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Page 6
Golden Valley News
September 5, 2019
By Jane M. Cook
Criminal filings across North Dakota
The map below shows the number of criminal cases filed in
2018 per 1,000 people in every state court district. That
statistic was nearly 76 cases per 1,000 in northwestern
North Dakota. It's less than 30 in Fargo's court district.
N
Minot
Grand
rck
CASES
North Dakota's west booms
The map below shows the percentage change in population
in each county between 2010 and 2018. In western North
Dakota, the surge in population has been remarkable.
N
Jinot
eBismarck
t
Grand
Forks
e
Fargo
PER 1,000 1 1 l
29-30 31-34 35-36 37 38 75-76 -10%to0% 0%to9% 10%to19% 20%to50% 51%+
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, North Dakota Court System Source: U.S. Census Bureau
North Dakota Newspaper Association North Dakota Newspaper Association
offenses," state Rep. Karla Rose
Hanson, D-Fargo, said. One of Jus-
tice Reinvestment's marquee
achievements is a program called
Free Through Recovery. Launched
in the 2017-19 biennium, it con-
nects existing nonprofit services --
on housing, job retention and the
like -- to ex-offenders who need
help keeping their lives stable. That
includes more well-known groups,
such as Lutheran Social Services,
which offers help finding housing
and employment. It also includes
lesser-knowngroups, like a Chris-
tian home in Jamestown that con-
nects recovering drug users to
12-step programs and helps them
search for a job.
Pamela Sagness leads the Be-
havioral Health Division for the
state Department of Human Serv-
ices, which administers the pro-
gram. She said Free Through
Recovery is building a far-flung
support network that goes beyond
just medical care which is
deeply important in North Dakota,
where medical attention is concen-
trated in urban centers, away from
addicts in the countryside.
"I'm from the town of Bowbells.
It was me and five other people that
graduated (high school)," she said.
"My hometOwn,:is never going to
have a comprehensive behavioral
health or addiction program. How-
ever, there are individuals every sin-
gle day in my hometown church that
have lived experience and have some-
ihing to contribute to help others."
But many observers from
local state's attorneys to Stenehjem
himself -- feel the state has more
to do. There's the question of high
caseloads for parole and probation
recipients, where: some state's at-
torneys see a risk to public safety.
And there's the question of ex-
panding access to programs like
Free Through Recovery, or the kind
of medical treatment facilities
North Dakota needs badly.
Sagness said that, in the last bi-
ennium, the state offered funding to
expand Free Through Recovery be-
yond the formerly incarcerated,
something she said "will be devel-
oped in the upcoming year," with
$4 million in additional funding.
But she also pointed out there's
more to the problem.
"Even if we have a million dol-
lars tomorrow, we still only have
three medication-assisted treatment
centers in the state," she pointed
out. "And until they' have the ca-
pacity to expand, more money
doesn't change that."
Justice
(Continued from Page 1)
"I'm from the town
of Bowbells. It was
me and five other
people that gradu-
ated (high school).
My hometown is
never going to have
a comprehensive
behavioral health or
addiction program.
However, there are
individuals every
single day in my
hometown church
that have lived ex-
perience and have
something to con-
tribute to help oth-
ers."
Pamela Sagness
Prison population explosion
In recent years, North Dakota's state prisoner total has
surged ahead far faster than the state's population has
grown. The chart below shows percentage growth in each.
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
1
This was underscored by state
Rep. Jon O. Nelson, R-Rugby, who
is the chairman of the interim com-
mittee on the DePartment of Cor-
rections and Rehabilitation. In his
part of North Dakota, residents face
a kind of medical desert.
"We don't have a psychiatrist in
my legislative district," he said.
"And it's five counties."
In a phone interview, Gov. Doug
Burgum declined to say how much
more he'd be willing to spend on
behavioral health in the near future,
but said "we're not spending
enough." He said he dislikes call-
ing it "spending," though, prefer-
ring to call it "investing" in a
lower-cost system that will cut
back on the carceral treadmill
Stenehjem described -- in which
drug offenses "reverberate"
throughout North Dakota.
"We're not investing enough and
we're not investing enough up-
stream Spending is building
prisons. That's at the end of the
system. That's the highest cost,
least effective," Burgum said. "The
root of a lot of this relates to, basi-
cally, a public health issue related
to the disease of addiction, which is
touching almost every family,
every organization and every com-
munity in the state."
Pressed on whether the state
should invest more in parole and
Aug. 22 - Residents had in-town
shopping-at 10 a.m. followed by ex-
ercises at 10:30 a.m. An afternoon
with Red Skelton was enjoyed in the
Acti ,ity Room at 2 p.m.
Aug. 23 - Friday is Hair Day!
This week's hair lady volunteers
were MaryAnn Schillo and Wendy
Ekre. Mass was celebrated in the
Chapel at 10 a.rn. Newspaper read-
ing was held at 2 p.m.
Happy birthday wishes went out
to Nikki Heckaman. Nikki is a cook
in the kitchen here at the Manor. She
is one of the best cooks around!
Agnes Miesaloski had her family
visiting for a few days. Lori from
Federal Way, Wash John from
Tacoma, Wash and Frank from
Bowman were here to spend time
with their mother. Agnes spent most
of her days at her daughter Mary's
home in Wibaux so they all could
gather. Marli Abraham visited sev-
eral of the residents.
Aug. 24 - Reading with Sharon
took place at 2 p.m.
Aug. 25 -Sunday Morning Ado-
ration was held at 8:30 a.m. Word
and Communion followed the Holy
Hour. Michelle Hardy visited her
mother Christine Finneman and
brought her garden vegetables. Paul
and Mary Lee Schmitz also visited
and Paul joined in on a game of
pinochle with Christine. Rick and
Elaine Noll visited Marilyn Carlson.
Joe Mic'hels took Dorothy .~tnlherg
to the Michels Farm where she en-
joyed dinner and supper.
Aug. 26 - Happy birthday wishes
went out to Marilyn Carlson. Rod
and Kathy Rising, Steven Rising and
Mary Barthel and granddaughters
15%
10%
5%
0%
-5%
t'N N t'N N CN CN 'q t'N
1 Average daily inmate cotlnt
1 State population growth
Sept. 4, 1969; 50 years ago:
An estimated 250 acres of land,
including a dead'ripe wheat field,
were left black and stinking by a
swift spreading grass fire in the
Sentinel Butte area early last
Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 27.
The blaze was seen by the children
of Mr. and Mrs. James Muckle,
! ! I who summoned the Beach fire-
men. With the combined efforts of
I I L I / / / / / / / the Beach, SentinelButte, Golva
8 8 r:, r, o oo
'N C~l C',I Cq' ~ O,I
Sources: North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, U.S.
Census Bureau, North Dakota Attorney General's Office
North Dakota Newspaper Association
probation officers, Burgum said shifting from a mindset of behav-
he's "willing to invest more as war- ioral health being charity work or
ranted." And he said the equivalent grant-based, to recognizing that we
of more than 50 additional full-time need to be professional, we need to
positions were allocated to the De- know how to do business just like
partment of Corrections and Reha- any other health care entity.
bilitation for this biennium. Cass County State's Attorney
But a DOCR spokeswoman said Birch Burdick hesitated to weigh in
that, as a result of both the 2017 on questions of state resources for
and 2019 sessions, only seven full- his community. He deals with the
time job equivalents were added to cases that come through his office,
the department's parole and proba- he said, and was loath to speak out
tion division, of turn about crime rates -- which
State leaders also point to other he said are more of a local police
programs, like growing momentum matter -- or parole and probation
for pretrial services for the incarcer- caseloads. But he offered thoughts
ated. Sagness and Hanson both that cut to the heart of North
pointed out that a new Medicaid pro- Dakota's criminal justice woes.
gram for behavioral health was "I think these are all good peo-
passed in 2019 and launches in 2020. pie trying their best to do that under
"That's a game-changer for circumstances where resources are
providers. When we talk about there necessarily finite," Burdick said.
not being providers in rural areas, "Are there enough resources? You
there's not going to be providers if know, I don't know how to answer
there's no reimbursement for the that. Because nobody has an unlim-
service," Sagness said. "We're ited number of resources."
and Medora volunteer firemen and
several farmers, it took two or
more iibti s to halt the raging fire.
Jim McKenzie, big game biolo-
gist for the North Dakota Game
and Fish Department, reports that
34,821 deer gun licenses were is-
sued during the 1968 season. From
a hunter questionnaire he calcu-
lated that 33,900 hunted and they
harvested 12,181 deer during the
"buck only" season.
Approximately 30 men of the
Western Geophysical Seismograph
Co. are busy setting up a camp
about 20 miles north of Beach on
the Howard Vinquist ranch. They
hooked up to the Goldenwest
Electric Co-op and have hauled in
a large supply of water from
Beach.
Sept. 8, 1994; 25 years ago:
The Golden Valley County
Food Pantry, sponsored by the
Stateline Ministerial Association,
is currently closed. The associa-
tion is hoping to find a place
downtown in Beach. As soon as
the Food Pantry is operational
again they will be open weekly.
stopped to wish Marilyn a happy
birthday. Mary brought birthday
cake for the residents to enjoy with
Marilyn. In the afternoon, her sis-
ters. Janet Keohane and Judy Clouse
celebrated her special day with
chocolate shakes.
In the afternoon, residents gath-
ered in the activity room to enjoy a
movie and popcorn. Todd Wilson
and Kay Wiman visited Darlene Wil-
son.
Aug. 27 - Exercises were done at
10 a.m. on Tuesday moming. In the
afternoon, St. Mary's Altar Society
held bingo. Devotions were held in
the Chapel with Pastor Ahrendt.
Marliyn Soderquist visited Dorothy
Stoberg.
Julianna Thoemke visited Katy
Zinsli andChristine Finneman.
Aug. 28 - On Wednesday morn-
ing, Mary went through the Wibaux
County Fair exhibits that the Manor
entered. The residents did very well
with their entries and our flowers
and vegetables all came through with
blue ribbons.
In the afternoon, Mary showed
the residents a museum presentation
about the early years of Beach.
Holly Hartman and Mike Helsper
did the work on this wonderful video
and we all really enjoyed the memo-
ries it brought back! First State Bank
provided us with fresh popped pop-
corn for us to enjoy with the movie.
Wendy Billing visited Tony Efta.
The days are getting shorter and
the nights cooler, so fall seems to be
fast approaching. School is back in
swing and sports are starting with
this new season. Let's hope we are
blessed with a long fall!
What's
Happening?
Listings for high school
sporting events, plus public
events that are free to any-
one and aren't fund-raisers
or aren't family or business
invitations, can be published
free of charge in this col-
umn.
,Little Missouri Scenic
River Commission meeting,
2 p.m Tuesday, Sept.
10, D{ckinson Ramada
Grand Dakota Lodge;
agenda includes approval of
minutes from Aug. 6, 2018,
and election of officers
Golden Valley County
quarterly LEPC meet-
ing, Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7
p.m at Beach Fire Hall, a
State Radio representative
will give a presentation
Friday, Sept. 6, noon
lunch meeting, Beach Com-
munity Center; consultant
J.ason Matthews will review
the Strategic Plan as ap-
proved by the .Beach City
Council
Western
Cooperative
CREDIT UNION
WILLISTON I DICKINSON I HEBRON I BEACH
GLEN ULLIN I RAY I.TIOGA 1 WCCU.ORG
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