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Don’t let COVID-19 hold you prisoner

It has been seven months since Americans began locking down against COVID-19. Many have attempted to get back to “normal” by donning masks, washing hands more frequently and taking a step or two backwards sometime, to maintain social distancing. But many others have remained cloistered at home, and with good reason. For mllions of people who are older and with pre-existing health conditions, any risk of contracting the disease is too much. If you are among them, you are growing very, very tired of not getting out. A little fun would be nice. Never fear. Now is the perfect time ...

Cop killers and brutal cops not different

By the end of September 2019, 30 U.S. law enforcement personnel had been killed while on duty. Thirty-seven have been killed this year. Non-fatal injuries have soared, too. It is not being inaccurate to note that many, probably most, police officers, sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement personnel feel they are going about their jobs with targets on their backs. A number of them are shot, stabbed, battered or harmed otherwise every year. It is worse now, however, and we know why. Both directly and indirectly, protests against brutality involving a minuscule minority of ...

New rules needed for debates to be fair

Were the COVID-19 virus to be a creature capable of thought, it would be easy now to accuse it of engaging in a plot aimed at American democracy. The most devious, evil schemer based in Moscow or Beijing could not come up with a more perfect storm leading up to the Nov. 3 election. With Election Day less than a month away, the president of the United States is sick and in the hospital. We join former vice president Joe Biden, President Donald Trump’s opponent in that election, in hoping and praying for a speedy, full recovery. But Trump, who specializes in in-person campaigning, ...

Continuing Census very important to this country

Knowing how many people live where in the United States is more than a matter of satisfying curiosity or writing books on demographics and geography. The Census conducted every decade has enormous ramifications. How about $1.5 trillion in federal funding is doled out to localities and states, including school systems, is determined in part by results of the Census. How many members of the House of Representatives go to each state is a matter of population. So is membership in the Electoral College, which names the president of the United States. Convincing Americans to participate ...

US Economy needs Congress to act on aid

Many sectors of the U.S. economy continue a slow but steady recovery from the COVID-19 slowdown. By the end of September, the unemployment rate had dropped to 7.9%, down from 8.4% in August. But as we and many others have warned, some businesses — and millions of their employees — continue to struggle. In addition, a significant number of companies failed to weather the coronavirus storm. They have closed their doors forever. In the news recently have been airlines. Passenger count is everything for them. With it down drastically, most carriers are struggling. Allowing them to go ...

Thank you for your commitment to zoo, local community

Becky Dewitz, director of Minot’s Roosevelt Park Zoo, will be moving on to a new job as chief executive officer of the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History in Sioux Falls, S.D. The announcement of her new job and subsequent departure was made this past week. Dewitz’s hiring at the South Dakota zoo had much to do with her work while at Minot’s zoo. “She has accomplished so much in her 14 years at Roosevelt Park Zoo, including building new lion and tiger exhibits. We know her experience and expertise will be a great asset to the zoo,” said Jeff Hugunin, ...