Recovering Deputy

Many of us have heard about the shooting in Mahnomen MN last week. Two men were involved in the standoff that lead to the shooting of Deputy Christopher Dewey. Last week Dewey was in critical condition, which is expected when you are shot in the stomach and head. One of the men, Thomas Lee Fairbanks is accused of shooting Christopher Dewey twice and is facing first- and second-degree attempted murder charges. Both Fairbanks and Daniel Fernier, will appear in court on Thursday the 26th.

This week Dewey’s wife spoke to the public for the first time. Emily Dewey, 24, was listening to the scanner when her husband Christopher Dewey, 26, was shot in the abdomen and head just after 7 a.m. last Wednesday in Mahnomen, Minn.

A few days ago Christopher Dewey had surgery on his brain and abdomen. He is now in “satisfactory condition.” His wife claims he has been very talkative and even cracking jokes and goofing around. If you would like to check on Dewey’s status, check out the Caring Bridge website that is part of Meritcare.

I chose to write about this story this week because I know Christopher Dewey’s brain surgeon personally. Chad Justesen operated on me in the summer of 2007 after a spinal cord injury. After over 7 hours in the operating room, he put my shattered vertebrae back together. I was paralyzed from the chest down, and had no control of my arms, and was expected to never walk again. After his surgery, I was up and walking (not well, but walking) within two weeks. Today, I am almost back to normal.

He is an amazing neurosurgeon, and person, and this story hit close to home. I am glad that Dr. Justesen was able to save Christopher Dewey’s life, just like he saved mine in so many ways. I am also happy for the Dewey family. I hope that Deputy Dewey continues to recover and he and his family are in my prayers!

Worst Hangover Ever... OR the Best?

My story is the ending of a story that occurred in April 2006… almost three years ago. On the 26th of April in 2006, Dustin Dibble left the bar after watching a hockey game with friends. With a blood alcohol level of .18, Dibble decided that driving home would not be the best option and started to walk. For many of us, walking while intoxicated sometimes proves to be a more difficult task than we expect it to be, and that rang true for Dustin Dibble that night.

After the hockey game was over Dustin stumbled into the path of an oncoming train in downtown Manhattan. The N Train on the Subway hit Dustin and severed his right leg.

This is where the story gets good.

The other day, a Manhattan Jury awarded Dustin Dibble 2.33 million dollars. According to Dibble’s Lawyer the NYC Transit should be held responsible for the accident rather than Dibble. The subway driver allegedly had time to stop the train but did not because he believed Dibble to be an inert object. Perhaps Dibble passed out on the train tracks?

According to Dibbles lawyer, Andrew Smiley (are you loving these names? I know I am) “They (the NYC Transit) are trained to be able to look out for people on the tracks ... and people are known to be intoxicated by night”. Dibble’s lawyer, in other words, suggests that Dibble should not be held accountable for any part of the accident and that it is the NYC Transit that is responsible.

The jury on Dibbles case did not agree completely. The jury ruled Tuesday that Dibble was 35 percent responsible for the accident, so his monetary compensation was also reduced by 35 percent -- from $3,594,943 to $2,336,713… ohhh big deal. The guy still has 2.33 million bucks.

What do you think? Technically, the guy did get hit by a train, BUT technically the guy passed out with a blood alcohol level of .18 in front of the train. I think that he probably should have got some compensation for the accident considering the person driving the train didn’t slow down and he did lose a leg in the process, but 2.33 million dollars? I guess I think that is a lot. The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) apparantly agrees. They plan to appeal the decision.

The Flu Bug is Biting

Considering that I was sick as a dog this week, I decided to write my post about the flu that is sweeping across the state.

My two year old nephew, Andrew, woke up with the flu on Sunday morning. By Monday afternoon, my sister, my mother, my boyfriend and I were all feeling miserable as well.

I come from a small town in North Dakota called Sheldon. About a half hour away in Lisbon, the nursing home is under quarantine because influenza has swept across the entire place. In the Fargo Forum this weekend they had an article about how bad the flu is around North Dakota. Don’t you just love this time of year?

I bet a lot of you have gotten a flu shot this year. I didn’t, but my boyfriend, Levi, did and on Monday he was DEFINITALY sicker than I was. Does that make any sense? Well, according to North Dakota Health officials, the flu that is sweeping our state resists the leading flu medicine, Tamiflu. According to an article on inforum.com, government health officials alerted doctors in December that the most common flu bug in the country is overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu.

Even though the flu shot didn’t help Levi this year, health officials claim that the flu shot protects us from this type of flu that is resistant to Tamiflu. They also urge you that it is not too late to get your flu shot. Considering there has just recently been an increase in flu cases for this year health officials say there is still time and it would be well worth it to get your flu shot.

I can’t say that I agree. The only time I got a flu shot I was sick with the flu a week later. I have never gotten once since. Levi having his flu shot and getting sick as a dog yesterday was yet another strike against the flu shot for me. But that is just my opinion!

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HERE is a blog about ethics and writing.

The Day The Music Died

(Buddy Holly tribute artist Lewy Ronken finishes performing “Peggy Sue” on Tuesday night at the Fargo Theatre during the “The Day the Music Died: 50th Anniversary” concert. Jay Pickthorn / The Forum.)

On Tuesday Night, tribute bands played at the Fargo Theater to a sellout crowd. The tribute concert stared Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and Ritchie Valens…or at least three people who look and sound just like they use to. The Three singers were all killed in a plane crash (along with the pilot) minutes after takeoff around Clear Lake, Iowa in 1959. They singers were on their way to the Fargo/Moorhead area to put on a concert. Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the sad occasion of their deaths.

After the plane crash, a local band deemed The Shadows filled in for the three late singers at the Moorhead National Guard Armory during a Feb. 3, 1959; the day that Holly, Richardson, and Valens were scheduled to play. On Tuesday, Bob Korum of The Shadows opened the tribute concert playing some hits from the 50’s and 60’s.


Some people from my local town were part of the sold out crowd at the concert. Many said that the impersonators were very talented and they did a great job. I’ve been to an Elvis impersonator… He was so good it was creepy. I found myself weirded out by his dead on mannerisms and the way he sang. However strange it was, I thought it was a great way to honor one of music’s legends, and I feel this concert did the same thing. It was a night to honor some of music’s greats and a night for everyone to get out and enjoy some of the golden oldies.