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Term limits a complicated but reasonable debate

The issue of term limits for public office holders is a complicated one, even though both some advocates and some opponents might not see the other perspective. Advocates point to general public dissatisfaction with long-time, even virtually lifelong politicians. They correctly assert that incumbency, particularly at the national and state level, and the influence and money that comes with many years in office, makes for career politicians who are highly unlikely to be defeated either in a primary or general election. The now common expression “political class’ stems at least in ...

Not hard to believe North Dakota hardest working state

There are those around the country, perhaps even here in North Dakota, who would probably be stunned to read Minot Daily News’ Sept. 14-15 edition story “Off to work we go” (https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2019/09/wallethub-study-shows-nd-hardest-working/) which cites a study by WalletHub asserting that our state is the hardest working. Certainly there are caveats to the study results, since “hardest working” is subjective by definition and an algorithm that takes data from various sources and attempts to come to a scientific conclusion can only be so ...

Good choices for Hall of Fame

During the evening of Sept. 24, three more inductions into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame will take place in Minot and the field of inductees this year is a good one. Most recognizable by name, perhaps, is former major league All-Star Darin Erstad. The Jamestown native will also be the featured speaker at the annual Joint Service Club Luncheon earlier that day. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to have heard of Erstad. He was, as they say, in all the papers, having been the first-overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft. Erstad went on to win a World Series title with the ...

Suicide prevention must begin with the young

It is not difficult to make the assertion that suicide, particularly among teens, is approaching, if not at, the epidemic level. In 2017, there were 47 percent more suicides among people aged 15 to 19 than in the year 2000. Furthermore, there were 6,200 suicides among people aged 15 to 24 in 2017, the second-leading cause of death among people in that age group, trailing only unintentional motor vehicle accidents, which claimed 6,697 lives. The suicide rate has increased among both males and females and reports cite data that there is an alarming increase among younger teens. The ...

Vaping should be addressed before it becomes a crisis

Around the nation, many states and municipalities are addressing the issue of vaping, particularly now in the wake of myriad stories of the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarettes apparently causing sickness and even death. CNN reported just yesterday that a sixth person in the United States died from lung disease related to vaping. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and various state health departments have been investigating these many cases but to date, there is no clear connection between those who have ...

Science should dictate future of weather modification programs

There are two diametrically opposed positions on weather modification efforts in our region and North Dakota in general. One position is that manipulating weather, such as affecting rainfall and mitigating for hail damage, is a slightly ambiguous concept with results that can’t be contained or necessarily predicted. The other position is that studies reveal a positive impact from weather modification, particularly for the agriculture sector. The latter was supported at an Elmer Jesme Conference of Counties meeting in Minot Monday. Director of the state Atmospheric Resource ...