This is a short [3 am Mountain Time] update on the Russ Turcotte search situation. The very substantial number of most recent e-mails and other communications sent from literally all over on very short and urgent notice to the North Dakota Governor's office [and to some other authorities] has had a definitely heavy and positive impact. This began to become formally clear from the Governor's office as early as Thursday morning and continued. At this point, both the Grand Forks Police Department and the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department are providing various forms of important support -- to the horseback and vehicular search group which includes, among others, the Texas search team, many local and other volunteers, riders from the Three Affiliated Tribes at the Ft Berthold [ND] reservation and other regional reservations, riders from the Blackfeet Nation in Montana [whose tribal council also contributed $1,000.] The Grand Forks Police Department is providing a command post and personnel [and a dozen cell phones]; the Sheriff's Department is providing a command post at the Fairgrounds as well as personnel. And the University of North Dakota Aviation Department is contributing a pilot and a plane for preliminary air scrutiny of the region. The weather for Friday will include some snow -- but this shouldn't stick for long and the basic weekend weather pattern is expected to be clear.
Many members of Russ Turcotte's family have now arrived at Grand Forks. In short, the atmosphere has changed considerably for the better and things are moving. Many thanks to all who have sent communications of concern to Governor John Hoeven and others. Your involvement has been crucial. The Turcotte Family expresses its strongest gratitude to you. On the matter of the search itself, one can only hope for the best of "whatever will be, will be." If nothing is found this weekend, we all will continue other sensible approaches. The whole region is now alerted to Russ Turcotte's disappearance -- and local/regional folk [farmers, ranchers, hunters] will be certainly be keeping their eyes open. In the meantime, all of this has directed very important scrutiny -- nationally and far beyond -- on the Grand Forks and environs situation, where things are not at all good, and where the murders of the three Turtle Mountain Native men of September, 2001, still remain unsolved. That complex of issues certainly continues to burn. Hunter [Hunterbear] Hunter Gray [Hunterbear] www.hunterbear.org Protected by NaŽshdoŽiŽbaŽiŽ and Ohkwari' _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
