Piece Of Mandan History For Sale!
Submitted by Ann VanWert
By TONY SPILDE, Bismarck Tribune
The bell clanged, and Lewis Shaw walked out the door of Mandan Drug and onto Main Street.
Even though he wore a hat, the low angle of the morning sun still found his eyes, so he squinted as he looked across the street to where the Lions were getting ready to sell Christmas trees in the park.
It was Tuesday morning, and Shaw had just heard some news. It caught him off guard, but he took it in stride. At 86, he'd learned to deftly parry life's little developments.
But, still.
Shaw waved to his friend, Dick Baron, then mingled outside the drugstore a minute. He contemplated the news and pondered on another change in the landscape of his beloved hometown. One of the great downtown holdouts had been Mandan Drug. The store opened in 1883 and had been in continuous operation since. Shaw lived above the drugstore in the 1930s and remembered sitting at the soda fountain downstairs.
Seventy years later, he still goes to Mandan Drug nearly every morning. Although his taste has long since migrated from milkshakes to coffee, Shaw loves getting together with friends at the old-fashioned soda fountain and lunch counter.
On Tuesday, he heard the store was up for sale. He heard right, the owners say, but they expect there will be little change for most customers.
Rusty and Debbie Kruger, who bought Mandan Drug in 1982 and reintroduced the soda fountain there four years later, are in the process of selling the landmark.
"It's taken me this past year to get to the point where I'm accepting the idea of retirement,"Rusty Kruger said. "This is all new to me. Coming here every morning is just part of my routine. But it's time."
Kruger agreed earlier this month to sell the pharmacy portion of the business to Thrifty White Drug. Following the Krugers' last day at Mandan Drug on Dec. 22, all patient records will be automatically transferred to the Thrifty White pharmacy, located at 511 First St. NW.
Although the store has sold prescription drugs since day one, it's perhaps better known now for its soda fountain, lunch counter and Lindy Sue's Candies. Rusty Kruger introduced the soda fountain - which had been absent from the store since the 1950s - in 1986, and his wife started making chocolates and other treats two years later.
Mandan Drug has been featured in Good Housekeeping, Midwest Living and American Cowboy magazines, as well as in local media. The Krugers are in negotiations with a young Bismarck couple who want to purchase the store, but a deal has not officially been struck. The asking price is $240,000 for the building and the business, including the candy inventory, equipment, supplies and recipes, as well as all trademark names. Trademarks include the Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea and Custer candy bars.
Debbie Kruger said the Bismarck couple wants to keep the look and feel of the store the same. That would suit regulars, such as Shaw.
"This is the only place for me," Shaw said. "They're always well prepared."
The Krugers plan to stay in Mandan and will revisit Mandan Drug often.
Mandan Drug was founded in 1883 by J.R. Clark, and has been in its present location at 316 W. Main St. since shortly thereafter. The Krugers bought it in 1982 from James and Inez Hanson, who had owned and operated the drugstore since 1964.
Rusty Kruger is a Mandan native. He met his future wife at a pharmacy in Pasadena, Calif., where both of them worked. Debbie Kruger fell in love with North Dakota on visits back here, and on one trip they saw Mandan Drug was for sale. They bought it, and the love affair continued. They hope to pass that feeling on, and definitely hope Mandan can keep one of its longtime businesses open.
"We want the candy business and lunch counter to continue thriving and for the building to remain a hub of business activity in downtown Mandan," Rusty Kruger said. "Mandan is a good town."
Anyone interested in the business should call Rusty Kruger at 663-5900.
And although the Krugers are ready for a slightly slower pace, they won't be relaxing completely. Rusty Kruger is already developing plans for renovation of another retail property at 718 W. Main for a gallery of art and collectibles. As with Mandan Drug, he is working with artist Bill Reynolds, of Washburn, to create a unique look for that building.
DECLARATION OF THE INDIGENOUS WORLD URANIUM SUMMMIT
Window Rock, Navajo Nation, USA
December 2, 2006
Submitted by the Western Shoshone Defense Proect
We, the Peoples gathered at the Indigenous World Uranium Summit, at this critical time of intensifying nuclear threats to Mother Earth and all life, demand a worldwide ban on uranium mining, processing, enrichment, fuel use, and weapons testing and deployment, and nuclear waste dumping on Native Lands.
Past, present and future generations of Indigenous Peoples have been disproportionately affected by the international nuclear weapons and power industry. The nuclear fuel chain poisons our people, land, air and waters and threatens our very existence and our future generations.
Nuclear power is not a solution to global warming. Uranium mining, nuclear energy development and international agreements (e.g., the recent U.S.-India nuclear cooperation treaty) that foster the nuclear fuel chain violate our basic human rights and fundamental natural laws of Mother Earth, endangering our traditional cultures and spiritual well-being.
We reaffirm the Declaration of the World Uranium Hearing in Salzburg, Austria, in 1992, that “uranium and other radioactive minerals must remain in their natural location.” Further, we stand in solidarity with the Navajo Nation for enacting the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which bans uranium mining and processing and is based on the Fundamental Laws of the Dine. And we dedicate ourselves to a nuclear-free future.
Indigenous Peoples are connected spiritually and culturally to our Mother, the Earth. Accordingly, we endorse and encourage development of renewable energy sources that sustain — not destroy — Indigenous lands and the Earth’s ecosystems.
In tribute to our ancestors, we continue centuries of resistance against colonialism. We recognize the work, courage, dedication and sacrifice of those individuals from Indigenous Nations and from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, the United States, and Vanuatu, who participated in the Summit.
We further recognize the invaluable work of those who were honored at the Nuclear-Free Future Awards ceremony on December 1, 2006. And we will continue to support activists worldwide in their nonviolent efforts to stop uranium development.
We are determined to share the knowledge we have gained at this Summit with the world. In the weeks and months ahead, we will summarize and disseminate the testimonies, traditional Indigenous knowledge, and medical and scientific evidence that justify a worldwide ban on uranium development.
We will enunciate specific plans of action at the tribal, local, national and international levels to support Native resistance to the nuclear fuel chain. And we will pursue legal and political redress for all past, current and future impacts of the nuclear fuel chain on Indigenous Peoples and their resources.
FEDERAL COURT SIDES WITH NATIVE VOTERS IN SOUTH DAKOTA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2006
CONTACT: Erica Pelletreau, ACLU National, (212) 519-7829 or media@aclu.org
Bryan Sells, ACLU Voting Rights Project (404) 523-2721 x 219
PIERRE, SD - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded a federal district court decision in favor of Native American voters in Martin, South Dakota. The decision, which was released late yesterday, orders city officials to redraw city council district lines to correct violations of the Voting Rights Act that prevented Native Americans from having an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.
"Yesterday's decision vindicates the long, hard struggle for Native American voting rights in the City of Martin," said Bryan Sells, a staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project and lead counsel in the case. "This ruling will enable Indian voters to enjoy the right that many other South Dakotans take for granted; the right to have a say in their local government. The decision also benefits everyone by promoting fairness and a more democratic city government."
The ACLU brought the lawsuit in April 2002 on behalf of two Native American voters who say the redistricting plan adopted by the city that year had the purpose and effect of diluting Native American voting strength. Native Americans made up approximately 45 percent of the city's population but would have been unable to elect any candidates of their choice to the city council because the redistricting plan ensured that white voters controlled all three city council wards.
The ACLU offered three alternative redistricting plans that experts agreed would have given Native Americans an opportunity equal to that of white voters to elect their preferred candidates. The district court initially ruled in the city's favor in March 2005. The Indian plaintiffs appealed, and on May 5, 2006, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision, sending the case back to the district court.
Yesterday's decision not only ordered a "full and complete remedy" for the plaintiffs, but also affirmed many of the factual claims of voting discrimination that Indian voters had alleged in their original lawsuit, including the fact that the city's 2002 redistricting plan unlawfully dilutes Native American voting strength. According to the findings of the federal court:
"There is a long, elaborate history of discrimination against Indians in South Dakota in matters relating to voting in South Dakota." (p. 11)
"Indians in Martin continue to suffer the effects of past discrimination, including lower levels of income, education, home ownership, automobile ownership, and standard of living." (p. 15)
"Martin city officials have taken intentional steps to thwart Indian voters from exercising political influence." (p. 16)
[T]here is a persistent and unacceptable level of racially polarized voting in the City of Martin." (p. 19)
"One of the most remarkable things about this opinion is the court's finding that a city official intentionally discriminated against Native Americans," said Sells. "This finding serves as a somber reminder that racial discrimination in the voting process still exists in South Dakota, and we should all be thankful that the Voting Rights Act is here to guard against it."
Since 1999, the ACLU has brought seven voting rights lawsuits in federal court on behalf of Native American voters in South Dakota. To date, every one of these cases has been resolved in favor of the plaintiffs
Today's decision is available online at: www.aclu.org/votingrights/minority/27624lgl20061206.html
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE or OPINION PIECE to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
Visit Vietnam Vet. Larry Mitchell at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.
By TONY SPILDE, Bismarck Tribune
The bell clanged, and Lewis Shaw walked out the door of Mandan Drug and onto Main Street.
Even though he wore a hat, the low angle of the morning sun still found his eyes, so he squinted as he looked across the street to where the Lions were getting ready to sell Christmas trees in the park.
It was Tuesday morning, and Shaw had just heard some news. It caught him off guard, but he took it in stride. At 86, he'd learned to deftly parry life's little developments.
But, still.
Shaw waved to his friend, Dick Baron, then mingled outside the drugstore a minute. He contemplated the news and pondered on another change in the landscape of his beloved hometown. One of the great downtown holdouts had been Mandan Drug. The store opened in 1883 and had been in continuous operation since. Shaw lived above the drugstore in the 1930s and remembered sitting at the soda fountain downstairs.
Seventy years later, he still goes to Mandan Drug nearly every morning. Although his taste has long since migrated from milkshakes to coffee, Shaw loves getting together with friends at the old-fashioned soda fountain and lunch counter.
On Tuesday, he heard the store was up for sale. He heard right, the owners say, but they expect there will be little change for most customers.
Rusty and Debbie Kruger, who bought Mandan Drug in 1982 and reintroduced the soda fountain there four years later, are in the process of selling the landmark.
"It's taken me this past year to get to the point where I'm accepting the idea of retirement,"Rusty Kruger said. "This is all new to me. Coming here every morning is just part of my routine. But it's time."
Kruger agreed earlier this month to sell the pharmacy portion of the business to Thrifty White Drug. Following the Krugers' last day at Mandan Drug on Dec. 22, all patient records will be automatically transferred to the Thrifty White pharmacy, located at 511 First St. NW.
Although the store has sold prescription drugs since day one, it's perhaps better known now for its soda fountain, lunch counter and Lindy Sue's Candies. Rusty Kruger introduced the soda fountain - which had been absent from the store since the 1950s - in 1986, and his wife started making chocolates and other treats two years later.
Mandan Drug has been featured in Good Housekeeping, Midwest Living and American Cowboy magazines, as well as in local media. The Krugers are in negotiations with a young Bismarck couple who want to purchase the store, but a deal has not officially been struck. The asking price is $240,000 for the building and the business, including the candy inventory, equipment, supplies and recipes, as well as all trademark names. Trademarks include the Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea and Custer candy bars.
Debbie Kruger said the Bismarck couple wants to keep the look and feel of the store the same. That would suit regulars, such as Shaw.
"This is the only place for me," Shaw said. "They're always well prepared."
The Krugers plan to stay in Mandan and will revisit Mandan Drug often.
Mandan Drug was founded in 1883 by J.R. Clark, and has been in its present location at 316 W. Main St. since shortly thereafter. The Krugers bought it in 1982 from James and Inez Hanson, who had owned and operated the drugstore since 1964.
Rusty Kruger is a Mandan native. He met his future wife at a pharmacy in Pasadena, Calif., where both of them worked. Debbie Kruger fell in love with North Dakota on visits back here, and on one trip they saw Mandan Drug was for sale. They bought it, and the love affair continued. They hope to pass that feeling on, and definitely hope Mandan can keep one of its longtime businesses open.
"We want the candy business and lunch counter to continue thriving and for the building to remain a hub of business activity in downtown Mandan," Rusty Kruger said. "Mandan is a good town."
Anyone interested in the business should call Rusty Kruger at 663-5900.
And although the Krugers are ready for a slightly slower pace, they won't be relaxing completely. Rusty Kruger is already developing plans for renovation of another retail property at 718 W. Main for a gallery of art and collectibles. As with Mandan Drug, he is working with artist Bill Reynolds, of Washburn, to create a unique look for that building.
DECLARATION OF THE INDIGENOUS WORLD URANIUM SUMMMIT
Window Rock, Navajo Nation, USA
December 2, 2006
Submitted by the Western Shoshone Defense Proect
We, the Peoples gathered at the Indigenous World Uranium Summit, at this critical time of intensifying nuclear threats to Mother Earth and all life, demand a worldwide ban on uranium mining, processing, enrichment, fuel use, and weapons testing and deployment, and nuclear waste dumping on Native Lands.
Past, present and future generations of Indigenous Peoples have been disproportionately affected by the international nuclear weapons and power industry. The nuclear fuel chain poisons our people, land, air and waters and threatens our very existence and our future generations.
Nuclear power is not a solution to global warming. Uranium mining, nuclear energy development and international agreements (e.g., the recent U.S.-India nuclear cooperation treaty) that foster the nuclear fuel chain violate our basic human rights and fundamental natural laws of Mother Earth, endangering our traditional cultures and spiritual well-being.
We reaffirm the Declaration of the World Uranium Hearing in Salzburg, Austria, in 1992, that “uranium and other radioactive minerals must remain in their natural location.” Further, we stand in solidarity with the Navajo Nation for enacting the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which bans uranium mining and processing and is based on the Fundamental Laws of the Dine. And we dedicate ourselves to a nuclear-free future.
Indigenous Peoples are connected spiritually and culturally to our Mother, the Earth. Accordingly, we endorse and encourage development of renewable energy sources that sustain — not destroy — Indigenous lands and the Earth’s ecosystems.
In tribute to our ancestors, we continue centuries of resistance against colonialism. We recognize the work, courage, dedication and sacrifice of those individuals from Indigenous Nations and from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, the United States, and Vanuatu, who participated in the Summit.
We further recognize the invaluable work of those who were honored at the Nuclear-Free Future Awards ceremony on December 1, 2006. And we will continue to support activists worldwide in their nonviolent efforts to stop uranium development.
We are determined to share the knowledge we have gained at this Summit with the world. In the weeks and months ahead, we will summarize and disseminate the testimonies, traditional Indigenous knowledge, and medical and scientific evidence that justify a worldwide ban on uranium development.
We will enunciate specific plans of action at the tribal, local, national and international levels to support Native resistance to the nuclear fuel chain. And we will pursue legal and political redress for all past, current and future impacts of the nuclear fuel chain on Indigenous Peoples and their resources.
FEDERAL COURT SIDES WITH NATIVE VOTERS IN SOUTH DAKOTA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2006
CONTACT: Erica Pelletreau, ACLU National, (212) 519-7829 or media@aclu.org
Bryan Sells, ACLU Voting Rights Project (404) 523-2721 x 219
PIERRE, SD - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded a federal district court decision in favor of Native American voters in Martin, South Dakota. The decision, which was released late yesterday, orders city officials to redraw city council district lines to correct violations of the Voting Rights Act that prevented Native Americans from having an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.
"Yesterday's decision vindicates the long, hard struggle for Native American voting rights in the City of Martin," said Bryan Sells, a staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project and lead counsel in the case. "This ruling will enable Indian voters to enjoy the right that many other South Dakotans take for granted; the right to have a say in their local government. The decision also benefits everyone by promoting fairness and a more democratic city government."
The ACLU brought the lawsuit in April 2002 on behalf of two Native American voters who say the redistricting plan adopted by the city that year had the purpose and effect of diluting Native American voting strength. Native Americans made up approximately 45 percent of the city's population but would have been unable to elect any candidates of their choice to the city council because the redistricting plan ensured that white voters controlled all three city council wards.
The ACLU offered three alternative redistricting plans that experts agreed would have given Native Americans an opportunity equal to that of white voters to elect their preferred candidates. The district court initially ruled in the city's favor in March 2005. The Indian plaintiffs appealed, and on May 5, 2006, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision, sending the case back to the district court.
Yesterday's decision not only ordered a "full and complete remedy" for the plaintiffs, but also affirmed many of the factual claims of voting discrimination that Indian voters had alleged in their original lawsuit, including the fact that the city's 2002 redistricting plan unlawfully dilutes Native American voting strength. According to the findings of the federal court:
"There is a long, elaborate history of discrimination against Indians in South Dakota in matters relating to voting in South Dakota." (p. 11)
"Indians in Martin continue to suffer the effects of past discrimination, including lower levels of income, education, home ownership, automobile ownership, and standard of living." (p. 15)
"Martin city officials have taken intentional steps to thwart Indian voters from exercising political influence." (p. 16)
[T]here is a persistent and unacceptable level of racially polarized voting in the City of Martin." (p. 19)
"One of the most remarkable things about this opinion is the court's finding that a city official intentionally discriminated against Native Americans," said Sells. "This finding serves as a somber reminder that racial discrimination in the voting process still exists in South Dakota, and we should all be thankful that the Voting Rights Act is here to guard against it."
Since 1999, the ACLU has brought seven voting rights lawsuits in federal court on behalf of Native American voters in South Dakota. To date, every one of these cases has been resolved in favor of the plaintiffs
Today's decision is available online at: www.aclu.org/votingrights/minority/27624lgl20061206.html
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE or OPINION PIECE to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
Visit Vietnam Vet. Larry Mitchell at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.
posted by Bobbie Hart O'Neill @ 9:28 PM
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