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Letters to the Editor

It’s time for vote of no confidence

Deven Mantz Minot This is a heartbreaking moment for the constituents of Minot. First and foremost, every single one of our representatives has turned their backs on our children by voting against providing meals for those in schools throughout the state. They have framed this as a choice between property tax relief and feeding our children, but we refuse to accept that false contrast. The budget has billions of dollars to give out, yet they chose to deny our children the meals they deserve. Secondly, our representatives have shamefully supported a resolution urging the federal ...

Giving Hearts shows power of a dream

Pat Traynor Fargo Somebody might have to pinch me. When I woke up on February 14, the final Giving Hearts Day ticker read $31,584,082, and I was sure I was still dreaming. Surely this can’t be the same giving day that, less than 20 years ago, raised just half a million dollars. Surely it can’t be the same giving day that, in 2008, had only a few dozen participating charities. Surely it’s not the same giving day dreamed up by one of our teammates, Jeana Peinovich, two decades ago. And yet it is. Not even two decades later, here we are, celebrating numbers that truly ...

We are better than this

Lillian Crook Bismarck I read a news story about some of the February 2025 firings of North Dakotans working for the federal government. Last summer I attended the 50th anniversary celebration at Knife River Indian Villages, one of the most important National Park Service sites in North Dakota, where visitors learn myriad lessons of the indigenous people of that area of the northern plains. Many NPS employees as well as local volunteers and others attended, including retired NPS Superintendent Gerard Baker. People of all age ranges were there and some were members of the traveling ...

Legislators fail fairness test with school proposals

Lee Hagen and John Lund, West Fargo Merrill Piepkorn, Fargo North Dakota Senators will soon consider, among others, two bills passed in the House. HB 1540 would subsidize parents of all 7,986 private school K-12 students starting in the 2026-27 school year. The per pupil subsidy will be about $4,000 per student. There is no family income test for this taxpayer paid handout. Every family will qualify no matter how much income each family has. The cost is $40 million in 2026-27 and it increases to $80 million in 2027-28. The other bill relevant to this is HB 1013. This is the ...

Washington chaos lies at feet of Congress

Bob McNamara, Upham Some say there is chaos in Washington and the admin is out of control. Others say you have to blow it up and start over to fix it. Both may be right or both may be wrong. That isn’t my point. My point will be that our government continues to grow with seemingly no controls. I would submit the reason our government is this way sits right at the feet of Congress. Right at the feet of John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer. The congress established these departments and agencies. The congress funds these departments and agencies every year, at least it should be every year ...

Teachers urge prioritizing public ed

Amy Neal, Sara Medalen, Kristi Reinke, all Minot; Mary Eldredge Sandbo, Des Lacs; Andee Mattson, Rugby; Bret Dockter, Harvey; Kendall Bergrud, Lincoln; Sheila Peterson, Mandan; Karyn Chiapella, Hettinger; David Volk, Moorhead, Minn. As public teachers and North Dakota State Teachers of the Year and Finalists, we closely follow legislative decisions that impact our students. At this session’s halfway point, we urge lawmakers to prioritize public education and oppose efforts to use public dollars to fund private institutions. North Dakota has never been a state to go along with the ...