Fargo-Moorhead's topics - tribe.net

Freecycle Fargo

trishymouse — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 02:21:23 GMT

If you've got stuff to get rid of, or stuff you want, try this - it's free to join and free to post, and best of all, anything you get is free...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Freecycle_Fargo/

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

moderation

jeremiahnelson23 — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 14:32:12 GMT

who else wants to moderate this site? :)

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Ethnic/Cultural Picnic - FREE FOOD AND FUN!

trishymouse — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 22:16:13 GMT

Come join us at Lindenwood Park for fun and food on August 21st at 4:00pm! Free and open to the public - see more at http://www.culturaldiversityresources.org/picnic2005.pdf

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

An Evening of Tribal Bellydance

cherish — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 16:04:55 GMT

http://myweb.cableone.net/mreich/awdc/night.html

September 3rd, 7:00 p.m.

Beckwith Recital Hall
Located in the Reineke Fine Arts Building,
on the corner of 12th Ave. and Bolley Drive.

Admission: $10/ticket

Please contact cherishbauer@cableone.net for tickets.

An Evening of Tribal Bellydance will display the variety of tribal style bellydancers from all over the great plains. Performers include Amber Waves of Fargo, ND; Totally Northern Tribal of Minneapolis, MN; GaiaPente and Prairie Caravan of Winnipeg, Manitoba; In Your Dreams of Lincoln, NE; and Desert Karavan of Grand Island, NE.

The feature performer is internationally renouned dancer and founder of American Tribal Style bellydance, Carolena Nericcio. She will be performing with the director of the Devyani Dance Company of Birmingham, Alabama, Megha Gavin. These dancers will amaze audiences with their precise movement and artful interpretation of Middle Eastern music.

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

John Strand Trial (Fargo)

trishymouse — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 18:56:51 GMT

Below are letters about the current John Strand trial going on right now in Fargo. I know John, a local newspaper man and from up in the area I grew up in. I didn't meet John until I lived down in Fargo, but he's a swell guy. Yes, I said swell guy, which dates me, but I don't care. He is! I was also a member of the 'Save the Jail' committee of which he was the head and for actions he did on behalf of, he is being sued. It's really a free speech issue as far as we are concerned (John and those that support him). The City feels it's a money issue. It probably was, but knowing the parties involved as I did and do, I have a big hunch it's also vindictive, hiding behind loftier reasons. Anyway, I encourage you to read the letters to get an idea of what's going on, as well as articles you can find on the trial on the Fargo Forum's website at http://in-forum.com -

Carolynn (Kay) Olin Johnson letter: Help support Strand in county
lawsuit
The Forum "Opinions"
Published Monday, May 30, 2005
We heard that the lawsuit against publisher/editor John Strand, who was our spokesperson in the attempt to see what could be done to save the old Cass County Sheriff's House, is going to trial.

I was not at any of the original meetings with the Cass County
Commission so maybe I don't know all of the details, but this I do know: Strand and I are from the same hometown, Crystal, N.D., Pembina County. I was chairman of Crystal's 125th Anniversary in July 2004. Strand was a speaker for the banquet. Strand's mother, Anna Marie Strand, is the only woman to be a mayor
of Crystal. She was a newspaper person. She was always willing to speak up for our town and its people. She taught Strand to speak up for the community.

When did it come to the point that an American can't speak up in public without being sued by the very Cass County board that we elected? If freedom of speech is gone, which one of our rights will be next?

The $39,000, for which he is being sued, has grown with legal fees, etc., until he will be ruined.

Young people in the community have been holding fund-raisers and have donated a few hundred dollars. They have signed a petition of support which they send in a few pages at a time.

Now, it is time for us "older" citizens to show our support for Strand by helping pay his expenses. Contribute by making a check out to Montgomery, Goff and Bullis Citizens Defense Fund, P.O. Box 350, Fargo, N.D. 58107-0350.

Thank you.

Carolynn (Kay) Olin Johnson
Fargo

Cass on trial vs. activist
By Dave Forster, The Forum
Published Sunday, June 05, 2005

A legal fight between Cass County and one of its citizens goes to trial Monday, more than two years after John Strand filed a lawsuit to halt the demolition of an old sheriff's residence and jail.

Strand, who began the lawsuit in April 2003, says the case has morphed into a battle to uphold civic rights, especially the right to petition the government for the redress of grievances.

"If the citizens lose any ground in this battle, I think that that's
just a cost none of us are prepared to quantify," Strand said last week.

In a countersuit, Cass County seeks to recover $39,000 in costs from the demolition delay Strand caused when he temporarily halted the project with a restraining order. The order was lifted about a week later and the buildings razed.

Attorneys representing the county insist the countersuit was never
intended as intimidation or punishment for Strand's activism. The county had every right by state law to seek damages caused by the delay, attorney Robert Manly said in a January court hearing.

"(The case) isn't that romantic," Manly told the judge then. "What it's about is responsibility and consequences."

A five-day trial is expected, with nine jurors from Cass County
listening to testimony.

Two high-profile expert witnesses are expected to testify for Strand: former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer and former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp.

Schafer will generally testify to the importance of public participation and discuss what kind of impact a countersuit such as Cass County's could have on that, said Bob Harms, one of Strand's two attorneys.

Heitkamp will tell jurors how attorney general opinions are prepared and the legal effect they carry, Harms said.

Strand's side contends the county ignored an opinion by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem when it demolished the buildings.

At the root of Strand's original lawsuit is the question of whether or not the demolition was part of a larger construction project to replace the old buildings next to the Cass County Courthouse.

Strand and his attorneys contend the projects were tied together. If so, they argue, the overall cost was expensive enough to require a public vote.

The county insists the demolition was separate and therefore no vote was needed. Plans for a courthouse addition were shelved more than a year before the demolition work began, said Todd Haggart, another of the county's attorneys.

"There is no project in the works," Haggart said last week.

Strand, publisher of Fargo's alternative weekly newspaper, High Plains Reader, said his legal costs approached $100,000 in late May.

A fundraising campaign to cover his expenses has collected between $10,000 and $13,000 from about 100 people, Strand said. Several local bands helped raise about $1,000 during two fundraisers at Playmakers and Ralph's Corner.

"There's times I'm humbled beyond my ability to explain it," he said of the support.

If his side wins, Strand will seek to recover his remaining legal fees from the county, Harms said.

The North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund, a provider of liability
insurance for political subdivisions, is paying for the county's attorneys.

The county will not seek to recover its legal fees from the lawsuit if it wins, Haggart said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538

Strand takes the stand
By Dave Forster, The Forum
Published Tuesday, June 07, 2005
John Strand, the man who says Cass County officials broke the law by forgoing a public vote on a building project, took the stand Monday in the first day of his trial against the county.

A jury is expected to hear five days of testimony in the case, which stemmed from the spring 2003 demolition of Cass County's old jail and sheriff's residence.

Strand, publisher of the Fargo weekly High Plains Reader, was on the stand about 35 minutes before Judge Mikal Simonson sent jurors home for the day. Under questioning from one of his two attorneys, Strand explained how an editorial he wrote got him involved in a grass-roots effort to save the old jail and sheriff's residence.

Strand's original lawsuit resulted in a temporary restraining order that halted demolition of the buildings for about six working days.

At trial, Strand said he sought the order so the county could consider an attorney general's opinion on the project that he felt was being ignored. He said the demolition was part of a larger, more expensive construction plan that required a public vote.

In response to Strand's lawsuit, the county filed a countersuit for
$39,000, the amount in damages attributed to the delay.

Todd Haggart, one of Cass County's two attorneys, said Strand
contributed to the costs by not dropping the restraining order sooner and that the county has every right to recover the damages.

He said Strand knew 30 minutes after he got the order that the buildings were already so badly damaged by a demolition crew they weren't fit to be saved. Yet Strand didn't move to lift the order until a week later.

"He let the construction workers sit there and do nothing for six work days - no justification for that," Haggart told the jury."

Haggart also said the demolition was its own project and therefore not expensive enough to trigger a vote. Construction plans never got past the first of five architectural phases, so even if county officials had wanted a vote, there wouldn't have been enough information for voters to consider, Haggart said.

For Strand's defense against the $39,000 claim, his attorneys are
arguing that the county filed its countersuit to intimidate and punish Strand for his activism.

"This case isn't about old buildings," said Bob Harms, one of Strand's two attorneys. "It's about civil rights."

But Haggart said Strand himself admits his freedom of speech on the project has never been curtailed and that he continues to speak out when he feels it appropriate.

"There has been no chilling effect whatsoever," Haggart said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538

Strand is leery of future lawsuits
By Dave Forster, The Forum
Published Wednesday, June 08, 2005

John Strand said Cass County's countersuit against him has troubled him so greatly he probably won't challenge the government in a similar way again.

"I don't know if others would either," Strand said Tuesday, testifying on the second day of his trial against the county.

Whether the county's $39,000 countersuit against Strand was a justified claim to protect taxpayers or an intimidating backlash against public activism is one of the major questions at trial this week in Strand v. Cass County.

Testimony began Monday and is expected to last through Friday. The other major contention between parties - the one that led Strand to file his initial lawsuit in April 2003 - is whether or not the county ignored a public vote in the demolition of its old jail and sheriff's residence.

Todd Haggart, one of the county's trial attorneys, questioned how
chilling the county's countersuit actually was toward Strand's activism.

Under cross-examination Tuesday from Haggart, Strand admitted the county had given him every opportunity to express his concern over the old buildings, most notably through four editorials in his weekly newspaper, High Plains Reader.

"You have not backed away from criticizing the county where you thought it appropriate, have you?" Haggart asked.

"No, I have not," Strand said.

Earlier, Strand said such a countersuit by the county "effectively puts a gun to the head" of someone who is exercising a legal right.

Strand, backed by several supporters in a citizens group, halted
demolition of the old buildings for six working days by seeking a judge's temporary restraining order.

The county countersued for $39,000 in damages it said the delay cost.

Elizabeth Merritt, Deputy General Counsel of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., testified as an expert witness for Strand. She said she became involved in the case after Strand's group called for help.

Merritt said the county's counterclaim has an especially chilling effect on public advocacy for historic buildings because it came from a governmental agency.

"Nothing could be more intimidating to citizens," she said.

Attorneys for the county maintain the countersuit was compulsory, so it had to make the claim immediately or lose its chance to recoup damages.

Haggart asked Merritt if the counterclaim should not have been asserted, even if the county had a legal and factual basis for it. He repeated the question several times when Merritt didn't answer directly.

When Merritt mentioned the importance of motivation behind the measure, Haggart asked her what she thought about a counterclaim if it was motivated "simply to protect the taxpayers' pocket books."

Merritt said the potential chilling effect is the most important
consideration.

"So the legitimate claim has to just be dropped?" Haggert asked.

"I don't characterize it as legitimate," Merrit replied.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538

Dale Roland Bentley, Executive Director
Preservation North Dakota
305 4th St N
PO Box 28
Buffalo, ND 58011-0028

Voice: 701-633-2763
Fax: 701-633-2763
Cell: 701-361-9657
Email: bankers@ictc.com
Web: www.prairieplaces.org

"When we build, let us think that we build forever..." - Ruskin

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Cityscapes

trishymouse — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 06:35:41 GMT

What do the rest of you guys in this FM tribe think of the downtown Fargo proposed Cityscapes? I've seen the revised architectural plans just released this week which made modifications so it would be better integrated with the rest of historic downtown, as well as integrating existing historical buildings, and I like it better now. I think it's a good idea myself, but many hate it.

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 6 replies

Wow, slow community!

LeAnnC — Sat, 26 Feb 2005 15:24:24 GMT

Maybe I can shake things up with some bellydance! MECDA Northern Plains is hosting a workshop and show on April 2nd. The workshop is for beginner to intermediate bellydancers. Come check it out! http://www.geocities.com/bellydancend/

This event is being used as a collection for the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. Do you have an old cell phone you don't need anymore? Bring it out! RACC will reuse or recycle them. Other items they are in need of are laundry soap and dish soap.

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 3 replies

LA Times says: Fargo is Hip

trishymouse — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:50:39 GMT

Full story is below, taken from http://www.latimes.com/la-na-fargo10mar10,1,5314052,print.story (since it requires registration, I saved you the trouble...)
____________________________

FARGO IS HIP? YOU BETCHA!
The North Dakota city immortalized by the Coen brothers' film as a grim, frozen wasteland is reinventing itself as a stylish, worldly place.
By Stephanie Simon
Times Staff Writer

March 10, 2004

FARGO, N.D. — The gift shop at the four-gate airport here sells the obligatory coffee mugs emblazoned with "Yah, you betcha." It also sells posters with moody black-and-white photos of great cities of the world: Moscow. London. Paris. Fargo.

It's no joke.

Or at least, not much of one.

The Coen brothers' grisly comedy "Fargo" cursed this city with a dreary reputation. Just one scene in the 1996 film takes place here. Yet Fargo became fixed in the public imagination as a frozen wasteland of seedy bars and hick accents.

The frozen part is undeniably accurate; the thermometer read minus 27 the other day, and a prairie wind was howling. But wasteland? Look again.

In the last three years, Fargo has begun to reinvent itself as improbably stylish, worldly, even luxurious — to the point where the mayor has hopes of marketing the city as a vacation destination. Quietly, subversively, Fargo has gone trendy.

Oh, there are still plenty of dank bars where tap beer goes for 75 cents. And yes, a $500,000 condo downtown does sit just a block from the Valley Gun & Pawn Shop. But all along the two main downtown streets, hip restaurants, cafes and galleries beckon.

There's even a martini bar that serves sushi.

OK, it's just once a month. But still. In a stubbornly steak-and-potatoes state, that's noteworthy. Local menus burst with other culinary adventures as well, from dandelion salad to Asian gazpacho with cilantro cream, from rabbit loin to custard made from thorny green durian fruit imported from Vietnam.

"If I had to pick one adjective for what downtown Fargo was like 10 years ago, I would say 'sleazy,' " said Laurie Baker, 50, a yoga teacher. "Now, I would say, 'getting cosmopolitan.' We're not quite there yet. But we're getting there."

To reach this point, the city has spent $9 million to improve downtown's look, primarily by ripping out dingy, three-decade-old awnings that shrouded the sidewalks in perpetual gloom. Even the railroad crossings will be reconfigured, so residents won't have to put up with 85 ear-blasting train whistles a day.

Private investment has been encouraged with a Renaissance Zone. Development in the downtown core is exempt from property tax for five years; owners and tenants enjoy a five-year holiday from state and local income tax.

The result: In the last three years, 65 projects have been launched, transforming boarded-up tractor factories into offices, lofts, even an art museum. The properties had a combined value of less than $8 million when the work started. By the time they come back on the tax rolls, they're expected to be worth nearly $34 million.

Developers knew they wouldn't be able to woo Fargoans downtown with more of the same chain stores and franchise restaurants that are replicated every few blocks in the suburbs. So they set about creating distinctive boutiques and artsy hangouts — the kind of places that residents in this city of 90,000 used to go to Minneapolis or Chicago to find.

Barbara's Deli doubles as an antique shop, crammed with wood chests and country-cute knickknacks. At Monte's, a sultry lounge with maroon walls, bartender Aaron Hennings concocts 35 specialty martinis.

And pastry chef Nichole Secker converted a 1950s-style diner into a butter-scented Parisian cafe. No longer can a caramel roll from the supermarket pass for fresh pastry in Fargo; Secker is at her silver mixing bowls early each morning to make lemon curd tarts and mocha mousse towers.

"I just felt we deserved a little … pick an adjective. A little more eclectic fare," she said.

"Fargo's looking up," said Gabe Larson, 64, who has been cutting hair in the Golden Razor barbershop downtown for nearly half a century.

Certainly, the improvements are patchy. Vacant storefronts still gape here and there; an adult bookstore still entices with XXX movies. But every month, coffee houses and specialty shops open downtown, their red brick facades restored to their century-old splendor. An Art Deco cinema brings in offbeat films and live theater — and packs the house for midnight showings of classic movies.

Living in Luxury

From a warehouse so long abandoned that icicles hung from the basement ceiling in winter, developer John Dalen has carved out 11 luxury condos. Most are priced around $300,000. The showpiece, though, is a half-a-million-dollar, 5,000-square-foot loft with two fireplaces, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings and 18-foot-high atrium windows. It's already been snapped up, months before it will be ready for occupation. In fact, all but two units have been sold — and Dalen said several bidders are vying for those.

"We had some real naysayers when we told our friends we were moving downtown," said Cathy Rice, a mortgage broker, who bought a condo with her husband, Tim. "But we were excited to be part of something different."

Once so overwhelmingly white and Lutheran that Catholics were the most visible minority group, Fargo has indeed embraced the different. Social service agencies have settled thousands of African, East European and Asian refugees here in recent decades, and they're starting to make their mark.

Fargo's black and Asian populations each more than tripled in the 1990s. And the refugees are introducing new flavors to the land of lutefisk, the lye-soaked cod that is a Scandinavian (and North Dakotan) delicacy.

The Balkan Food Market stocks sour cabbage leaves — and rum-spiked chocolates that have hooked many native Fargoans. The Asian-American Market, next to McDonald's on Main Avenue, sells dried squid snacks, fresh goat meat and grated cassava. The owner of a swank steakhouse downtown comes in regularly to buy sweet chile sauce for his salads and Filipino jackfruit for his tropical ice creams.

"A lot of whites shop here," said George Ley, 33, who owns the Asian-American Market. "They're not our biggest customers, but they're curious."

A refugee from Cambodia, Ley arrived in North Dakota as a teenager and completed high school and college. He recently expanded his market. It now occupies nearly an entire block.

It's too early to say whether Fargo's new energy will staunch North Dakota's "brain drain" of college graduates fleeing the state as soon as they get their degrees. At the very least, though, a North Dakota address now feels like less of a punishment.

Jason Anderson, for instance, escaped Fargo for the Twin Cities after graduating from North Dakota State five years ago. He reluctantly returned last fall to study architecture — and was amazed to find himself happily jostling for a table in the funky HoDo Lounge on a recent Tuesday night.

"I was used to a nightlife in the Twin Cities," said Anderson, 27. "I did not expect to find it here."

Fargo has also been a revelation for Ian McGlocklin.

A freelance video producer, McGlocklin, 30, moved here from New York City six months ago to find a steady job. He told his buddies that Fargo had plenty of work; the unemployment rate has long hovered at an astoundingly low 2% to 3%.

Even so, "I can't think of a single soul who didn't think I was absolutely nuts," he said.

Although he craves Thai food and misses the subway, McGlocklin has found a good job producing videos for corporations. He could do without the wind chill. But he enjoys feeling part of a city on the move — one small enough to need a newcomer's help. McGlocklin serves on the board of the art-house Fargo Theatre, helping plan events like the thumping noon-to-midnight Fargo Winter Carnivale, which serves up local bands and the occasional drag queen.

"You just have to dig a little and you can sift a lot of good things from what outside people might think of as boring," McGlocklin said.

The signature symbol of the new Fargo is the Hotel Donaldson, a utilitarian lodge dating to 1893 that has been converted into a luxurious retreat.

Every room in the hotel — down to the fitness center in the basement — has been designed to showcase regional art: blown glass, pottery, wood engravings, fiber collages and enormous oil paintings. The restaurant also emphasizes local ingredients: Instead of crab cakes, there are walleye cakes.

This being Fargo, the 17 rooms start at just $129 a night — but with heated floors, cloud-puffed comforters and custom-made furniture, the Donaldson "ranks up there with any four-star hotel I've ever been in," said Wayne Richards, a human resource consultant from Atlanta who travels to Fargo often on business.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of Manhattan or Los Angeles," added Helene Cole, the president of Altara, a computer firm based in New Jersey.

Karen Burgam, a retired software executive, poured her personal fortune into the Donaldson's renovation. She's lived in Fargo for 20 years and says the community has too long had "a bit of a complex," never daring to demand better. She created the Donaldson to show her neighbors that their town could be classy, even chic, without betraying its roots.

"People always ask me, 'Why is this in Fargo?' But the hotel is all about who we are," Burgam said, pointing out how she's woven the curves of the nearby Red River into the design of the bar and the rooftop garden. "I love to say the hotel is here because this is the only place it could be."

Much Work to Be Done

For all the enthusiasm about the revival, city officials know they still have much to do.

Fargo's population is exploding. The city, the largest in North Dakota, grew 20% in the 1980s and an additional 22% in the 1990s, even as the rest of the state stagnated. The economy so far has been able to absorb the booming workforce, but most of the jobs are at the local hospital or in factories that turn out windows, tractor motors and electric cars. College graduates complain that they can find few decent white-collar jobs, unless they're qualified for engineering positions at Great Plains Software, a subsidiary of Microsoft.

"We have the environment to keep students around, but we don't have enough high-end jobs," said Steve Stoner, a downtown developer.

Among the older generation, long since committed to Fargo, the city's new style is not always appreciated. Some resent the refugees. Some look askance at the rollicking nightspots with their $6 lemon-jello-and-vanilla-vodka martinis.

Maury Duvall, 68, feels much more at home in the Knights of Columbus lounge, with its turquoise vinyl seats and its dark wood paneling, its dartboards and its neon beer signs. A good old-fashioned ham dinner costs $7 — and you can get in a few games of pinochle while you're eating.

"I don't have much faith in all that, to tell you the truth," Duvall said, waving out the window in the direction of the hip and trendy. "Most of the businesses around here have come and gone several times over the years."

To ensure the new enterprises don't meet that fate, Mayor Bruce Furness says Fargo must start attracting tourists. So far, most customers — even for the Hotel Donaldson — have been area residents who see a fun downtown as a novelty.

Downtown development director Dave Anderson has focused his early marketing efforts on business travelers who come to Fargo by necessity. He's put menus from local restaurants in all hotel rooms in an effort to get guests out strolling downtown. If that works, he'll turn to persuading folks to come to Fargo by choice.

Musing about television, radio and print ads, Anderson has played around with several possible slogans. "Fargo. You know we're cold. We're also cool," he suggests. Or: "We're cold, but our downtown is hot."

Furness likes the concepts. He also knows that, thanks to the Coen brothers, Fargo won't be an easy sell.

"People think we're up here on the bleak plains, snowed in eight months of the year. People want to think that way about Fargo," he said. With the sigh of a man resigned to rebuff, the mayor added: "I tell them the movie was not a documentary."

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 3 replies

Help us...

trishymouse — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 23:29:13 GMT

Come join the SAVE RALPH'S TRIBE, at http://tinyurl.com/6ucgw - Ralph's Bar in Moorhead is facing the bulldozer if people don't speak up to save this historical building, and historical center for new, vanguard, up-and-coming music. Come join this tribe to stay informed on what YOU can do to help...

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Ralph's Bar: Heading for the Bulldozer?!

trishymouse — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 19:45:23 GMT

Read HPR this week - Several stories, including the cover and editorial, and letters-to-the-editor, about downtown Moorhead, and what some of the oldest businesses, including Ralph's bar are facing. I'm a loyal customer of Atomic Coffee and Ralph's, and we need to show support. Write or call the city. Write the papers. Do what you can...

http://www.hpr1.com

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 2 replies

Downtown STREET FAIR (THIS WEEK)

trishymouse — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 19:12:49 GMT

Be sure and come to the downtown street fair. I've worked in downtown Fargo for 16 years, and have lived there since last year, and I love it! The street fair, if you haven't gone, is a fantastic event. Even if you've been before, every year it gets bigger and better. Check it out before you go here: http://www.in-forum.com/specials/streetfair/

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Equality in North Dakota...

trishymouse — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 05:51:49 GMT

Find out why it's important to know about and help stop the North Dakota constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage - http://www.equalitynd.org/

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

'Today' show visits Fargo: City gets national recognition for 'resurgence'

trishymouse — Tue, 25 May 2004 20:32:14 GMT

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=58450&section=news

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

freebee

jeremiahnelson23 — Sun, 09 May 2004 15:54:39 GMT

this is kinda slick:

http://www.cityoffargo.com/solidwaste/freebee/default.asp

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

Fargo on NPR

trishymouse — Mon, 10 May 2004 00:49:09 GMT

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1766515

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

Riverfront Development - Short & Long-term plans

trishymouse — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 05:20:37 GMT

Interesting reading - http://www.cityoffargo.com/Planning/Downtown/Riverfront/Riverfrontbook.pdf

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

downtown parking

jeremiahnelson23 — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 04:03:54 GMT

i heard on kfgo as i drove back from the lakes that the new ndsu downtown campus plans to have over 350 students in it. the lot next to it only holds a little over 100, much of which is already filled by business traffic. while i deeply support bringing 300+ students into the downtown on a daily basis is a damn fine idea, i have concern that the parking may quickly become an issue. so, why post? why not :) -- a lot of the members in this tribe seem to have downtown connections. i work there, my company pays for a lot, so i won't personally have an issue - but others may. will this situtation help or stifle downtown growth? how does the rebirth of the downtown handle what will become a dramatic influx of people? as business returns, will they find that one of the problems that caused them to leave in the first place (inadequate customer parking) will still be waiting for them?

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 1 reply

Mosquito spraying...

swampcamper — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 16:52:43 GMT

Vector Control will soon be at it again. I'm sure West Nile diease is no picnic, but I think people are far too gung-ho about spraying. I realize stopping the spraying is not a viable option. The emphasis is on the most deadly spray that leaves the most residue. No one is talking about toxicity to humans or environmental impact.
A friend of mine was at a playground full of children, with her little grandson, and they were sprayed by a low flying plane without warning . I saw my nieghbor mowing his lawn in a fog from a spray truck. A mother with two toddlers and pushing a stroller was sprayed from less than ten feet away while waiting to cross the street. If you have a garden with vegetables or herbs they will be covered with oily pesticide residue. The local news showed a testing of different sprays for killing power/effective residue and the reporter just stood in the cloud. The media needs to make an effort to give better warning when spraying will take place and also remind people pesticides are poison! (also, people are buying HUGE amounts spray for home use-make them think before acting)

Did you notice the lack a dragonflys, butterflys and bees last year? You may not of noticed the lack of predatory wasps, lacewings, and other benificial predatory insects. This caused an explosion in the aphid and spidermite population. Predatory insects breed more slowly than aphids, mites and other harmful insects. You may have also noticed puddles that smelled like vomit. This was secretions from aphids and mites in elm trees. Then in the fall, when the spraying stopped, the ladybud population exploded from the huge food supply! There must be sprays or methods to prevent throwing things so out of wack. And it all ends up in the Red River. People need to wake up and think.
Who has connections or wants to send some letters?

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 7 replies

It's Downtown Moorhead's turn...

trishymouse — Tue, 06 Apr 2004 05:34:50 GMT

Just read in the Forum that Main Avenue and surrounding areas will be ripping up and getting cleared out over the next few months. Only the old Kirby's and the old house by it will survive, being somehow incorporated into the new designs. See some of what they envision here:
http://www.cityofmoorhead.com/whats_new/downtown/Perspective.jpg
http://www.cityofmoorhead.com/whats_new/downtown/Arial.jpg
http://www.cityofmoorhead.com/whats_new/downtown/Site.jpg

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 3 replies

Best Bets of Fargo/Moorhead (& surrounding region)

trishymouse — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:44:48 GMT

Here are the "Best Bets" for dining, entertainment, etc. for the Fargo/Moorhead area (& surrounding region) for 2004, from the High Plains Reader March 11, 2004 issue: http://www.hpr1.com/archives/mar1104/default.htm

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 2 replies

Selective Memory

trishymouse — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 23:10:22 GMT

A man named Larry Peterson wrote the following letter-to-the-editor to the Forum recently...

"In a statement endorsing a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage, President Bush stated: 'Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society.'

"As a historian and an advocate of gay rights I am puzzled by this statement. There have been numerous changes to the institution of marriage even in the history of the United States. Would President Bush and his allies turn back the clock to reverse those changes also because they 'severed' marriage from its roots?

"Have we severed the roots of marriage because, unlike the seventeenth century Pilgrims we allow a daughter to be courted without first obtaining her parent's consent?

"Have we severed the roots of marriage because we no longer think that the minimum age for consent for sexual intercourse should be 10 years old as it was in most American states in the 19th century?

"Have we severed the roots of marriage because we now allow married women to make a legal contract, something still forbidden by 12 states in 1940?

"Have we severed the roots of marriage because we no longer outlaw interracial marriages as thirty states (including North Dakota) did prior to 1952?

"Marriage within a religious tradition and as a celebration of a community of faith with friends and family, is not the same as marriage as a legal institution. One cannot be legally married without a marriage license, but one can be legally married by a justice of the peace. Those of us who support the rights of gays and lesbians to marry do not seek to force any religious denomination to perform same-sex marriages. We only want the same legal protections and rights for our friends, our relatives, or ourselves which heterosexual couples enjoy."

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Downtown Destinations

trishymouse — Wed, 11 Feb 2004 06:42:07 GMT

I ate at Monte's last night. Always great service, wonderful food, super atmosphere. The Fargo Forum has an article today extolling Monte's. Take a read: http://www.in-forum.com/valleyrr/article.cfm?id=49978&action=printer

Monte's own site: http://www.montesdowntown.com/

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

Some New AND Fun!!

trishymouse — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 01:38:05 GMT

The Purple Slipper is a newly-formed company of performers attempting to revive the grand tradition of Vaudeville, and more specifically Burlesque, here in the upper Midwest. Performers and Supporters/Volunteers (like myself) are scattered around the area, some in the Twin cities even, but the head of it all, Vanesa (a good friend of mine, and a VERY talented woman), lives in Rice, Minnesota.

Vanesa asked me to pass on to all who might want to perform in their company, or assist in any way, this message:

"After our first meeting TSPFOC is seriously considering doing one of our first shows in the Fargo Theater and we would like to develop a North Dakota (not just Fargo) cast. I just updated the Purple Slipper site to tell prospective members about what we're looking for and our expectations. If you can help me organize some talented people or cool acts in your area, that would be awesome. Respond if you are interested and feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be interested. I contacted Anne already and I will be BCC'ing this email to Trish. Once we have a cast there, we should be able to come up with a solid strategy."

For more information, see:

http://www.purpleslipper.com
http://vaslittlecrow.com/

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 0 replies

What's the point?

jeremiahnelson23 — Wed, 26 Nov 2003 06:13:13 GMT

The explicit goal? Get a bunch of Fargo-Moorhead people in, start putting up things to do, places to eat, ideas and chat about what goes on in this town... and generally make a nice, easy, accessible way for people to find out that there's a community in this town that they might not have been aware of. Soo, spread the word, invite your friends and colleagues, the more we have, the better it gets.

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 6 replies

Speaking of HPR...

trishymouse — Sun, 21 Dec 2003 22:29:44 GMT

Speaking of HPR, maybe placing an 'ad' or 'here we are' there would generate interest in this tribe. Some people just don't know about tribe.net. Then again, I've been witness to so many attempts to get people involved in something and it never goes anywhere. Does that mean I give up? No. I'm realistic but also very stubborn...!

posted in Fargo-Moorhead - 3 replies