Carey declined to name the suspects or the victims.

We dont want anybody injured in a dispute between two families, he said.

Helmut Schmidt, The Forum
Published Sunday, May 11, 2008


A dispute between two families appears to be the reason behind six shots being fired at a north Moorhead home early Sunday, police said.

One shot broke a garden-level window on the east side of a home at 401 Sunset Circle, police said. The large two-story house is part of a mix of older apartment complexes and single-family homes in a neighborhood two blocks east of Highway 75 North.

Moorhead police said they received a report of shots fired about 2:19 a.m. The first officer on the scene did not find anyone in the area, the police reported.

Police Lt. Chris Carey said it appears six bullets struck the east side of the home facing the street. One round broke a window and contin-ued into the house.

Police said the owners were home, but no one was injured.
We have people of interest we want to talk to, Carey said Sunday, adding that the shooting is not a random act of violence.

Carey declined to name the suspects or the victims.

We dont want anybody injured in a dispute between two families, he said.

Carey declined to indentify the size of the rounds fired at the house, citing the continu-ing investigation.

Carey said the department hopes to file charges in the case once the investigation is complete.

Lets imagine a new possibility in the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination: Obama should step aside and concede to Clinton before the race becomes really messy. It is quite clear why this would be the wiser scenario.

First, the popular vote and the delegate count are almost evenly split. It is true that Obama has more delegates and superdelegates than Clinton does, but she seems to bring the voters together in ways that he cannot. She has received votes by whites, blacks, Hispanics, Christian and non-Christian, and every sexual orientation. She reaches out to the blue-collar and the white-collar worker. She has tapped into every age group, especially the disenfranchised older voter but also the young voter. She unites the voter demographics better than he does.

Most importantly, she is in touch with the traditional Democratic base, a voting block that Obama clearly has difficulty making inroads into. She brings all Americans together, even if some are enthusiastic about Obama.

Second, Clinton serves as an example to all women, the biggest underclass in the United States. A double standard has been applied to her, and she has had to prove herself to a greater extent than he has. She has been consistent in her message, and she has weathered criticism that Obama has rarely known. What a message we would send when we say that we have a president who represents more than 50 percent of the population by the very fact of her gender. This population is paid less than men, has fewer opportunities than men, is in fewer positions of leadership than men, and has fewer role models than men.

She will change the Washington culture because she is a woman. Who knows, perhaps she will provide fresh perspectives on child care, health care, breast cancer research, equal pay for equal work, all the things that effect womens and, by extension, mens lives.

Third, she brings a wealth of proven leadership at a time when it is most needed. Obama is a senator in his third year and has spent as much time campaigning as governing. That is not to say he would not bring fresh ideas, but that does not diminish the ideas she will be able to bring to the job and the solutions they will lead to. While she might not have dodged bullets in Bosnia, she has met with leaders from around the world and is acquainted with some of the brightest minds who will help her in dealing with tensions abroad and a weak economy at home. Years of experience should be seen as an advantage, at least to someone who cares.

And that is the final point: Clinton cares. She cares about the things that affect the lives of Americans. Maybe that moment in a New Hampshire caf￩ summed it up best: She is in this race because she cares. You do not get that same sense with Obama. It is not so much about the America and what makes peoples lives better, it is more about him and can he beat the odds.

Obama should bow out gracefully now, for the sake of the party and for the people of the United States. Hillary Clinton should become the presidential nominee. And then Obama should join with her to form a truly unbeatable ticket.

Clark lives in Moorhead.

The Red River Valley needs more resources for foster parents to care for culturally and diverse children, a foster parent says.

Jill Sherbrooke said it took awhile to figure out that her 7-year-old foster child is Muslim and shouldnt have pork or marshmallows, for example.

We have no idea even where to go, how to help her learn about her background, her culture, her religion, Sherbrooke said last week of the girl, who is from Liberia.

Sherbrooke is working to make more resources available.

She is a consultant for the Red River Valley Foster/Adopt Coalition, which plans to reach out to ethnic groups that could serve as a resource. The coalition also would like to see more culturally diverse foster homes.
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Cass County has about 248 children in foster care and about 48 active foster parents, Sherbrooke said.

PATH North Dakota has about 70 homes for 140 children.

We have quite a few diverse children coming into the system right now, Sherbrooke said. We have a lot of white homes.

One child recently asked not to be placed with a white family, Sherbrooke said.

That is a detriment to us because we dont have those homes, she said.

Cass County does have some American Indian foster families and has had Filipino and South American families, said Rose Vaudrin, a county foster-care licensing specialist.

Most American Indian families have one American Indian spouse and one non-Indian spouse, she said.

We sure would love some full Native American families to step forward, Vaudrin said.

Across North Dakota, about 63 percent of children in foster care are white, said Don Snyder, the state foster-care administrator. About 26 percent are American Indian, and 11 percent are another race other than white, he said.

He said just a handful of foster homes in the state are American Indian, and about 18 to 20 homes are of other nationalities.

I think every state is struggling with the disproportionality, Snyder said.

Sherbrook said the 2008 North Dakota Foster Parent Association Conference, slated for Oct. 3 in Fargo, will have booths where parents can learn about the backgrounds of children in foster care.

Sherbrook also asked the Fargo Human Relations Commission last week for help connecting to ethnic groups.

Yoke Sim Gunaratne, a Fargo Human Relations Commission member, said Cultural Diversity Resources could help arrange a panel. She is executive director of the nonprofit organization.

Previously, Cultural Diversity Resources has provided training for Clay County, Gunaratne said.

Fargo police officers didnt have to go far to nab a woman who allegedly shoplifted two magazines from a downtown drug store.

She ran right by the police station, Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.

Dispatchers got a call at 12:40 p.m. Thursday that a Metro Drug worker was chasing a woman who shoplifted copies of Blender and Hooters magazines from the store at 123 Broadway.

The caller gave police a description of the womans clothing and which direction she was running, and officers figured she was heading toward the police station at 222 4th St. N., about two blocks away, Skuza said.

So, the officers walked out of the station and grabbed her, he said.

Tana Violet Thompson , 22, of Fargo, was arrested for shoplifting, a Class B misdemeanor. She signed a promise to appear in court and was released at the scene.

Weve had shoplifters run, yeah, but they dont usually run to the police department, Skuza said.

The Board of Higher Ed is seeking a 53 percent spending increase from the Legislature for the state's university system.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A state lawmaker says the North Dakota Board of Higher Education's budget recommendations for the next two years might be "dead on arrival" at the state Capitol.

The Board of Higher Ed is seeking a 53 percent spending increase from the Legislature for the state's university system.

State Democratic Senator Tracy Potter of Bismarck says the board might want to pare down its request before sending it to the governor's office. He says the request isn't being perceived well by the public.

University System Chancellor Bills Goetz (GETZ) acknowledges public concern about the budget, but says he thinks it will gain support once people look into the details. He says there are legitimate reasons for the requested large increase in funding.