Cynthia Aafedt, WillistonThe recent roundtable discussion hosted by Congressman Kevin Cramer regarding the trafficking of women and girls was a much-needed acknowledgment of a problem that plagues our communities here and across the nation. It was a conversation that brought me hope that North ...

Judy Barbot, WillistonRecently, our North Dakota delegation of senators Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven as well as Rep. Kevin Cramer was so excited to announce that they were bringing back $3 million from Washington, D.C., to fight violence against women in the Bakken area. So why should the ...

Ron Bieri, MinotFinally, there is some action being taken about the "zombie" homes in Minot. City staff have been out making preliminary inspections, which will hopefully end up forcing some remedies to the well documented problems with these houses. For those of us who were flooded, the action ...

Laura Erickson, WillistonIncidents regarding Technologically Enhanced NORM have generated fair concern among western North Dakota's citizens and local officials.Media have reported on several businesses haphazardly discarding TENORM waste, blatantly violating North Dakota solid waste disposal ...

Scott Louser, MinotMinot is both a growing and recovering community, due to the energy impacts as well as the flood of 2011. The decision of Mayor Curt Zimbelman to not run for another term comes as no surprise but few probably understand the role of mayor in our city governing structure. In ...

Glenda Schroeder, MinotAfter reading two articles in the May 6 newspaper I was left with several questions and one very troubling impression of Minot's City Council.The questions being:If an acting interim city manager cannot fire a department head without first consulting with the city council ...

Jim Fuglie, BismarckI am saddened that less than six months into his new job as North Dakota Farmers Union president, Mark Watne has really damaged his credibility and sullied the reputation of North Dakota's most prestigious farm organization.As a nearly lifelong Farmers Union member, I want ...

Ruth Lane, MinotI live in Minot. I like Minot. That does not mean our city is perfect; it could be better.Do we need a committee to decide who or what entity is deserving of money collected from the 1/2 cent sales tax? Our council members drive on the streets. It is simple put the funds ...

James D. McDowall, Interlachen, Fla.I am writing this in hopes of drawing attention to the plight of the Minot Retriever Club, which I consider to be a Minot area institution. Due to the opening of the dam on the Des Lacs River near Burlington, the club is in danger of losing the necessary ...

Paul H. Myerchin, BismarckWe, as North Dakotans, enjoy a certain quality of life. Besides being a great state in which to live and work, that quality of life comes from our opportunities to hunt, fish and camp in North Dakota's great outdoors. However, those opportunities are diminishing. North ...

Peter Schieferdecker, MinotWell, there was a selection of a new city manager. One of the candidates seeking the position was so selected, then in a bizarre twist reneged only to surrogate herself to (conveniently!) now hold two positions of considerable influence, responsibility and most ...

Earl Strinden, Grand ForksSome who are attempting to place a Conservation Fund and a 5 percent oil extraction tax in the North Dakota constitution believe they were not given fair treatment by the Legislature.There is a difference between "listening to" and "agreeing with." This group did ...

Levi Taylor, YpsilantiThere's been a lot of talk about rail capacity in the state and while issues do exist, the tone and understanding should be refocused.Often, the same commentators citing the need for rail capacity will argue against or give credence to those opposing pipeline expansions in ...

Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley, BismarckIt was a pleasure to be in Bowman April 21 where I spoke during a meeting of the Bowman Area Chamber of Commerce. I always appreciate opportunities to personally thank the people living in our fastest growing region for the extraordinary role they play in making ...

Ron Schalow, FargoI'm embarrassed to say this, but I think our North Dakota Industrial Commission, PSC, and Legislature have done gotten themselves out-snookered by the liberals governing the lovely state of Texas.Myron Goforth, president of Dew Point Control LLC, says, "It's a little like the ...

M.L. Berg, MinotWay back when, in February 1888, Minot's first city attorney was fired by the mayor of Minot. The first city attorney was one Darius Preston. He had been practicing law in Bismarck before he moved to Burlington to be the first editor of the "Burlington Reporter" in 1886; his ...

Lianne Zeltinger, MinotI want to thank Alderman Knudsvig for hearing our plea to clean up Minot. I want to thank Alderman Frantsvog for not letting the message fall on deaf ears, but pushed forward to garner funds necessary for immediate work to make Minot a safer community. I want to thank the ...

Robert L. Hale, MinotThe recent unilateral, illegally implemented and clumsy firing of the new city attorney should wake us up. It highlights how a governing body operates when it believes it is above the law. For 20-plus years I've watched the inbred power structure in Minot ignore the public, ...

Nancy Bommelman, MinotWho do these oil field companies think they are? Now they are putting oil socks in abandoned farm houses. This is not a dump; this is where we live and raise our children.If the oil field companies are too cheap to hire somebody to haul this somewhere and they won't, then ...

Lloyd Jones, BaldwinNorth Dakota has many special places. The Badlands, Turtle Mountains, several state parks and many lakes and rivers. But all are small in comparison to the very special, unique and productive prairie grasslands and wetlands of the state. North Dakota is a key area, a leader ...