Author Archives: Dave Luessen

Don’t do the Crime…

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http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Police/

Crime is not a big concern in Fargo, but it does exist, and the Downtown Area is no exception.

“The downtown area isn’t really different than the rest of the city, as a far as the most common crimes go,” said Todd Wahl, the Fargo Police Department’s Downtown Resource Officer. “Luckily we live in a city where violent crime is pretty low.”

“Downtown has more alcohol disturbances due to the concentration of bars,” Wahl said. “Alcohol is a big contributor to a lot of the crimes we have downtown.”

Stopping the Problem

“We pay special attention to ordinances such as consuming alcohol in public and urinating in public,” Wahl said. “The more we enforce those ordinances the less you see of it.” Wahl notes that the most frequent violators are among Fargo’s homeless population.

On Oct. 28, WDAY News reported that there are nearly 1,500 homeless people in Fargo on any given night. The next day, the Fargo Forum‘s top headline was “Fargo-Moorhead homelessness rises 29 percent in three years.”

“Some of our homeless population who are alcoholic tend to drink in public,” Wahl said. “If we enforce that ordinance, that solves a lot of other problems that stem from over consumption of alcohol.”

Creeping through your Chrysler

Vehicle prowling is one of the most common crimes in the down town area. Among several programs, Fargo Police have instituted a “Bait Car” program to catch these thieves.

“The Bait Car is a car that we’ll put on the street with alarms and cameras to let us know when someone is messing with it,” Wahl said.

Badges on Broadway

At any given moment, there are at least two officers in the downtown area. In addition to Wahl, there are two beat officers, two evening officers and two night officers. Fargo police who are on patrol in neighboring areas often float through to provide extra sets of eyes, and many downtown officers blend into the weekend crowds wearing plain clothes.

http://www.casscountynd.gov/county/depts/sheriff/corrections/Pages/default.aspx

a one-bedroom, studio apartment

Do not pass go

“We don’t get to pick who comes here,” said Sergeant Lyndon Worden, assistant jail administrator.“Being a county jail, we’ve had everything from bad checks to murders and we house everything in between.

The new Cass County Jail houses 350 people at most. When capacity is reaches 80 percent, the jail is considered full.

Home sweet home

When an inmate first enters the jail, he or she is brought in through a garage door on the ground level of the jail.

a cozy, two-bedroom

Based on the number of people arrested at a certain time and the behavior observed by the arresting officer, the inmate will wind up in one three places:

  • On a metal bench in the garage, handcuffed to a one of several short rails on the wall.
  • In a holding cell, a small area with a thin mat to sleep on and a lidless, metal toilet.
  • A flesh colored room with no toilet, no bed and a flushable drain in the center of the floor. (see picture)

“I call it the safety room, others might call it the rubber room,” said Worden.

the "Safety Room"

Safety First

Incoming inmates have their initial behavior observed to determine if they qualify for minimum, medium or maximum security. They are also forced to shower and are given jail issued clothes to change into.

After the shower, the inmates’ personal property is stored in the property room. Inmates are not allowed to bring anything from the outside in with them.

Inmates or Prisoners

Suspects in the Cass County Jail are either facing trial, or facing the consequences of their trial. An “inmate” at the Cass County Jail faces a maximum term of one year. If a judge sentences an inmate to one year and one day, they become a “prisoner” would serve their term at the state penitentiary.

Spoons and Tunes

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There are things people need and things people want. There are also things
people didn’t know they wanted until they saw need for them. In a bad economy
(or recovering, depending on your viewpoint) money is tight. Many of these
things can be found at “The Old and New Store” in downtown Fargo for pennies on
the dollar.

“Most of our inventory comes from estate sales,” said owner Maury Jensen, a
long-time antique dealer who runs the store with his wife Kathy. Jensen used to
be part of “Antiques on Broadway” before opening his new store.
Anything you might need to furnish a dorm room, apartment or house can be found
at the Jensens’ store. From kitchen to closet and bedroom to bathroom, they have
anything you might need .

Assorted glassware

Art brightens any room

-Here today, gone tomorrow-
“We’ve been here about a year and a half,” said Jensen. “I could usesomething bigger. The Plains Art Museum actually owns this building and when they get a grant, in about a year and a half, they’re going to remodel this whole block and turn it into art studios.”

When asked if he’s worried about finding a new location, Jensen, an easy-going
guy, simply shrugs his shoulders and says no.
Currently an apartment complex is being constructed behind the store which is affecting business. “Parking is a problem, but that shouldn’t last much longer,” said Jensen. Many of the open spaces nearby are usually occupied by construction vehicles.

The "record room"

-Available vinyl-
Perhaps the crown jewels of Jensen’s inventory lie in his vast collection of records, both‘old and new’. There are hundreds, if not thousands he’s accumulated over the years, and customers maybe surprised by what they find.

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Thai’ed up at the mall

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Thai Orchid is finding renewed success in its new location

Everyone can benefit from a fresh perspective and sometimes a change in location can offer that.
Five years ago the Thai Orchid opened in downtown Moorhead and was an instant success. It has won the Fargo/Moorhead “Best Bets” award for Asian restaurants.
When the lease was up on their old location, part owner David Sheer made an offer on a location formerly occupied by Country Kitchen. That location was just behind the front door of the Moorhead Center Mall.

Thai Orchids new window design

“We are thrilled,” said the mall’s general manager Kristi Ulrich on Thai Orchid joining the Moorhead Center Mall family. Ulrich said more restaurants are on their way but it is too soon to name names.
“It’s going to be a better location for us, there’s much more foot traffic here,” said Thai Orchid manager Cobb Nontula.
-So how’s business?-
“Awesome, we got our lunch crowd back.” said Nontula.
It can take up to 45 minutes to go from Moorhead across the river to have lunch in Fargo and come back, especially with the extra traffic the road construction creates. If you have to wait for a train it could take over an hour.
-Take me away-
Upon entering the Thai Orchid you will be greeted by the soft, soothing tones of Eastern music. While the words may be in a language most customers can’t understand, the message still translates: “relax”. The aromas wafting from the kitchen and the decor create an atmosphere that transports you thousands of miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Moorhead.
-The Midwest embraces Eastern food-
“It’s quite popular. I’m very surprised that a lot of our clients are senior citizens,” said Nontula. You would think they’d be afraid of Thai food considering there’s a decent amount of spice but they don’t shy away.”
-Don’t try this at home-
“We are finding a lot of our clients are actually trying to cook some of our things at home. They come in and ask ‘what goes in this stuff?’” said Nontula. “I’ll tell them the ingredients but I don’t tell them the amount. They go home and experiment and come back and say ‘It’s just not the same.’”
-What do you recommend?-
Nontula’s mother, Sue Stamm, is the head chef at Thai Orchid. Stamm has over 20 years experience as a professional chef and Nontula recommends the following:
Mild:
-Pad Thai
(fried egg, rice noodles, carrots, green onions and bean sprouts in a special house sauce)
Moderate:
-Khao Soi
(egg noodles in yellow curry topped with crunchy fried noodles, pickles, cabbage, fried shallots and cilantro)
“Khao Soi has great texture and great flavor,” said Nontula
Spicy:
-Kee Mao
(also know as “drunken noodles”, fried egg, large noodles, broccoli, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, tomato and basil in chili sauce)
-Spicy Catfish
(fried catfish fillet with chili sauce, eggplant, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and basil leaves)
Follow the link below for a view of Thai Orchid’s new interior:
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Fargo’s Farmer’s Market still going strong

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Repairs to the sewer on Second Street have limited access to Dike East Park

On Thursday, Aug. 26, the riverside section of Second Street between Main Avenue and Fourth Street South was closed by the city in order to repair a storm sewer that has taken damage from last year’s flood.  Despite the road construction, the Fargo Farmer’s Market is still open and thriving. Several local vendors set up shop every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Dike East Park along the banks of the Red River.

From watermelons to dog bones, there’s something for everyone

“It gets better every year,” said Bill Erbes of Colfax, N.D. Erbes is in his 24th year at the market selling watermelons, tomatoes and several vegetables.

Brienna Hoban and the Breadsmith tent

A local Breadsmith franchise, which opened in Fargo in October 2002, made its return for its second year at the market. Owned by Rob and Vicki Roberts, the bakery offers several different kinds of fresh baked breads, granola, buns, biscuits and even “dog bones.”

Breadsmith "Dog Bones"

“They are made from over-proofed French bread and they are actually for dogs,” said Breadsmith representative Brienna Hoban.

The varieties of Blue House products

The Blue House also returned to the market this year. Run by Bill and Dolores Halverson in Western Minnesota, The Blue House specializes in making various jams, jellies, barbeque sauces and salsas.

A small diversion proves to have little effect on business

“(The road construction) held back business for a few days, but now it’s getting back to normal,” said Bill Halverson.

Not everyone shares Halverson’s opinion. When asked if the road construction had any impact on business, a representative of Driscol Farms from Glyndon, Minn. said “Yes. Huge.” The Driscol family has had one of the busiest tents at the market for 27 years.

“I think it affects business a little, but the diehard people make it down here,” said Garnet Kanne of Ortonville, Minn. Kanne suffered a stroke early this year and didn’t get his full crop in on time, only bringing melons with him to Fargo. “Got to go with what you got,” he said.

The sewer repair is expected to be finished as the market ends in early October.

If you are interested in the nutritional value of organic food, that information can be found at the Organic Food Database: http://www.organicfooddatabase.net/

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