Update
July 6, 2011: Yup, I was right. The New York Times story linked below was inaccurate in many areas. Williston's McDonald's manager sets the record straight. (Regional link will break soon.)
Original Post
The focus of the article is all the problems Williston is facing with growth -- as if most other cities and states wouldn't love to have that problem.
I scanned the article quickly; it seems fairly well-balanced. As challenging as things are in the Bakken, a couple of important notes: a) everyone in Williston has a job who wants one; and, b) despite the huge influx of outsiders, the crime rate seems not to be a problem.
I read the regional and local papers on-line almost every day; folks send me links I might have missed; and there have been literally no stories about problems related to crime in Williston and western North Dakota. Knock on wood.
I have seen no articles on issues with entertainment at the local bars.
The big story last summer was the number of folks living in tents in the local parks but that seems to have been handles humanely and appropriately and seems not to be an issue this year. But even then, with small tent communities in the local parks, there seemed to be no significant problems.
With all the traffic, I have not seen an increase in the number of stories related to traffic incidents or traffic deaths. Coincidentally the only North Dakota traffic death I remember reading about this week was one that occurred in Grand Forks, three hundred fifty miles to the east.
As noted, I scanned the article. If the writer did not address crime or traffic fatalities, he/she chose to overlook some of the more positive things among all the challenges.
If I remember correctly, the "dateline" was June 29, 2011, Bismarck, North Dakota. I'm not sure why the article wasn't filed from Williston. Did the writer phone it in?
I talked to her. She said the williston "man camps" were booked.
ReplyDeleteNearest room bismark.
Well if it was me, I would drive the extra miles to a real hotel and not book a shipping container. Although, that could be a story in itself. And "man camp" might get questioned by the nyt finance dept on an expense report.
ReplyDeleteThat is AMAZING! And yes, I can believe that. The only motel really offering rooms on a daily basis is the El Rancho (the others all contracted out) and it's pretty much impossible to get rooms even there.
ReplyDeleteI wish the author had put that in the article; maybe she did, and I missed it.
With regard to "man-camp" and a female reporter, I had similar concerns. Smile.
ReplyDelete