Letter to the Editor: Don’t sit this one out

May 30, 2026

Thomas Jefferson said “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” On June 9th North Dakota will conduct its statewide Primary election. If the past is any indication, “the majority who participate” as Jefferson mentions, may only be 11% of eligible North Dakota voters. Since 2000 North Dakota has averaged a disappointingly sparse 22% turnout for the June Primary Election. Said a different way, nearly 80% of eligible North Dakotans have stayed home and remained silent when it comes to electing their mayors, their city councils ...

Minot shines through storm

May 23, 2026

I was in Minot for the funeral of MSU Professor and fellow Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Board member Dr. Brent Askvig on Thursday, May 14th. We'd taken a break from Quarterly meetings in Bismarck to attend. If I heard correctly, for the first time ever the NWS issued a Blowing Dust Warning for that day. As we departed Minot, southbound Highway 83 was a nightmare, a topsoil blizzard. Visibility was near zero at times. Traffic in front of us came to a complete stop. The truck from the concrete company behind me pulling a heavy load could not stop or see much and slammed into us, ...

Letter to the Editor

May 9, 2026

City council should do right thing On March 17 and again on March 18, 2026, two separate water main breaks occurred on the 1900 block of Third Street NW, leaving my mother, senior resident Judy Nelson, with extensive damage to her home, a massive cleanup, and a significant financial burden after the city ultimately denied responsibility for failures in its own infrastructure. Despite the fact that the damage clearly resulted from municipal water escaping from city property, both insurance providers, her homeowner’s insurer, American Family Insurance, and the city’s insurer, the ...

National voter list creates unnecessary burden

April 20, 2026

North Dakota is the only state in the country without voter registration, which makes Trump's order on creating a national voter list very concerning. States don’t keep a list of voters ahead of time. They generally verify eligibility when people show up, and it’s worked for a long time without a lot of issues. That’s why Trump's voter list seems to have ulterior motives. It assumes every state should operate the same way, when in reality election systems are built around local needs and are left for each state to decide the process. In a rural state like ours, simplicity ...

Letter to the Editor

April 15, 2026

As a retired banker, farmer, and state legislator, I have seen firsthand how financial policy shapes the strength of rural communities. Congress is now considering the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which offers a necessary and responsible step forward. The Act establishes clear standards for stablecoins – digital assets already used by millions. It sets rules for reserves, disclosures, and oversight, and brings order to a sector that has operated without consistent guardrails. For states like North Dakota, where financial stability and predictability matter, this is long ...

Opposing perspectives doesn’t indicate party in trouble

April 4, 2026

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention was held to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates were deeply divided. Each delegate thought they held the plan for the best way forward. These men, our founding fathers, were ready to walk away, and let their egos get in the way of progress. But did they, no. There were many disagreements. Disagreements over the issue of slavery, the strength of the executive branch, commerce, equal representation, and state vs. federal powers. But to the surprise of many there was what they called the “Great Compromise.” They debated, they ...