Happy Halloween!

What will you be doing this Halloween?

I'll be handing out candy to the half a dozen kids that make their way to my home. We used to get more trick or treaters, but the numbers have really dropped off in the last few years.

Whatever you do, please stay safe and keep the holiday fun for all.

Update - 11/1/2007 - 12:29 AM
Guess what...I didn't have ANY trick or treaters tonight. Pathetic! I suppose it didn't help that my house appeared to be the only one on the whole street that was giving out candy...bunch of cheapskates. Oh well, I hope the kids had fun at the Alerus Center. Still, nothing can quite compare to going trick or treating door to door...those were the days, huh?

UND/NCAA settlement

I haven't blogged about the UND/NCAA settlement yet. I know that the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo brings out very, very strong opinions on both sides of the debate. I wonder how you, the readers of GFL, are responding to this settlement?

Here's a brief synopsis of what the settlement outlines. UND will have three years to gain acceptance among the state's Sioux tribes for the continued use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. If, at the end of those three years, that acceptance has not come through, UND will retire its current nickname and logo and a new one will be chosen.

Do you think UND will be able to convince the state's Sioux tribes that the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo are neither hostile nor abusive? How do you think the tribes should fairly decide whether or not to accept the logo? What do you think about each tribe allowing each enrolled member to vote on the issue? If the current logo and nickname are retired, what do you think the UND athletic teams should be called? Would a new nickname and logo decrease or increase your level of interest and/or support for the UND teams?

I haven't personally discussed the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo on this blog to a great degree. I have made it clear that I am a supporter of the nickname and logo and that I do not find them hostile or abusive, but I have not exaggerated on my opinions.

My thoughts on the Fighting Sioux have evolved over the years. When I first went to UND, I was a supporter of the name and logo. Then, the proselytizing of one too many enlightened professors briefly convinced me that the name was bad and had to go. Now, I am back to being a strong believer that there is nothing inherently wrong with the nickname and logo and that it is used respectfully and should only serve to bring pride to the state's native people.

However, even though I remain a supporter of the Fighting Sioux, I have been growing weary of the fight as of late. UND does so many good things for so many people...notably for the state's native people...but the Fighting Sioux debate has become an undeserved burden for us. I believe that there is nothing wrong with the nickname and logo, but the fact that this debate has raged on for so long has given UND a black eye that distracts from all the good that the state's oldest and largest educational institution does. I will always be a supporter of the Fighting Sioux, but this debate must come to a conclusion soon. The finality of this settlement should ultimately put an end to this debate. UND encompasses so many things for so many people...we will be no less of a university if we must ultimately change our athletic nickname and put an end to the undeserved negativity that has been hurled at our campus.

Restaurant news

Two interesting tidbits from our city's restaurant scene...

A tipster informs me that Hooters is currently scouting for a location in the city of Grand Forks. This rumor has been circulated before, but my source has shed light on the company's attempts to find an appropriate location for the "delightfully tacky, yet unrefined" restaurant. According to my tipster, Hooters wanted to build on the empty lot in front of Kohls (at the intersection of 32nd Ave. S. and S. 34th St.), but the department store did not want that type of restaurant in that spot. I'm not entirely sure if that means that this lot is owned by Kohls. Now, Hooters is apparently trying to find a more appropriate location for their new restaurant. Any ideas where a more appropriate spot for a Hooters might be?

Also in local restaurant news, it looks like Grand Forks may soon be down to just one Arby's location. The Columbia Road location, which is the older of the city's two Arby's, is currently listed for sale. I assume that means that this building will no longer house an Arby's. If that is the case, this would make the 32nd Avenue location the only Arby's in town.

New poll: Fighting Sioux retirement?

Time for a new poll. The new question is "Will UND end up retiring the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo?" I await your answers. Happy voting.

Poll results: another grocer for Leevers

Time to close the old poll question "What do you think should happen to the old Leevers building?" Click here to view the results.

Selection		Votes
Another grocer	44%	42
A large retailer	20%	19
Strip mall	17%	16
Other (discuss)	20%	19
96 votes total

Open Thread #49

I apologize for neglecting this blog over the last few days. It's been a very busy and stressful week for me. For now, here's a new open thread to tide you over.

DakotaPolitics.com

I was recently invited to syndicate Grand Forks Life on a new website that covers local, state, and national politics. The website, DakotaPolitics.com, is a part of the KXnet.com system. Visitors to DakotaPolitics.com will now see short versions of my blog posts and will be directed to my blog where they can read the full post and join in the conversation. I'm hoping that this syndication will bring new visitors to the local Grand Forks blogosphere.

Open Thread #48

Another Monday and another open thread...

Housecleaning

I've removed a few blogs from the "GF Blogs" section to the left. Each of these blogs hasn't been updated for a half a year or more so I see no real reason to keep them listed. The blogs that I'm removing include: Boyd Drive Follies, CulturePulse, GGFYP, and Maze of Feathers. If any of these blogs is regularly updated again, I'll be more than happy to re-list them. Also, any new posts to these blogs will still show up in the news feed on the left. I kind of hate to do this, but I want to keep this blog up-to-date. Next up, the "ND Blogs" list.

The Fargo Farce

I agree with Mike Jacobs' editorial in Friday's Herald. Like Jacobs, I feel that by choosing "The Force" as the name of their new team, Fargo's hockey boosters are either incredibly stupid or - put quite simply - blatantly ripping off UND's athletic program.

It seems obvious that, while "The Force of the North" has become a new advertising slogan for UND athletics, it is also a very likely substitute nickname should UND decide to retire its beleaguered "Fighting Sioux" nickname. Kudos to UND for working on a backup plan...shame on Fargo's new hockey franchise for attempting to spoil those plans.

Surely UND has copyrighted "The Force of the North?" Doesn't "The Fargo Force" name violate those copyrights? Personally, I like "The Force of the North" as a potential new nickname for UND. UND should ensure that any plans they might have for "The Force of the North" are not spoiled or stolen by Fargo's upstart hockey team.

There goes those notions about Grand Forks always copying Fargo...