RENTERS' RIGHTS The Minot State University Sociology Club is holding a town hall meeting Monday to discuss affordable housing and renters' rights in Minot. We would encourage members of the public to attend the meeting, scheduled to be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Aleshire Theater in?Hartnett Hall. The guest panel includes MSU officials as well as officials from the city of Minot. It promises to be an interesting discussion, considering a lack of affordable housing is an enormous issue in Minot and most of northwest North Dakota. Certainly the ongoing oil boom in western North Dakota has contributed to the problem, as did the Souris River flood of 2011. There's no easy solution, but the more the issue is discussed, the better. And the more officials, whether they be local, state or federal, hear from the area's residents about the housing problems, the better.
GOOD TURNOUT When in doubt, sit them out.?That was the advice from Dr.?Dawn Matter of Trinity Sports Medicine last week during a seminar on concussions. The event, Trinity's first concussion-specific seminar, was attended by 118 area coaches. That's a great sign that the issue is being taken seriously at the high school and college levels. We've heard plenty about the dangers of concussions on a national level, with the National Football?League and the National Hockey?League adopting stricter rules and guidelines about concussions. But trying to grasp the symptoms, causes and effects of concussions isn't easy, especially for smaller schools across the state. North Dakota law requires each school to have a concussion management program, which includes a provision that injured students must have written permission from a licensed professional before they can participate in competition. Trinity serves eight high schools in the area and Minot State University, and hopes to hold more concussion seminars if schools are interested. We're glad to see the issue of concussions being discussed seriously. When in doubt, sit them out sounds like a safe, logical and common sense approach to us.