The Good Life – July-August 2017

CELEBRATING FOUR YEARS OF THE GOOD LIFE! 

4 YEARS! 

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06 

NOT IN MY FAMILY - PART ONE 

OPIATE ADDICTION HITS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD 

10 

MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

THE TODDLER DIET REVOLUTION 

12 

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A 

BEEKEEPER 

18 

ON THE COVER - KEVIN WALLEVAND 

FARGO'S MOST FAMOUS STORYTELLER 

24 

CAR CARE 

PURCHASING A USED VEHICLE 

26 

HAVING A BEER WITH 

DILWORTH MAYOR, CHAD OLSON 

30 

LOCAL HERO - SHANE TIBIATOWSKI 

NAVY VETERAN GIVES BACK TO VETS 

4 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com

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BY: BRITTNEY GOODMAN 

“Dead Overdose Victim Left Outside 

Sanford Walk In,” “Tainted Drugs 

on Fargo-Moorhead Streets Believe 

Connected to Overdose Deaths” and 

“Fentanyl Suspected in West Fargo 19- 

year Old’s Death” - these are all local 

headlines from the past year. Also, 

drug overdoses are now the leading 

cause of death among Americans 

under 50 (New York Times). And it 

could be your child, your grandchild, 

your friend, your parent, or you that 

will have a personal struggle with these 

addictive drugs. For many of us, opiate 

addiction has already taken someone. 

The most recent National Center for 

Health Statistics numbers showed 

overdose deaths in North Dakota 

increased from 20 in 2013 to 61 in 

2015. In Cass County, the Coroner’s 

Office reported 46 deaths from 2012- 

2015 because of prescription pain 

relievers and heroin. 

According to Fargo Police Chief David 

Todd, in Fargo alone, police responded 

to 69 opioid incidents in 2016 with 15 

resulting deaths. Todd added, “These 

are just the ones we know about. 


There are a lot of other overdoses 

that we don’t hear about.” Thus far in 

2017 they know of 14 overdoses and 5 

deaths in Fargo. 

Sergeant Matt Christensen, Fargo 

Police Department, leads the Narcotics 

Unit. His detectives interact with 

people suffering from addiction “on 

a very regular basis” and in the past 


18 months they “have really seen an 

increase in opiate related substances.” 

Some definitions: 

Opioids: Class of pain relieving drugs 

that include heroin and oxycodone, 

hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and 

fentanyl. 

Heroin: Highly addictive pain relieving 

opiate drug derived from morphine. 

Fentanyl: Synthetic, short-acting pain 

reliever and sedative. 

Carfentanil: Similar to fentanyl with a 

high toxicity in humans. It has potential 

as a chemical weapon. 


The impact is devastating. Christensen 

said: “In 2016, we had to notify 15 

families that their son or daughter, 

mother or father, brother or sister, 

had died because of a drug overdose 

and explain what we were doing to try 

and make sure this did not happen to 

another family and to find out who was 

responsible for their family member’s 

death and why it happened.” 

Todd asserted that drug addiction “is 

across every socioeconomic spectrum.” 

It can be the CEO’s daughter, the 

pastor’s son, or the college student. 

And many of our friends and relatives 

become addicted after using pills 

legally for pain or being given pills by a 

friend, thinking they are harmless. 

Here are some startling statistics from 

the North Dakota Behavioral Health: 

• In 2015, almost 1.5 million 

prescriptions were dispensed to 

North Dakota residents, which have 

increased steadily since 2008 with 

935,201 prescriptions having been 

dispensed. 

• 54% of people who misuse pain 

relievers obtain them from a friend of 

relative. 

• The majority of heroin users report 

that they abused prescription opioids 

before trying heroin. 

• 4 out of 5 new heroin users started 

out misusing prescription painkillers. 

Todd surmised: “I think the drug 

companies pushed oxycodone and

oxycontin as magic pills and it has led to a lot of 

these issues. They have made millions of dollars off 

of these drugs.” 

The police are here to help. Christensen explained: 

“There has long been the misconception that law 

enforcement tries to lock up low level users and 

throw away the key. This is simply not true. Our 

goal is to identify the people that are trafficking 

and distributing them in our community. If we can 

identify those responsible for feeding the habits and 

taking advantage of the users, we will be successful. 

We would like to see the low level users get the help 

and treatment they need to fight their addiction.” 

Todd explained: “It often starts with the pills. It 

might be from a sports injury or surgery. Sometimes 

those pills get distributed improperly to others. 

Sometimes people are predisposed to addiction, 

and when those pills become harder and harder and 

expensive to get they move to another type of opiate, 

often heroin. The more you use opiates the more 

your body acclimates to it. It takes more and more 

to get high. Before you know it, you are just taking it 

to keep from being sick - going through withdrawal 

is the worse flu ever times fifty. So most people are 

not willing to go through withdrawal.” 

The need to keep using results in crime. Todd 

said: “75-85 percent of our property crime is 

likely addiction driven.” It stems to theft, crimes 

of opportunity, trading stolen items for drugs, and 

more. It also involves a significant amount of felony 

level theft. 

First responders must be careful. All Fargo law 

enforcement officers wear protective clothing, 

including gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection, 

when dealing with a potential drug overdose. Todd 

added, “With carfentanil, you have to treat the 

substance like a biological weapon. The size of one 

or two grains of salt can kill you if you touch it. We 

also have to be careful about how we use our dogs.” 

Hazmat suits were even brought out during the 

recent April West Fargo incident. 

To address the problem, Todd called a joint press 

conference in February 2016. The Mayor’s Blue 

Ribbon Commission on Addiction was formed in 

September of 2016 to bring together a range of 

representatives from legal, treatment and other 

services with support from the Dakota Medical 

Foundation and the mayors of Fargo, West Fargo, 

Horace, Moorhead and Dilworth. 

In subsequent issues of The Good Life, we will talk 

with members of that commission and others on 

the front lines of this issue in our community and 

explore strategies for prevention and treatment. • 


MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

The Toddler Diet Revolution 

Get Your Beach Body by Summer's End 

BY: BEN HANSON – MR. FULL-TIME DAD • PHOTO BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Any stay-at-home parent will attest, not a day goes 

by without learning something new about your child, 

yourself or the greater experience of life. My son, Macklin, 

turns two in late July, and already he’s taught me valuable 

lessons about humility, love, creativity … even the actual 

process of learning itself. Somewhere along the line, 

he also apparently signed a lifetime contract to teach a 

master class on patience. It’s a pass/fail class that I had no 

business signing up for. 

Not all lessons are quite so lofty. Often, I simply end the 

day with a better understanding of how to clean yogurt off 

the dining room wall. That was just yesterday, in fact. I was 

feeling pretty confident in my yogurt cleaning abilities, but 

Mack thought otherwise and gave me yet another chance 

to get it right. 

As I was scrubbing, another light bulb went off. Perhaps 

this isn’t a cleaning lesson at all. Maybe I’ve been looking 

at this wall of yogurt all wrong. And it hit me. Mack’s 

immensely frustrating bedside manner (at the dinner 

table) is actually a pretty clever, five-part diet plan. 

I took a step back and ran through our typical mealtime 

scenarios in my head. It was all there — calorie reduction, 

gastrointestinal maintenance, even stress control. I 


thought about calling Oprah immediately, but figured it might 

be too early in the process. What I need are a few real-life 

case studies to validate this toddler diet revolution. 

So, good news for you. I realize the summer of 2017 is 

already half over — the longest day of the year is now in the 

rearview — but there’s still plenty of bathing suit season left 

to make one last push toward attaining a beach body worthy 

of a double-take. Use these tips, report back and let’s get (me) 

rich! 

Fling Your Plate Across the Room 

At the outset of any new endeavor, it’s good to keep things 

simple. Thus, step one of the Toddler Diet Revolution (yes, 

I’ve since trademarked it) is simply to throw all of your food 

directly on the floor. You’re allowed one … maybe two bites, 

but seriously, fatty, that’s it. And if you’re an adult that still 

drinks cow milk, throw that on the floor, too, then use your 

newfound free time to deconstruct the idea of drinking cow 

milk. 

Poop Whilst Eating 

Step two requires a little more effort. Maybe even a grunt or 

two. The concept, however, remains simple. You’ve probably 

heard about the concept of “calories in/calories out,” but 

that brings exercise into the mix, which I will assure you

now has no place in the TDR (also 

trademarked). Step two of TDR is 

simply to poop out those calories as 

soon as you take them in … right at the 

dinner table. You might even be able to 

burn an extra calorie or two by staring 

down each guest at the dinner table as 

you go about your business. In terms of 

sheer efficiency, you won’t find a more 

effective diet tip. 

Exfoliate to Cut Calories 

Let’s be honest. The driving force 

behind any weight loss attempt is to look 

good on the outside. We can pretend 

we’re working toward better health 

and wellness, but it’s all about turning 

heads. The TDR takes this into account 

by including a step wholly dedicated 

to skincare. Again, sticking with the 

theme of simplicity, all you need to do is 

take the food you’d normally shove into 

your mouth and, instead, rub it all over 

your face, arms, legs, ears, neck … any 

exposed flesh will do. And don’t forget 

about your hair. 

Juice It (With Your Bare Hands) 

Periodically, Mack will take whatever it 

is we’re trying to nourish him with and, 

instead of eating it, he’ll sit there and 

just squeeze the you know what out 

of it. It could be a sandwich, a bowl of 

pasta, crackers. His favorites seem to 

be avocado and banana (both of which 

happen to be great exfoliators — see 

step three above). I finally figured out 

what he was really doing: destressing. 

It makes sense, and while I’m not a big 

fan of this step myself, it does negate the 

tendency to overeat due to stress. 

Pretend It’s Wine 

If you’ve made it this far, the TDR rewards 

your hard work with a truly indulgent 

final step. You get all the delectable 

benefits of eating a fine meal without 

any of the belly bloat. It’s the chew-andspit 

method, and it’s as simple as it gets. 

You can get elbows deep in the most 

delicious, most nutrient devoid fast food 

value meal of your choice without any of 

the consequences. Just chew it up, and 

spit it out like a sommelier exploring a 

new flight of reds. Simple. Effective. It’s 

the TDR, and it’s your answer to ending 

summer looking your best. • 


BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

For Bob Morlock, bees mean a lot 

more than just stings and honey. 

They’re his livelihood, and the 

process is much more complex 

than Winnie the Pooh’s precarious 

methods of obtaining the sweet stuff. 

Morlock, a well-seasoned beekeeper in 

Casselton, N.D., is a part of SueBee 

Honey, a co-op made up of over 

300 members across the U.S. and 

Canada. Morlock serves on their 

board of directors as the director for 

North Dakota and Canada. 

A native of Sykeston, N.D., 

Morlock grew up adoring his 

time spent outside and admired 

the work of local beekeepers. 

That prompted him to 

begin working for other 

men of the trade in high 

school. After studying 

communications 

at the University of 

North Dakota and the 

University of Mary, 

he realized his love 

for the outdoors 

still trumped any 


A Nuc, pronounced nuke, is a nucleus hive. 

It has four or five frames from a working 

hive including a queen. 

A honey bee 

flies 15 miles 

per hour 

other profession. Since those college days, he’s worked for 

several beekeepers and owned his own business. 

As with anything directly tied to nature, Morlock’s job and 

location changes with the passing of the seasons and the 

weather, but one thing remains constant: He’s always as 

busy as a you-know-what (a bee). 

The Seasons of Beekeeping 

January to June: 

After a new year has begun, Morlock places their existing 

hives into beautiful almond orchards for pollination. After 

that, Morlock and his wife, Juli, head back to Texas and start 

on the production of queen bees that will eventually be kept 

or sold. 

Eventually, they begin dividing the hives. Since some hives 

are lost throughout the year, this is their time to get the 

numbers back up and the bees healthy and strong. Splits 

(divided hives) are moved into new locations at least two 

miles apart from each other so the bees don’t find their way 

back to the original site. The following day, they add a queen 

cell and some feed. This process continues until the hives 


are thriving. Thirty days later, they return and check the 

hives to make sure the queen is laying properly. 

Come May, they’re back in Casselton transferring the welltraveled 

bees from the semis to their trucks before moving 

them to various locations on area farms. 

June to September: 

After the bees are settled into their new locations, a short lull 

usually occurs before the clover and alfalfa begin pollinating. 

Since June is often a wet month, they feed the bees, check on 

them regularly, and work on necessary, miscellaneous tasks. 

By the middle to the end of June, they place supers, the 

portion of the bee home boxes in which the honey production 

occurs, on top of the hives in anticipation of the honey crop. 

Zzzzzz 

Honey bees 

never sleep! 

In mid-July, they take honey off and start extracting. This 

extraction process will continue until the first part of 

September. 

September to January: 

Morlock feeds the honeybees and begins to get them ready 

for winter. After that, they truck some of the bees back to 

Texas, but the majority of the bees get sent to Idaho to 

spend the winter in potato sheds. The weaker bees are sent 

to California to gather their strength and get nursed back 

to health in the warmer climate before pollination in the 

almond orchards begins again the middle of January. 

The Secret Life of Bees 

Is this a one-man job? 

While Morlock does the beekeeping, Juli does the 

bookkeeping. They also hire help for taking care of the bees. 

All the honey is bottled up and distributed through SueBee 

Honey. 

How long do bees live? 

During the winter months, worker bees (all female) can live 

up to three months when they’re just surviving and hanging 

out. But come spring, they only care about their job and 

actually work themselves to death by wearing their wings 

out. Bees never sleep. Let this be a lesson to all workaholics. 

What do bees eat and how do they develop? 

The Morlocks feed their honeybees corn syrup or liquid 

sugar, but when bees are developing, they’re first fed royal 

jelly, a high-protein food made in the head of a worker bee. 

All the bees get fed that initially, but when the larvae get 

to a certain age, they move on to beebread, which is made 


Honey bees 

keep the inside of their hives 

at 93° F

up of honey and pollen. This is the 

difference that will turn one female 

larva into a queen or an average 

worker bee. 

Queens-in-training stay on a strict diet 

of royal jelly, but that’s not the only 

reason queens end up larger than 

the rest of the bees in their colonies. 

As they develop ovaries, instead of a 

venom sack or a stinger, they expand. 

With the help of the worker bees, 

the first to hatch kills the other 

contenders for the throne. However, 

the bees won’t treat her as the queen 

until she’s mated. 

What is the job of the drones? 

The only purpose in life for drones, 

or male bees, is to mate with a virgin 

queen. After 15-18 drones have mated 

with her, those drones die and she 

officially begins her reign as queen of 

the hive. 

As the bees begin to prepare for 

surviving winter, worker bees drag 

any remaining drones out of the hive 

and force them to starve to better 

sustain their winter supply of honey. 

What a brutal bee world we live in. 

Why is beeswax so expensive? 

It takes 15 pounds of honey for a 

honeybee to make 1 pound of wax. 

That’s, like, 30 8 oz. mason jars filled 

with honey to make one brick of 

beeswax. Beeswax not only smells 

delicious, it’s supposed to emit 

negative ions that improve air quality. 

From lotions to lip balms and candles 

to furniture polish, beeswax has 

hundreds of uses. 

Sweet Tips: 

If your honey crystalizes, it’s still good. 

Honey never expires. To turn your 

honey into a liquid again, just place 

the jar in warm water in a saucepan 

over a stove. 

When you’re buying honey, make 

sure it says it’s a product of the USA. 

Imported honey doesn’t have to follow 

the same standards. • 




BY: ALEXANDRA FLOERSCH • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

For more than three decades, Kevin 

Wallevand has made a living chasing 

down stories and bringing them to 

life for WDAY-TV, the Fargo-based 

ABC affiliate. From tales of lifesaving 

procedures to heroes who 

sacrifice everything for the good of 

those around them, he has heard 

and shared both inspiring and 

heartbreaking tales that have shaped 

the man he is today. 

But in April, the 55-year-old became 

the story himself. After tests revealed 

elevated PSA levels. An MRI and 

biopsy confirmed the results, doctors 

diagnosed Wallevand with prostate 


cancer — a disease that runs in his 

family. With his cancer battle just 

beginning, the TV newsman found 

himself at the heart of a familiar 

story he’s told viewers many times 

throughout the years. 

Thanks to the many stories of hope 

he has witnessed over the years, 

Wallevand found strength in arguably 

some of the most trying days of his 

life. He attributes this strength to 

those individuals who were brave 

enough to tell their stories. 

"All the stories I've done on people 

battling cancer, living through it, 

surviving it or not — I think back 

to what they went through and I'm 

like, ‘Hey, come on. I can suck it up 

through this surgery,’” he said. “I'm 

kind of channeling all these people 

that I've talked to and interviewed 

over the years. I'm very fortunate to 

have something that appears to be 

treatable." 

Practicing for the Future 

Even as a young boy growing up 

in small-town Henning, Minn., 

Wallevand was fascinated by 

journalism. 

“We were watching TV at a crazy

time,” he said. “In a way I think 

that was critical because I grew 

up in a house where you watched 

the news at 6 p.m. and sometimes 

10 p.m. I was intrigued by 

Watergate, coverage of the Vietnam 

war, coverage of northern Ireland. I 

remember these conflicts." 

To get into character, Wallevand would 

use a cardboard box to create his own 

set, impersonating his favorite TV anchors 

to report the latest news. He wasn’t afraid of 

people. 

"I think growing up in a little town helped 

me. I grew up around family — everyone was 


PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: KEVIN WALLEVAND 

related to me. I worked at my dad's 

gas station, so I had to develop good 

people skills." 

In high school, Wallevand reveled 

in current events. Each morning, 

his teacher would record the news 

on his way to work and play it back 

for students in his class. After 

taking notes throughout the week, 

Wallevand and his classmates were 

tested on Friday to reveal how much 

they had retained about the world 

around them. Wallevand looked 

forward to it every week. 

As a high schooler, he went on air for 

the first time. 

"I did the news for our little town on a 

radio station out of Wadena,” he said. 

“At 11 o’clock in the morning I would 

call in and give the basketball score 

from the night before, the school 

lunch menu and what was going on in 

town that day for basketball, football 

or whatever." 

After graduating from high school 

in 1980, Wallevand set off to college 

at Minnesota State University 

Moorhead, where he wrote for the 

MSUM Advocate student newspaper. 

"Then we launched Campus News at 

MSUM ... we were in that first class 

that started the weekly TV show,” he 

said, laughing and recalling the days. 

“We were horrible — we were so bad. 

It was like Saturday Night Live on 

steroids." 

At the same time, Wallevand was 


interning with WDAY-TV four days a 

week. In spring of 1984, he received 

his degree in Mass Communications/ 

Broadcast Journalism. His college 

internship turned into a full-time 

offer at WDAY where he remains 

today as the station's senior reporter. 

Chasing Down Leads 

With journalism under increasing 

public scrutiny, Wallevand feels the 

role of a journalist today is “more 

important than ever. I'm really proud 

of the profession,” he said. “I think it 

takes a lot of heat — and there are 

bad apples — but I think it's a great 

profession." 

As a reporter, Wallevand loves the 

job of relaying information and 

sharing stories of unsung heroes. 

"Journalism's role has always been 

to help inform, educate and hold 

public officials accountable but also 

be there to report and bring stories 

home to viewers that they may not 

otherwise know about,” he said. 

And that’s just what he’s done. 

Having traveled twice to Africa, 

Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, South 

America, Mongolia and the Middle 

East for his documentary work, 

Wallevand has found himself 

immersed in stories that are difficult 

to put into words. 

"Families are inviting you into their 

lives at crazy times,” he said. “Their 

kid is battling cancer at the age of 

4, their son just overdosed two days 

before on fentanyl, someone lost 

their husband in a farm accident and 

now neighbors are coming to help 

them harvest. It’s these super ‘life 

moments’ and people are willing 

share them — and not all the time. 

But there's a lot of people that are 

willing to do it and I admire that." 

You’d think as a frequent flyer, 

Wallevand might claim traveling as 

the highlight of his career. But he 

begs to differ. 

"When it comes down to memorable 

things, it always comes back to 

people's stories,” he said. "It's not 

like interviewing Obama — it's 

not fancy stuff. Even with some 

of the global stuff we've done — 

documentaries and such — the travel 

is great, but it still comes down to 

stories. Moments." 

National Recognition 

Though Wallevand has a won a 

number of awards over the years, 

he’s hesitant to talk about them. In 

TV news, the work is a team effort. 

There’s a lot that happens behind 

the camera. 

“The photographer is usually the 

unsung hero,” he said. 

Among his most notable awards 

are two Emmys and two national 

Edward R. Murrow awards. 

Wallevand won an Emmy for 

writing “The Quilt: Hope from the 

Heartland” where he and his team 

followed a church quilt on its journey


to a refugee camp in Angola, Africa. 

"We were literally in the middle of 

a civil war in Angola,” he said. “We 

were in a refugee camp surrounded 

by land mines. There's no way WDAY 

would have sent us knowing that. But 

the story was incredible.” 

Most recently — in October 2016 — 

he won his second national Edward 

R. Murrow award for the “Trafficked” 

documentary he produced with 

photographer Cody Rogness. The 

documentary covered stories of sex 

trafficking survivors between Fargo 

and western North Dakota's oil patch. 

Reporting with Dignity 

Unfortunately, not all stories come 

with a happy ending. Wallevand 

said the most difficult part of the job 

is “talking with families that have 

lost someone — that phone call. 

Sometimes families are very open 


and willing to talk about their loved 

ones. They find it cathartic. Others 

want nothing to do with it and I get 

it,” he said. 

Being a journalist requires a delicate 

balance that’s often hard to sense. It’s 

about remaining sensitive even when 

you’re trying to meet a deadline. 

"You have to find the right words 

without being phony,” he said. "You 

try to offer your sympathy but be 

totally respectful of what they're 

going through. Not everyone is there 

yet." 

But, like any situation, strength is 

built during those painful moments. 

“It's going to make you more 

empathetic, more understanding of 

situations of families with nothing — 

trying to survive on little or nothing 

and facing crisis,” he said. “All that 

listening and then writing about it, 

it'll change how you view things." 

Living the Good Life … Off the 

Record 

On his many work travels, Wallevand 

has left pieces of his heart oversees. 

"We did a documentary and went to 

Haiti and that was going to be it,” he 

said. “But I stayed connected with the 

people. We decided to go again — not 

for TV but through my church. Now 

it's just a yearly medical/surgical 

mission trip.” 

Having made 20 trips now, Wallevand 

looks forward to fundraising and 

helping organize some of the logistics 

of the yearly trip. 

"You get a better view of how most of 

the world lives — I mean that's what

I've really learned from traveling,” 

he said. "When you travel to Haiti 

or south Sudan and you see 2-yearold 

kids on the verge of starvation, 

it changes how you view that 

situation. When it comes right 

down to it, those parents are like 

you, they're like me — they want 

their kids to survive and do well. 

That's all they want. That's the one 

thing everyone has in common." 

In his spare time, Wallevand offers 

his knowledge through teaching 

TV documentary and reporting 

one night a week at MSUM. When 

he’s not chasing his latest story, 

traveling to foreign countries or 

embarking on a mission trip, you 

can find him relaxing with family at 

the lake. 

Someday — when he decides to 

retire — Wallevand doesn’t plan on 

slowing down. "I'd like to continue 

teaching, continue with the mission 

work and traveling," he said. 

Until then, he’s living the good life. 

"The good life means the Midwest, 

lakes, family, friends, hockey and 

faith," he said. It’s about taking 

advantage of the beautiful place he 

lives — fishing, skiing and spending 

time with loved ones in Otter Tail 

County where he grew up. 

Recently the “good life” has taken 

on a new definition: the opportunity 

to live another day. After prostate 

surgery, Wallevand waited 7 days 

for pathology results following 

surgery. Thankfully, the report came 

back with good news: the cancer 

was contained in the prostate and 

removed during surgery. Wallevand 

got lucky but urges other men to get 

PSA levels checked during yearly 

physicals; without his checkup, 

Wallevand’s story may have had a 

much different outcome. 

For everyone, the good life 

means something different. But 

sometimes, it’s as simple as the 

blessing of more years to live and 

the opportunity to keep sharing the 

stories you love. • 


BY: MATT LACHOWITZER 

PURCHASING A 

USED VEHICLE 

Probably the #1 question I get asked no matter in the shop 

or out speaking is “what kind of car should I purchase?” 

The second most common question I receive is “are there 

certain vehicles that last longer than others or are more 

dependable than others?” The simple answers are yes and 

no. I know that doesn’t answer any of your questions, but I 

am going to try to answer these questions throughout this 

article to help you with your next vehicle purchase. 

Getting started, auto technicians are the best and worst 

people to ask these questions to. I know what you are 

thinking, why, you are the ones who work on them and 

see them every day? The problem is exactly that, we 

only see the broken ones, not the many that are driving 

around not broken down. Do we see pattern problems or 

issues on certain makes and models of vehicles? We sure 

do, but the truth is, every car has the potential to break 

down and leave you stranded, so doing your homework 

before purchasing and being a “good” vehicle owner after 

purchase is the best advice that I can give to you. 

By doing your homework on a potential “new” vehicle, 

you can save yourself costly repair bills and maintenance 

costs right off the bat. The first thing when looking for a 

used vehicle is to make sure you ask the potential seller as 

many questions as possible. 

Questions to make sure to ask would be: 

1. Has the vehicle been in an accident? 

2. Has the vehicle had any recalls performed 

on it? 

3. Is there anything wrong with the vehicle 

that you know of? 

4. Does the vehicle have a clear title? 

5. Do you have the service records? 

6. Do you have a Car Fax? 

7. Can I speak with the previous owner 

(if at a dealership), or why are you selling it? 

8. Can I take it to my mechanic for an 

inspection? 


While all of these questions are important, none is 

more important that taking your potential “new” vehicle 

into the service center you normally go to and have a 

thorough inspection performed. Some shops offer 

basic used vehicle inspections, while others may have 

different options of inspections, some more thorough 

than others. I would recommend the most thorough 

inspection you can have performed. It will not only 

give you a clear and concise picture of the “health” of 

the vehicle, but can also save you thousands of dollars 

in repairs and maintenance that may be needed right 

away, a cost most new vehicle owners are not prepared 

for right away. Your mechanics inspection can also be 

used as a bargaining chip when it comes to purchasing 

the vehicle. You can either usually negotiate a discount 

on the purchase price and have your mechanic take care 

of the necessary repairs and maintenance, or, some 

places will do the necessary repairs in good faith of 

your commitment to purchase the vehicle, both wind up 

being a win for you! On average, a very comprehensive 

used vehicle inspection uncovers roughly $2,250 

worth of needed repairs and/or maintenance and a 

basic used vehicle inspection uncovers roughly $1,400 

worth of needs repairs and/or maintenance, not bad for 

something that only costs somewhere between $40 and 

$200. 

After you purchase that “new” vehicle, performing 

proper maintenance is the key to maintaining your 

investment and keeping your cost of vehicle ownership 

as low as possible. By performing proper maintenance at 

the times they are recommended, either by your owner’s 

manual or your mechanic, you can keep your vehicle 

in better health and protect your investment. Also, by 

performing necessary repairs recommended by your 

mechanic right away can save you problems down the 

road, and typically more costly repairs, thus protecting 

your investment. The biggest problem is someone buys 

a new vehicle, they don’t perform necessary repairs 

and/or maintenance, and wind up having a vehicle with 

several issues. They wind up trading that vehicle in for 

something new, and that could be the vehicle you are 

looking at purchasing now. So, ask yourself, would you 

purchase your own vehicle if it were on the lot? If you 

wouldn’t, you probably are not taking the proper care of 

your vehicle, thus lowering the trade in value, and thus 

hurting your bank account. 

As you can see, I didn’t share the magic “this year, 

make, and model is the one to purchase.” The truth 

is, purchase what you like, but do your homework and 

educate yourself on the vehicle you are interested in 

before you buy, it will save you down the road. Also, 

when looking for a “new” vehicle, make sure you know 

the “true” cost of vehicle ownership, not just what you 

pay at the dealer for the vehicle, but also the cost of 

maintenance, repairs, insurance, and fuel. That will give 

you what your vehicles “true” cost will be on a monthly 

basis. • 



BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

As the mayor of Dilworth, Chad Olson has a lot 

of responsibility, but that role is only one of the 

many titles he holds. Olson has honorably served 

in the Minnesota National Guard for 20 years, is 

a dedicated social studies teacher at Moorhead 

High School, owns his own residential insect 

control business called Mosquito Man, and, most 

importantly, is a caring husband and the father of two boys. 

On a lovely evening in May, I had the opportunity to sit down 

outside of Drekker Brewing Co. with Olson as he savored a 

dark brew of coffee-flavored beer. While we chatted, his wife 

and kids drove by in their van as the sun slanted warmly on 

the bustling Fargoan streets. He even swatted a mosquito at 

our table, free of charge. 

Good Life: How do you feel about interviews? 

Chad Olson: Okay, I can do city interviews, like 

government stuff. That’s not a problem. But I did 

a little research on what you talk about, and I’m 

like the last person you want to have a beer with. 

I’m sorry. 

GL: I’m having water, so it’s fine. 

GL: What is the population of Dilworth? 

CO: The last census was 4,024. Current estimate 

is about 4,400. 

GL: Good, good. That’s correct. When was the 

last census? 

CO: The last census was 7 years ago in 2010. 

GL: You’re good. 

GL: Since the ‘90s are making a comeback, 

what’s one thing you’d love to make popular 

again from the ‘80s or the ‘90s? 

CO: Hair metal. Mötley Crüe. Poison. Skid 

Row. The music of the ‘80s and ‘90s would be 

fantastic. 

GL: What about the hair? 

CO: Let’s bring hair back. I just want some hair 

back. 

GL: Which is the correct way to hang toilet paper 

— over or under? 

CO: Which way doesn’t it break, ‘cause that’s the 

key. 

GL: Wouldn’t it mainly depend on which ply it is 

and the brand? 

CO: Can I go check? I’m going to say under 

because usually things top down have a tendency 

not to work. 

GL: Wrong answer. I’m out of here. 

CO: Now my house is going to get toilet papered. 

GL: And it’s all going to get thrown over your 

house, not under. 

GL: If you could only ever watch one movie for 

the rest of your life, which movie would you 

choose to watch? 


CO: “Legally Blonde.” I don’t know what it is. Have you ever 

noticed that it’s on TBS every other day? I’ll stop and watch 

that. World Game Series VII, okay, maybe I won’t watch 

“Legally Blonde,” but I might be switching back and forth. 

The bend and snap, I have that down. 

GL: Every time you drop something is an opportunity. 

GL: What’s your ancestral background? 

CO: My grandfather was Italian. He was a Frisco. That’s 

pretty much what our family is known for. There’s some 

Scandinavian in us, too, which is why my last name is Olson. 

But I will always say I’m American. I love this country. I 

don’t mean to get all nationalistic, proud and red, white and 

blue, but I really do. 

GL: What’s one of your favorite family traditions? 

CO: Growing up with my grandparents, we had big Sunday 

dinners, and that’s something my wife and I try to do, too. 

My brothers, my sister, or my mom or aunt try to come over. 

It’s a big deal. 

GL: It’s fun to hear about other traditions because it inspires 

me to think of ones I’d want to start. 

CO: That’s the great thing about them. My kids are 7 and 

8. My wife and I have been married for 12 years. We’re 

starting our own traditions and starting our lives. My sons 

love Sunday supper. They even ask about it. They’ll ask if 

Auntie Joce is coming over for Sunday supper. That’s living 

the good life. It really is. 

GL: Who would be a better successor to your role as mayor, 

Batma— 

CO: Humpty Dumpty. 

GL: Okay, Batman, Superman, or Humpty Dumpty? 

CO: Truth, justice, and the American way — isn’t that what 


"Truth, justice, and the 

American way – isn't that 

what it's all about?" 

– chad olson 

it’s all about? Nothing against Batman, but there 

isn’t room for secrets, Batcaves or gadgets. Just put 

it all out there with honesty and do the best job you 

possibly can. Both would probably do a fantastic 

job, but I’d have to say Superman. 

GL: What’s one of your defining characteristics? 

CO: I’m going to take a quote from Sergeant Patrick 

Lee. We went to NTC together. He was very upset 

with me because I’m frustratingly optimistic, so I’m 

going to go with that. 

GL: What does the good life mean to you? 

CO: The good life drove by in the van. I want time 

to devote to my wife and kids. If I’m able to help 

prepare my kids and spend time with them as they 

grow up, that’s the good life. • 


BY: BRITTNEY GOODMAN 

Shane Tibiatowski, U.S. Navy veteran, 

has experienced the excitement of 

traveling the world on three different 

battle tours and even apprehended 

several drug running ships. However, for 

the last seventeen years, he has served 

a somewhat quieter, but satisfying role 

as a mortgage lending officer focusing 

on helping other veterans. West Fargo 

native, Tibiatowski works at Fairway 

Independent Mortgage Corporation in 

Fargo. 

Tibiatowski is an award-winning 

specialist helping veterans own homes. 

For 2016, Tibiatowski was sixth in 

the nation among lending specialists 

in the “Homes for Heroes” program. 

Through the home loans he facilitated, 

he gave back $164,000 to veterans 

during 2016. And he proudly displays 

the big crystal trophy. 

Graduating from West Fargo High 

School in 1990, seven days later 

he was in boot camp for the Navy in 

Orlando, FL. He said, “It sounds like 

a vacation spot, but it was not.” After 

ten weeks of boot camp during a very 

hot summer, he went to A School in 

Meridian, Mississippi, a place that he 

said “was even hotter than Florida. 

There was no cool breeze.” 

Tibiatowski then went to San Diego: 

“I chose to stay stateside and to be 

on the USS Chandler DDG 996 – a 

guided missile destroyer. I selected the 

Navy because I wanted to travel and, 

honestly, it paid the most.” He added, 

“Did you know that USS stands for 

United States Ship? Many people don’t 

know that.” 

Stationed out of San Diego, 

Tibiatowski went on several Western 

Pacific deployments (WESTPACs) 

from 1990-1994 on the USS Chandler 


“Because of my time in the service, 

I am more focused. 

I treat my everyday life with focus. 

My kids may say that some days 

I act like a drill sergeant. 

Discipline is still a big thing for me.” 

and stopped at many ports all over the world, including Iraq, Iran, Saudi 

Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and more. He added, “In addition to 

the work, we did also get to have some necessary stress relief and fun 

on the way, stopping in Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii.” 

His first WESTPAC was during Operation Desert Storm from January- 

July 1991 and the second was from June 1993 - January 1994. During 

that time he was part of the Battle of Mogadishu – Operation Gothic 

Serpent. 

In addition to serving as a damage controlman doing firefighting 

and ship preservation, Tibiatowski was also part of the security 

force, working closely with the Coast Guard. “We would go out into 

international waters near Mexico and Panama and board ships that 

were carrying drugs. There were yachts with helicopters on top of 

them dropping drugs. We had boats trying to outrun us and even to 

ram us. We were a strong steel ship, so trying to ram us just wasn’t 

going to happen. I experienced some interesting situations, some of 

which I can’t talk about.” 

Tibiatowski describes boarding a yacht near Mexico: “They were trying 

to outrun us and throwing drugs in the water when we finally stopped 

them. We pointed all of our weapons at them. We watched the Coast 

Guard board their vessel. The smugglers’ hands were zip tied. They 


were brought aboard our ship and spent 

a few hours in a blocked off passageway 

as we did not have a brig on board. They 

were eventually picked up by the Mexican 

police.” 

Tibiatowski said that one of “the scariest 

moments” of his service was when an Iraqi 

aircraft was within 26 miles of his ship 

and enemy aircraft are not allowed to get 

within 32 miles of a USS: “We had this 

Iraqi aircraft coming straight towards us 

and we were literally seconds from letting 

our missiles go. Usually when you are out 

at sea you don’t have something like that 

happen. But when you have someone 

coming at you, it is different.” 

Off the coast of Iraq, Tibiatowski was on 

watch duty looking for mines in the water 

using night vision goggles: “There are 

different kinds of mines; some of them are 

chained to the bottom. There are mines 

with chemical heads floating in the water. 

The Iraqi men would throw dead sheep 

and goats in the water and they would 

eventually bloat. They would turn upside 

down and all four legs would stick up. So 

you would not know what that was in the 

water. Is it a mine? Mine watch was …. 

interesting.” 

He remembered a naval recruiter who was 

“hot after me to sign up. He went to my 

sporting events. He really pushed. And 90 

percent of what he told me about what to 

expect was, quite frankly, crap. But he was 

good. Well, on my last trip to the Persian 

Gulf, guess who I ran into sitting at a bar? 

Yes, my recruiter. I sat next to him and told 

him, ‘Sir, you are one hell of a good liar.’” 

Tibiatowski saw much of the world: “By 

the time I was 22 years old, I had been to 

Hawaii five times, and also been to Guam, 

Sri Lanka, India, Diego Garcia, Malaysia, 

Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, 

Hong Kong, up and down the coast of 

Mexico and all over the UAE.” 

But the travel weighed on this family man. 

His first daughter, Morgan, came after 

his second WESTPAC. Tibiatowski said, 

“Although I loved the Navy and wanted to 

stay, being away from my family that much 

was hard on me. I was at sea every holiday 


for one reason or another.” Tibiatowski’s 

desire to be there for his family drove him 

to leave the service, retiring with a rank of 

E4. He was up for E5 but said, “I knew I 

was leaving and decided to make room for 

someone else.” 

Tibiatowski has four daughters and four 

sons, ranging from ages 6 to 23. Two of his 

children are considering military service, 

but he says, “It is up to them. I would not 

sway them.” 

Part of his service included humanitarian 

work in third world countries involving 

construction. Tibiatowski asserted: “It is 

important to give back. I show my kids that 

humanitarianism is important.” 

Tibiatowski has gained perspective: “I look 

back at my time on the ship, and everything 

was arranged and done so strategically. Our 

young, naïve crew was trained well and we 

discovered just how important every single 

role on the ship was. As I sit back and look 

at it 27 years later, there were so many 

reasons behind how it was done. It was a 

big deal.” 

“We had boats trying to outrun us 

and even to ram us. We were a strong steel ship, so 

trying to ram us just wasn’t going to happen. 

I experienced some interesting situations, some of 

which I can’t talk about.” – Shane Tibiatowski 


His Navy friendships are valued: “I made many life-long friends 

in the Navy. We had a reunion last July. I keep in touch with a 

few of them. I’ve done mortgage loans for a few of them. The 

ties are strong. It’s a brotherhood.” 

Tibiatowski recollected: “When I went into the military, I 

was arrogant. I had excelled at sports. But when I got to boot 

camp, I got knocked down a few notches. Right away, they 

show you that you belong to the government. It is a humbling 

experience – the discipline – everything from making the bed 

to how you fold clothes. I still fold my clothes the way I did in 

the military. Being from North Dakota, you go into it with a 

good work ethic. But I did not know what to expect. At both 

boot camp and A School I was thinking ‘Holy cow... Am I really 

in this? Can I really do this?’ But then you get to use the skills 

they taught you. The discipline learned in the Navy has set me 

up for even more success than I imagined I could ever have. 

Because of my time in the service, I am more focused. I treat 

my everyday life with focus. My kids may say that some days I 

act like a drill sergeant. Discipline is still a big thing for me.” 

He ran into his commanding officer years after he left the 

service: “I got to tell him what he did for me. Although he was 

awfully hard on me, it helped me be the sailor that I was and 

the man that I am.” 


“Absolutely. Without any doubt, 

I would do it again.” 

It all comes full circle: “The biggest thing for me, 

in the position that I had in the military and now 

having this job is to be able to give back to veterans. 

It is huge for me, because I know that a lot of them 

get taken advantage of. I want them to get into the 

home they deserve for the right price and the right 

interest rate. VA loans are amazing. There are 

many great advantages that many veterans do not 

know about.” 

When asked what the phrase “the good life” means 

to him, Tibiatowski enthusiastically answered: 

“’The good life’ means being healthy, happy and 

able to provide for my family. I don’t need to be a 

millionaire or go on exotic vacations. I enjoy being 

able to give back — to be able to watch my kids 

grow and be healthy. To me that’s the good life. It’s 

having my family – I love that.” 

Finally, I asked Tibiatowski if, going back in time, 

and given the choice to again join the Navy, if he 

would do it and he said: “Absolutely. Without any 

doubt, I would do it again.” •

The Good Life – July-August 2017

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