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The shootings must stop

During the week that ended Aug. 16, more than 30 American children were killed or wounded in shootings across the United States, according to one gun violence archive. Among the most recent tragedies was one in Akron, Ohio. There, Mikayla Pickett, 8 years old, was hit by a bullet fired by one of four people who began shooting at a home where a teenager was having a birthday party. The little girl was rushed to a hospital, where she died. We cannot recall a week this summer in which there was not at least one report of such violence. During the July 4 holiday weekend alone, six ...

Use funds for public health wisely

For many years, local public health agencies were viewed by many Americans as centers for anti-smoking campaigns, immunizations for children in low-income families, enforcers of restaurant cleanliness rules and similar activities. Suddenly last winter, all that changed. Now and probably for many years to come, the term “public health” will be tied solidly to killer epidemics such as COVID-19. Effective local public health agencies have become a matter of life and death. Their longstanding complaints about inadequate funding are receiving new and more favorable ...

Parents and educators deserving of A+ in behavior

Teachers, parents and administrators so far – knock on wood – have worked well together to formulate plans getting kids back to Minot public schools this fall. While there is still a lot to learn and decide, last week the school board signed off on an agreement that allows teachers to bank hours for other teachers to use instead of their own sick or vacation days should they come down with COVID-19. That could prove to be a very valuable program once school begins in earnest resulting in personal interaction. Another positive was the group of parents petitioning the schools to ...

The right to vote needs to be guarded

It would be unfortunate if we as a nation missed out this month on celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment. With all of the COVID-19 news, the ongoing civil unrest and another nasty presidential election, it would not be a surprise if this monumentally important time in American history is ignored. Let us hope that the victory for women voters is not overlooked because we have taken the right to vote for granted. In our weekend edition, we ran a series of articles provided by the North Dakota Newspaper Association in ...

The Harris problem

With the announcement of Sen. Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick, Democrats and the press would have us believe she is a safe, moderate choice. They would have us believe that Harris is pragmatic, to the right of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and grounded in the establishment — someone who who will not rock the boat. Some on the right are pointing to activists on the left who are unhappy with this pick. But Harris and Warren were the two choices who could very much ensure that people who do not like President Donald Trump will go vote for Trump, or at least not vote for ...

Make America smart again

Thank heaven for those gullible Americans. Let’s hope they never wise up. If they do, we’re out of jobs. One wonders whether that thought crosses the minds of Russian disinformation specialists who have had so much success sowing dissention in the United States. If not, it should. We Americans seem to be determined to allow internet liars from Moscow and other U.S. foes to manipulate us. Just a few days ago, a website linked to the Kremlin put out a false report that five Ukrainians died after taking a COVID-19 vaccine made in the United States. Media outlets in Russia ...