Breaking News

Letters to the Editor

Strengthen, not cut, Social Security

Sheryl Beard North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium Williston My name is Sheryl Beard. I live with my husband in Williston, ND. I work hard and own my home. Social Security allows me to live independently. I use it to pay my mortgage and bills, while my wages pay for food and personal necessities. I’m very upset about federal cuts to Social Security. In North Dakota, 146,521 individuals receive Social Security and 7,870 individuals receive Supplemental Security Income. Social Security is the primary source of income for most older adults with nearly 20% relying on it ...

Federal bill threatens right to vote

Denise A. Dykeman President, Plum Valley League of Women Voters Minot Right now, Congress is considering a bill that could make it much harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote – including you. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require every voter to provide specific citizenship documents, such as a passport or an original birth certificate, not just when registering but also when updating voter registration or, in North Dakota, when voting. This law isn’t about election security — it’s about creating unnecessary barriers that could ...

Library bill costly, unnecessary

Mariah Ralston, Bismarck Randi Monley, Minot, Co-chairs, Right to Read ND Senate Bill 2307 takes aim at content in libraries and schools, and if it passes, North Dakota taxpayers will have to pay millions of dollars to implement it. Taxpayers would be on the hook for $2 million for unnecessary age verification software on our online library databases, which are used by North Dakota libraries and schools. Why is this unnecessary? Our libraries and schools already implement internet filters to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act. This $2 million doesn’t even ...

Fully onboard with Trump’s government

Steven Moen, Minot Contrary to most media outlets and letter to the editor writers I am totally on board with President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department Of Government Efficiency) efforts to cut the fat in the government. I wake up in the morning with a smile on my face and joy in my heart knowing that more fraud and corruption is being uncovered, more terrorists are being deported and others are not being let in. America comes first now, even though a federal “district” judge is melting down because Trump didn’t obey his unconstitutional order to bring back the gang ...

Protect children’s mental health during school day

Kirsten Baesler, N.D. Superintendent of Schools, Bismarck As North Dakota’s State Superintendent for more than a decade, I’ve had thousands of conversations with our teachers, students, and school leaders. I continue to hear — with increasing urgency — that our teachers can’t even teach the basics anymore because student mental health challenges have become so overwhelming. Each legislative session, we see multiple bills requesting more funding for schools to hire additional counselors, social workers, and psychologists. These are good and necessary requests, but at some ...

Lack of homeless shelter creates crisis

Jerrand Assibey, Minot I am writing to express deep concern over Minot’s ongoing failure to address a critical public safety crisis — the complete lack of a shelter for homeless and temporarily displaced residents. It is deeply troubling that an oil-rich city like Minot has not taken the necessary steps to provide such a fundamental resource, leaving vulnerable individuals exposed to dangerous conditions. The urgency of this issue became even more apparent when I, too, found myself homeless due to a domestic dispute. Despite my limited resources, I have taken the initiative to ...