[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 31 (Thursday, March 19, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S2347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MIKE JACOBS AND THE STAFF OF THE GRAND FORKS HERALD

 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, in the months since the devastating 
blizzards and floods struck North Dakota last year, I have been pleased 
to draw the Senate's attention to some truly remarkable people who 
stepped up when their communities most needed them.
  Today, I am pleased to report that one such individual was here in 
Washington recently to receive an honor he richly deserves. Mike 
Jacobs, the editor of the Grand Forks Herald, was named ``Editor of the 
Year'' by the National Press Foundation for his and the Herald's truly 
remarkable achievements during last year's flood and fires in Grand 
Forks. I want to add my voice to the chorus of thanks to Mike and to 
the entire staff of the Herald for their outstanding work under 
extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
  I saw firsthand how much it meant to the people of Grand Forks that 
their hometown newspaper never missed a day of printing throughout the 
city's crisis.
  When the Herald arrived at shelters and emergency centers, it flew 
off the racks. Clusters of people would gather around and jointly read 
it. They were starved for news of what was happening in their city 
during their trying time and they devoured the paper.
  Yet even more than a conduit of information, the Grand Forks Herald 
stood as a powerful symbol of people determined to survive and endure, 
and as a daily reminder that even in the face of this calamity, Grand 
Forks would continue to remain a community, something the flood waters 
would never be able to wash away.
  That the Herald was there at all was wondrous. Its building was 
completely flooded and then soon burned to the ground. The homes of 
nearly every employee of the Herald were inundated by flood waters.
  Yet the Herald, led by Editor Mike Jacobs, never faltered, never 
missed an edition. It found a temporary office in the grade school of a 
nearby small town. It located alternative presses, and devised creative 
methods of distributing the paper to its readers. In the most harrowing 
of times, it flourished. In doing so, it gave hope, inspiration and 
purpose to its community.
  Mike and the Grand Forks Herald staff are part of the story of last 
year's flood that doesn't get told nearly enough. As this city overcame 
the worst disaster in North Dakota history, its citizens have marched 
back with resilience, fortitude and inspirational spirit. Mike Jacobs, 
the entire Grand Forks Herald staff and the people of Grand Forks have 
triumphed, and I am proud to salute them.
  I can't express my admiration enough.

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