Quickies

* Bakken sez "no" to the student vote -- and the poor vote and the rich vote and the short vote and the tall vote and the fat vote and the skinny vote.

No link at this time of night but check out Page 5A in the Herald or go to www.gfherald.com in the morning.

Update 11:14 p.m., 5/16/06: Click here for the column.

* I'm a little tardy but looks like Dakota Huseby weighed in here and, to some extent, here. Sweet shout out to the City Beat, too.

* Herald editorial: Native prairie = tourist attraction. (Reference to Oakville Prairie.)

* Speaking of which, UND's associate VP for research Barry Milavetz says there's been some changes in the fed's plans for the germ lab. It looks like the Department of Homeland Security might pick several candidates to submit fuller proposals, not just a couple, and it might not decide this summer as expected.

* GF City Council to county and parks: Pay for your own darn trees! An advisory committee said the council should spend $39,000 of the $132,000 from beautification funds for shade trees at Ulland Park and landscaping at the county fairgrounds entrance.

Council member Eliot Glassheim: It's one city and the money is for beautifying the city as a whole so let's pay.

Council Prez Hal Gershman: The county and parks get to collect taxes, too, so let's not.

The council vote: Gershman's right. What's N-O spell? NO.