Tag: Weather

Life in a Northern Town – Nicked by a Snowbank

AND THE SNOWBANK GETS THE ARREST ASSIST!

Only in North Dakota/Minnesota….

This story by KFGO radio was picked up by several local media outlets last week (Feb. 19, 2019) –

Chase, Crash and Arrest From Moorhead Into Fargo

Fargo, N.D. (KFGO) – A Fargo man was arrested after backing a stolen vehicle into a Moorhead police squad and fleeing Moorhead and Fargo authorities early Tuesday morning.

The Moorhead Police Department says around 1:30 a.m., an officer spotted a stolen vehicle. When the officer pulled behind the vehicle in a driveway, the driver backed into the squad and fled.

A pursuit followed. The vehicle led officers through Moorhead and eventually onto westbound I-94 and into Fargo. Moorhead terminated their pursuit and the vehicle was able to get away as it exited onto South University Drive.

Around 2:30 a.m., a Moorhead officer on her way home to Fargo, spotted the stolen vehicle again. Fargo police responded to the area and the vehicle continued to flee anytime it spotted an officer. The vehicle, however, eventually got stuck in a snow bank in the 5100 Block of 44 Street South.

The vehicle’s two occupants were taken into custody.

The passenger was later released.

The driver, 36-year-old Dennis Merritt, was taken to the Cass County Jail. He is being held on charges for Moorhead Police including fleeing, possession of stolen property, criminal damage to property, leaving the scene of an accident, and no driver’s license.

The squad car has moderate damage to the front bumper area.

“a million miles…”

Short walk.
Softly snow falls,
quiet, seeing.

A flake floats, hovering moment.
Changes the way
back, continues to descend.

Surfer skimming crystal.
Tender power, creation,
cutback along the crest.

Then on down.
Down down down
below the swell.

Crunches underboot.
Breathless moment
interrupted.

Rigs on the highway.
Distance of thousands,
far. But not so.

Sounds another dimension.
Gliding across waves,
a million miles across.

Personal logo of Martin C. Fredricks IV

© 2019 Martin C. Fredricks IV

Ridin’ the Vortex ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off

Does it qualify as “living” when all you do is run to your car, into the front doors of your destination, back to your car and, finally, into your house, no pauses or sidetracks?

Cold enough for ya?

Yeah, it’s been cold up this way the last coupla days.

So cold that 0° sounds – and feels – downright balmy.

I mean, it’s so cold you can throw a cup of water into the air and it’ll turn into a cloud of crystals immediately. As one media type pointed out a couple of days ago, nearly every TV news outlet in the state will demonstrate that little maneuver while we’re in the midst of this freakin’ cold vortex thingy. Too ugly out to go out and find real news.

Let’s just say it’s “triple-dog dare ya” cold. Think Flick in “A Christmas Story.” Come to think of it, we might have just stumbled upon a new phrase for expressing how cold the weather is – “We’re Flicked!”

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