The Bismarck Tribune from Bismarck, North Dakota • A10

A10 Friday, december 20, 2019 Bismarck TriBune 1 SPEAKING OUT Founded 1873 a Lee enterprises newspaper 707 e. Front bismarck, N.d. 58504 tribune.com Editorial Board GARY ADKISSON Publisher LIBBY SIMES controller AMY DALRYMPLE editor STEVE WALLICK editorial Writer to find and publish the truth, that the people of a great state might have a light by which to guide their Stella Mann, Tribune publisher, 1939 I do a lot of pet-sitting. And that has me thinking about parallels to the recent debate over refugee resettlement in Bismarck. I tried to sign up for a professional sitter website to offer my ser- vices on a bigger scale, but despite being a passable wordsmith, I could not find an accurate way to convey how much I love hanging out with other critters.

I pretty much rely on word of mouth. Mouths that I hope you let your dog lick. I care if gross. Just let them love you. One of my repeat clients is a skittish Pomeranian named Simba.

Simba forgets who I am every time I come over. Simba appreciates a good belly rub. Simba is a lov- able dimwit. Or so I thought. The last time I had Simba in my mostly capable charge, he somehow managed to sneak past me through the door of the attached garage.

I spent a good half hour trying to trap him between a sensible midsize family se- dan and the lawnmower; I tried to lure him with treats; I played dead on the garage floor to see if try to eat me. But he was wily and quicker on his tippy-taps than I expected. I finally had to change tack and go for the emotional distress method. I go. I am leaving now.

Goodbye I called while turning my back on him, pretending to enter the house as slowly as possible. It worked. Simba realized he needed me. I was late for work and he got an extra belly rub out of the whole ordeal. I grew up in the during a time when North Dakota was con- cerned about a population that had remained stagnant since the 1980s.

And the youth continued to leave. I remember field trips that were focused solely on telling us how great our state was. They plied us with plastic sticks full of local honey and let our sticky hands touch all the machinery on display at the Ag Expo. By the time I graduated high school in 2008, the rest of the nation was in the midst of a recession, so it made sense for a lot of us to stick around. Like my pal, Artie a settle for a spot by the win- dow, but we never stop dreaming of the world outside.

I attended last Burleigh County Commission meeting regard- ing the Lutheran Social Services program which resettles refugees into our community. It was a relief to see so many people rally behind our new neighbors. Prior to the meeting I had emailed all of the commis- sioners. It seems I go more than a few months without reminding someone in power that their decision on a social issue matters to young constituents. privileged to have some bargaining power.

I play the same game that worked on Simba. But leave you this not an empty threat. lost more than a few friends who seek out a place more palatable. We still managed to pass legisla- tion that would protect LGBTQ folks from discrimination. And there was some confusion about the ratification process last year regarding the Equal Rights Amendment (essentially no take-backsies, but that seem to matter).

In contrast to the powerful testimony, it was appalling to hear commissioners admit they taken the time to research the matter they were voting on. Willful ig- norance is something I expect from Lillian, a terrier who knows not supposed to dig in the garden, but not from my representatives. The grass is always greener, they say, and us dog-walkers know it. Maybe just the honey sticks talking, but I do see my future here. going to sit.

Stay. Kayla Schmidt is a freelance writer and creative collaborator with The Good Kids. a North dakota boomerang: originally from minot, she took a detour to study in england before settling in bismarck. Burleigh tax statement brings bah humbug This year with Thanksgiving on Nov. 28, I got off to a late start with Christmas decorating, shopping, writing out cards by hand (I still believe in this tradition as hard to tear open and hold a Facebook post in your hand) and all that goes with this festive season of giving and sharing.

As usual as the month wears on, I start to feel dread as my husband brings in the mail. nothing to squelch the ho, ho, ho of the season than to see our Burleigh County Real Estate Tax Statement. Now my ho, ho, have turned into bah humbug! Not only do we pay a hefty chunk of change for the consol- idated tax, but since the street past our home has been re-done, a couple of squares of sidewalk as well as the apron to have drive- way replaced, we now have been blessed with an eye popping bun- dle of additional money we have to pay the county plus interest mind you if not paid in full. According to statistics that heard, there are millions of folks that handle an unexpected bill of $400 let alone thousands. Then there is $6 billion in the Leg- acy Fund that the legislature gets to spend according to what they see fit.

Alaska residents all ben- efit from their oil boom, yet ND seem to want to help the average Joe or Jane with a worth of relief in regard to the exorbitant bill we get stuffed into our Christmas sock every year. love to hear from a lot more folks regarding this issue. Roberta D. Nelson, Bismarck As we approach Christmas, and the end of 2019, my heart overflows with gratitude. I was honored to lead the Santa Run last Saturday on the pace bike.

To be honest, dressing in a Santa suit and riding a bicycle outfitted like Rudolph was not on my bucket list, especially with a temperature of 5 be- low zero at the start of the race. But since learn- ing about Bis- RAAD (Runners Against Destructive Decisions), I have been on a quest to better understand the world of addiction and recovery. And at the heart of addiction and recovery in our part of the world is the Heartview Foundation. The numbers are staggering: Nationally, the opioid epidemic claims 175 Americans each day. That is roughly the equivalent of one U.S.

airliner crashing each day with no survivors. More people died (62,000) as a result of the opioid epidemic last year than died in the Vietnam War. North Dakota has had the highest percentage increase in opi- oid deaths of any state for the past couple of years. But in North Dakota, alcohol re- mains the No. 1 addiction.

A 2016 study revealed of North Da- kota adults reported binge drink- ing within the past month, and a 2017 study found of vehicle deaths involved alcohol. Since 1964, Heartview has pro- vided services to nearly 30,000 individuals and their families, but to meet the growing need of both inpatient and outpatient services, Heartview is expanding its facil- ities. With current facilities, the wait time for a residential bed is six to eight weeks. Heartview last spring pur- chased the former Ruth Meiers Hospitality House emer- gency shelter for $1 million, and renovation costs are $1.5 million. When completed, the new fa- cility will add 15 recovery apart- ments and 16 additional residen- tial treatment beds.

The recovery apartments will be prioritized for opioid-addicted people who utilize Medication Assisted Treat- ment. According to Recovery Rein- vented, one in seven North Dako- tans deals with some form of ad- diction, and each issues impact, on average, four others, usually family or close friends. That means over half of all North Dakotans are directly impacted by addiction. I imagine a local program more consequential than Heart- view. So as we approach the end of the year, I hope you will join me in supporting its impactful work.

It needs about a half million dollars to hit its target. You may donate online by fol- lowing this link. There are dona- tion opportunities that include naming rights to facilities, but donations of all sizes are important and appreciated. view.org/?id=74&page=Donate+ Gary adkisson is publisher of The bismarck Tribune. The young people of ND want change VOICES OF THE PEOPLE Supporting a cause with broad impact OPINION REACH CONGRESS U.S.

Rep. Kelly Armstrong 1004 Longworth House Office building, Washington, d.c. 20515 bismarck phone: 701-354-6700 Washington phone: 202-225-2611 U.S. Sen. John Hoeven 338 russell Senate Office building, Washington, d.c.

20510 bismarck phone: 701-250-4618 Washington phone: 202-224-2551 U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer 400 russell Senate Office building, Washington, d.c. 20510 bismarck phone: 701-699-7020 Washington phone: 202-224-2043 LETTERS CONTACT INFORMATION The Tribune welcomes letters to the editor. Writers must include their address and both day and night telephone num- bers.

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