Tag: North Dakota

Safety first: MBI offers unique training program — slowly

BELFIELD — Troy Ohlhausen never lets the needle on his pickup’s speedometer go beyond 10 mph when he’s on an oilfield site — even if the site where he’s driving is nothing more than a simulation.

As Ohlhausen drove slow and steady around MBI Energy Services’ training facility Thursday, he pointed out truck drivers training to haul crude oil by first spending time in classrooms, tank batteries set up to show employees proper safety techniques, and even one trucker undergoing a quality control check on how to properly put chains on his truck’s tires.

“You can do training out in live operations, but it’s so fast,” said Ohlhausen, MBI’s director of training. “Everything is fast-paced. We slow it down out here.”

Continue reading “Safety first: MBI offers unique training program — slowly”

At 125, state remembers where it has been, wonders where its going

At 125, state remembers where it has been, wonders where its going

Growing up, my favorite class was always history. If there was one class that I actually paid attention in, it was Mike Schatz’s history and government classes at New England High School. (Except for that one time when I dozed off during a movie day. But, c’mon, who didn’t do that in history class at least once?)

As eighth-graders, Schatz taught one semester of North Dakota history and government. It was longer than the required minimum set by the state, but he was the type of teacher who felt that North Dakota kids should take time to learn more about their state rather than something that happened 1,000 years ago in a European country that no longer exists.

That class still resonates with me today. Ask my California-born and Montana-raised wife what I’m most proud of and she’ll say, “Being a North Dakotan.”

Today, North Dakota celebrates its 125th birthday as a state. It’s a time to look back at where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Continue reading “At 125, state remembers where it has been, wonders where its going”

Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment advocates used South Dakota images on ads

Submitted Photos
At top is the North Dakota Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks ad with the slogan “Our natural heritage makes North Dakota special.” At bottom is a photo from iStock titled “Badlands National Park — South Dakota.” Opponents of the measure criticized advocates for using the South Dakota Badlands instead of the North Dakota Badlands.

Images of the wrong state’s Badlands were used on a direct mail advertisement paid for by the proponents of North Dakota’s Measure 5, the Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment that would funnel millions of dollars in oil tax revenue toward enhancing outdoor recreation and conservation efforts.

The ad, paid for by North Dakotans for Clean Water, Wildlife & Parks, was sent to addresses throughout the state last week promoting “North Dakota heritage.” It features two photos taken in the South Dakota Badlands, according to numerous online image searches.

Steve Adair, Ducks Unlimited’s director of operations for the Great Plains Region and spokesman for North Dakotans for Clean Water, Wildlife & Parks, stated in an email Tuesday that the photos were incorrectly labeled by a stock photo vendor.

“Yes, we made a mistake, and used the photo provided to us by our vendor,” Adair wrote. “It is the North Dakota way to fess up to a mistake and we are doing that. … This is just more grasping at straws by our opponents to divert the people of North Dakota from the real issues of how are we going to maintain our clean water, recreation and world class fish and wildlife resources in the face of such drastic changes.”
Continue reading “Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment advocates used South Dakota images on ads”

The difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’ in North Dakota

Growing up, my family taught me about needs and wants. If we went to the store and I saw a toy I wanted, my parents would ask me, “Do you really need that toy, or do you just want it?” Of course, usually I just wanted it. And why not? Someone else was paying for it. The trouble was, I also needed new pants, underwear or necessary school supplies. So, my parents’ money went to those things instead and, if I was lucky, I got the toy at Christmas or on my birthday.

The moral is that you can’t always have a toy simply because you want it. Sometimes, you need the essentials and, if you’re patient, eventually you’ll get what you really want.

This seems to be the case with Measure 5, commonly known as the Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment. Over the past few months, a rhetoric of Utopian promise from proponents, apocalyptic fear from opponents and half-truths from both sides have made this measure one of the North Dakota’s most-watched campaigns of the 2014 election.

In short, Measure 5 would devote 5 percent of the state’s oil extraction taxes toward conservation spending.

Continue reading “The difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’ in North Dakota”

‘A different route’: Strategic plan in place for state scenic byways

The Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway, also known as Highway 10, begins on the east outskirts of Dickinson. It’s the longest scenic byway in the state at 108 miles.

Robin Reynolds owns a small business in Hebron, a southwest North Dakota town along Highway 10 about 2 miles off of Interstate 94.

Like so many other small towns in the state, Hebron has seen busier times.

“When the interstate came in, these small towns emptied out,” Reynolds said.
Continue reading “‘A different route’: Strategic plan in place for state scenic byways”