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Letters to the Editor

Community health centers can do more with state help

Shelly Ten Napel CEO, Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas Sioux Falls, SD It is a tough time for health care providers right now. Staffing shortages are increasing across North Dakota caused by long-standing provider scarcity and made worse by pandemic-related burn-out. The biggest cost for all health care providers is wages. Wages have increased dramatically over the last few years from entry-level staff to high-level providers, and reimbursement and other funding have just not kept pace. Community health center advocates are working hard at the Capitol this ...

Legislature undercuts workforce development

Kathy Hintz Minot I’m disappointed that the North Dakota legislature says they want to develop our workforce and encourage people to move to North Dakota; however, they are making almost impossible for many families to continue living in North Dakota. Would someone move to ND to work if family members could not be assured that they could get medical care, play on a sports team, be called by their name, use locker rooms, or read books about their family? It’s unlikely. Legislators, if you really care about workers and their families, please vote against this slate of ...

This ain’t your grandma’s denomination

Andrew Allis Granville I’m thankful for the mainline denominations who have “outed” themselves in their recent Letters (plural) to the Editor in support of what the Bible clearly condemns, namely the ever-expanding alphabet soup of LGBTQIA+++. By doing so they have done individuals and families looking for a bible-believing church a huge favor. They now know which ones to avoid. For decades now these denominations have abandoned the belief in the infallibility and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures and have twisted the Word of God, as if it were a wax nose, to fit their ...

League of Women Voters opposes HB 1273

Barbara Headrick President, League of Women Voters of ND Mary Tintes Vice President, League of Women Voters of ND Fargo The League of Women Voters of North Dakota (LWVND) encourages voting methods that provide the broadest voter representation possible and are expressive of voter choices. LWVND also supports legislation to allow local jurisdictions to explore alternative voting methods. That is why LWVND strongly opposes House Bill 1273 because it does just the opposite. It would prohibit North Dakota cities and counties from adopting alternative voting methods and ...

Amber Vibeto Minot With the passing of HB 1254 on the floor of the House, North Dakota is one step closer to protecting minors from the medical malpractice that is deceptively labeled “gender-affirming care.” It is an unfortunate commentary on the state of our culture that we need such a bill, but that is the reality in which we find ourselves. HB 1254 passed with 66 yeas and 25 nays, which means there are 25 North Dakota representatives who fundamentally misunderstand the issue of gender identity and the predatory movement behind it. Among the representatives who ...

Obscenity bills have negative impact

Janet Anderson, Director, Minot Public Library, Minot House Bill 1205 (relating to prohibiting public libraries from maintaining explicit sexual material) and Senate Bill 2360 (relating to obscenity control; to provide a penalty; and to provide an effective date) both passed their respective houses last week with a “Veto-Proof” majority. Supporters of these bills have repeatedly said that they intend to “protect” youth from “pornography,” and they have brought in several people to testify about the adverse effects of pornography on children. However, none of these ...