A Battle Over a Name in the Land of the Sioux

A controversy over a mascot at the U. of North Dakota turned surreal when a benefactor threatened to withdraw $100-million

By ANDREW BROWNSTEIN

Grand Forks, N.D.

The message came in March, when winter lingers and the frost still covers the silent prairie that surrounds the University of North Dakota.

The sender was anonymous. The recipient was Ira Taken Alive, a former...