July 2013 – Dustin Monke

The keeping of the beekeepers: ND wants to keep a better eye on the industry

Doug Goehring, the agriculture commissioner of North Dakota, said there are concerns about the business of bees in the state. So much so that he has fielded late-night phone calls from landowners concerned about the placement of hives.

“‘Doug, I just want to let you know I’ve got bees right across from me,’” Goehring recalls one McKenzie farmer telling him over the phone at 10:30 p.m. on a recent Saturday.

Placement of beehives and the regulation of out-of-state beekeepers in North Dakota are among the concerns Goehring believes will have farmers, landowners and beekeepers buzzing at the first North Dakota Pollinator Summit, which is being held at 1 p.m. CDT today at the Kelly Inn in Bismarck.

“I think that the beekeepers are going to think I’m taking a shot at them. I’m not,” Goehring said. “I’m trying to address this issue because they are guests here.”

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Relay for Life a great summer experience

HOPE — The word “Hope” is spelled out in luminary bags at Dickinson’s Relay for Life.

One of my favorite summer events in Dickinson is the Stark County Relay For Life, which was held Friday night and Saturday morning at the Dickinson High School practice field.

Like so many people in our community, I have several family members and friends who have fought cancer. Most have survived but others — including my aunt and two of my greatest mentors in writing — succumbed to the disease.

I have been attending these fundraising events since my mom, Kitty, became involved.She has served as a team captain and is on the survivor committee, which she chaired for two years.

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Movie magic almost non-existent these days

Remember when going to the movies was supposed to be a magical experience?

Once upon a time, movies seemed entirely magical to a world that was still enthralled by the technology of photographs that moved and eventually had sound to go with them, hence the term “movies.”

Back then, there were no computer-generated images or films that cost more to make than the annual gross-domestic product of a small Pacific island nation. Just actors and actresses acting and interacting.

They weren’t flying on a computer-generated machine in front of a green or blue screen, nor were they fighting tennis balls held in the air by sticks meant to represent some alien projectile or bad guy that can only exist via computers or cheesy costumes.

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Moore set a standard for DSU athletes

Janae Moore set an enviable standard for Dickinson State student-athletes. She was strong in the classroom, and fearless and physical on the basketball court. When it came to Blue Hawks, she was about as good as it got.

On Wednesday, DSU lost one of its shining examples of a student-athlete when Moore died in a car accident near her hometown of Sidney, Mont.

She was only 20 years old, would have been a junior for the Blue Hawks next season, and was well on her way to establishing an excellent career as she played a key role in trying to build the women’s basketball team into a perennial success.

Moore’s death is the second time in four years that DSU has had to deal with the untimely death of a standout athlete.

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Spirit Lifeline helicopter takes off

It is becoming easier for emergency personnel to reach western North Dakota residents in need of medical help — even those who may think they’re out of reach.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday at the Biesiot Activities Center for the Spirit Lifeline air medical helicopter, the first of its kind in Dickinson.

Spirit Lifeline is based on the grounds of the new St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center, which is under construction in west Dickinson. Though the hospital won’t be fully operation until the fall of 2014, the helicopter and its crew are already going strong.

They have been operating since June 1 and have made 18 flights for medical transport, pilot Robert Fratti said.

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