BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – There’s no question, the walleye is the most popular fish in North Dakota, but the walleye is far from the only game fish swimming in our state. In This week’s Pro’s Pointer, Johnnie Candle is talking about one of them.

“There’s a nice eating size crappie, although we are not keeping them today. Let me get this one put back and we’ll talk about them,” began Johnnie Candle, MWC World Walleye Champion & N.D. Fishing Hall of Fame Member. “Crappie are abundant throughout North Dakota. We can find them in the upper reaches of Lake Oahe, south of Bismarck, Lake Tschida to the west, Jamestown Reservoir to the east— loaded with crappies— and today we’re here at Nelson Lake, you can tell by the power plant over my shoulder. Just hammering the crappies, having a blast.”

“They’re fairly simple to catch. A plain hook, a sinker and a lively minnow below a red, white bobber is classic. It gets the kids involved, they have a lot of fun and if you want to go after them with artificials, a jig with a spinner and plastic tail— maybe a small hair jig, a small tube— usually is all it takes to catch them,” continued Candle. “And you want to remember, crappies are predators as well. Today while we were fishing for bass, we caught more than a handful of crappie on what would be traditionally referred to as a walleye style crankbait. So there’s not always about walleyes. Get out there, have fun, get the kids involved, catch a nice mess of eating-sized fish and hopefully have a crappie day! I’m Johnnie Candle and that’s this week’s Pro’s Pointer.”

Next time, Candle will show us something that’s almost entirely used by women that may be found in your boat, after you see his Pro’s Pointer one week from today.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL CIO) released its annual report earlier this year, analyzing worker safety.

The report shows North Dakota was the second most dangerous state for workers when it comes to fatal workplace injuries in 2022. North Dakota AFL CIO President Landis Larson said some of the most dangerous industries include agriculture and the oil industry, but he said the number of agriculture-related accidents is likely far greater.

“Most of it is just a total lack of safety-consciousness. Last year, the one that sticks out to me is the guy who fell into a mud tank because the hatch was open. So something as simple as closing that hatch would have saved the gentleman’s life,” Larson said.

Larson said that in order to improve worker safety, the state needs to update OSHA policy and workers’ compensation. The AFL CIO report said the most dangerous state is Wyoming.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.

North Dakota is not the ideal state for mobile home parks. 

Often brutally cold winters lead to costly broken pipes and other assorted issues that could cause you to break the bank.  Mobile homeowners soon realize the importance of good heat tape.

With that being said, North Dakota does have its fair share of trailer/mobile home parks.

Especially in two particular cities.  More on that in a second.  I myself spent some time living in a mobile home for a short time out of college.  Although, living in a mobile home park isn’t for me, at the time it was better than throwing away rent money.  With the exception of lot rent, at least you’ll get some of that money back when you decide to sell your trailer.  Granted, not like selling a home, but for a young family or college kid, it’s not a terrible investment.

Now, two North Dakota cities share the dubious title of “The Mobile Home Capital of North Dakota.”  Yep, we have a tie for the #1 spot which is a change from 2022.  According to MHVillage, these are the top 11 cities for the number of Mobile home parks in the state.

#11 West Fargo with 4 trailer parks.

#7 Tie Grand Forks with 5 trailer parks.

#7 Tie Jamestown with 5 trailer parks

#7 Tie Valley City with 5 trailer parks

#7 Tie Devils Lake with 5 trailer parks

#6 Dickinson with 6 trailer parks

#5  Fargo with 7 trailer parks

#4 Mandan with 8 trailer parks

#3  Williston with 9 trailer parks

#1 Minot with 24 trailer parks

#1 Bismarck with 24 trailer parks

Why do we have so many mobile home parks in western North Dakota?

I asked former Mayor Steve Bakken of Bismarck about those numerous trailer parks compared to the rest of the state.  Fargo only has 7 mobile home parks and all that population.

He told me this, “Mobile homes are an important part of affordable housing within any diverse community like Bismarck.”  “Also, our milder winters compared to the eastern part of the state make mobile home parks a more viable option.”

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