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Letters to the Editor

Jury delivers Greenpeace accountability

Roscoe Streyle, Minot I want to commend the Mandan jury for their courageous and just decision on March 19, 2025, to hold Greenpeace accountable for their role in the destructive and violent Dakota Access Pipeline protests of 2016 and 2017. This verdict, which ordered Greenpeace to pay over $660 million in damages to Energy Transfer, is a victory not only for our state but for law-abiding citizens everywhere who value order and fairness over chaos and exploitation. The protests, fueled and funded by Greenpeace, brought daily harassment, vandalism, and disruption to the good people of ...

Capital credits demonstrate cooperative nature

Tom Seymour, West Fargo I am writing to commend Cassidy Kersten Hjelmstad, CEO and the SRT Communications, Inc. Board of Directors for their recent distribution of a capital credit check to Tom Seymour of West Fargo, ND, in the amount of over $140.00. This gesture demonstrates the cooperative nature of SRT and its commitment to returning value to its members. As a cooperative, SRT tracks the amount its members spend on communication services throughout the year. At the end of the fiscal year, any excess revenues, or margins, are allocated back to members in the form of capital ...

Liberal churches dying on vine

Andrew Allis, Granville A recent survey of one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations in this state was just released yielding alarming statistical results. Over the last 10 years, the percentage of congregations with fewer than 50 people has doubled. In fact, presently 58% of its congregations now have fewer than 50 people. From 2015 to 2023 they lost 834 congregations, 520 closing, 131 merging into other congregations, with 142 leaving the denomination, and 41 being removed from the denomination. The Church’s aging pastoral staff has created a major shortage with 400 ...

Virtual town halls good start, not enough

Mary Tintes, LWVND, vice president, Fargo The League of Women Voters of North Dakota commends Representative Julie Fedorchak for holding virtual town halls. They are an important tool in keeping constituents informed and engaged. Virtual town halls are a good start, but not enough. Holding virtual versus in-person town halls shouldn’t be an either/or but a “yes, and.” Both should be employed so our representatives can hear directly from North Dakotans about their concerns and to reach a wide audience across the state. Town halls aren’t just about constituents hearing from ...

ND’s small hospitals rely on Medicaid payments

Per Ostmo, Grand Forks There are 37 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the state of North Dakota. The CAH designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. It is not uncommon for small rural hospitals to operate on margins of less than 1%, and nearly 50% of rural hospitals across the country operate in the red. New research from Chartis, a research institution that specializes in rural health, examined the impact that Medicaid has on rural hospital finance. The key ...

Congress must reject cuts to SNAP

Aunnah Shaw, Minot As a prior SNAP recipient and current social work student, I support increased funding and ethical reform. I’ve submitted two formal letters to U.S. Senators outlining systemic failures in Ward County. I’m willing to speak directly as someone with lived experience and academic grounding. Statistics alone don’t reflect what families actually face — we need policy shaped by truth. I urge lawmakers to increase — not reduce — SNAP funding. Policy must reflect real-life complexity, not dehumanized or incomplete data. Cuts harm children, destabilize families, ...