDSU Vice President for Finance, made his resignation.  However, he did not go down quietly.  His resignation letter accused Chapman of bullying and ignoring warnings about the budget.  Expect more financial issues to leak out of NDSU.

By early March, 21 candidates had announced their interest in becoming NDSU president.  All but three were out-of-state candidates.  They ranged widely in experience from interim president, Dick Hanson, to an associate professor of Spanish from North Carolina.  One interesting looking candidate was John Gardner, vice president for economic development and global engagement, Washington State University.  From 1987 to 1996, Gardner was director of the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.  The 21 were narrowed to 12; more applications are expected.

Bobcat left Bismarck in December, leaving a question mark over the Northern Plains Commerce Centre, a city-owned logistics facility.  The situation looks rosier now that Schuff Steel is coming to the NPCC with 250-300 employees to manufacture wind towers.  The business needs lots of real estate -- the Schuff plant will occupy 70 acres.  The whole deal is driven by $7 million of federal tax incentives for a clean energy project in Bismarck.

The Jamestown Sun has a daily feature called “Follow The Sun,” which shows photos of travelers away from Jamestown holding a copy of the newspaper.  In this context, “Sun” has a double meaning -- almost all the travelers look well-tanned and are pictured avoiding the ND winter in sunny locations such as Phoenix and Honolulu.  There was one outlier -- a glum looking couple shown in the shadow of the Seattle Space Needle.

ND average teacher salaries were $41,600 in the 2008-09 year -- 50th in the nation.  The state uses a salary schedule based largely on education and experience.  The schedule is partially blamed for low salaries -- it does not recognize outstanding teachers, all salaries move together.

Eight members of a Minot middle school basketball team were injured.  No, they didn’t have a tough game -- their school bus hit a cow.  The 70-passenger bus was chugging across the prairie after a game in Beulah, when two cows appeared in the road.  The bus struck one and veered into a snowy ditch.  The boys are not seriously injured, but the bus and cow are disabled.

Floyd Boutrous (93) was the son of Syrian immigrants who settled in the Bismarck area 100 years ago and peddled food, pots and pans to farms and small towns.  Later the Boutrous family opened “The Corner Grocery” in Bismarck.  Floyd became a successful businessman and a leading ND patriot who became known as “Mr. Constitution.”  Floyd died in March believing “the biggest honor you can ever have is to be an American citizen.”

George Thompson (84) grew up on a farm near Steele and, like many Nodaks, was lured by the sirens of California.  He and his wife worked in downtown Los Angeles, but it wasn’t a good fit.  According to his obituary, “They kept calling George to come back to shear sheep (he was an expert shearer) and the city really wasn’t the life for small town-country people.”  They came back home, where George happily became a heavy equipment operator for the next 25 years.

Herald Editor Mike Jacobs examined the hockey rivalry between the U.S. and Canada, in particular, the close relationship between Grand Forks and its Canadian neighbors.  He made an interesting side observation: Canada’s major cities and much of its population are south of GF.

UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center has become one of the largest employers in Grand Forks.  Many of its contracts are related to energy technologies such as hydrogen, conversion of crop oil, and clean coal.  The EERC employs about 360 and expects, on average, to add one employee a week for the next two years.  The growth requires more space -- EERC is proposing a $14 million expansion.  The EERC is a successor to the UND Lignite Research Laboratory.

The Red River Valley sugar industry has completed most of its planting plans for this spring.  The genetically modified Roundup Ready seed used by most growers has already been purchased.  A court decision in San Francisco on March 5 could block those plans leaving growers with few alternatives.  The suit was brought by organic farmers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where the GM seed is grown.  A Forum editorial takes the position that if the court responsibly considers current science and potential economic damage there should be no injunction against using the GM seed.

Sports Illustrated calls the Lamoureux hockey family in Grand Forks “perhaps the most remarkable sporting clan in the United States.”  The family was the lead story in a recent SI issue.  Father Pierre was on a UND national championship hockey team; mother Linda was also a varsity athlete at UND.  But it is the six children, four boys and twin girls, all of whom have played at the highest levels of either college or professional hockey, who are the real story.  The family lives a short distance from the English Coulee in GF and, as the children grew up, they used it as their private winter training rink.  The 20-year-old twin girls, Monique and Jocelyne, are on the UND women’s hockey squad and were also prominent members of the 2010 Olympic Silver Medal Team USA.  They are the first female athletes at UND to win an Olympic medal.

The big story out of ND last week was the Florida Tristani family who were unable to navigate the Germans from Russia culture in the small town of Hazelton.  Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson may have been nearing deadline when the AP story broke.  He quickly spotted his new theme, “North Dakota is an acquired taste,” and reeled off many reasons (and stereotypes) why the state is not for everybody.  He even suggested there should be mandatory counseling for people planning to move there.  A Chicago reader said it’s not all that complicated -- ND is a “state that tests a human’s will and physical capabilities” and “it’s whether you can function under such difficult conditions.”

The best defense is a strong offense.  Hazelton didn’t buckle in the face of potentially negative articles about the town.  Instead the town listed its efforts to remain strong.  Bev Voller, a member of the Hazelton Development Corporation, described a variety of programs for maintaining a quality community.  She wrote: “Because of the recent story about Hazelton, our community has received hundreds of e-mails and telephone calls from people across the nation interested in living, working or starting a business in Hazelton.”

Herald economist Ralph Kingsbury disdains the word “huge” -- he prefers not to use it in discussions of economics.  But now he must, the Bakken development in western ND is too real, too big.  He acknowledges the state’s history of booms, particularly, in the energy industry, but sees the Bakken as something different -- something that could affect the state’s future for a half century.  This time, western ND could define the state.

The Bismarck Tribune has it about right.  The state’s current prosperity is the result of sound policies and . . . a good deal of luck -- a surging oil industry.  The state’s fiscal conservatism, both in government and business, and its requirement for a balanced budget have helped the state weather a severe national recession.  But if other states want to share ND’s success, they need to legislate a big piece of luck.

Should the “Mighty Midgets” stay or go.  Discussions about the Dickinson H.S. nickname intensified.  The name arose in the ’40s and ‘50s to describe how the team dealt with larger opponents by being small and fast.  Others weren’t buying it -- the vice president of public relations for a Tustin, California-based nonprofit said, “The word ‘midget’ is recognized by Little People of America as highly offensive to the dwarfism community.”

AP writer James MacPherson’s Hazelton story found a nationwide audience.  He has another ND story that may do the same.  Headed “American Indian reservation reaping oil benefits,” his article relates how the Three Affiliated Tribes at the Ft. Berthold Reservation are raking in oil millions.  Since the Bakken oil boom began, the tribes have hauled in more than $179 million in lease payments, more in royalties and taxes is one the way.  This is good news for the TAT and the state.  It may create envy among the state’s other impoverished tribes, who have nothing similar in their futures.

ND has one of the highest overall high school graduation rates in the nation, not unexpected, but good news nevertheless.  However, a UCLA report indicates Indian students in the state have one of the worst graduation rates in the country, second only to South Dakota.  The report is weak on causation -- reasons given are very similar to those cited for failing urban schools.  Most Indian students in ND attend decidedly rural, reservation schools.  The fact that the report comes from California and is part of a civil rights project may help explain the following: The report says “that parents and children should not be blamed for a school’s low performance.”  What, not even a little?  Who does that leave to take the blame?  Teachers, staff and school boards (almost all Indian) are all that’s left.  

The Twin Buttes Elementary School on the Ft. Berthold Reservation must have a bulls eye painted on its side.  In 2007, the majority of the school board was hauled off to jail for stealing $665,000.  The following year, two crooked Chicago businesses bilked the school for $100,000 on a federal government technology program.  But here’s some good news -- the frauds are getting smaller.  Denise Painte (25) recently loaded up on $5,000 of prepaid gift cards which she charged to the school.

You’ve read descriptions of ND as the “Saudi Arabia of wind power.”  That may be an exaggeration.  The state does rank high among states in wind energy potential, but is only No. 6 in that respect.  Neighboring South Dakota comes in No. 5.

In nearly every corner of the state, chances of major spring flooding are increasing.  Name a river or creek: Red, Sheyenne, James, Knife, Apple or Beaver -- flooding prospects are high.  Herald Editor Mike Jacobs said “Flooding is imminent” in the Red River Valley, yet “Nearly every day brings new objections to options suggested for flood control.”   Jacobs said “Concessions are going to be necessary” for almost every RRV community.  He said, “The faster these truths are faced, the faster real flood protection can be achieved.”

NDSU specialists gazed at 2009 crop statistics and concluded 2009 was a pretty good year -- a very good year indeed.  The value of 2009 production was down from 2008, a year of record crop prices, but most 2009 yields were excellent.  ND edged out Kansas to remain the No. 1 wheat state -- ND also kept the lead in the production of barley (36% of the nation’s total), sunflowers (43%), flax (95%), canola (90%) and dry edible beans.  In the wheat category, ND has the No. 1 position in both hard red spring wheat and durum.

The Economist magazine warned Democrats of The Quirks of ND.  It noted that while ND has only 0.2% of America’s population, it still gets two senators.  The Economist concluded, “Senate machinations in this remote state count just as much as those in California or New York.”  Expect out-of-state campaign money to pour into the ND 2010 U.S. Senate race. 

Since 2008 the James River Correctional Center in Jamestown has hired around half of its new staff from out of state.  A Jamestown Sun article explains this was necessary in view of ND’s four percent unemployment rate.  The Sun employed an unusual slant to describe the backgrounds of three new JRCC hires: Shane came from a neighborhood of violent crime in Ohio, Monica came from crime-ridden Sacramento where she worried about her son playing outside, and Lennell came from Detroit where being robbed at gunpoint was part of his job.  It’s unclear why the Sun emphasized crime rather than unemployment to explain the relocations.  In any case, the three have come to like ND, although they initially found it cold -- the Californian said that early on “I froze up, I was just like a Popsicle.”

Talk about a “wolf at the door.”  The town of Minnewaukan (300) is located ever closer to the Devils Lake shoreline.  Right now the lake is at 1,450 feet, but is expected to reach 1,452 this summer.  Minnewaukan is about 1,454 feet.  The mayor wonders if the town has a future -- up to 36 homes are considering flood insurance buyouts.

Sarah Palin inspires amusement in some, fear and loathing in others.  Michele Bachmann, a U.S. Rep. from Minnesota, has some of the same effect.  Bachmann spoke at a Bismarck rally and the Fargo Forum reacted as if the state were under assault.  The Forum said her notions “could cause her to be mistaken for a mad hatter,” and said it saw something even more deeply threatening: “Her agenda would return North Dakota to a marginal economic outpost.”  It was a little unclear how the Forum arrived at that conclusion, but Bachmann’s opposition to the 2008 farm bill was probably high on the list.

"My dad was a Midget and I was a Midget -- and we'll always be Midgets."  -- Tribune Editor John Irby attributed the quote to a rather large man defending the Dickinson H.S. nickname.  Irby’s column was about tolerance and the Midget name is getting a grilling, some consider it offensive.  The name Midgets must strike fear in the hearts of Dickinson opponents.

“Virgil started out a farmer and in his heart always remained a farmer.” -- Part of the testimonial for Virgil Jaeger (74) of Washburn who died in February.  The obituary said Virgil often referred to himself as the Valedictorian and “class dunce” of Berwick High School -- that was his way of saying he was the only graduate in his class.  You know about “one room” prairie elementary schools, but you may not have realized ND had equally small high schools.

Fred Hall (88), who also died in February, had a lifetime interest in aircraft.  After high school he was trained at the Lincoln, Nebraska, Aeronautical Institute.  Hall was a navigator over Germany in WWII, staying in the Air Force to be trained as a B-29 pilot.  Afterwards, he flew his own plane in ND for much of his life.  What occupation did Hall choose after the military?  He became a rural mail carrier in the Chaseley area where he grew up (it’s near the center of the state) .  We wish we knew more about that career decision.

Engelbert Ternes (81) seems every bit a true Nodak.  “Bert” grew up on a family farm near Shields “where he learned the value of an honest day’s work.”  His obituary says he saved enough money while in the Army to buy a new 1953 Ford and marry ”Sweetie Face.”  He and Sweetie Face had nine children and were proud to provide them Catholic educations.  Bert was a collector, could not go past an auction, and had numerous hobbies, including sausage making.  He couldn’t read music, but enjoyed playing the accordion and piano.  Red, white and blue hats and boots were Bert’s trademark -- cowboy boots on Sunday.  Bert died in February and joined brothers Ambrose, Lenus and Ray.  He had one last request -- don’t send plants.

Hazelton (240) is a declining farm town about 50 miles southeast of Bismarck.  Five years ago the town decided to reinvigorate itself, so they offered free lots and up to $20,000 cash to families who would build a house in Hazelton.  Jeanette and Michael Tristani of Florida were the only ones to accept the offer.  The experiment seems to have failed completely -- the Tristanis have their house for sale and are trying to leave town.  The Tristanis may not have been the best fit -- Michael arrived in a Lexus wearing gold chains and a Rolex.  He said, “People thought I was a drug dealer.”  The bistro and coffee shop they opened lasted only a short time.  Newspapers across the country carried the AP story about the Tristani experience.

Tribune columnist Ken Rogers once wrote: “Living the good life in North Dakota does not come from a bank balance . . . it comes from being in this place with family and community, and sharing life here.”  He may have been on to something.  A Gallup Poll has found that ND adults lead the nation in satisfaction with their standard of living.  Neighbors South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska also landed in the top ten.

A Forum editorial noted Fargo-Moorhead needs services for new Americans.  This is no small challenge, the Forum indicated F-M has 16,000 new Americans from more than 40 nations.  Self-sufficiency is a major issue among the immigrants many of whom have not learned English.   Lutheran Social Services has had the leading role in settling refugees in F-M.  At some point, their programs deserve a thorough independent appraisal.  They are an unelected sectarian organization.  Have they reduced the need for social services, or have they substantially increased need?

A startling statistic from South Dakota -- 78,000 residents require emergency food help each year -- that’s about ten percent of the population.  Almost 60 percent of the families needing aid were tribal members and 36 percent of them were under 18.  American Indians are about eight percent of SD’s population.

Sometimes, success is keeping your head above water when others are drowning.  The Associated Press issues an Economic Stress Index for U.S. counties with populations over 25,000.  Its December index placed three ND counties in the first eleven of the nation’s best counties: Ward (Minot), Grand Forks (GF) and Burleigh (Bismarck).  Eight of the ten most stressed counties are in California’s agricultural Central Valley.

When it rains it pours!  It would be hyperbolic to say NDSU is coming apart, but it sure stays in the news.  Former President Joe Chapman’s expensive house and extravagant spending are in the rear view mirror, so is the collapse of a campus office building, but the school’s budgetary problems are very much in front.  NDSU Acting President Dick Hanson announced further budget cuts.  As icing on the cake, the executive director of the NDSU Foundation, Jim Miller, was arrested for drunk driving.  The foundation was involved in Chapman’s house, employed Mrs. Chapman and subsidized his family in numerous other ways. 

Embattled Jamestown Mayor Clarice Liechty has thrown in the towel -- she will not run for re-election in June.  Liechty is consistently opposed by other members of the City Council, but she does not see herself as the problem, her view -- “We need a complete change in the council.”  Another shot: “I’m a successful businesswoman, although . . . the council may not see it.”  Liechty is right about one thing -- she once said this newsletter needed improvement.

In an amazing sleight of hand, the Jamestown Sun squeezed both a “bravo” and a “buffalo chip” out of the same event.  They praised the “Polar Pig Splash” for charitable fundraising, while simultaneously “chipping” thieves who stole the event proceeds from donation jars.

Reporters must have second thoughts when their boss is part of a story they are covering.  Mike Jacobs is editor and publisher of the GF Herald and, until Jan. 26, the president of the North Valley Arts Council.  Four months earlier, NoVAC hired Pamela Siers as director.  She is a veteran art consultant from the East -- in Febuary, Siers left the director position following a stormy start.  The new NoVAC president, Julie Rygg, who is also director of the GF Visitors Bureau, declined to say whether Siers resigned or was terminated.  A Herald article said Jacobs was influential in hiring Siers and remained her strongest supporter on the NoVAC board.

Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk quoted TV detective Joe Friday: “Those are the facts.”  Kalk was addressing critics of ND energy policy, he said, “North Dakota is No. 1 in lignite coal production, No. 4 in oil production and now, No. 10 in wind production.  North Dakota is a leader in all types of energy research and development.”  Take that you dirty rats!

Horse trading for the 2011 ND Legislature is already beginning.  David Piepkorn, a Fargo city commissioner, admits Fargo needs big money to buy permanent flood protection.  He says, “I know that some will say that Fargo should pay its own way,” but then goes on to list the ways Fargo is vital: “It is an economic engine for the rest of the state.”  He also slyly added that western counties will need money to solve the infrastructure problems caused by the oil and gas boom.  The market is open -- the trading has begun.

Bismarck attorney Timothy Purdon has been nominated as U.S. Attorney for ND.  CoDoPo (ND’s congressional delegation) hailed the belated nomination as an “outstanding choice.”  Bill Brudvik, a disappointed Democratic candidate for the spot, had a different take: “When President Obama said he wanted to restore the independence and dignity of the U.S. attorney’s office . . . and then appoints a political activist and party fundraiser, it seems a little to me more like ‘politics as usual’ than ‘change we can believe in.’”  Purdon is ND’s Democratic National Committeeman and a fundraiser for Democratic candidates.

Goodrich (150) is a declining town in the Prairie Pothole region -- almost dead center in ND.  Among its claims to fame, Goodrich was the home of a 101-year-old Avon lady who died about ten years ago.  Rosie Griess became immortal for selling Avon products almost to the time of her last breath.  Forum columnist Bob Lind says Rosie’s persistence is not the entire story -- her great granddaughter, who accompanied Rosie on her Avon rounds, has applied for graduate school at NDSU and is busily and happily . . . selling Avon products.

You might consider Grandma Judy Evans of Langdon a little ruthless.  When a great horned owl swooped down and snatched her little Riley, a Papillon dog, Judy held and choked the owl, finishing it off with a shovel.  The Herald’s Ryan Bakken says she has only one regret, “Now, everyone calls me the owl slayer.”

Do older Nodaks suffer disproportionately from compulsive hoarding syndrome?  Is this a way children of the Great Depression try to compensate for earlier feelings of deprivation?  Hoarding is a pathological attachment to belongings of dubious value -- the resulting clutter can make a house unusable.  A Fargo psychologist says, “Often, relatives and friends feel cleaning up the place will solve the problem.  But if what’s going on underneath is not addressed, in a couple of weeks the house will be messy again.”

Beer-making in ND has a checkered history.  There were efforts in the 1960s to establish Dakota beer brands, but they never caught on.  The Tribune reports new efforts to slacken beer thirst --  both a beer pub and a microbrewery are on the drawing boards in Bismarck.  Paul Nelson is a chemist in the Twin Cities and a member of a Bismarck family, he says, “North Dakota is kind of considered a dead zone for craft brewing.”  But he believe the Bismarck beer scene is ripe for exploitation, it has all the right ingredients: barley, beer drinkers and Germans.  His family has chosen a quixotic name for their microbrewery, Edwinton Brewing, derived from Bismarck’s original name.

Quote without comment: Praising the Minot AFB, the Minot Daily News wrote, ”Its personnel, after some highly publicized mishaps in the past couple of years, have again proven to be among the best in the Air Force. Indeed, that is why only the best come north.”

DAKTOIDS: The population of Minot AFB, about half of whom live off base, represents about two percent of the state’s population and a payroll of about 1/4 billion dollars . . . In 1993, Devils Lake was a little nothing lake, covering only 85 square miles, but since then the lake has been on growth hormones sweeping by national contenders such as Lake Tahoe to reach today’s 255 square miles.  The lake is still ambitious and has set its sights on 400 square miles . . . ND’s economic boom has been great for the trained and educated.  However, the Forum said the boom is not “trickling down” to those with lower skills -- there is an increase in ND’s working poor. 

“I know nothing -- NOTHING!” -- the bumbling Sergeant Schultz used the catch phrase on TV’s Hogan’s Heroes.  Former NDSU President Joseph Chapman sounded like Schultz when asked about his responsibility for the $1.5 million overrun on the NDSU president’s house.  Chapman was interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Education -- asked about his part in the planning, he said, “I really was not involved.”  That response glossed over the involvement of his wife Gale in almost all key decisions about the house.

In his book “The Greatest Generation,” Tom Brokaw praised the veterans of World War II, heroic citizens who returned home, led modest lives and built modern America.  A large share of current men’s obituaries in ND are about that generation.  To illustrate, someone who was 21 in 1941 would be about 90 today.  Earl Nelson (89) of Bismarck, who died this January, was raised in Killdeer and served with the Third Infantry Division from 1941 to 1945, winning a Purple Heart and other medals.  He worked in the tire business for 42 years.  As this generation of outstanding citizens passes, there will be a noticeable difference in the character of our society.

A Forum editorial asked “Will it be one term and out?”  The Forum said President Obama had “tried to do too many big things at once.”  They counseled him to slow down, and said if he heeds, “he might save himself from a Jimmy Carter-like fate.”

As we get closer to November, you might think Rep. Earl Pomeroy was running against the Obama administration.  Referring to the Senate health bill, “That idea is not going to fly.”  He urged reform “that can get bipartisan support.”  He was even more adamant about an energy bill that includes cap-and-trade: “It is time to end the irresponsible game of chicken being played with the future of energy regulation in this country . . .  We are on the brink of costs, court cases and compliance chaos.”  The prospect of a tough election battle clears one’s thinking.

The election of Mass. Republican Scott Brown to the Senate received a muted reaction from most opinion writers in ND -- with two big exceptions.  Jane Ahlin is a Moorhead State academic who writes for the Forum.  To use her words, “Golly, free-floating anger is fun.”  As she hints, her anger was not entirely coherent -- she lashed out at unrelated, but unpopular targets ranging from Tiger Woods to Dick Cheney.

Clay Jenkinson of the Tribune kept a muzzle on his disappointment -- but it was there.  In his view, the election results in Mass. are part of a massive reactionary response to dimming American prospects in the 21st century: “The forces of reaction are in a sourpuss mood, and they have taken control of the national political debate.”  Jenkinson bemoaned America’s failure to wake up and see that “The progressives (the new term liberals have chosen) are earnestly attempting to ease us into the 21st century,” while “The forces of reaction are clinging to the less problematic world of the 20th century.”  Readers of both papers gave the writers a brutal caning for “name calling” -- charging the writers were becoming the very thing they deplore.

In Florida, the python is an invasive species which kills its prey by slow constriction.  In ND, political correctness is an invasive species which is slowly breaking the will of the Board of Higher Education and UND President Robert Kelley -- they seem prepared to drop the Fighting Sioux nickname.  The GF Herald reports “Nickname opponents have threatened to protest and fight the nickname forever, even if tribal voters support the nickname, as 67 percent did at Spirit Lake.”  The UND nickname and logo are considered to be among the most highly recognized and distinctive college symbols in the nation.  It seems a shame that leadership has not emerged to resolve the Fighting Sioux issue in a way that benefits all North Dakotans.

Did the Fargo Forum wake up Monday morning on the wrong side of the bed?  They gave Leafy Spurge to State Rep. Rick Berg and Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer, candidates for the Republican endorsement to challenge Congressman Earl Pomeroy.  The failing of the two candidates: “They seem curiously reluctant to criticize each other.”  On the immediately preceding Sunday, the Forum had an editorial urging civility in upcoming elections.

ND Democrats will take their time selecting a candidate to run for Sen. Dorgan’s Senate seat, but it is likely to be a family affair.  At this point everyone is deferring to Heidi Heitkamp, a former state attorney general.  If she isn’t selected, her younger brother Joel is waiting in the wings.  State Democratic Chairman Mark Schneider is directing traffic -- his son Mac, a state senator, is a possibility, if not, Mark’s nephew Jasper, an Obama appointee, is also waiting.

Murder in ND is usually straightforward --  the killer is found, convicted and imprisoned.  The Bismarck murder of Ludwina Zimprich does not follow that script.  Her husband, Matthias Zimprich (78), called 911 last May and reported he had killed his wife, but had no memory of doing so.  From there, the case takes on a certain fuzziness -- it seemed likely Matthias committed the murder, but there were unexplained circumstances that left a small possibility that someone else was involved.  Matthias entered an Alford plea and was found not guilty of his wife’s murder by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.  Matthias had been evaluated by the ND State Hospital and determined to have suffered from a loss of reality at the time of the murder.  The State Hospital will decide if he is to be released or confined to a treatment facility. 

The obituary of Dorothy Degner (92), formerly of Wing, didn’t waste words: “Dorothy was a farm gal through and through.  She stacked hay, milked cows and did whatever else that needed to be done on a farm.”  A notice about Agnes Krump (85) of Hankinson was even more efficient: “The services for ‘Granny’ Krump have been rescheduled due to weather.”  Her obituary noted Granny was a loyal member of the “Friendly Homemakers.”

Wait for January markdowns!  Home Depot held an after-Christmas sale in Bismarck, only this time they were selling a surplus 100,000 square foot store, a victim of over expansion.  The store was built in 2004 for $5.8 million, was assessed at $7.2 million in 2008, and was auctioned to an unnamed buyer in January for a humbling $3.5 million.

There was little surprise left when Gov. John Hoeven announced his intention to run for the U.S. senate seat being vacated by Sen. Byron Dorgan.  The Forum reported that despite this, “Supporters declared their support with deafening cheers and booming chants of Hoeven’s name.”  ND Democratic Chairman Mark Schneider seemed close to glum resignation when he said, “If Hoeven won, the state would be faced with the prospect of a freshman Senator in the minority party and a new governor.”

Mr. Schneider made an amazingly quick recovery -- in a letter to the state’s papers, he advised Nodaks how to act if they should encounter  “negative and distorted campaign rhetoric.”  He said do what Dorgan might do back in Regent, N.D., -- “scrape your boots, mount your steed and take the high ground.”  Schneider is new in his job, but could soon become a master of mixed metaphors.

The news from Sen. Dorgan pretty much determined the subject of editorials in the state the following Sunday.  The overall sense was, whether you agreed or not with his politics, Dorgan was a hardworking, effective prairie populist and his retirement will greatly diminish ND’s influence in Washington.

Bismarck Tribune Editor John Irby examined the various explanations for Dorgan’s decision.  He did not believe Dorgan feared running against Gov. Hoeven, rather he thought that after so many years, Dorgan may have lost “fire in the belly.”  He urged us to “take Dorgan at his word.”  Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson was pure adulation.  For him, Dorgan was one of the greatest senators in ND history, “the most quintessentially North Dakotan,” and “the embodiment of the American dream.”  “We . . . have reason to grieve.”  And Jenkinson said much more.  Other papers tended to speculate on political outcomes arising from Dorgan’s decision.

The collapse of Minard Hall at the NDSU campus on December 27th is becoming less of a mystery.  Prior to the collapse, a 25-foot hole was excavated next to the building exposing damp clay.  Donald Schwert, a geosciences professor at NDSU, said, “Weak clays have been the reason for many building collapses in Fargo-Moorhead, with the most famous being a 1955 grain elevator collapse.  The clay-rich sediments from the Lake Agassiz basin are too weak to hold up massive structures.”  The weight of the building may have squeezed clay into the excavation and  vibrations from a pile driver added to the problem.  While definitive studies had not been concluded, the geoscience faculty at NDSU was pointing the way.

Does ND place special importance on character?  The obituary of Frank Staples (87) tells of a rich career -- after high school the ND native started as a pipe fitter in the Bremerton shipyards repairing ships damaged at Pearl Harbor.  Next, he was in the Army in Europe, then he graduated from Jamestown College, became a Honeywell engineer, retired and pursued an interest in orchids.  His obit concluded: “And of all that can be said, what is said best is that Frank was an honorable and caring man and a devoted husband, father and grandfather.”

Did that really have to be said?  The obituary for “Ken” Lueck, 91, of Jamestown said he graduated third from Spiritwood High School in 1936.  So far, so good, way to go Ken -- polite applause.  Then the obit noted that his graduating class had only three members.

The life of “Tex Riehl” (67) of Cannon Ball was shorter than most, but there may have been  good reason -- he led an unusually active, often dangerous life.  After graduating from high school in Bismarck, he became a bullfighter, as he got a little older he slacked off and was a rodeo clown for 21 years.  In retirement, he throttled down further as a ranch hand.  

Amtrak is an interesting way to travel, but be prepared to reach your destination late.  The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported: “Scores of Amtrak passengers are stuck in St. Paul after bad weather further west caused a backup that could take days to resolve.”  Usually, it’s hours rather than days, but Empire Builder service is still generally unreliable.

A typical California prison inmate is young and either black or Mexican.  A typical prisoner in ND is white, about 34 years old, and sentenced for a violent crime.  The general population of ND has been level the last 15 years, a period in which the prison population has increased 150%.  Experts attribute the increase to a surge in drug related crimes.  Even so, the state has one of the lowest imprisonment rates in the nation.

In a letter to the Tribune, McKenzie County state’s attorney Dennis Johnson said: “Nearly one-third of the fatalities (ND auto deaths) come from an area that has maybe one-tenth of the population of the state.  Something is truly wrong with this picture.”  Johnson expressed a frustration which is increasing in western ND: “I, my family and many of my friends and neighbors have been run off the road by oilfield traffic, which passes with impunity, speeds with a passion and ignores stop and yield signs.”  He urges the state to use some of its oils riches to improve the safety of the roads and provide enforcement to keep oil field traffic driving safely. 

The AP publishes an Economic Stress Index calculated from a monthly analysis of factors such as unemployment and foreclosure in more than 3,100 U.S. counties.  ND was first in the nation with an index score of 4.3 (lower is better) while the national average was 10.2.  Ward County at 3.35 had the second lowest county score in the nation.  Ralph Kingsbury, economic columnist for the GF Herald, said two matters boosted Ward County: Minot became the headquarters for oil exploration in the area and Minot AFB was assigned an additional 1,000 people.

The GF airport had 347,500 takeoffs and landings in 2009 making it the 21st busiest in the nation.  Minneapolis-St. Paul had 399,000 operations in the same period.  What gives?  How did GFK get up there with airports in cities with populations many times that of Grand Forks?  The answer is student pilots from the UND Aerospace School, who represent 95% of the traffic at GFK.

A tired, haggard SEN. BYRON DORGAN was pictured on the front page of the Minot Daily News.  It said it all -- after 40 years in public life and facing declining poll numbers, Dorgan pulled the plug on his re-election.  This could be the biggest ND political story of the year and carries national ramifications as well.  Herald Editor Mike Jacobs wrote of Dorgan: “Much of his success has stemmed from his close identification with the historic Nonpartisan League and with the state’s cooperatives (Farmers Union) and labor unions.”  In addition to his historic coalition, Dorgan has a long line of other supporters, including entities as varied as the state Indian tribes and the UND Aerospace School.

Dorgan’s retirement is a  green light for Republican GOV. JOHN HOEVEN who is expected to shortly toss his hat into the 2010 senate race.  While Dorgan’s decision seems like good news for Republicans, both in ND and nationally, there is some concern that he may become a  “wild card.”  As a lame duck, Dorgan does not have to fear repercussions from ND voters.

An article by Chuck Haga in the Herald traces the close and friendly relationship between Sen. Kent Conrad, Sen. Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy that goes back to 1974.  Over that time they have been collectively called "the Three Amigos," Team North Dakota and (by their critics) "the Three Stooges." Others prefer the more rhythmic sounding CoDoPo.  If Gov. Hoeven were to succeed Do, the team name could become CoHoPo.

JOE CHAPMAN’S TENURE as president of NDSU was marked by many advancements and it was unfortunate that it ended in controversy.  Some would say, in scandal.  That last point is arguable, but almost anyone following the matter would agree something went wrong.  Chapman was flattered, aggrandized and encouraged to be powerful -- he may have become a legend in his own mind as well.  Chief among his cheerleaders was the Fargo Forum.  A recent Forum editorial included the following statement: “Last year NDSU lost the most visionary and successful president in its history for reasons that will be judged by history as petty and parochial.”  The Forum will not let go.

As recently as 2008, the ND oil industry was flaring one-third of the natural gas it produced, an amount that was estimated to be double the state’s gas consumption.  The amount of gas flared has been decreasing as processing plants and pipelines are built.  Nationwide, less than one percent of natural gas is flared from oil fields.  The gas situation in ND is scheduled for big improvement -- in January, the PRAIRIE ROSE PIPELINE was completed.  It runs 75 miles from near Stanley to Towner, where Prairie Rose hooks up with a larger pipeline running to Chicago.

OIL GOES SOUTH.  A daily 100-car unit train will carry 60,000 barrels of oil from Stanley, ND, to an unloading point in Oklahoma.  The first train arrived at its destination on January 4; the Stanley loading facility employs 45 people.

ND is considered a top state for WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL, but is only average in actual production.  At the beginning of the decade the state had no commercial wind power and is still behind, although capacity doubled in 2009.  In December, new projects began operating in Rugby and south of Minot -- each project has over 70 turbines.

The Jamestown Sun gives BUFFALO CHIPS to those who earn its outrage.  The Sun shook with disgust as it awarded chips to vandals who attacked Jamestown Christmas decorations -- a wise man, three penguins and a 6-foot-tall Minnie Mouse were special targets.

Coal-fired plants in ND produce millions of tons of COAL ASH each year.  Most of the ash is used beneficially as a cement additive or to build roads.  ND is considered to have an unique and effective way of regulating hazards associated with coal ash.  A serious accident, a year ago, involving coal ash at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant, has the EPA considering national regulations which could be devastating for the ND coal industry.  The conditions causing the TVA accident are not present in ND and the regulations proposed by the EPA are considered by the ND coal industry to be a potentially costly overreaction.

THIS AND THAT  Wind energy offers new careers.  The Lake Region College in Devils Lake estimates that by 2012 the state will need at least 180 wind energy technicians to maintain 2,000 wind turbines . . . The oil boom also has side effects -- ND traffic deaths were up in 2009 and 35 percent occurred on heavily traveled roads in the northwest part of the state . . .  Grand Forks economist Ralph Kingsbury says state revenue collections are excellent: “There is a very good possibility that the Legislature will have an even larger budget surplus at the end of this biennium than at the end of the previous one.”

A Herald article discussed the 80,000 Somali refugees living in Minnesota, by far the largest such population in the U.S.  The article says the influx requires enormous social services and “has not occurred without problems, including resentment, fear and criticism from some in the larger community.”  The same edition of the Herald described how a Somali woman has opened a center in Grand Forks to assist refugees.  Fargo already has a substantial Somali population.

A churchwide assembly in Minneapolis of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to allow homosexual pastors who are in same-sex relationships.  The decision has created controversy and debate at individual churches.  Jill Schramm of the Minot Daily News interviewed pastors from ELCA churches across western ND to measure the impact.  Thus far, among western ND churches, only a church in Harvey has withdrawn from the ELCA, however others may follow.  But most churches have taken what one pastor describes as a PRAGMATIC RESPONSE.  She said, “Most of the discussion at the Minneapolis meeting came from people from major metropolitan areas where the church culture is much different than in North Dakota.  As is often the case, the things that are important in places like N.Y. City aren't necessarily relevant to North Dakota, which accounts for the local pragmatism.”

A Jamestown pastor from another denomination took what seemed like a truly unique response to the ELCA controversy.  The Rev. Susan Lester advised Lutherans to take hands off and “to let go of fear, confusion and shame.”  She said the ELCA decision belonged to God alone, “If God didn’t want it to pass -- it would not have.”  So there!

Ryan Bakken of the Herald has a monthly News Quiz -- his December quiz included a bonus question: “The ST. OLAF OLES men’s basketball team played last month in Grand Forks.  Does that mean St. Olaf’s women’s teams are nicknamed the Lenas?”  The question assumes you are Ole and Lena cognoscente.

1. THE ECONOMY -- HOW GOOD?  It’s too early to make precise comparisons, but in some ways 2009 may have been as good a year as the state’s banner 2008.  The state had great years in the past, but they were likely to have been one-legged wheat years.  In both 2008 and 2009, farming, energy, tourism and main street all turned in good reports.  What really distinguished 2009 was the way in which ND stood out among other states.  By most measures of growth and stability, ND was one of the top states in the country.

2. BAKKEN BOOM  The year began with lowered expectations -- oil prices were soft and drilling rigs were leaving the state.  Then prices firmed and production growth resumed -- 2009 was a year of record production and ND became the No. 4 oil producing state.  The Bakken Formation, which is mostly in ND, was hailed as the biggest oil play in the country.  The number of ND millionaires doubled and Williston had the highest wages in the state.

3. FLOODING  A geologist said the Red River Valley is made to flood: the river is a small, twisting channel on a flat flood plain.  It flows north and is prone to ice blocks, because snow first melts in the south.  In March, the Valley had some of the worst flooding in history -- schools closed in Fargo and 10,000 volunteers manned temporary dikes.  Disaster was close, but as one Fargo official said, “But nobody’s bailing.  We are Norwegians, Germans, stubborn and fighters.  This is our place and we’ll stay.”  They didn’t bail, but emerged tired and scared, prepared to make permanent flood control one of their first priorities.

4. BAD BOY OF THE VALLEY  That’s what a Fargo Forum writer called the Sheyenne River as it boiled out of its banks and brought Valley City to a standstill.  Valley City State closed a month early and 1,000 students went home.  It was near this time that a Devils Lake delegation warned Valley City of an additional danger -- the uncontrolled overflow of Devils Lake into the Sheyenne River.  Devils Lake officials proposed an alternative, slowly lowering the lake by draining it into the Sheyenne via the Tolna Coulee.  Devils Lake’s main point -- the water will come down the Sheyenne one way or the other.

5. THE UND FIGHTING SIOUX NICKNAME  It’s not over yet -- the controversy rages on with new legs.  Early in the year, it looked as if the Board of Higher Education was poised to drive a stake in the heart of the nickname.  Then a strange thing happened -- the real Sioux at the Spirit Lake Reservation donned their Fighting Sioux gear and voted to support the nickname.  If necessary, they were prepared to litigate to keep it.  This turned everything upside down.  Not withstanding the whining of the Fargo Forum -- the issue is still undecided.

6. NDSU HITS A BUMP  The university began the year at the top of its game:  Record enrollment, Division I football success and bold expansion into a downtown Fargo campus.  President Joe Chapman had anything he wanted, including a new house and a charter flight to Washington, D.C. for his entire family.  Life was good!  Then the wheels slowly began falling off.  The new house was way over budget, the charter flight was not a good idea, the football team tanked and Joe resigned.  At yearend, Joe’s successor was picking through a surprise budget shortfall and had suspended faculty hiring.  The year ended symbolically when the wall of a large campus building collapsed.

7. SINGING THE BLUES  Blue Cross Blue Shield of ND could scarcely have had a worse year.  It wasn’t enough that sales executives took luxury junkets and the CEO was accused of excessive drinking, lying and upsetting regulators -- he got a $2.2 million “golden parachute” when fired.  A special report by the state insurance department woefully concluded millions had been misspent and “board and management did not act in the best interest of members.” 

8. FARGO II -- a plot worthy of the Coen Brothers.  A widowed Fargo dentist was found brutally murdered, his apartment ransacked, his car missing and his 3-year-old daughter orphaned.  The alleged murderer and the car were soon spotted in Oklahoma, but it didn’t end there -- the little girl’s grandfather was charged with hiring the murder.  Now a court must decide who receives custody of the orphaned girl -- the victim’s family or the grandfather’s family.

9. TOM CLIFFORD was a man that got things done.  The legendary former president of UND deserves a big share of the credit for the university’s nationally recognized aviation program and its four-year medical school.  He was awarded the state’s Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award for his leadership.  Clifford died in February -- next May a jury will decide a dispute between his sons and their stepmother over his estate.

10.  BIG GET BIGGER.  Fargo’s MeritCare Health System merged with Sanford Health of Sioux Falls, S.D. -- each was the largest health care provider in their respective state.  Combined, they will be the largest rural health system in the country.  The merger has another significance.  It is an example of how health care providers are positioning for increased competition.

RUNNER-UPS:  Journalist Roxana Saberi, a former Miss North Dakota and Fargo resident, was imprisoned for four months in Iran . . . The Minot Air Force Base had continued slip-ups in managing nuclear weapon systems . . . Senator Kent Conrad struggled to remain a key ally of the president, while balancing the more moderate views of his ND constituents.

THE GREAT 2009 CHRISTMAS SNOWSTORM hit ND and closed the interstate system and other major routes.  Although the state took the blizzard in stride, it was one of the heaviest single-storm snowfalls on record in Grand Forks.  Snowfall also set a December record in Minot, where residents were each asked to adopt a fire hydrant -- the city did not have staff to dig out 2,500 hydrants.  Because this was ND, residents cheerfully dug out the hydrants.  The GF Herald and the Minot Daily News were unable to deliver their December 26 editions because of the snow, but made copies available free to anyone online.  Shortly after the blizzard, there was a bizarre occurrence on the NDSU campus in Fargo -- a wall fell off the 100-year-old Minard Hall classroom building. The cause of the failure was unknown.   

Most ND newspapers ran their version of the Top Ten stories of the year -- the Herald also published the TOP TEN OF THE DECADE.  Leading that list was the 2003 kidnap and murder of UND student Dru Sjodin, a crime for which ex-convict, sex offender Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was sentenced to death by a federal court.  The story lingered in the news for several years.  Second place went to the UND Fighting Sioux nickname debate which the Herald called “endless.”  Another story that just wouldn’t go away was Devils Lake flooding, a story that “stood out for its intensity, duration and complexity.”

“Screen for suspicious people more so than suspicious things,” Tom Dennis of the Herald.  He noted that airport security “measures long ago passed the point of diminishing returns” and “THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY.”  Dennis believes the massive inconvenience of today’s procedures (checking sharp objects, shoes, liquids, etc.) are accumulated reactions to individual incidents -- it’s time to rethink the system and emphasize screening of suspicious individuals.  Dennis stopped short of recommending an obvious need: profiling, which can be fair and effective if based on sound intelligence.

"HE'S PRACTICALLY A FOLK HERO" -- one of the reasons the Forum named Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker "Person of the Year."  The Forum said Walaker "became the trusted source and face of the battle (2009 floods) on both a local and worldwide level."  The award is not always the harbinger of good things to come: In 2006, NDSU President Joseph Chapman was the nominee. 

As health care legislation heated up, wise guys were on the move.  A Forum reader suggested that it was time to trade ND Sen’s Conrad and Dorgan for Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu.  His reason: the ND senators had lost their touch at obtaining bribes and were put to shame as pork barrelers.  Another letter writer rose to the defense of the ND senators, saying it was “childish and immature” to refer to them as Ding and Dong.  Clearly, this is a time that calls for legislators with thick skins.

ND’s Attorney General joined Republican attorney generals in 12 other states to ask for removal of the $100 million political deal for Nebraska included in the health care reform bill, saying the provision is unconstitutional.  As hinted in the previous item, the “CORNHUSKER KICKBACK” was arranged by Nebraska Sen Ben Nelson.  The AG’s letter was directed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid.

Today, many doctors are specialists and have a full-time job staying up with their fields.  In the 1890s medical practice was more relaxed.  Dr. John Fawcett specialized in “women’s diseases” in Grand Forks, but also transported grain by Red River steamboats for the N. Pacific Railroad.

Fargo police received a report of two elderly, naked men attacking each other.  The police braced themselves for an appalling sight.  It wasn’t so bad -- one man was in his underwear and the other was fully clothed.  The man in the underwear had rigged AN ECONOMY BURGLAR ALARM -- empty beer cans on a stepstool behind his front door.  When the other man entered his unlocked apartment, the rattling cans wakened him.  The occupant found Dan Gable, 61, hiding in a closet near the door and the fight began.  Police believe Dan was drinking again.

If you live to 100, you will see a lot.  FRED VOEGELE of Bismarck died in December having seen even more than most centenarians -- his life was a roadmap of ND in the 20th century.  Fred was born in Russia and migrated with his parents to the U.S. when he was two.  He grew up in German-Russian communities in ND and SD.  He returned to Europe with the U.S. Army during W.W.II, serving in Germany, Austria and France and taking part in the famous “Battle of the Bulge.”  After the war, he worked for the Hebron Brick Company, which is still operating today as one of the state’s oldest and best known businesses -- many ND public buildings are made from its products.  Later, Fred worked for Melroe Manufacturing in Bismarck, another iconic ND company and the predecessor to Bobcat.  In his long retirement, Fred was a songwriter -- he had much to sing about.

Fred Voegele lived his life the stalwart, hardworking German-Russian way.  Agnes Halgunseth died on Christmas day and lived her 103 years in a more Norwegian style.  For over 50 years she held nearly every position in her Lutheran Church in Abercrombie, and wrote and performed religious readings on a radio station.  She even became MRS. NORTH DAKOTA and represented the state nationally in the Wesson Oil Chicken cooking contest.  But she was far from serious, and cracked up friends with stage renderings of old Norwegian skits.  Agnes outlived everybody and was said to have “a quick wit, as well as, a loving heart."

Just when it seemed the whole UND Fighting Sioux nickname matter could not become more bizarre -- it has.  Members of the SPIRIT LAKE TRIBE sued the Board of Higher Ed to delay the deadline for dropping the nickname.  The tribe claimed the tie to UND gives them a platform to popularize Sioux history and heritage.  A district court dismissed the suit.  If it seems strange that the Sioux brought the suit, it is equally strange that the presiding judge and the state Attorney General (representing the Board) both praised the Sioux plaintiffs.  Despite the adverse ruling, all parties were critical of the Board’s decision to accelerate the deadline for resolving the nickname.  The judge called the Board action “disingenuous.” 

LAUREN DONOVAN is one of the state’s most interesting journalists.  Donovan is a writer for the Tribune who covers communities and businesses in western ND.  She shapes complex issues into interesting, insightful stories, unlike some journalists who record events like court reporters.  In a recent issue of the Tribune, Donovan had two stories that display her versatility.  One was about a nursing home in Hettinger where the State Health Dept. found deficiencies that might justify closing the facility -- an action which would trigger a community crisis.  The other story was much happier, it was about an oil gusher discovered on Williston city property -- the booming city may get royalties of $1 million a year from a single well.

An earlier newsletter discussed the failure of AGRARIA, a Washington, DC, restaurant founded in 2006 by the ND Farmers Union.  Agraria has been “rebranded” as Farmers & Fishers and is being managed by a consulting firm.  You might ask why the NDFU didn’t walk away when their concept restaurant foundered.  It’s not easy.  A large restaurant normally comes with a long-term lease -- you can’t walk away.  If there is trouble, your basic choices are to go bankrupt, sell at a serious loss, or cross your fingers and continue to operate.  

WALK BEFORE YOU RUN.  I reviewed Agraria’s brief history: In 2006, the NDFU hired a development specialist to raise money for Agraria.  When investors asked about the FU’s lack of restaurant experience, the specialist, Mark Watne, basically responded “no problem.”  He said in DC, “They love it. They get it. That it’s farmer-owned will make it unique.”  Then Mark shared his secret -- he was already thinking of additional restaurants in Philadelphia, Denver and Chicago.

WATER GOING AND COMING.  “We’ve been told it’s one or the other.  Either way, we’re between a rock and a hard place.”  Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker was talking about the city’s simultaneous need for flood control diversion of the Red River ($1 billion) and the Red River Valley Water Supply Project ($660 million), a drought protection plan diverting Missouri River water to the Fargo area.  Sen. Dorgan has warned that the federal government is unlikely to support both projects at the same time.  Fargo must choose a priority.

THE BANK OF NORTH DAKOTA is wearing its worrying hat.  Congress is considering taking banks out of the student loan business.  The BofND is the state’s largest provider and student loans make up 30% of its portfolio.  The bank is credited with keeping the student loan default rate in ND at 4 percent, compared to a national average of 7 percent.  Sen. Conrad said a rescue is on the way -- an exemption for the BofND -- then he galloped away on his stallion.

HOW SOON HE FORGETS.  Sen. Conrad skillfully manages two images -- portraying himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate at home, while joining his party in voting for “Big Government” programs in Washington.  As a “deficit hawk,” Conrad opposed much of the stimulus program before he voted for it (“But in the end, I had to weigh the risk of not acting”).  He said he adamantly opposed a Senate maneuver know as “reconciliation” -- he voted for it (in the interest of party unity).  In July, he insisted that in order for it to work, a health care bill must be bipartisan; in December he voted for a bill which had no Republican support.  The balancing act becomes tougher and tougher.

Sen. Dorgan also voted for the health care bill and seems to be taking a beating in ND.  He faces reelection in 2010.  A Rasumussen Reports poll in December has Dorgan (36 percent) trailing Gov. Hoeven (58 percent), with 6 percent undecided.  The poll found 64 percent of Nodaks oppose the health care bill.

The American Heartland covers a big part of the country: The western border is a tier of states running from North Dakota to Kansas, as you go east the area tapers northerly above the Ohio River, ending in Ohio, possibly Pennsylvania.  In all of the 12 or 13 states in this vast region, THE DOMINANT ANCESTRY IS GERMAN.  There are only a few exceptions, for example, Indian reservations in South Dakota and a big patch of Norwegians in the northern Red River Valley.  While Minnesota is often thought of as the home of Scandinavians, Germans there outnumber Norwegians over 2:1, even if you toss in the Swedes, it’s still 3:2.  In ND, it’s a little closer, Norwegians and Swedes are 35%, Germans are 44%.  YAH or maybe YOU BETCHA! 

IS THAT ALL SHE DID?  Sister Edane Volk (101) was probably modest, as was her obituary. One paragraph summarized just a portion of her accomplishments: “In 1953, she was elected prioress of Annunciation Monastery, a position she held until 1966. Under her leadership, the Benedictines built a new monastery designed by noted architect Marcel Breuer, began the University of Mary, staffed a number of Catholic schools and opened rural hospitals. There were also expansion projects at St. Alexius Medical Center and Garrison Memorial Hospital.”

DAKTOIDS:  ND’s mortgage delinquency rate of 1.4 percent is the lowest in the nation.  The national rate is 6.4 percent . . . The tri-state area of ND, SD and WY had record federal oil and gas leases in 2009 -- most were in ND . . . The state population is estimated to have increased almost one percent in 2009 -- a reversal of declines early in the decade.  The ND population peaked in 1930.

SPEND LESS, SPEND WISELY.  A Bismarck Tribune editorial on Dec. 13 was uncharacteristically frank and aimed directly at Sen’s Conrad and Dorgan and Rep. Pomeroy.  The Trib said debt “has reached an alarming and critical point” and Washington is “taking steps toward a bigger and more obtrusive federal government.”  It said CoDoPo “need to take a stand and represent our state’s population by saying no to out-of-control spending.”  They “have been involved in government spending for years and own the deficit as much as anyone.”  The Tribune suggested they look for efficiencies and not create new inefficiencies.

Financially, ND is near the top of its game.  Hardly any other state has the same degree of financial flexibility.  The State Historical Society newsletter recalls a time when that was not so.  In the early ‘30s the combination of drought and depression almost knocked the state out -- it had no money.  Teachers in small schools did not get paid; residents of school districts supported them with room, board and other necessities.  Students could be absent for two reasons:  Sickness, of course, but the other reason Is startling, “That the child is needed at home to KEEP THE FAMILY FROM STARVING.”

On December 23, the BOBCAT plant in Bismarck is closing and 475 employees will permanently lose their jobs.  This is not expected to be a catastrophe for the city, because, fortunately, the economy in the area is generally healthy.  But the closing will be unusually difficult for the employees.  Their jobs and benefits were among the best in Bismarck and are not duplicated in the community.  For example, a welder may have to leave Bismarck to find work. 

Jon Knutson, a Forum writer, describes ALERUS FINANCIAL in Grand Forks as a patient, conservative hunter.  It sometimes waits for years, warily eyeing the economy and price levels before pouncing.  The Red River Valley bank’s home territory is slow-growing and subject to volatility (an agriculture economy can go south fast), so it’s important to add markets and products that dampen volatility.  Noticing, over the years, how Valley residents migrated to the Twin Cities and Phoenix, the bank awaited economic slumps to follow them and acquire existing banks in each market.  Nodaks save and invest more than average -- Alerus acquired businesses to manage that money.  These strategies brought them where they are today -- managing $7 billion in assets.

WHAT HAPPENED TO AGRARIA?  Several years ago the ND Farmers Union opened the Agraria restaurant in Washington, DC -- the general idea, feature fresh foods from the type of farmers represented by the NDFU.  The restaurant has been lavishly and repeatedly praised by the Fargo Forum (“marvelous display of visionary thinking”) and lauded by Bismarck Tribune columnist Clay Jenkinson.  So how have things worked out?  Agraria, by that name, is no more -- it is repositioned as “Farmers & Fishers” and is being managed by a restaurant consulting firm VSAG.  VSAG’s website proudly describes F&F as the “Turnaround of a Failing Concept.”  In its new life, the restaurant is described as a “more relaxed approach to sustainable agriculture.”  Their cute definition of sustainable mentions respect for animals, permitting them to “carry out their natural behaviors, such as grazing, rooting, or pecking.”

Agraria has a more successful sister restaurant, FOUNDING FARMERS, also owned by the NDFU and said to have benefited from mistakes at Agraria.  Founding Farmers is in Washington and also uses the buzzwords “sustainable” and “green.”  It may have been a coincidence, but FF was attacked on Pearl Harbor Day by Washington Post writer Jane Black (“But being green isn’t always what it seems”).  Black accused the restaurant of getting its salmon from a large corporate fish farm and its best of the season “farm fresh” salad from foreign countries.  Small farms named on the menu were no longer suppliers.  FF acknowledges some missteps in sourcing, the chief executive of the management company said, “I’m vulnerable to being duped.”

The website of the ND FARM BUREAU unequivocally lists a 2010 priority: “We believe that all government agricultural program payments should be eliminated.”  They would like to get the government out of farming and return it to the private sector.  For many of the state’s small farmers, this is heresy.  Charles Linderman of Carrington spoke for them in a letter to the Jamestown Sun saying the Farm Bureau proposal would deprive the state’s farmers of $200 million a year and inspire enemies of farm programs.  He also said, “Thankfully, for us who still believe that the American family farm is an institution worth preserving, there is the North Dakota FARMERS UNION.”  The Farm Bureau also represents family farmers, but has fewer members (thus fewer voters) than the FU, so don’t expect reforms in the near future.

COLD WEATHER STORIES.  In Boise, Idaho, a woman driver saw a 10-year-old boy with his tongue stuck to a metal pole.  It wasn’t much of challenge for firefighters to free the boy with a glass of warm water.  A bit wiser, the boy continued to school with a slightly bloody tongue.  Foolish “pole lickers” have almost mythical status -- the wailing of a little girl and the sight of her blistered tongue was very instructional for everyone in my ND grade school.

For elderly people in rural ND driving is more than transportation, it’s the KEY TO FREEDOM.  Without the ability to drive, the elderly are dependent on others and one step closer to leaving homes where they may have spent much of their lives.  It’s a difficult public policy issue -- one of ND’s special problems, balancing the independence of the elderly against public safety.  In mid-December an elderly man died in Jamestown Hospital after losing control of his car, striking another vehicle and then a building.  Police said it was unclear whether the death was the result of an accident.  In other words, did this man in his 90s just die at the wheel?

DO ND TAXPAYERS BUY DIVERSITY?  Recently appointed interim NDSU President Dick Hanson has reported a surprise budget shortfall and hiring freeze at the school.  Part of the explanation is tuition shortfall.  He said NDSU typically waives half the tuition of foreign students.  UND reports it gives full or partial tuition waivers to minority students to increase diversity.  NDSU’s tuition policies will be reexamined, according to Hanson.   He also indicated some may blame outgoing President Joseph Chapman who left amid questions about his spending and the cost of a new president’s house.  Hanson said the budget problems are unrelated.

Forbes is just hanging on -- its school closed in 1987.   The town of 50 is perched on the South Dakota border in east central ND.  Like many of its small brethren, the town is held together by a community grocery store staffed largely by volunteers.  The Peoples Store was started years ago with a grant from the Lutheran Aid Association.  Many believe the store is kept afloat by WOLFF FAMILY SAUSAGE and 25-cent coffee.  Ted Wolff and various relatives make and sell the popular sausage at the store.  Wolff says, “So many of our people have died off.  And the farms are getting bigger with less people on them.”  Sausage customers from as far away as Aberdeen, SD, are needed to keep the doors open. 

Another small town has a more deliberate strategy for hanging on.  Westhope (500) is near the Canadian border in central ND and, like Forbes, has a community grocery store.  They didn’t stop there -- fearing the loss of its only motel, the town bought the damaged building, converted part of it for city use, and operates the remaining16-unit GATEWAY MOTEL.  Those projects, plus efforts to save other small businesses, won the city a $100,000 “Great Strides” award from the NW Area Foundation.

Napoleon (60 mi. SE of Bismarck) fell into an easier way to hold its 800 residents together.  REUBEN’S RESTAURANT opened on November 30 -- a $500,000 gift to the town from local benefactor Reuben Wentz (93).  The building has amenities such as TV monitors and wireless mikes for presentations, and houses the Logan County economic development coordinator.  Makoti (145) also has a community cafe which reopened after a year -- the Minot Daily News enthused that people “will appreciate the food because Carlsten (the new cook) brings the cooking skills honed with his former employer” . . . Denny’s.

Angela Stott was born in Montpelier (south of Jamestown) in 1919; she died Angela Brennan 90 years later, still in Montpelier.  MUCH HAPPENED IN BETWEEN.  Angela married and outlived three husbands, had children and in her 50s received a degree in genealogy from NDSU.  She authored “Montpelier, The First Hundred Years” while keeping an eye on 42 great-grandchildren.  Another testimonial to the hardiness and initiative of ND women of her generation.

INDIANS AND DRUGS are one of the most vexing crime problems in the upper Great Plains.  Jurisdictional confusion and weak law enforcement on the reservations are among the main problems.  The U.S. Attorney’s office in Fargo is wrapping up a massive prosecution of drug gangs at the Turtle Mt. Reservation and three dozen suspects have just been arrested at Montana’s Ft. Peck Reservation (about 100 miles west of Williston).  The Three Affiliated Tribes at the Ft. Berthold Reservation are seeking a federal grant, mainly to control drug-related crimes.

“O, what a tangled web we weave . . .”  Gary Tharaldson (one of ND’s richest investors), Brad Scott (a Bismarck financial advisor) and the Bank of North Dakota are all involved with ManhattanWest, a failed $350 million Las Vegas real estate project.  Tharoldson is being sued by an Oklahoma bank, he is suing Scott, and the Bank of ND is one of 29 banks that may try to make Tharoldson honor a $110 million guarantee to an investment pool.  The ND bank has $15 million in the pool.  This is BIG FINANCIAL STUFF FOR ND.  The federal court in Bismarck is allowing the suit against Tharoldson to go forward and, absent a settlement, the complex issues could take years to unwind.

ND’s mountain lion population is steadily growing.  The state has a limited annual hunt, principally, to gather more data about LION POPULATIONS in the state.  In late November, the Game and Fish Department killed a 100-pound lion in Bismarck -- the first time a cougar was taken out in city limits anywhere in the state.

Minnewaukan (300) held a special election electing a new mayor and city council member.  The GF Herald reported the “election ends a fiery chapter in Minnewaukan civic history that was prompted by City Council’s firing in July of longtime city employee Verdeen Backstrom.”  That got my attention -- WHAT SPARKED THE FIERY CHAPTER?  Answer, Backstrom allegedly swore at one of the council members.  Relief all around -- another scandal put to rest.

Sometimes, politicians are too eager to get favorable publicity.  ND Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer moved quickly when he learned that Minnesota’s Xcel Energy leased aircraft.  His clear implication was that corporate aircraft are inherently wasteful.  He wanted to know how much Xcel customers in ND were charged for the planes  -- the amount was not significant.  To its credit, the Fargo Forum pointed out that CORPORATE AIRCRAFT, properly used, increase efficiency.  The Forum should know -- Forum Communications also has a plane.

Prosperity does not necessarily lead to well-being.  A county level study found that half the rural counties in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa were more prosperous than the nation as a whole.  Nearly half the counties in ND scored equally well.  But a separate study, focusing on well-being, found the above states to be average or below.  ND RANKED #28 IN WELL-BEING.  On average, well-being was highest in Mountain and West Coast states.  Mississippi, Kentucky and W. Virginia managed to be near the bottom in both studies (they were also exceedingly neurotic).  Utah, not an especially prosperous state, led the nation in its sense of well-being and had a boringly low level of neuroticism.  

"Look, we're going to build a world-class company, and we're going to build it with Class B kids" -- Doug Burgum.  The quote deserves interpretation:  Burgum (53), the former CEO of Great Plains Software (now part of Microsoft), does not mean “Class B” in the sense of second-rate, he is talking about the rural and small town students who attend ND’s Class B high schools -- talented people with a strong work ethic, a spirit of service and concern about others.  Burgum repeated the quote when he became the 37th person to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider award, ND’S HIGHEST HONOR.  Video messages from Microsoft founder Bill Gates and current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer greeted the tearful Burgum at an award ceremony headed by Gov. Hoeven.  Burgum shares the award with people such as Lawrence Welk, Peggy Lee and Phil Jackson.

Joe Belford is a Ramsey County commissioner who serves as the voice of that region on Devils Lake flooding.  In mid-November, he was moved to say, “We’ve got to do something different than we’re doing now.  WE’RE NOT GETTING ANYPLACE.”  Belford believes that a new commission may be needed to settle the longstanding disagreements between ND and Manitoba about the diversion of Devils Lake.  Belford thinks the International Joint Commission, of which former ND governor Al Olson is a member, moves too slowly and is not an option.

Back to the Jamestown Sun’s “Bravos and Buffalo Chips.”  In October, they awarded a “Bravo to the partnership of Christian leaders and their EFFORTS TO CREATE CLIMATE CHANGE.”  Silly me, I thought climate change was a thing we are supposed to dread.

The Tribune reports that the League of American Voters had a poll conducted that showed Gov. John Hoeven would win a Senate race against Sen. Byron Dorgan.  The poll gave Hoeven 55 percent to Dorgan’s 36 percent with 9 percent undecided.  If the poll is valid, it’s a SURPRISING NEW DEVELOPMENT.  Democrats clearly thought it was not valid and released a statement saying the poll was slanted and biased, part of a political agenda.

Minot State University--Bottineau has changed its name again -- it is now Dakota College at Bottineau.  Got it.  WHATEVER THE NAME, it’s a college with vague justification and purpose (in the 1889 state constitution it was specified as a school of forestry).  The school is uncomfortable discussing enrollment and prefers to say it has over 600 students (website).  A call to the campus about full-time enrollment was problematic -- after conferring, a spokesperson said about half the students are full-time.  The school is not alone up there near the Canadian border -- the Turtle Mt. Community College (“The Spirit Within Us”) is not far away.

If you want an awkward conversation, try to discuss ND restaurants -- residents will strongly defend their local cafes and steakhouses.  CRITICISM IS NOT WELCOME and is suspected of having an elitist or pretentious purpose.  Yet, when a new chain restaurant comes to town, loyalties quickly shift.  Where are the longest lines in towns like Williston and Dickinson?  Applebee’s.  Bismarck swooned when Olive Garden came to the city -- Grand Forks wishes it were so lucky.

ELLEN CHAFFEE had a seemingly successful 30-year career in ND higher education, retiring in 2008 as the president of Valley City State.  So it was a surprise, when her career ended with a burst of bitterness.  She said throughout her career she experienced discrimination, was underpaid and had to work twice as hard because she was a woman.  According to Chaffee, she was isolated and had her leadership questioned by the state board of higher education.

It was not surprising then, that Chaffee was back in the news again recently as the spokesperson for a group of women who had been presidents of ND colleges or were on the Board of Higher Education.  They protested the fact that most top spots in ND higher education are currently held by white men.  They directed a letter to the governor and the university system demanding “affirmative action” to assure women and minorities are among the finalists “for any leadership position.”  The demands went further, “We ask them to reopen the search when all the finalists are white men.”  The sum of their demands constitute a QUASI QUOTA SYSTEM -- something often held to be illegal.  The letter also contained an implicit threat, saying that if the state of affairs did not change “laws and policies should be enacted that prevent it.”

Lucas Littleghost (29), his brother Cheyenne and a friend were tottering on the Burlington Northern railroad bridge in Fargo -- alcohol may have been involved.  Lucas toppled into the cold Red River and appeared certain to drown.  Josie Green, an 18-year-old Moorhead State student, came jogging by, dived in and fished Lucas out.  SHE IS HAILED AS A HEROINE; he is hospitalized.

UND’S law school draws satisfaction from a national survey ranking it 140 out of 180 law schools on the number of “Super Lawyers” produced.  THAT’S NOT SO GOOD, why were they thrilled?  Answer, they beat out South Dakota’s law school, which came in a paltry 142.

THIS AND THAT: People who relish pie and are used to getting theirs at the Tower Cafe & Fuel Stop (off I-94 near the Cass-Barnes county line) have cause for hope.  The old cafe was knocked to the ground, but Fargo investors are rebuilding it bigger and better than ever . . . In the recession, boardings at the nation’s airports have dropped about two percent.  But not in Fargo, where volume has risen eight percent.  The airport’s executive director says, “We’re still a drop in the bucket” -- Hector ranks 145th nationally and is served by four carriers . . . The late Samuel Skaff (94) ran Skaff Apartments, a multimillion-dollar business in Fargo-Moorhead.  He was a ND eccentric -- the McClusky native distributed over 140,000 tiny, white bibles during his lifetime.  Just a thought -- we could change the words to the popular Hawaiian song “Tiny Bubbles.”

DAKTOIDS: ND tourism grew by 11 percent from 2006-08 -- the second highest rate in the nation . . .  Nodaks pay their credit card bills on time -- their delinquency rate was only .66 percent, lowest in the nation; Nevada was 2 percent, three times the ND rate and highest in the nation . . .  Men in LaMoure County may be hopeless -- only 19 percent wear seat belts; women in adjacent Dickey County do much better -- 87 percent.  Overall, a majority of rural drivers in ND don’t wear seat belts.

A Forum article summarized the views of U.S. senators from ND and Minnesota on health care reform. All four senators expressed a solemn interest in cost containment, although at the time of their interviews, they could think of very few specifics.  None said a word about TORT REFORM -- all receive substantial contributions from tort attorneys.

No, No, not you, it’s the other guys -- THE BAD GUYS.  The Jamestown Sun quoted Rep. Earl Pomeroy as saying in a speech about health care that we are “being taken to the cleaners by providers” (hospitals, clinics, etc.).  Pomeroy hurriedly prepared a letter to the Sun stating that his comment, of course, did not pertain to ND providers, who are “outstanding” and “conscientious.”  He meant bad guy providers in Florida, California and Texas.

EARMARKS ARE WASTEFUL, except ours.  A Forum editorial said it more discreetly, “But while one person’s earmark is irresponsible pork barrel spending, another’s is a wise investment of public dollars.”  A $750,000 earmark secured by Sen. Byron Dorgan to map Red River Valley flood plains was placed in the “wise investment” category by the Forum.

COLLEGIALITY HAS ITS LIMITS.  The entire ND congressional delegation (Conrad, Dorgan, Pomeroy) and assorted Democratic appointees posed and smiled for a media picture at the groundbreaking for a new Jamestown hospital.  The 25-bed, $46 million facility will float on federal guarantees.  Gov. John Hoeven was there too, but for some reason they were unable to fit the Republican governor in the picture.

“The state’s fortunes then rose and fell, sometimes painfully, with the price per bushel.”  The Bismarck Tribune described THE DOWNSIDE OF A MONOCULTURE -- a ND economy that once relied almost exclusively on wheat.  The Trib noted approvingly that ND has diversified, not only agriculture, but business in general.  The Trib believes the same thinking applies to energy and the state is moving from reliance on coal to a basket of coal, oil, natural gas, wind, hydro and biofuels.

Amy Taggart, president of the NDSU Senate, said, “faculty would likely be uncomfortable with a college president who doesn’t have a doctorate.”  Her statement was most likely directed at Doug Burgum, possibly NDSU’s most prominent and successful graduate, who has been suggested as a potential candidate.  He obtained a Stanford MBA before helping found Great Plains Software and was its CEO when Microsoft acquired the company in 2001.  He has been active since in development in downtown Fargo, including NDSU expansion.  A NDSU alumnus in Minot expressed what was on the minds of many, “some faculty members think highly qualified individuals such as Burgum need three letters -- namely Ph.D. -- to prove their worthiness as a candidate.  If anything is uncomfortable, it is this myopic vision . . . “

Moe Gibbs is in the news again.  In 2007, he was convicted of strangling 22-year-old Valley City State student Mindy Morgenstern.  He also pleaded guilty to a 2004 rape in Fargo and assaulting female inmates at the Barnes County jail.  HE IS IN PRISON FOR LIFE.  Now, he is seeking $24 million for an old wrist injury suffered in a fall at the Cass County jail.

As late as 1950, a good share of ND children still attended PRAIRIE SCHOOLS.  I know -- I was one of them.  If you weren’t there, it’s hard to imagine what the schools were like.  The teachers might be green, just a summer out of high school.  The number of pupils could shift radically from one year to the next as families moved in and out of the district -- there could be five students in one grade, none in another.  The Minot Daily News describes a school currently open near Minot with a principal and one teacher . . . and five students in four grades.  The article said it was no longer feasible to keep the school open -- what that usually means is the district is running out of money.  There are few of the little schools left -- the state is pretty much hands off, district residents are allowed to decide when a school should close.

The counterparts of the little schools, PRAIRIE CHURCHES, are doing better.  Many stubbornly hang on, nursed by small congregations.  Sheila Schoenwald, a member of such a church near Minot said, “It’s a place where we come and it is calming to us.  It’s where neighbors meet neighbors.”  Schoenwald added, “The church is a source of pride.  We keep it up.”  A congregation may be no more than 20 families -- an ordained pastor is beyond their means and lay pastors keep the doors open.

You’ve heard of the “GRANDMOTHER SCAM” -- a call comes from someone impersonating a grandchild, begging the grandma to wire money to another country to get the child out of jail.  Nodaks are not immune, in the Jamestown area alone, about $100,000 was lost in one year.  But the rate of successful scams may be coming down.  Bernice Wipperling (84) of Carrington received the dreaded call and she and her husband Wilfred scurried to Jamestown to send the money from Wal-Mart, but employees refused service and cautioned the Wipperlings.  Undaunted, they raced to Hugo’s, too late, Wal-Mart had already warned Hugo’s.  Now that the Wipperllngs have recovered their senses, they view the employees as heroes.

RON, STOP DIGGING!  Ron His Horse is Thunder lost badly as a candidate for tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux.  RHHT immediately ran in a special election for his successor’s seat on the tribal council -- he came in third.  It’s time for Ron to take a break -- he has led opposition to the UND Fighting Sioux nickname at Standing Rock.

DAKTOIDS:  In planning library services for Grand Forks, consultants assumed 20 years from now the city will have a population of 70,000 -- GF is now around 50,000 . . .  Oil companies in ND are doing a better job of capturing and selling natural gas instead of flaring it.  Good idea, the AP reports that enough natural gas was wasted each year in ND to heat every home in the state for two years . . . ND produces 75% of the nation’s sunflowers.