Tribune editorial: Initial wildfire damage tallies are stunning
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up or thumbs down on the issues from the past week.
State officials called the early October wildfires in western North Dakota "historic," and initial damage tallies are bearing that out. The impact to rural electric infrastructure in late October was estimated at $7.7 million, with damage reports still coming in. And the impact to private farming and ranching infrastructure is staggering. More than 30,000 acres of rangeland, hayland, pasture and cropland damaged. About 100 miles of fencing destroyed. More than 600 cattle killed, missing or with fire-related health impacts. The list also includes lost forage, haybales, buildings, machinery, stored wheat and shelterbelts. North Dakota Stockmen's Association Executive Vice President Julie Ellingson calls it "one of the worst fire events in our state's history." If the state can get a presidential disaster declaration, it would help with public infrastructure repairs. And several relief funds have been set up to help private producers. But the toll of this disaster is still likely to be felt for years.
The old Barnes & Noble space at the Southridge Center south of downtown Bismarck has been empty for nearly three years. But that's no longer the case, as Sanford Health Bismarck has opened its new clinic there. Barnes & Noble closed its bookstore in February 2022 after not getting a lease renewal, and moved to Kirkwood Mall. The space has been redeveloped into the 20,000-square-foot Sanford Southridge Clinic, with 35 exam rooms. The Sanford Downtown Walk-in Clinic on North Seventh Street also will move within the new clinic and be renamed Sanford Southridge Walk-in Clinic. Sanford has listed the cost of the project at $10 million. The health system says the space will enable it to increase its capacity, grow its care teams and improve service. It's also a site that should be convenient for the public, with easy access and plenty of parking.
There are 594,140 eligible voters in North Dakota. Just under 63% of them cast ballots in this month's general election. That's a typical turnout for a presidential election. But it's also a little sad. It means that more than one-third of residents in the state who could have voted, did not. Some no doubt had legitimate reasons. But it's hard to understand the apathy of others, especially when so many important races and measures were on the ballot. Voting is a chance to have your say, and many people appear not to care.
Bismarck Public Schools has broken ground for a multimillion-dollar Career and Technical Education facility in the Silver Ranch subdivision in northeast Bismarck. The center will expand CTE course opportunities for students in North Dakota's largest school district, in everything from plumbing to electrical to carpentry. The facility is funded primarily with grant money from the state, which in recent years has put an emphasis on developing workforce. The BPS project should help further that goal. School district CTE Director Pat Phillips says the BPS mission is to empower every learner to thrive - and that when learners thrive, communities thrive.
