KFGO Blog

A group of well-heeled — or, make that VERY well-heeled — Fargoans are making a pitch to build a Red River diversion around Fargo to the west, in North Dakota. Until now, frankly, all we’ve heard about was a possible diversion through Minnesota — which is just not going to happen. Too expensive, too many political hurdles, too many entities and stakeholders involved.

The North Dakota plan sounds great, as all diversions do. They are the magic bullet, if there is one, for permanent flood protection. Trouble is, as the Army Corps of Engineers is already saying, this plan doesn’t look like it’ll meet the cost-benefit ratio needed to get federal funds. An Army spokesman said a North Dakota diversion would be more expensive than a Minnesota diversion because it cuts across four watersheds.

Anyway, the VERY well-heeled group (and they are all Republicans, I believe, which might raise the question of the political reasons behind making this diversion push public … might there be a former computer software executive who aspires to high office in North Dakota once the current governor leaves office?) has a Web site up and running that is very informative. It lays out the plan for the diversion and the reasoning behind it quite well.

Click here to visit the www.fmfloodcontrol.com web site. They make their case. Sounds good. But is it going to pass the most important test of all — the test of $$$$$$$$?

I upheld the honor of Fargo and North Dakota on Sunday at Oxbow Country Club. Or at least Fargo and North Dakota radio talk-show hosts.

The Row at the ‘Bow went my way as I edged KFAN’s Common Man Dan Cole in an 18-hole cage match. The score will be withheld to protect the innocent, but let’s just say there was not a lot of intensity after about the 10th hole.

Actually, there was never any intensity. It was just a fun day. Common played Fargo Country Club in the morning, then headed for Oxbow. He played the Meadows in Moorhead on Monday morning before doing his show (noon to 3 p.m.) from the Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament at Rose Creek Golf Course.

Common is a golf nut, and a really good guy to boot, so we had a good day. Maybe we can have a rematch at one of the million courses he plays for free in the Twin Cities. He says his favorite is White Bear Yacht Club, a Donald Ross design that’s a gem.

Common, McFeely, Cory and Paul at Oxbow Country Club on Sunday.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has reported the discovery of invasive zebra mussels on one of the Alexandria chain of lakes. Lake L’Homme Dieu is the lake in which the mussel was found. This isn’t good for the quality of the lake. Like another invasive species, Eurasian water milfoil, zebra mussels cause serious problems in the lakes in which they take root. L’Homme Dieu is connected to several other popular lakesn north of Alex like Carlos, Darling and Geneva. Our family had a cabin on Carlos for many years and that’s where I grew up, which is why this sucks.

You can read the story from the Star Tribune by clicking here.

Speaking of Lake Carlos, another interesting story about that lake was in the Alexandria Echo-Press newspaper last week. A diver found antlers of an elk, which is believed to be 1,000 years old or more.

You can read that in the Echo-Press by clicking here.

With the Red River nearing a crest of nearly 28 feet Monday, the third hole at Edgewood GC is under water again. The back nine holes of the course opened last week — the course was completely under water during this spring’s record flood and suffered severe damage — and the Fargo Park District hoped the entire course would be open by July 4. But that is likely not going to happen now.

No. 3 at Edgewood GC this morning. Same old, same old.

A blog post from a couple of weeks offered my opinion on the atmosphere in The Forum newsroom regarding Forum Communications’ purchase of the Grand Forks Herald and the Duluth News-Tribune. The overwhelming belief around Forum Communications is that ForumComm’s purchase of the Herald and DNT has led to the many company-wide layoffs, including 50-odd jobs at the home factory in downtown Fargo. In that blog post, I offered that ForumComm bought the Herald and DNT while they were already losing money. A still-employee of ForumComm sent me this response to that comment:

I was reading the column on FCC and I’m fairly certain that the GF Herald was not losing money before the Forum bought and it is still not losing money. I think the year before the Forum bought the Herald, its profit margin was something like 22%. It has certainly declined since, but the company is still making money. FCC’s problem is all of its debt incurred from buying GFH and DNT — a crisis of equity. As far as I know, the Herald itself isn’t sinking FCC, rather than debt FCC took on from the purchase is sinking it.

I stand corrected. Still, the belief that the ill-timed purchase of the Herald and DNT is accurate.

Check out this link, with golf announcers HAVING NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE …………….!!!!!!!!!!

The North Dakota Board of Higher Ed on Thursday approved 4 percent raises for university presidents in its system. That means NDSU president Joseph Chapman will make $424,000.

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin.

To which I ask: Why?

My take on Chapman’s salary has always been that he is the CEO of a very large corporation. Yes, it’s in the public sector and not the private sector. Big difference. But if you want to attract the top talents and leaders to lead large corporations, you have to shell out the dough. And so Chapman gets a big salary — plus a lot of perks like a new $1 million home.

Ask yourself this: How many CEOs of other large corporations in Fargo and North Dakota are making $424K? I’d bet that’s a smallish salary for a position with as many employees and responsibilities as the president of NDSU.

Don’t mistake, I’m not a Chapman apologist. All that he touches has not turned to gold. He’s been worthy of some criticism and I think I’ve been fair in doling out that criticism over the years.

But any outrage over a $424K salary is misplaced.

The person who should be angry is Robert Kelley, the new president at the University of North Dakota. He’s only making $312K.

No shocker in this bit of news: Former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa is reportedly on the list of players who used “performance-enhancing drugs.” In other words, he was sticking a needle in his arse and shooting steroids. Three times over 60 home runs at an advanced age … no surprise Sosa is one of those on the list of 104 players who tested positive in baseball’s anonymous (not so much) 2003 survey.

Anyway, you’ll remember that is was North Dakota born and bred ballplayer Rick Helling who waaaaay back in the late 1990s was warning the baseball union about rampant steroid use. The union ignored him, basically for bargaining-power reasons.

Great story on Time magazine’s Web site earlier this year about Helling (it was a book excerpt): You can read it by clicking here.

Minnesota State University Moorhead released its official business plan on adding Division I men’s and women’s hockey and the words “Western Collegiate Hockey Association” and “WCHA” appear early and often.

The 19-page document goes through the basics of such business plans such as budgets, the market for the product, ticket pricing.

The interesting thing, though, is that much seems to be based on membership in the WCHA, the premier conference in college hockey that includes Minnesota and North Dakota. Problem for MSUM is that the WCHA has already told the Dragons to pretty much take a hike. It’s expected that Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha will be the two teams added by the WCHA, leaving the Dragons to either join whatever’s left of the CCHA or to play an independent schedule (both scenarios would mean almost certain financial death for the Dragon program).

Right there on page 2, in the executive summary, the business plan says:

“There’s an opportunity to seek membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, if the league expands. High-caliber league competition like that found in the WCHA would help assure the program’s financial success.”

If the business plan depends so much on membership in the WCHA, something athletic director Doug Peters and president Edna Szymanski said at their big press announcement earlier this spring, it pretty much looks like the chances of MSUM adding hockey are dead. So … why even take the time to issue the business plan and give the impression you’re moving ahead?

Story seems to have hit a dead-end, in my eyes.

As expected, Michael Vick was released by the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. This paves the way for the once-superstar quarterback to sign with any team in the NFL. Vick, as you surely know, was once a top-stud QB in the league before being busted for dog-fighting in 2006. He spent time in prison and was suspended by NFL.

He remains suspended and cannot play in the league until commissioner Roger Goodell lifts the suspension.

But …

Raises an interesting question for many NFL teams in need of a QB. Let’s see … do we know any?

Why, yes, the Minnesota Vikings!

The Vikes and coach Brad Childress claim they are pleased with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels as their QBs. But, we know they are interested in Brett Favre even though that pursuit is currently on hiatus.

So, Vikings fans, here is the question of the day: Should the Vikings pursue Vick? Would you rather see Favre or Vick in a purple uniform? Or — and this really can’t be an option, can it? — are you pleased with T-Jack and S-Rose?

I’m a big Favre-in-Purple guy, if he’s healthy. I know the reservations folks have about his age, his inconsistency, his suckiness last year with the New York Jets, his former alliance to the Green Bay Packers. None of that matters to me. He is, and I’ve said this many times, the best option the Vikings have at QB. He is better — much better — than Jackson or Rosenfels. Favre gives the Vikings the best chance to win NOW, when they have many pieces in place.

Vick is talented, no doubt. And much younger than Favre. And, yes, he’s still better than T-Jack or S-Rose. But a couple of things would keep me from his corner when it comes to the Vikings.

No. 1, despite his dual-threat talents, I’m not sure he’s the best fit in Childress’ kick-ass offense. Vick is still, I think, a better runner than passer and I’m not sure that’s what the Vikes need.

Second, he’s a public-relations disaster. Whatever owner signs Vick — and somebody will — that owner is going to take a ton and a half of heat from the media and the fan base and everybody else. Vick will undoubtedly be the proverbial distraction and for a team like the Vikings, close to being a real Super Bowl contender, they don’t need that.

True, Favre will be a distraction, too. But not necessarily a negative distraction, maybe more of a circus distraction.

Favre remains the guy the Vikings should pursue.