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Letters to the Editor

State must prioritize feeding children

Deven Mantz, Minot Here we are again, the rush of yet another ND legislative session, and the critical issue of providing meals for children in school is back. Many of us believed this matter had been resolved. Was there not legislation that provided meals in the last session? Yes, there was. Unfortunately, the meals bill was to increase their (legislators) own daily meal per diem, paid for by the taxpayers while at the same time denying the same funds be used for school meals to our children. How can this be? This is not the “North Dakota Nice” we pride ourselves on. Our state ...

School choice bills are taxpayer robbery

Cody Mickelson, Jamestown The 69th Legislative Assembly is well underway and North Dakotans need to watch the actions of their elected officials closely. There are a variety of bills this session that seek to undermine public education under the guise of Educational Savings Accounts, vouchers, or school choice. They’re all the same –taxpayer robbery. These are plans that will take money that could (and should) otherwise be used to improve our public schools for all students. ESAs and vouchers would take taxpayer money and give it to families who choose to send their kids to ...

Sydney Stock, Fargo A deeply troubling bill, House Bill 1373, has been introduced in the North Dakota legislature. This so-called “Personhood” bill aims to redefine the term “human being” within the state’s criminal code to include fertilized eggs — specifically “upon the fusion of a human sperm and egg”. Such a change would have extensive legal consequences, effectively applying criminal protections — including those related to murder and assault — to a fertilized egg. The potential impact of this bill is staggering. In vitro fertilization (IVF) could become ...

Executive orders are abuse of America

Rev. Karen VanFossan, Fargo I know abuse like North Dakotans know a blizzard. Having worked in the family violence field for 30+ years, I believe I can spot abuse from, well, 1100 miles away, the distance between Fargo and Washington D.C. The 47th presidential administration shows significant signs of abuse against this family called the U.S., as well as global relatives. The “Power and Control Wheel,” a mainstay in the abuse field, names eight components: misusing privilege (40 executive orders on day one); economic abuse (threatening to freeze federal funding); coercion and ...

NDHSAA needs to support students

Rod Swallers, Granville I am writing in regards to the North Dakota High School Activities Association’s denial of the hardship request for the eligibility of Sage Hanson of TGU High School. Sage had been a student at TGU since he was in kindergarten. On July 31, 2024, Sage was offered an opportunity to transfer to Wasatch Academy in Utah for his junior and senior years of high school. After careful consideration, he began his junior year in August 2024. When he returned home for Christmas, he learned his Dad had an aneurysm near his heart and will need surgery at Mayo Clinic. ...

Public broadcasting provides valuable service

Lillian Crook Bismarck I read with dismay the reports that a Fargo legislator has introduced a bill in the 2025 ND session to zero out funding for Prairie Public. I have been listening to Prairie Public Radio and watching programs on Prairie Public TV since the day it launched, when I was a young and broke college student in western North Dakota. When I was far away from home attending graduate school, my roommate and I would listen to Prairie Home Companion, back in the 1980s. I’ve watched countless public TV programs with my children, including Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, ...