AND THE FINAL VOTE:
CHIEF EBINGER 1 – MOORHEAD 0
The scene was set, all the players were there and sitting in their rightful positions. The Moorhead City Council voted to ban paraphernalia within the city of Moorhead. Well, almost all of the paraphernalia. Yes, pipes commonly used to smoke marijuana and whatever else will be banished from the store shelves. However, Chief Ebinger did not include ZigZags or other types of rolling papers within his call for driving out the tools used for illegal drug use. So, don’t relax too much, Mom and Dad. Just because pipes will be illegal in thirty days doesn’t mean Joey and Susie will not able to smoke pot in your rec room downstairs, or in their bedrooms, or their cars. Oh—no. Not by a long shot. Rolling papers are useful in two ways. One: joints are very portable and easily hidden, more so than even the smallest of small pipes. Two: pipes are not edible. Marijuana joints are. Think about that.
And while you are trying not to imagine your teenager eating a cigarette filled with marijuana, try and not think about how the police will enforce this new “feel good” yet unenforceable law. It’s still not against the law in the state of Minnesota to possess paraphernalia. At best, a pipe can be confiscated, even tested for residue. Then, what? If it isn’t legal for the police to take the pipe in the first place… well, time will tell, as I’m sure this will be the beginning of some interesting court cases in the future.
Now, don’t you feel reassured knowing there’s a new law on the books in Moorhead, that in reality will prevent no one from smoking reefer or meth or whatever else anyone with the intent on using will use? But by George, you do know that five of your local representatives are willing to spend six or seven meetings discussing an ordinance that will prevent little, proves nothing, and doesn’t incorporate the oldest and most accessible conveyance available for smoking marijuana: rolling papers. Almost makes a taxpayer wonder if we’re paying these people too much or not enough, doesn’t it? But, with Councilman Mark Hintermeyer’s coached help, another “reconsideration” of the vote was brought back for the purpose of getting a super-majority vote on the banning measure, so that the city of Moorhead will not have to have the new city ordinance printed in the Legal section of The Forum. Of course, that also means that if you want to know exactly what the ordinance says, you’ll have to wait until it goes online or maybe when the new minutes are available.
As for my personal concern over possibly losing four businesses in Moorhead—four — when Moorhead is hardly in any position to lose even one, I don’t think– I certainly hope that will not be the case. Sources I talked with after the City Council meeting believe that only one of Moorhead’s “head shops” will eventually leave. The others will clear their shelves of paraphernalia and go about selling whatever is hot and appealing to their customer base. Moorhead taxpayers who plan on staying in Moorhead need to understand—the fewer businesses we have, the higher your taxes will go. And since the Republicans in St. Paul did not renew the Minnesota state property disparity credit, and as yet have no plan to do so, it’s anyone’s guess how much of a rise each of us will see in our property taxes by next year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that for anyone living west of 20th Street, it will be next fall before we know what the assessments on our individual properties will be for the flood diversion project.
If you are an optimist, just keep reminding yourself…there’s always another election just around the corner.
SOME VERY SCARY NUMBERS
This is the Final 2010 Minnesota Drunk and Impaired Driving Report: 131 Killed — Lowest Annual Death Figure on Record.
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety recently released 2010 figures showing that the number of alcohol-related crash deaths in Minnesota was the lowest on record.
DPS cites progress of fewer alcohol-related deaths in recent years, such fatalities accounted for 32 percent of 411 total traffic deaths in 2010, matching historical trends.
ADDING THE NUMBERS
In Minnesota during 2006–2010, 791 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes — an average of 170 deaths annually. During this same period, 178,887 motorists were arrested for DWI. There were 166 deaths in 2006; 190 in 2007; 163 in 2008; 141 in 2009; and 131 in 2010.
A new factor in preventing impaired driving are stronger DWI sanctions for all repeat DWI offenders and for motorists arrested for a first-time DWI with a 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level. Under the new sanctions (effective since July 1), these offenders must use ignition interlock for at least a year or face at least one year without driving privileges. Interlock requires the driver to provide a breath sample in order to start the vehicle.
Highlights of 2010 Motor Vehicle Impaired Driving Facts:
Alcohol-Related Crashes and Resulting Deaths and Injuries
3,743 alcohol-related crashes resulted in 131 deaths and 2,485 injuries.
101 (77 percent) of the 131 alcohol-related deaths occurred outside the Twin Cities’ metro — Greater Minnesota accounted for 305 total traffic deaths, of which 33 percent were alcohol-related.
29,918 motorists were arrested for DWI, translating to 82 DWI arrests a day. There were 32,756 arrests in 2009; 35,736 in 2008; 38,635 in 2007; and 41,842 in 2006. The Twin Cities’ metro area and the 80-county Greater Minnesota each accounted for about one-half of all 2010 DWI arrests.
One in seven current Minnesota drivers (556,162) has a DWI on record, and one in 17 has two or more DWIs.
41 percent of those who incur one violation will incur a second within 15 years of their first arrest.
Males accounted for 73 percent of all DWIs.
Motorists ages 20–29 represented 42 percent of DWI arrests. One in 14 of the arrests were motorists under age 21.
58 percent of violators were first-time offenders, yet 12,436 (42 percent) had at least one prior DWI at the time of arrest. The average alcohol concentration among first-time offenders was 0.15 and 0.16 for repeat offenders.
49 percent of the DWI arrests were made on Saturdays and Sundays
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2nd Annual Dinner for a Dream…
You are invited to a Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction to build a scholarship/endowment in memory of
Dan Sperling, beloved counselor and friend at M State – Moorhead.
The event will be held on Thursday, December 1 from 4—7 p.m., in the East Commons.
Free-will dinner donations and auction proceeds will go to Dan’s “Realize Your Dream” Scholarship.
Auction bids will close at 6:59 p.m.
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
1900 28th Avenue South
Moorhead, MN 56560
For questions, please contact Tom.Dubbels@minnesota.edu. ;299-6516
A Yellow Ribbon Member is in need of a clothes dryer repair. Do any members of the Yellow Ribbon Committee have any experience with clothes dryer repairs who could take a look at the dryer?
Or, if it has to be replaced, is there any business that will give a discount, and hook it up? For anyone not familiar, YELLOW RIBBON MEMBERS are family members of our military troops who are serving and have family members who need assistance.
Please Contact:
Mark Sjostrom
MN Military Family Assistance Center
915 Lake Ave
Detroit Lakes, MN 56502-0787
Cellular: 612-281-0548
mark.j.sjostrom@us.army.mil
For questions or comments for Soo Asheim, email: sooasheim@aol.com
For letters to the Editor email: fmextra@ncppub.com. Please remember to sign your letters.