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Letters to the Editor

Don’t leave safety to pancakes

Jon Godfread, N.D. Insurance Commissioner, Bismarck There’s a saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When you purchase insurance, you’re preparing for when the unexpected happens. Suppose you’re involved in a car accident or house fire. In that case, you need insurance coverage to pay for the damage and treatment of any injuries. Purchasing insurance is a proactive move, and so is investing in community resources that prevent and lessen the effects of the unexpected. In 2022, fire departments and districts across North Dakota responded to 48,349 ...

Make Highway 52 four-lane road

Danen Lodoen, Westhope  I would like to know what would need to happen or whose eyes need to be opened to make Highway 52 a four-lane road permanently.    How many unnecessary deaths need to happen of grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, uncles and aunts?  We all know the North Dakota long winters and the many days of difficult travel that occurs due to snow, wind, and ice.  All accidents will never be prevented; however, I know all too well about accidents in my family, and it saddens me to keep hearing and reading about all of the deaths and ...

ND hospitality lacking for LGBTQ+

I read with interest Gov. Burgum’s statement regarding North Dakota’s new tourism and marketing campaign. Burgum said, “Increasing awareness of all ND has to offer not only attracts visitors but also elevates our state as a potential new home for workers, businesses and families.” Great, until these potential workers get word that our ND legislators don’t want anyone who is gay or transgender. The legislature is doing everything it can to make sure that LGBTQ+ people know they are not welcome here. Despite Gov. Burgum’s rosy words, the reality of pending legislation is ...

Free school lunch is legacy investment

As the federation of unions representing working families in North Dakota, we know what a huge relief it was for working families to not worry about school meals while federal funding was taking care of it. Providing a basic hot meal for every kid who needed one, at no charge to the student or families, worked for everyone. It became normal. The problems we had around school meals, including things like meal shaming, and school meal debt, faded into the rearview mirror of things any of us had to worry about. We are now back to school-meals-as-usual, and once again, it’s really ...

Bill would divert money from public schools

Brenda Seehafer, Rolla As a leader of my local association of educators, I can tell you that our members are regularly talking about what is happening at the state Capitol, and the potential effects that bills will have on their professional lives, their classrooms and, most importantly, their kids. We are discussing bills like Rep. Cory’s efforts to establish “educational reimbursement programs,” also known as vouchers. Past legislative sessions have seen efforts like these under different names, like “education savings accounts,” but the intent is always the same: ...

Public funds are for public schools

Tyler Hancock, Minot So in reading the painfully biased article “Parents call for school choice” (nice title, by the way; are you claiming that all parents are calling for school choice? Because it sounds like you’re claiming that all parents are calling for school choice), I noticed some issues. First of all, you obfuscate a major issue with the bill by using vague language: “the fiscal note for the bill would be closer to $61 million than the $24 million listed for the bill for the biennium.” Why not just say the bill would cost taxpayers $61 million? Because it’s too ...