Trump did what was needed

January 9, 2020

At least three times while Bill Clinton was president, he rejected proposals to kill Osama bin Laden. That enabled bin Laden’s al-Qaida network to continue making terrorist attacks leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001 assault on America that killed nearly 3,000 people. Despite knowing bin Laden was a threat to Americans — and had already killed some — Clinton failed to act decisively against him. We can never know with certainty whether eliminating bin Laden would have prevented the 9/11 attack —but at the very least, it would have hampered al-Qaida’s plot. Eventually, during ...

A new routine for a new year

January 8, 2020

New Year’s Day 2020 is in the books and, hopefully, a fond memory for you. You may have enjoyed a day off work, perhaps a celebration the night before, and maybe some college football on the big day itself. Forget to do anything? Hint: Checked your smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors lately? Home safety experts advise us that the operation of such devices ought to be checked periodically. Batteries should be changed at least annually, they add. Some suggest remembering to do that when the changeover from or to daylight savings time occurs. Others suggest New Year’s ...

Local Good Samaritans: Going above and beyond

January 7, 2020

A Good Samaritan is someone who is compassionate and helpful to a person in distress. On Friday, the Ward County Sheriff’s Department honored three Good Samaritans – Kristopher Trone, Woody Waldez-Perez and Ryan Fontaine. They helped save the lives of others when they came upon emergency situations. Individuals like these put their own safety at risk to help others. Valdez-Perez and Fontaine stopped along U.S. Highway 83, north of Max, when they came upon an ambulance that had gone off the ice-covered highway and plunged into the icy waters of a slough near midnight this past ...

Fewer traffic fatalities in 2019 something to celebrate

January 6, 2020

Whether 2019 was a good year for you personally, or not, North Dakotans can look back on the year in a positive light for at least one good reason. The number of fatal traffic accidents on the state’s highways was down in 2019. According to the governor’s office, “Preliminary reports indicate that North Dakota had 98 motor vehicle fatalities in 2019 - a total that, if it goes unchanged, would be the first time in 17 years the state has recorded fewer than 100 traffic fatalities.” The statement gives credit to the Vision Zero initiative for helping reduce the number of ...

Season of giving not over yet

January 4, 2020

We were reminded this week by Vitalant that January is National Blood Donor Month, but also that blood and blood donors are historically in short supply this time of year. Please, volunteer and give if you can, now and throughout the year. In fact, Vitalant is asking people to make it a New Year’s resolution to donate three times in 2020. “If all donors committed to donating three times a year, shortages as we know them would be a thing of the past,” the organization stated in a message pointing out the current shortage. Vitalant was projected to be down 560 donations for ...

Oversight not an excuse

January 3, 2020

Hundreds of clergy accused of sexually abusing children, including some convicted of crimes, were left off lists released by the Roman Catholic Church in reaction to a worldwide scandal, The Associated Press found. In terms of rebuilding trust with those of the faith, the church seems to be in a one-step-forward, two-steps-back posture. When claims of transparency are exposed as hollow, what are those skeptical of the church to believe. AP investigators examined lists released by Catholic dioceses across the country, of clergy “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse. “An AP ...