Open Thread #69
Today's open thread comments are tomorrow's headlines.
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Since October 2005
Grand Forks Life is the first and biggest blog covering life in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. GrandForksGuy shares local news, rumors, and his own opinions.
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NOTE: The views expressed in original posts on "Grand Forks Life" are merely the views and personal opinions of the owner of this blog. No guarantee is given for the accuracy of content. The views expressed in reader comments are the views of those readers. "GrandForksGuy" and "Grand Forks Life" do not endorse the views of readers.
117 comments:
The lights in this town are extremely frustrating, particularly late at night and on Columbia.
First example the light on Columbia and 24th ave. S... I literally sat in the westbound 'straight' lane for 5 minutes, the other side would go green for left turn a couple times while my side remained red... Seeing no end in sight I just turned right and went out of my way to get to my destination.
Also, the lights on Columbia by Altru are ridiculous. The lights should stay green on columbia until people are waiting on the other sides of the intersections... you know, like most lights. The stupid things are hardly ever green on columbia.. it doesn't make any sense, columbia is way busier than those side roads.
Honorable mention for annoying light: 32nd ave intersection by holiday w/ subway.
You should try the light on University crossing Columbia on a Saturday morning, on a bicycle and in a car. I've sat there for probably close to 10 minutes and the light refused to turn.
This is actually where I've seen the most people get fed up and drive through a red, so it can't just be me..
Why worry about the lights when you can't tell where the lanes are anyway. This town has the worst lane markings in ND, except for the gravel street towns. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents caused by this.
What is up with the "Crooked Hat Syndrome" that plagues so many male UND students? Don't they know how ridiculous they look?
It takes every fiber of my being not to grab them and knock their hat off!
There's actually a cyclist who waits for the light to change when there's no traffic. Come on uber law-abiding citizens of GF, grow a pair.
The lack of road markings may actually be preventing accidents. Take a peek at this:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html
And I agree with the sideways hat thing...knock it off! That is so five years ago, and it was stupid looking then.
"That is so five years ago, and it was stupid looking then."
I guess it takes ~5 years for stupid trends/fads to show up here ;) Sort of like the famous "must be emo" video WDAZ did last year.
There's actually a cyclist who waits for the light to change when there's no traffic. Come on uber law-abiding citizens of GF, grow a pair.
That might be me you're talking about, and what of it? It doesn't affect you whether I obey the law. I wouldn't call a lot of Grand Forks drivers "law-abiding," either, considering how often I see people run stop signs when there is traffic.
I follow the rules of the road because so many people do not. I wait my turn at four-way stops, I actually stop before going through, and I yield right-of-way according to the law. I actually signal! The problem is, a lot of drivers I see don't know how to deal with that, and seem actually afraid of me when they see me. So because so many people on bicycles don't follow the law, I have to deal with idiots who wave me across the road when I'm sitting at a stop sign and they have the right of way, or freak out when I take the lane because there isn't enough room for a car, a bicycle, and two rows of parked vehicles.
If I'm on the road, I'm not a pedestrian, so stop treating me as such. For anyone else who rides even a little, please try to follow the rules of the road. It will make all of our lives easier.
The lights in this town are a JOKE! Back in the fall good ol' WDAZ did a story about the signals and did an interview with the director of traffic signals at City Hall. He said back then the lights would be 'fixed', that was a flat out lie. The only light that got better on 32nd Ave. is the light in front of Sams Club.
At 3am driving down 32nd Ave. I still can manage to stop at every other light when there's absoutely NO traffic. It's pathetic! Compare that to driving in downtown Fargo where their lights are set up to easily get through at least 10 city blocks with not even stopping. The lights magically turn green as you approach every intersection.
I better go make my monthy phone call to public works to complain.
Exactly, Joe. When it's that late the main roads in Grand Forks should be green all the way through until cars come up to the red lights on the side roads. This is something that should be addressed soon, because waiting for as long as we do at these lights is ridiculous. And please don't argue the "well there's no need to be in such a hurry!" angle because you would be just as ticked waiting at some of these lights.
the worst intersection in town has become 42nd St and 32nd ave., the one right by arbys and dennys. going north or south there are no turn lane lights so sitting through 2 or 3 cycles are normal on the weekend. this town is definately slacking in the traffic control department
Makes you wonder if anyone from the street department ever actually drives in Grand Forks to see this crazyness that takes place everyday. Very inefficent traffic flows in this town.
FYI- the sensors that trigger the traffic lights to cycle need to be triggered by something larger than a bicycle. My motorcycle can't trigger half the lights in town even....but I'm not complaining. Traffic isn't bad here, and as much as people complain, the traffic lights ARE actually better than cities of comparable size.
This just in from the Herald online- Two GF police officers charged with reckless endangerment...I thought the GF Herald wasn't allowed to report on stuff like that, it makes GF look really bad after all...
Finally some of the town cops with the big cajones got called out on it!!!!
Yes, it is about time.
One intersection that I use almost daily when I'm delivering is the intersection on S. Washington and 13th Ave South. If your on 13th trying to turn left either way its a zoo. I think that they need to put in a green arrow. Even if it only turns for 10 seconds it would clear up a lot of confusion. Half the cars that turn don't even have blinkers on so I end up waiting to see what they will do before I get into an accident.
Let's not put the cart in front of the horse about these police officers. Yes, it certainly looks bad for them, and they may have made a very bad decision. Also don't forget about the time they dedicated to the community. If they deserve to be found guilty, then that is probably what will happen, but just let the judge and jury decide their guilt or innocence. And PLEASE - don't run down every police officer in this town...they do a very good job that most of us would be unable/unwilling to do, and receive very little thanks most of the time. This sounds like an isolated incident, so don't overdo the reaction, please!
Are those camera's up high at some intersections on 32nd? If so, what purpose do they serve? Somebody should start monitoring the intersections for traffic flow.
anon@6:35, the problem with that intersection is that both of the lanes are combo turn/straight lanes.
I'm sure that was a great idea when this town had 25k people in it. Not so good now.
I think those "cameras" are just sensors for traffic...kind of like when you walk into target and the magic elves in that little black box near the top of the door sprinkle a little pixie dust to open it for you.
Apparently the vandals in Grand Forks have moved on from pellet guns. This weekend someone I know had a huge rock thrown threw their window on the northwest side of town.
I made it from Gateway all the way to 32nd ave on Columbia one day, I was quite surprised and this was during normal daylight hours.
To the above, I made it without stoping at a light:)
I agree that the traffic lights are a major pain in this town. I have personally called numerous times to complain and just get the run around. I called in August to complain about the lights on 13th and Columbia and was told that it was a "broken loop" and it was on the schedule to be fixed the next week. Well seven months later and it's still broken. The traffic engineer for grand forks is Jane Williams and her office phone number is 746-2644 also Rick Hanson is the person in charge of programing the lights his cell phone number is 218-779-5633. Call these people and let them know your frustrations. I would also like to see the city switch to flashing lights after midnight like most other cities that would help out a lot.
One of the worst lights in town would have to be crossing North Washington on 2nd Avenue, East or West. Terrible.
As for the sideways hats. Hats should be worn for a purpose, to block light or rain/snow/ice-bullets.
Every time I'm in class @ UND and I see guys wearing baseball caps and beanies I want to scream at them. Show some manners, take of the hats when indoors fellas!
Logan, what does it matter if someone's wearing a hat indoors? Who are you to say they should be taken off? Maybe we all should take our shoes off at the entrance of the lecture halls too. And why are some of you so hot and bothered over crooked hats anyways? Does not affect you in any way. Are you offended by it? There are far greater tragedies in the world...I agree it looks stupid, but I couldn't care less if the person wants to do it. To each their own.
The city council is going to be making their final decision regarding the Riverside Park pool this spring. I hope they save it, Grand Forks needs another pool and this would be a lot cheaper than building a new one. There is also $600,000 left over from the FEMA buyout for the pool that can only be used for northend aquatics. Save the pool!
About time there's almost an entire blog of people noticing the problem of the traffic engineers doing nothing in this city to improve traffic flow. Thank you to anon @ 12:01 for listing the phone numbers of those supposedly in charge. Not sure what else they do since nothing has been done to address lane markings or traffic lights.
What is the purpose of those cameras on the light posts, especially the intersection by Buffalo Wild Wings on Columbia Road and the one on 32nd and 34th St. S.? The 32nd Ave./34th St. intersection always goes to a protected left turn signal for those going eastbound on 32nd, even when a car is not even in the dang left-turn lane! Very frustrating! And it sits on that arrow for a good minute.
A good investment the city could make when marking lanes is to use reflective tape rather than paint. Dickinson uses this method where they strip off an inch or two on the road where the tape will be placed. This requires less maintenance (since the paint washes off and gets scoured off the pavement when streets are plowed) and prevents the tape from being removed when plowing (since it sets a couple inches lower than the surface).
We need some roundabouts!
^ I agree! Too bad that takes more planning for the future than this city seems willing to do.
FYI- the sensors that trigger the traffic lights to cycle need to be triggered by something larger than a bicycle.
Yeah, although I was hoping that all the new camera things were censors, rather than having road-weight sensors. There's usually a car there at the same time anyway, and if there isn't, after a while I give up and just turn right and go around the block.
I wish the Herald website would allow comments on the 'bad cops' story - I could use a little craziness from the people!
I saw that the comment line was up briefly on the cops story on the Herald Web site, but it was taken down soon after a bunch of libelous and profane comments started rolling in.
People are really juvenile on the Net when they are hiding behind a shield of anonymity.
It would be funny to see an SNL skit or something that shows people acting in public the same way they act on message boards and blogs.
A lot of us tend to be passive agressive when it comes to message boards -- like, saying stuff we'd never say directly to someone's face.
Is it cowardice or is it just the way it's going to be from now on?
Maybe it's a good thing, because it lets people be who they truly are. That would be a scary indictment on us come to think of it.
Just pondering.
You can be whoever you want on the internet.
And everybody wants to be loud, arrogant, cynical, tough-guy smart asses with no skill for passionate and polite debate. That's sad.
Not only was the comment link removed, the comments themselves were removed.
In fairness, though, the Herald does have a disclaimer that says they can censor whatever they want, even if it is fair, critical speech.
Whats the status of the smiley water tower? Is the city still planning on taking it down or is it here to stay?
Anonymous said:
"People are really juvenile on the Net when they are hiding behind a shield of anonymity."
there is some irony in there somewheres [scratches head]
Btw... Uni St. crossing S. Washington blows a mean one as well. Just horrible.
South Washington/13th Avenue South light are the WORST in town. Agree or disagree, but they're. I am sure some of you know what I'm talking when the light turns green for about 5 seconds and immediately goes back to red. Usually traffic backs up to Paradiso going south during rush hour. The city needs to look into this..
Wannagrapple: Not quite ironic. I think it was ok for that anonymous poster to say what they did, because their post wasn't juvenile. I think they meant anonymity is just fine if you're intelligent about it. It's when people try to be anonymous bullies that they seem to be criticizing. Just a thought.
to Szymanski's Designated Driver: I think it's rude to wear hats indoors. That is of course just my opinion. I tend to subscribe to the old school belief on the no hats indoors rule.
I do have a valid reasoning for not wearing them in classrooms, however. Many students wearing hats in the classes I've attended usually hide under their brim, making communication and eye contact difficult. Also, if you're the person behind said hat wearer, the hat becomes an obstruction, similar to sitting behind people wearing hats in Carmike movie theater.
I understand hats are always fashionable, but why do they have to be a hindrance to communication and a disruption to the learning process?
Rodney King of Grand Forks ? Charges of discrimination and police brutality made by Jason Hickman age 24 of EGF against GF Police officers ! $100,000 settlement ? Why is not the Chief of Police speaking? Cover up ? Just asking. greenglass4.
Greenglass?
Why do you always write your posts like a CNN news crawl?
Seriously, it's weird.
I was wondering the same think, Kelly. It's like he's throwing it out there saying, "I'm not saying ... I'm just saying. You decide." But, he knows full well the damage is done by him simply introducing his libelous fragments. Too bad for him, everyone knows he's a no-credence crackpot.
Maybe he types like he thinks?
GFG, why do you ignore The Alerus Center? It's the largest story in town. No, that's wrong, the Region. A good moderated thread would be fascinating and could be beneficial. Instead, you're happy to see Alerus posts buried in one of these wonderful open threads, sandwhiched between Olive Gardens crackpots and anons calling out anons.
I guess that's what you get in the blogophere.
Seriously, throw an Alerus thread out there. Lay out the ground rules at the beginning. You go off topic, or below the belt, you get nuked.
For anyone who wanted to know how the traffic lights in GF work-
A few just have simple timers (downtown DeMers for example)
Some have either infared or laser sensors mounted up on the pole that supports the traffic light- these are those "cameras" mentioned above on 32nd ave.
Some lights also have loop inductors put under the surface of the pavement. It's basically a magnetic field that gets disrupted when a large mass of metal goes over it (like a car). The bad news is your average Huffy or Harley doesn't have enough metal to actuate it.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question234.htm
As far as I know, any sensors dealing with weight are not used for traffic lights. If you're on a bicycle, you might be better off just using the pedestrian button...since cyclists don't pay for many road-related taxes, the roads aren't really designed for bikes. I find it annoying, and thats why I bike on the sidewalks.
As far as I know, any sensors dealing with weight are not used for traffic lights.
Thanks for letting me know, I actually had no idea how it worked, I just assumed it was a weight thing somehow!
If you're on a bicycle, you might be better off just using the pedestrian button...since cyclists don't pay for many road-related taxes, the roads aren't really designed for bikes. I find it annoying, and thats why I bike on the sidewalks.
I'm not on the sidewalk when I ride, and I am not going to go over and push the button to cross the street. That's just how I roll.
Whether the roads are designed for bicycles or not, we all pay for them. Do you own a car? Do you ride the bus? Do you pay property or sales taxes? The money that pays for roads does not all come from gasoline tax and registration. Now, what about those sidewalks--how are those paid for? I've never had to pay any sort of "tax" just to walk on the sidewalk, so the city government must be getting the money from somewhere else.
It's just a pet peeve of mine that people think just because I'm not driving at the moment, I contribute nothing to the road I'm using. I own a car, I pay local and state taxes on the things I buy, and I should get to use that road just like everyone else.
Grand Forks City Ordinance 1.3 Operation of Vehicles/Bicycles
Subdivistion(3) Bicycles confined to roads. No person shall ride a bicycle on other than a paved vehicular road or path designated for that purpose in the parks. A bicyclist shall be permitted to wheel or push a bicycle by hand over any grassy area or wooded trail or on any paved area reserved for pedestrian use.
Article 3 16-0305 Bicycles on sidewalks; when permitted; 8-1104. Riding on sidewalks in residential districts.
Persons may ride bicycles upon sidewalks in residential districts only. Such person shall at all times have the bicycle under control, and shall drive it in a careful manner . . . .
Does St. Michaels Church have control of the light on N 5th St? It seems like there's no way to predict when that thing is going to be working, flashing, or off all together. Remember when they put stop signs in the middle of the road?
Nice work guys. Compelling discussion on traffic flow and street lights. Keep it up. I'm riveted to my computer screen. I especially like the posters who take the time to research and cite municipal codes.
Step one to get The Alerus back on track would be to peel the name "Alerus" off the property and restore "The Aurora". Then, watch community support line up for the property after this simple step.
Judging by the run of bad boogie, and loss of millions of dollars, I'm sure the bank would have no problem with getting out from under the black cloud out there.
I think Alerus Financial paid big bucks to get the city to sign a 20 year contract on the naming rights for the events center.
Taking the name off might cost more than leaving it on there.
heres a topic, I wanna know WHO GFG is! at least a picture!
Maybe people want to know who you are!! Oh wait...no one cares.
GFG is a double agent working closely with The Grand Forks Herald, Alerus Financial, a high ranking member of the City Council, and a handful of other covert citizens. They're all in cahoots, sharing poster's IP's and triangleating blog users. When data is confirmed, all members of the syndicate are notified. Members meet, and an action plan is constructed to, "get the mofo". Syndicate members then lay in the weeds and wait for the proper time to take them out (figuratively). There's more, I can't talk right now. ssshhhh, gotta go!
For the people on the last open thread not knowing how to place an order for Girl Scout cookies, call the local Girl Scout service center at 772-6679.
They'll be available for pickup in April, and that's when you'll start seeing Troops doing booth sales at Walmart, Lowe's, etc. You can find out the date and times of the April cookie booth sales by calling the same number, although most of the details probably won't be hammered out until April.
Weren't they talking about an overpass at Demers and S Wash?
Fantastic topic going, guys. I don't have any qualms with the traffic lights, except for the 6th St(?) one that crosses Columbia. I've waited for that one for so long.. Not so bad, I understand when it's daytime and there are tons of people on Columbia. But it's pretty annoying when it's 3am and mine is the only car out there, yet I have to wait 10 minutes for that light.
That said, would anyone like to get involved with the Grand Forks Refugee Coalition? They've been assisting refugees from Bosnia, Africa, and lately Iraq. They're having a meeting next Tuesday, 3/18, at 7pm, at 1001 24th Ave. S. They work with Lutheran Social Services, so I think the meeting is at a church. I'm planning to get involved, hoping to recruit some others on my way in, hehe.
Cheers. :)
just out of curiosity, how many folks here haver been to the "dinner club" thingamabob at Amazing Grains where various local cooks/chefs put on a multi course prix fixe menu?
They call it SNAG (Sat Night @ Grains)and it takes place after hours about twice a month, with differing topics: ie Vietnamese, Mediterranean, etc.
And as well, are there any other dinner clubs... private or rertail sponsored... going on around town?
BTW... can you tell me the name of the Ferment Your Own Wine Place? Ya know.... the one that the state or city was running out of business? Are they still open, and what is/was their name? Thanks for any info!!
Sorry can't get into street lights ! How about our "Power Couple" in the news again today. EERC Director can now go home, protection order set aside, guns locked up, and he must take a Psych Eval. Rumor is that several episodes have been at EERC. Must he now resign ? greenglass4.
I have to say Grand Forks does have some annoying street lights, but I have to say what annoys me even more are the hundreds of people I see in this town run red lights. Those people seem to think if they see the light turn yellow, they can still make through. I bet I see at least 10 cars a day go through reds. One morning I was going north on Washington at the Gateway intersection. As the light turned yellow on Gateway, one car made it halfway through before it turned red, then after it was red 3 more cars went through.
wannagrapple, the place you're looking for is Vintner's Cellar. It's in the Grand Cities mall on the same side as Hope Covenant Evangelical Church and the bingo parlor. I was there just before Valentines Day and it was still open, but I haven't been over there recently. I'd imagine if it had already closed, someone would have posted it here.
It would be funny to see an SNL skit or something that shows people acting in public the same way they act on message boards and blogs.
Chappelle's Show did a skit about if the internet were a real place. It's pretty funny, I think it was in the second season.
I'm sorry, but this is really, really funny. Have many of the people complaining about traffic light timing or those sinners who run the red light right after it turns ever seen what real rush-hour traffic is all about or seen a real traffic jam? (the backup when a train crosses 42nd doesn't count BTW)
And time for me to be slightly hypocritical- I don't know if I should laugh or be mad when people think those yield signs on the "on-ramps" at Columbia/DeMers and DeMers/4th Ave are stop signs...seriously, are 50% of the drivers in this town afraid to try some actual merging? People will calmly stop behind you here, but anywhere outside of the Dakotas you'd have horns and middle fingers displayed...I love Grand Forks :-)
Heidi- this may apply more to real forums frequented by the younger crowd, but I think you can get the jokes-
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1776175
To wannagrapple:
Yes, the dinners at Amazing Grains are awesome! You get a really great meal for just $25, and you can bring your own wine. The chef will speak before the meal about the theme and the food. They are limited to 18 people. If you can get in, I highly recommend it.
To wannagrapple:
Yes, the dinners at Amazing Grains are awesome! You get a really great meal for just $25, and you can bring your own wine. The chef will speak before the meal about the theme and the food. They are limited to 18 people. If you can get in, I highly recommend it.
"The North Dakota Public Service Commission has told Otter Tail Power Co. to get an independent audit of its fuel costs.
The order comes after complaints from Otter Tail customers about their electric bills."
-- will this show up as a line item charge on my next bill? :(
Regarding driving in G.F., I live out of state. In a real city (the kind with lots of people, not a town). When driving in a city, there's courtesy. Not all drivers, of course. People actually take turns, we "zipper". When this happens, you give the "courtesy wave". In G.F., the courtesy wave is mistaken for "the finger". And you are immediately flipped off. Is this North Dakota nice? Ironically, when I drive in "the burbs", there is less of the courtesy described above. Probably, the G.F. County outmigrators. I'll keep pullin' the courtesy wave. You guys keep flippin' me off. Its cool.
Lived here for 8 years and have never been flipped off for giving a courtesy wave.
Also, I wonder who determines what is a real city? How many people do there have to be for a town to be considered a real city? Is it just people that hate Grand Forks that think we are a fake city & if you love it here you consider it a real city?
I give and get the courtesy wave daily and have yet to be flipped off by anyone, even when I have made a mistake and almost cut someone off. I have lived in GF for over 10 years and for the most part, I find drivers to be pretty good manners wise. I do, however, get a little frustrated with those that like to speed around me only to stop right beside me at the next red light--but to each his own.
OK, back to some more important topics.
I'd like to see a list of the local, sit-down restaurants in the GF/EGF area. (I don't live in GF, just visit.) A friend's sister is coming to GF to visit her parents and they'll want to go out to eat and she wants to avoid major chain restaurants (local chains like Mama Maria's expanding is OK) and buffets.
So, can we develop a nice, comprehensive list?
Thanks...
Courtesy wave use in the city? That's news to me. I'd think it was someone flipping me off. I always associated (and have seen/used) courtesy waves in rural areas where passing someone is infrequent. I frequently partake when out storm chasing. Do you constantly hold your wave during your entire trip down 32nd? On a side note, I have yet to see a finger given within Grand Forks.
When trying to change lanes in traffic--someone slows to allow you in--give a quick wave(thanks) and keep driving. I call that a courtesy wave--
Gotcha anon @ 1:37. My definition only includes random waves with no purpose.
Thanks Dale.
Probably should have just e-mailed you about it directly, but this way there's a nice list out in the open.
Thanks guys for the info on Vintner's Cellar and The Grains! Just the kinda stuff I am looking for.
And dale's list is looking good as well! Thanks! Gotta work my way through some of these joints.
One place I have vowed to never try though is Italian Moon. "Pizza... And Mexican Food" Almost as an afterthought. Like they rummage through Paradiso's leftovers or something [shudder]. If you are great at Pizza, you WILL suck at making Mexican Food and vice versa. Now that may come off as a gross generalization, but has anyone everseen it pulled off successfully?!
I also have given and received many courtesy waves... you sure you had all 5 fingers up anon@9:39? Also, I love these big city know-it-alls that think they're God's gift to Grand Forks. No one cares that you lived in a Minneapolis suburb before you came here... oh and guess what? You're here now, so deal with it.
"I love these big city know-it-alls "
And the whippersnappers, too, Marilyn!
The only thing that's torn after visiting Italian Moon is my a**. First and last time to that restaurant.
We don't actually do the "Courtesy Wave" down here in Tampa.
We do the "Blah, Blah, Blah" hand!
What you do is merge with traffic ASAP, and if someone gives you the horn or flips you off, you make your hand into a puppet and mimic someone going "Blah, Blah, Blah" at them, like saying, "Yeah, keep talking buddy, whatever."
Every time I got cut off by someone when I first moved down here, I got the "Blah" puppet from everyone ranging from teenage kids in Hondas to old women in Caddies. It was the strangest looking thing, I thought I was on Sesame Street!
Marilyn should go and review the local soup kitchen! That would be a hoot!
I noticed on GasPriceWatch.com that few gas stations in GF have current prices listed on them. I think this looks like a job for GFL readers!
You just register at the site as a price watcher and then enter prices as you see them. It's a pretty simple way to help us all save money.
I know for a fact that Marilyn has been invited to sample the fine cuisine of the new county jail. No lie. She loves to do off the wall stuff.
There's a decent number listed on gasbuddy.com (check out the gas temperature map on the lower LHS)
I would gladly pay an extra 60 cents per tank to not have to mingle with the NASCAR jacket/sweatpants crowd at Sam's Club.
Marylin, please go to Fargo and review the Olive Garden. That would be cool. But don't mention how much better the traffic lights are in Fargo compared to GF. That might touch a nerve with someone.
Dale - what email client do you use in OS X Leopard? iMac just arrived and Eudora doesn't play well with Leopard and OSX mail is too much like a windoze clone. :-)
It's taking me forever to set up mailboxes in Apple Mail as for some reason it doesn't want to import all of them from Eudora on the older machine. I don't like to "work on my computer" and want to "do things on my computer" (that's why I use Mac) and Eudora was great and simple. I have to use windoze at work and even I have to admit it's getting better but we have a number of full time IT folks, too. :-)
I would gladly pay an extra 60 cents per tank to not have to mingle with the NASCAR jacket/sweatpants crowd at Sam's Club.
How often you mingle with anyone at a gas station? For most people it's pull up, fill up, leave.
Everybody, don't forget that you can get 5 cents off per gallon at Loaf n Jug with their discount cards. I got a Kroeger from friends in the South that works, but I think all you have to do is ask, and you'll get one of the assorted discount cards that works at Loaf n Jug.
Dale, What about Parrot's Cay? You can't be in a hurry to eat there, but the menu is unique and I think the food is very good. They have great hot wings. There are many regulars that go there. Also, the staff usually remembers your beverage of choice when you arrive. I can't wait until ND goes smoke free. It will be even better then.
My favorite places to eat are non-franchise. (Parrot's Cay, South Gate, Bonzer's, Mike's Pizza, Rhombus Guys, Dakota Harvest Bakery for lunch)
Dale, try Bistro Dansk for great Danish comfort food. Also try Bobbie's for cool Romanian food like Chicken Dracula. Oh, and those completely badass homemade sausages. It's a bit of a stodgy place, but it was a fun meal.
Dale,
Misawa is a great Ethopian place in Osborne village, Sawatdee Thai (spelling?), is also on Osborne St. and is great!
Another great Thai place is Lao Thai Restaurant on St. Anne's Road. That place is amazing!!
How do you people feel about the movie "Jesus Camp"
How do YOU feel about the movie, "Jesus Camp"?
I thought it was kinda boring?
Oh, this is a different anonymous.
...so, can we get back to Olive Garden now, or is this a movie review site?
6th Ave N and Columbia is the worst
(especially if you're on 6th)
Waited 7 minutes for the light to go green turning left onto Columbia
We should set up a site to report on the worst streets/intersections in town . . .
I just created a group on Facebook called "Grand Forks Traffic Lights are HORRIBLE!"
Come vent! haha
Home invasion and robbery in Grand Forks. Just saw it in the Herald. WTF is going on around here?
I saw it in the Herald too! Holy sh!* ... I'm double bolting my door.
A quick Google search yields information like this....
"Grand Forks's property crime levels tend to be much higher than North Dakota's average level. The same data shows violent crime levels in Grand Forks tend to be much higher than North Dakota's average level."
Source: http://www.idcide.com/citydata/nd/grand-forks.htm
And these stats were reported for a period BEFORE the last two years of elevated crime rates.
"Today's open thread comments are tomorrow's headlines"
But, usually, it's the other way around. Nice try.
""Grand Forks's property crime levels tend to be much higher than North Dakota's average level."
Won't this typically be the case for every city?
Dale, how was Bistro Dansk?
ouwxguesser- remember we aren't a "real city"...
Parrot's Cay tends to be less smokey before 7pm and the farther you sit from the bar (over by the pool table).
Pita Pit is the best thing that happen to Grand forks. The young kids that work there are pretty funny. i like the dude with the long dreads...???? uck
Traffic lights in Grand Forks are rediculous. If you want to change it though just post a complaint here http://www.grandforksgov.com/gfgov/home.nsf/Street%20Light!OpenForm
If everyone complains they will get the point.
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