Thanks, EMS

At Minot Daily News, we hear both a lot of compliments and a lot of complaints about various public services in Minot and the area.

That said, I’d like to offer thanks and praise for local EMS. I have a bad habit of slips and falls on snow and ice. Almost four years and I might have adjusted to the temperatures, but not so much when it comes to the slick footing. Hey, don’t mock! I can walk on the scorching hot sands of Miami Beach barefoot with no problem and hop through the woods of northeast Oklahoma with odd dexterity. We all have benefits from our native environments. Mine is not footing on ice.

So, here I am on a weekend night walking my dog and upon return through my own patio door – I go down hard. Nothing broken but my pride, a lot of bruises and stunned enough that I couldn’t stand up on a sheet of ice. A friend calls EMS. EMS arrives before I have even finished complaining about the call. They were incredible, very nice, evaluated the situation in minutes – even checking issues related to my personal health like blood pressure and blood sugar. In the end, they helped me up from the ground, let me sign off from needing ER transport and were on their way to their next call.

My first two books were about firefighters and EMS in major cities. I must admit – our teams here in Minot are terrific. Since I have been in Minot, I have had minor dealings with the Minot P.D. and an animal control officer. Not a lot, I know. But I know this – I have personally witnessed nothing but professionalism, kind service and the best of people.

A very special and personal thanks to Minot’s EMS.

Changes!

For the past two years, I have introduced changes to MDN in this column space and wanted today to announce a few new things.

One, in the next few months, we will be announcing at least a couple of new magazines/events. We’ve been working on them a long time and 2019 will see us launch these. We’re excited about all new projects. Our magazines have continued to win awards (Hometown is a multi-time winner with the North Dakota Newspaper Association statewide competition; our Centennial Farms/Historic Homestead magazine is popular enough we have a challenge re-stocking distribution points!) and our Senior Expo enjoyed brisk attendance and great reviews. Now, we’re doubling down on such efforts to continue your support. People who enjoy the outdoors, hunting and fishing, should be particularly thrilled. Seniors and parents as well. More news to come.

By now readers might have noticed some contributor changes. The City of Minot is speaking directly to residents through an exclusive column in MDN; we expect another city department to contribute another one soon, and Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Kevin Cramer and Rep. Kelly Armstrong have shown a wonderful willingness to send us columns particularly for our readers. This is in addition to the community contributor columns I continue to request from readers. All wonderful additions to the paper.

As a result, in the weeks ahead, I will be cutting back this column from fairly regularly weekly to once a month. By now, I have discussed so many internal workings of the paper that I have little left to offer on a weekly basis. So I am switching it to monthly to address internal media issues, discuss personal observations and share MDN news.

Another change you will see this year is an entirely new approach to our Trading Post publication. Without revealing any details, we think it will be a solid sister product to MDN and something worth paying attention to.

Impressive VIP visitor

Speaking of quality columns from current leadership, it’s important to mention a visit with our editorial board by Rep. Armstrong last week. Based on his grasp of issues, perspectives and human quality, we believe Kelly is going to be a tremendous addition to Congress and a strong advocate for North Dakota. We have an experienced board. Not everyone easily impresses. Kelly does. Agree or disagree with his positions, we expect he will be willing to engage with anyone and to do so with logic, reason and sincerity. Thanks for the chat, Kelly.

A wounded friend

A minor news issue this week with the Legislature in session, was that Rep. Marvin Nelson was wounded in an accident with a moose. Reports are that Marvin is OK. MDN has long enjoyed a cordial and open relationship with Marvin. He is an important public figure and he is considered a friend here. We wish him the absolute best for recovery and look forward to seeing him soon. Be well, friend.