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Sept. 11 observation should prompt many considerations

Very few students graduating from high school this year were alive when nearly 3,000 people were killed during terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Even many college graduates have few, if any, memories of the day. Many of those who will vote next year do not recall the few years afterward during which Americans stood united, flags flew, young people answered their country’s call to serve and a two-fold purpose emerged: stand in the face of tyrants who would divide and destroy us; and make absolutely certain we did not compromise our values in the process. It ...

Minot’s crowded classrooms a long-term challenge

According to school district officials, Minot’s public school enrollment now is greater than during the height of the oil boom. Based on the supposition that the number will only continue to increase in the coming years and that “… Minot is becoming a younger community,” according to Superintendent Mark Vollmer, this is a long-term challenge with no quick or easy resolutions. The obvious solution is expanding existing capacity. However, infrastructure is expensive and the general mood of the community is not favorable to additional spending. Even district officials are aware ...

North Dakotans prone to Parkinson’s disease

A wellness class being taught at the Minot Family YMCA is one of the most helpful we have seen in some time. There is no cure for Parkinson’s but the symptoms can be held off through exercise, which is the purpose of Delay the Disease. The class was the subject of a recent article in the Minot Daily News. The topic should be important to our readers, we learned, because North Dakota has the third highest rate of Parkinson’s in the country. Who knew? But now we all know and that can be a start to identifying and treating the disease. Parkinson’s, which causes abnormal brain ...

Magic City Express another sign of Minot’s return

While many wounds remain even eight years removed from the flood of 2011, wounds eventually heal. Such is the case with human beings or entire communities. Minot’s damage from the flood was so severe, the impact on residents so profound, it’s little wonder that some wounds are still in the process of healing. The re-emergence of the Magic City Express is another sign that the city is recovering. “Returning to normal” might be an impossible exaggeration since other factors have probably forever altered what would have been considered “normal” before the flood. For some ...

American can-do spirit a little discussed means to address climate change

We Americans are renowned worldwide for our ingenuity and resourcefulness. When we encounter challenges, we find ways to overcome them. That makes proposals by several Democratic candidates for president quite puzzling. Where, pray tell, is the can-do American spirit? Five of the candidates — Sens. Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, along with South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro — this week released proposals for dealing with climate change. All five call for drastic reductions or outright ...

Online sales will continue to conflict with local first ambitions

Our community is not the only one in the nation to emphasize “shop local” in terms of marketing and message to the public. It’s a commonplace initiative for many places intended to support local shopping and local businesses. However, when it comes to major purchases, and in particular major purchases by government entities, there is an inevitable conflict. Yes, local government is right to support the idea of local purchasing. It inspires consumers to do the same and empowers local retailers. Local purchasing enhances the local business community, and thus supports local ...