PRAIRIE ROSES: To former North Dakota legislator Pam Gulleson for jumping into the nomination race for a chance to run for the state's congressional seat. Gulleson, a Democrat, wants to challenge the Republican candidate for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D., who is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by retiring Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. We're a long way from newspaper political endorsements, but Gulleson's candidacy is noteworthy. She has excellent legislative experience, including leadership. She worked for former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and therefore has experience in federal policy that affects North Dakotans. She is from rural North Dakota with roots on the farm near Rutland. At this point, the only other announced candidate in the race is Republican Brian Kalk, a North Dakota public service commissioner. The campaigns have just started, but it's good to see an experienced candidate like Gulleson in the race.
PRAIRIE ROSES: To Fargo-Moorhead television news broadcast stations for expanding and enhancing their local news broadcasts. Without going into specifics, it's good to see more air time and reporting resources devoted to local television news. The more local news options, the better the news-consuming public is informed. As sources of national and international news proliferate, the only real exclusives local broadcasters have are in local and regional news. There is a lot of it in the F-M market. The several broadcast outlets serving the region will compete to air the best, most useful news blocks for their viewers. That's good news for all of us in the news business.
LEAFY SPURGE: To Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., the fading presidential candidate who last week made the startling claim that the U.S. food industry is overregulated. Speaking at a meat-packing plant, Bachmann said "common sense," not overregulation, should determine food inspections. She apparently believes the recent high-profile cases of tainted eggs, peanuts, melons, lettuces and other foods - some of which resulted in deaths - mean the industry should be subject to less regulation. Most Americans would disagree.
PRAIRIE ROSES: To the North Dakota Industrial Commission for approving a study of road dust control in the state's oil boom counties. When road dust problems from trucks were brought up in the past, they were laughed down. But the proliferation of heavy truck traffic on roads not designed for such traffic has made believers of even the most anti-regulation folks in the Oil Patch. It's a problem in the usually dry west. The trucks kick up so much fine dust that it doesn't have time to settle or drift away. Gov. Jack Dalrymple commented that "the dust is terrible ... It's a problem, and we have to find some creative solutions." That's the aim of the $220,000 study, which will be conducted by former state health official Francis Schwindt.
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board.
