Breaking News

Letters to the Editor

Politics used to promote false gospel

Nathan Green, Minot I am responding to an editorial dated February 18, 2023, titled “Support legislation that reflects North Dakota values.” After reading this article, I see the false, no repentance gospel is alive and well in certain denominations across our state. The article states that, “We believe Jesus preached a Gospel that embraces the marginalized. We believe that LGBTQ+ people are beloved children of God.” The gospel (good news) that Jesus preached required repentance and faith. He condemned self-righteousness by highlighting the utter impossibility of a human ...

Way forward should be through conversation

Faye Seidler, Fargo I’m a suicide prevention advocate in North Dakota. I specialize in LGBTQ+ outcome data and I work in healthcare. This legislative session has seen nearly 20 bills involving LGBTQ+ identity in some capacity and many of these bills restrict access to care or support. I want folks to know that from the medical and suicide prevention side, we share the pain and outrage when trans care isn’t properly followed. I know it seems like every day there is another detransition story or expose on a hospital. It is terrible when the World Professional Association of ...

Oil tax cuts vs. veterans’ license fees

Austin Gillette, Garrison ND Legislature considers tax breaks for oil companies. ND produces over 1 million barrels per day. Reducing the cap level means less revenue for the State. We should be aware of the record profits had last year nationwide, over $200 hundred billion. The Legacy Fund is over $8 billion. But we must look beyond and realize this oil boom is a 1 time harvest. I’m in favor of leaving the trigger levels intact. Which brings me to a veteran’s license plate issue. 2018 I requested and was issued a veteran plate with a Marine Corps logo plus an assigned number ...

Reject House Bill 1532

Joseph Nesdahl, Minot North Dakota is proud of our rural communities. Many families and friends of mine choose to live in rural towns for the deep sense of community and the opportunities for our children to be nurtured and thrive. Rural and small-town public schools do far more than just educate children. They serve a critical social and economic function as a major employer in small communities, as the place where people gather for community meetings, to participate in athletic and artistic events, to shelter during natural disasters and as the hub of rural community life. Sadly, ...

Catch the kindness contagion

J. Patrick Traynor, Executive Director, Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo A little before 10 in the morning on Giving Hearts Day, I stood in the atrium of Dakota Medical Foundation soaking it all in. There were no less than 100 people shoulder-to-shoulder around the small stage we had set up, anxiously waiting to find out who would be the lucky winner of Gate City Bank’s $100,000 boost. Balloons fell from above and the crowd went wild as it was announced that CCRI would be receiving the life-changing gift. There were shrieks and hugs, and if you didn’t know better, you’d have ...

Let’s look at retirement

Jon Godfread ND Insurance Commissioner Bismarck Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a dramatic workforce shift. Baby boomers are retiring, while millennials and Gen Z are taking over workplaces across the country. Data shows that these generations of workers are changing jobs every three to four years, on average. The reality is that employers, including the State of North Dakota, will need to adjust for this reality to be competitive. The legislature is currently discussing the state employee’s retirement system, debating whether to implement a 401k-style retirement ...