Know your vote
I have been quite perplexed most recently by a few of the issues up for vote here in Grand Forks. There are many issues that are being heavily campaigned and it is easy for people to get confused. According to http://ballotpedia.org these are the issues at hand:
Five ballot measures are currently certified for the 2012 ballot in North Dakota. Three are legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, while two are initiated constitutional amendments.
These are the measures up for vote this coming June:
Measure 1- Administration of government
Would allow legislators to be appointed to full-time appointive state office
Here is the measure as it will appear on the ballot:
This constitutional measure would amend and reenact section 6 of Article IV of the North Dakota Constitution. This measure would prohibit the appointment of a member of the Legislative Assembly to a state office for which the compensation was increased in an amount greater than any general legislative increase provided to full-time state employees during the member’s term of office.
Measure 2- Taxes
Eliminates property taxes as a source of state revenue.
Here is Measure 2 as it will read on the ballot:
This initiated constitutional measure would amend sections 1, 4, 14, 15, and 16 of Article X of the North Dakota Constitution and repeal sections 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 of that same article, eliminating property taxes, poll taxes, and acreage taxes, effective January 1, 2012. The measure would require the Legislative Assembly to replace lost revenue to cities, counties, townships, school districts, and other political subdivisions with allocations of various state-level taxes and other revenues, without restrictions on how these revenues may be spent by the political subdivisions.
Measure 3-Religion
Prohibits government from burdening person or organization from religious liberty.
Here is how measure 3 will read:
This initiated constitutional measure would add a new section to Article I of the North Dakota Constitution stating, “Government may not burden a person’s or religious organization’s religious liberty. The right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief may not be burdened unless the government proves it has a compelling governmental interest in infringing the specific act or refusal to act and has used the least restrictive means to further that interest. A burden includes indirect burdens such as withholding benefits, assessing penalties, or an exclusion from programs or access to facilities.”
Measure 4-Motto and symbols
Repeals the North Dakota Legislature’s decision to allow UND to drop the Fighting Sioux nickname.
Here is how measure 4 will read:
This referendum measure concerns Senate Bill 2370 as passed by the Legislative Assembly in the November 2011 special session (Session Laws, Chapter 580). Senate Bill 2370 repealed section 15-10-46 of the North Dakota Century Code, which required the University of North Dakota to use the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.
Measure 4 is the tricky one as you must vote No if you support the use of the nickname and must vote yes if you wish to repeal the measure.
I have received many pamphlets and brochures telling me how to vote, yet I cannot find one that tells me what the measure actually says. Now I am not telling you how to vote on these issues, that is entirely up to you. My intention is to help you know exactly what you are voting for.
Sioux trio named to All-GWC Tournament Team
OREM, Utah – Following Saturday’s Great West Conference title game, three North Dakota players were named to the All-GWC Tournament Team for their performances in the team’s four games in Orem. The sixth-seeded Sioux won their first two games and finished third in the tournament for the second-consecutive year.
Freshmen Andrew Thome (St. Cloud) and Jeff Campbell (Clearwater, Fla.) were joined on the squad by junior Kris Kwak (Maple Grove, Minn.).
“We’re really proud of the contributions these three guys made not only during the tournament, but the entire season,” UND head coach Jeff Dodson said. “They are all deserving of the honor and this is the most guys we’ve had make the all-tournament team. It also says a lot about the future of this program to have all three of them coming back.”
Thome earned the distinction after tossing a two-hit shutout in the opening game of the tournament against NJIT. The UND right-hander struck out nine, including the side in the ninth inning to help lead the Sioux to a 1-0 upset of the third-seeded Highlanders.
Campbell went 9-for-20 in the four games for the Sioux and also threw a complete game in the 18-7 victory over No. 2 seed Texas-Pan American. He drove in a career-high six runs against the Broncs and hit his 12th home run of the season in the contest.
He went 3-for-6 in their final game against No. 5 seed Houston Baptist to finish the season with 73 hits – a mark that ranks second all-time in a single season behind his classmate Tyler Follis (Bemidji, Minn.), who broke the record with 74 hits.
Kwak hit safely in all four games of the tournament and finished the season with a 13-game hitting streak. Kwak and Campbell shared the team lead with seven runs scored in the tournament. He led the team with a .571 batting average, going 8-for-14 at the plate. Kwak also walked six times.
Story and photo courtesy of UND Media Relations written by Ryan Powell.
Around town
Friday Night Races
Every Friday, mid-April through mid-September, River Cities Speedway will be alive with the sights and sounds of Premier Racing on one of the regions best 1/3 mile dirt tracks.
Hot Laps begin at 6:30 PM; Racing at 7:30 PM visit http://www.rivercitiesspeedway.com/ for more information.
7th Annual Dewey Kvidt Memorial Duathlon, 5K, and 10K Run/Walk
On Saturday June 2nd the 7th Annual Dewey Kvidt Memorial Duathlonduathlon will be run. All races start and finish at South Middle School. The duathlon will be a run-bike-run format, with distances of approximately 3 miles for each run leg and 15 miles for the bike leg.
The 5K and 10K run/walk courses have the same start and finish lines as the duathlon, but branch off shortly after the start to follow a separate course on bike paths and city streets. Both are out-and-back courses with water stations at approximately 1.5 miles and 3.1 miles.
Dewey Kvidt was an avid runner and biker that passed away in 2005 from Leukemia. For more information go to: http://deweydu.org/ or call 701-746-2569
Seven Clans Casino Ribbon
Cutting for Casino Facelift
Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls held its Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to commemorate its newly renovated casino floor and Malt Shop. The new facility hosts state of the art upgrades and is as close to Las Vegas as you can get in the region. Tribal chiefs of past and present help to perform the ribbon cutting as well as all the people who made it happen. The event took place this past Friday June 25th.
Little Poker League Holds
tournament at T.J.s in Grand Forks
T.J.s Sports Bar and Grille hosted the regional poker tournament for the Little Poker League in May. The event drew close to 60 participants all competing for various prizes. All age groups were represented at the event. The next big tournament will take place at T.J.s again on June 16th.
Grand Forks mayoral
candidates square
off in debate at Red River Highschool
Incumbent Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown and challenger City Councilman Tyrone Grandstrand squared off in a debate at Red River High school on May 22nd. The two candidates took questions from the audiences that were submitted to the two moderators of the event, Marilyn Haggerty of the Grand Forks Herald, and Terry Dullum of WDAZ. The debate lasted an hour and both candidates made their case to the hundred or so in attendance as to why they should be the next Mayor of Grand Forks.