Breaking News

Letters to the Editor

There’s no single story of immigrants

Terry Hansen, Grafton When President Trump labeled Somali immigrants “garbage,” he weaponized presidential power to diminish an entire community. In her insightful TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns that “power lies not only in the ability to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person.” Yes, some Somali Americans in Minnesota have been implicated in financial fraud. That fact should be reported, but it should never become the sole lens through which we view this ...

Minot’s contribution to Special Olympics was significant

Willie Ressler, Minot On behalf of Special Olympics North Dakota, thank you to the city of Minot for hosting the 2025 State Basketball Tournament. The Minot community played a significant role in providing 28 games for 28 teams, comprised of more than 302 athletes and 50 cheerleaders from across North Dakota, giving them a chance to showcase their ability and determination to succeed.  The athletes’ achievements were supported by more than 61 volunteer coaches and close to 200 hours of volunteer time and expertise from Minot, Nedrose girls basketball team and Minot Air Force ...

Endangered Species Act offers safety net

Lisa Finley DeVille, Mandaree Recent actions taken by the Trump Administration that weaken the Endangered Species Act should concern every one of us who depends on clean water, healthy land, and the survival of the wildlife we share this planet with. In the past year, the administration has moved quickly to undo long-standing protections that were put in place to keep species from disappearing and to ensure their habitats remain intact. They brought back the “God Squad,” a federal committee that can override endangered species protections when industry wants it. They reversed ...

Compassion entails supporting Somali friends

Interfaith Alliance of North Dakota Board members: Marty Toepke-Floyd, Jamestown David Myers, Moorhead Fowzia Adde, Fargo Barry Nelson, Fargo Gretchen Deeg, Bismarck Every major religious tradition calls us to walk in the ways of love and compassion. This is not always an easy path, but it is a sacred path of wholeness, health, communal wellbeing, and faithfulness. It requires firmly declaring the deep value of every human being, when some of our leaders are quick to guide us toward hate and fear. It requires us to welcome the stranger who may look or speak differently than ...

EPA decision harms tribal, rural communities

Lisa Finley DeVille, Mandaree The EPA’s decision to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act is troubling, especially for communities like ours who live with the consequences of weakened water protections from oil and gas development. Wetlands are vital to our survival. They filter pollution before it reaches our rivers, reduce flooding, and sustain entire ecosystems and habitat for thousands of aquatic species and cultural plant life that our people have depended on for generations. Removing federal protections ignores the science and the reality on the ground, where every acre of ...

Random thoughts from 12 feet high

Jerry Ness, Nome Last month, I spent a weekend in Clay County, perched on a ladder stand, looking for an unfortunate Minnesota deer. A hyperactive squirrel entertained me as my mind rolled with disconnected thoughts. E.g, we know 80 percent of illegal drugs enter the US in vehicles through ports of entry. So should we position Sherman tanks and occasionally blast a Winnebago driven by a couple of senior citizens? Due process is clearly overrated. I thought about my life as a farm boy. When we sold cattle, we got what the market dictated. Now the convicted felon in the Oval Office ...