The election of 2020 is over. It’s probably been over weeks ago but we had to go through the closing formalities. That being said, it seems safe to start talking about the concept of democracy without provoking the vitriolic partisanship that pervaded the election season. Without being ...

We need your help. Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized as our community’s Citizen of the Year? We bet you do, and we’d love to have you share their story with us. As part of the 2021 State of the City event, we’re seeking nominations for Minot’s Citizen of the Year. ...

America was founded on Christian principles,” it has been claimed. Very few dare contradict this claim because people think you have to be an atheist to doubt it. Being an inquiring soul believing in truth, I thought the claim needed examining so I put my 29-book document of Christian ...

FALL…it is my favorite time of year! I love the leaves’ changing colors, the crunching sound they make under my feet while outside enjoying the day. Football is FINALLY back on airwaves, and in some areas, our kids are back on the field. The air is cool, and the sweatshirts are back! ...

For a variety of reasons, Measure #1 doubling the size of the Board of Higher Education is a bad idea. Four management organizations say that eight-member boards are more effective, more efficient than 15-member boards. The North Dakota Board of Higher Education is presently the right size ...

It doesn’t seem like that long ago since the Minot City Council approved the 2020 budget, and, yet we’ve already approved the 2021 budget. And, like every year, we thank members of the public for being part of the process. We were happy to hear from members of the community, as the ...

As you may have recently heard, plans are continuing to move forward for a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center in Minot. This project traces its roots back to funding through the National Disaster Resilience Competition grant that was awarded to the City of Minot in 2016 by the US ...

Chairperson Ork Dorken hadn’t even rapped his Coke bottle on the table when Old Sievert burst into the community ZCBJ hall to join the town’s 13 other electors for a meeting of the Community Homeland Committee. Pulling his mask down below his chin, he cursed in a string of 4-letter words ...

Just days ago, our country learned of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg is an iconic symbol in the ongoing fight for gender equality in our country. She started her legal career at a time when few women were in the field and excelled, through grit and ...

Proposing to double the size of the Board of Higher Education, Measure #1 threatens to burden the system more than help. This November 3 ballot measure has yet to be explained by its legislative sponsors so it’s merits are still a mystery. Playing in the background we have a 80-year gripe ...

We’re no strangers to natural disasters here in Minot. The details of the 2011 flood and other natural disasters and accidents in our community have been well-documented through the years. But so have the overwhelming examples of support our community has received in those times of ...

Measure No. 2 on the November ballot has been proposed by the Legislature to make the proposal and adoption of amendments to the state constitution so expensive that ordinary citizens will be ruled out of the process. At the present time, the constitution provides for citizen-inspired ...

For some strange reason, the Chicken Littles of the world have become terrified by the idea that socialism is just over the hill for the United States. The most frightened even throw in communism as though it was synonymous with socialism. Under communism, there is no such thing as private ...

Not long ago, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) was considered to be a moon shot. A technology with a lot of promise but a steep hill to climb. In fact, just this week, there have been questions raised about Project Tundra, which is an initiative being pursued in North Dakota to ...

Good ideas may go into hibernation but they never die. Veteran Public Policy Observer Mike Jacobs recently brought back the idea of changing the North Dakota Legislature from its present biennial schedule to annual meetings. In a supporting editorial, the Grand Forks Herald noted that the ...

As I begin this letter, I have to reflect on events in 2020 that have impacted our community. First and foremost, our city, county, state, country and world are feeling the effects of a global pandemic. Twelve months ago, as we met to discuss a budget, we never could have imagined how a virus ...

As COVID-19 cases rise across our region, you may be wondering, “What can I do to reduce the spread?” The answer is simple. Wear a mask. Wearing a mask or face covering when you go out in public is the single most effective tool we have until there is a vaccine, which is why Trinity ...

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, we need to retrace our steps to the Seneca Falls, N.Y. convention of 1848 that launched the drive for women’s suffrage. There is some unfinished business to consider. On July 19 and ...

Mask up, Minot. That’s the message from the City Council, which recently approved a pair of items seeking to engage our community’s residents in helping to protect themselves, and each other, from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Council unanimously approved two items: One created ...

The integrity of the voting systems in the United States and North Dakota is being questioned by three challenges that will be articulated in public debate in the weeks ahead. Malapportioning the Legislature Upon completion of the decennial census, the population data will be taken up by ...