Quick Notes for 5/27/15

I’ve got an office meeting here in a few minutes, but I wanted to note a few items briefly:

* The Dakota Access Pipeline has it’s first hearing in the colder Dakota this week, as the North Dakota PUC will start it’s meetings on the project, which is slated to run under 275 miles of South Dakota prairie. This pipeline is designed to move Bakken Crude to Illinois, destined for refineries in the eastern part of the country.

Both the Dakota Access pipeline, AND the Keystone XL pipeline, are good for energy prices, and energy security. (On Keystone, Canada is a much friendlier energy partner to the US than middle eastern countries.)

* There might be one less election this morning in Aberdeen. Maybe. Yesterday had Cory Heidelberger throwing the towel in for his City Commission contest, and pulling out 1 week before the election. (Likely in the face of groans over his carpetbagging into the community.)

But, not so fast. It gets better. Here’s the chain of events: Cory moved to Aberdeen Feb 2. Registered to vote Feb 3. Turned in petitions before April 1. Backing out of race May 26 for race that’s supposed to happen 1 week later.  But don’t forget April 18th…. which should have been the 46th day before the election, when I believe ballots were printed, and voting began for absentees.

How exactly does one withdraw from an election where people have been voting for around 6 weeks?

* Closing arguments in the Annette Bosworth trial begin this afternoon, and the fate of Bosworth will rest in the hands of Hughes County jurors, as they weigh whether or not she is guilty of her admittedly claiming circulation of petitions whose signatures she didn’t witness.  Watch KELOland as it happens live.