Scott Hennen's last show before a DC trip is packed with updates on the Minnesota fraud scandal, a new outlook for North Dakota's higher education system, and a detailed long-range weather forecast that predicts a stormy winter and spring.
Standout Moments
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LRC Long-Range Weather Forecast (0:47:00) Chief Meteorologist Dean Wysocki breaks down the Lezak Recurring Cycle (LRC) for the next several months, based on a roughly 60-day cycle. He confirms a stormy winter is ahead, predicting:
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December: Active weather with noteworthy storms on December 12th–14th and right before Christmas, December 23rd–26th.
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January/February: Two large spikes in snowfall: January 29th–February 1st and February 6th–12th.
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Spring: A spike in active snowfall March 23rd–25th, followed by a likely return of wet conditions and flooding (last seen in October) into April and May.
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Moisture Outlook: The state will see at or above normal snowfall this winter, eliminating drought worries.
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Minnesota Fraud Total May Exceed $5 Billion (0:44:48) [cite_start]Senator John Kennedy's comments are highlighted, where he describes the fraud mess as making you "want to throw up in a potted plant". [cite_start]He notes that across three schemes (including the autism scam), crooks stole over $1 billion [cite_start]and estimates the fraud may go "north of five billion now".
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Fraud on Autistic Children (0:43:25) [cite_start]Kennedy details the autism scam where providers offered Somali parents bribes to falsely certify their children as autistic to steal millions in welfare funds. [cite_start]He emphasizes that state authorities never checked the legitimacy of these operations "because the politicians wouldn't let them".
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North Dakota Higher Education Vision (0:37:05)
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Brent Sanford, the new Commissioner (formerly Chancellor) of the North Dakota University System (NDUS) [cite_start], outlines his blueprint: transparency, accountability, and aligning higher education with state workforce needs.
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Workforce: The stickiness factor for North Dakota high school grads getting a degree at NDUS and staying to work is 60% to 80%.
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Tuition: NDUS tuition for 4-year schools is similar to surrounding states, but approximately 50% of the cost is subsidized by general funds.
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The "Trump Voter Problem" Debate Continues (0:03:00) [cite_start]Listener Henry calls in to argue that Trump voters stay home when the former President isn't on the ballot because Republican leaders, like Senator Cramer, "cave" on issues like Obamacare, making them "deep state" and not worth voting for. [cite_start]Scott counters that staying home is a "punch in the gut" to the agenda.
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Northeast Storm Warning (0:46:16) [cite_start]Dean Wysocki warns of tomorrow's strong clipper system, stating blizzard warnings may be issued for the Devils Lake Basin through Grand Forks and Thief River, with winds possibly gusting 45 to 60 miles per hour. [cite_start]The western part of the state (Watford City to Bismarck) will be on the warm side and see mainly rain.
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Retracted Climate Change Study (0:52:43) [cite_start]Scott reveals a highly-cited study predicting a catastrophic economic decline due to climate change—used by organizations like the World Bank and the Vatican—has been retracted by its authors due to a "200% error".