"The whole town stinks!” exclaimed Einar Stamstead as a he led 12 electors into the community hall for another cold meeting of the Homeland Security Committee. “That’s why we’re here, I guess,” added Old Sievert as he pulled up his face mask and headed for his overstuffed chair ...

It is time for truth telling. Some have claimed the Presidential election was stolen, that Trump was the true winner. That is false. Joe Biden won the Presidential election and he did it in convincing fashion. Joe Biden won 7 million more votes than Donald Trump. Joe Biden won 306 ...

At the City of Minot, we’re preparing for the State of the City event, with the fourth annual event scheduled for the evening of Feb. 2. As usual, the preparation has been under way for the past few months, but this year’s event will be noticeably different. Certainly this is due to the ...

Vaccines are the hot topic right now, as they should be. I believe effective vaccines will go a long way toward helping control spread of the COVID-19 virus. Does that mean over the next few months, we’ll all get the vaccine and then life will return to normal? That question requires a ...

Because I trashed the Electoral College recently, I was challenged to write a few honest words about the most commonly touted alternative – direct election. The whole discussion about the current method of choosing the president is akin to the problem in the 1787 Constitutional Convention ...

The holiday season is often a time of personal reflection, an opportunity to remind ourselves of the good things in our lives. It’s also a perfect time to remember the amazing acts of kindness and generosity that make Minot such a wonderful place to live. We see examples of the best of our ...

When Professor Elwyn Robinson wrote his comprehensive history of North Dakota in the 1950s, he coined a phrase that stuck. He called it the “too much mistake” because Dakotans in the 1880s had designed a state infrastructure that was greater than we would ever need. The political creation ...

This special time of year when we traditionally reflect upon all for which we are grateful also coincides with the end of the fall semester at Minot State University. Our students have just completed their final exams and academic requirements for 2020. This has been a remarkable year unlike ...

"hy are we meeting during the holidays?” grumped Old Sievert as he swayed toward his over -stuffed rocker in the big window on the sunny side of the dance floor. Chairperson Ork Dorken rapped his Coke bottle against the hollow core door converted into a table. “For one thing, they’re ...

Gov. Doug Burgum recently unveiled a $15 billion budget for the next biennium, a proposal that includes a $1.25 billion bonding package that would help fund statewide infrastructure projects. The budget in its entirety is important, obviously, but let’s focus on the proposed bonding ...

Before we can discuss giving COVID-19 for Christmas, we need to begin with the question that is basic in the dialogue: how important is life? Disregarding the awful disregard for life in the Old Testament, the New Testament is a new creation that manifests and advocates the love of God. ...

Speaking from a secular platform, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Agudath Israel to roll back the limitations the State of New York had placed on gatherings of over 10 people. As a secular institution, the Court was correct in its ruling to ...

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy Thanksgiving this year, despite the seemingly endless stream of bad news 2020 has thrown at us all. While we reflect on the challenges that continue to be placed in front of us, we must also take a moment to remember the blessings in our community and ...

The COVIC-19 virus is sweeping through North Dakota like an 1880 prairie fire, disabling thousands and killing hundreds. While the virus is 20, 50, or 100 times as deadly as it was in March when we took to social distancing and masking, we have not escalated our protection commensurate to the ...

It’s something of a relief when the political season comes to an end, locally, statewide, and nationally. The campaigns last for months, and it’s easy to let yourself be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that is disseminated leading up election day. But the election results ...

For Democrats, this is a shot over the bow. Just because Joe Biden won the presidency doesn't mean a new wave of liberalism is sweeping through the country. It was a stand-off election with Republicans holding on to governorships and legislatures. Joe had no coattails for Democrats running ...

When the U.S. Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, the delegates came thinking their job was to amendment the Articles of Confederation. When they begin to think about the problems with the Articles, they disregarded the convention call and set about building a stronger ...

The search for a new city manager will take a key step next week, with the three finalists in town for in-person interviews. The months-long search produced 50 applicants, and that list was reduced to semi-finalists by GovHR USA, the recruiting firm hired by the City. The city council met last ...

March 13, 2020, was the last day of "normal" for many North Dakotans. Within days we saw schools close, employees sent home, and changes to our most basic routines. As we learned terms like social distancing and PPE, we were slowly becoming aware of how our lives were being altered. We watched ...

COVID-19 is a pandemic, and a pandemic only ends when in combination with natural immunities, vaccines or effective treatments are developed, collectively leading to the threat being reduced. We cannot end the pandemic, but we can take steps to protect ourselves, our loved ones, as well as ...