Our View: Hi-Line darts and laurels, May 2, 2014

Laurel — Rocky Boy residents on Thursday gathered for a candlelight vigil for Kaidynce Small, the 11-month-old child who died last year. It has been a tough time for Rocky Boy in recent years. The tight-knit community has been torn asunder by political differences, corruption and then this tragic death which led to murder charges. Maybe the candlelight ceremony will be the beginning of healing on the reservation.

Dart — The Bakken oil boom has had lots of advantages for the Mon-Dak region, but it has also created a lot of problems. North Dakota has the highest worker death rate in the country, with 17.7 fatalities for every 100,000 workers, according to an AFL-CIO report. Most of the increase is in the oil fields. A Glasgow man, Zach Buckles, died this week. His death is being investigated. We’ve heard lots of comments on how there are too many regulations in Montana, while North Dakota has a hands-off attitude toward business. In the case of worker safety, it sounds like North Dakota ought to impose a few government regulations and get its hands on the problem.

Laurel — People will be walking to raise awareness and funds for Williams Syndrome on Sunday afternoon in downtown Havre. The syndrome is relatively rare, and a lot of people know very little about it. Keeley Wilson and her family are trying to change that. They have organized the Sunday walk. It would be great to see a large turnout.

Laurel — The Havre Education Association did a good job at hosting a candidate forum last week in which all five candidates for Havre school board spoke and answered questions. The candidates were very impressive. Voters will have a hard time deciding which candidates to vote for. We just hope everyone remembers to vote in Tuesday’s election, noon to 8 p.m. at Havre High School.