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Preventing tragedy at heart of Rail Safety Week

Charles P. Clairmont, Executive Director, North Dakota Safety Council, Bismarck In the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train every three hours. Yes, you read that right, every THREE HOURS. Preventing these tragedies is at the heart of Rail Safety Week, September 19-25, 2022. The North Dakota Safety Council is proud to be the lead agency for Operation Lifesaver of the Dakotas – a non-profit established to end collisions, injuries, and deaths at rail crossings, and one of several agencies partnering in this work. Driving and walking around railroad gates is all too ...

Be part of the Høstfest legacy

Jessica Ackerman, Minot In North Dakota, the shift of seasons is significant. Kids are back in school. The leaves are beginning to change colors. The trolls have arrived. The Norsk Høstfest is one of Minot’s longest-running cultural staples, and apart from the past couple years’ hiatus, this Scandinavian festival feels like putting on a favorite sweater: warmth, familiarity, and embedded with smells and associated memories. Like many, I was introduced to the Norsk Høstfest through my grandparents. I wanted to connect to my family’s heritage (and our recipes). For four days, ...

Welcome back, Norsk Høstfest

Tom Ross, Mayor of Minot Norsk Høstfest is back. After the event was cancelled for two years, one of the largest Scandinavian festivals in the United States is scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1. And I couldn’t be happier. Høstfest has been one of our community’s signature events since it was founded in 1978. Its two-year absence left a noticeable void in Minot’s cultural calendar, and reminded us all about the importance and value of this event’s tradition. But now it’s back. As usual, the entertainment is top notch: Big and Rich, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Brantley ...

Book highlights court racial bias

M L Berg, Minot One of the main tenets of Critical Race Theory is that racism is embedded in the fabric of American society and its institutions. This is surely a truism. If it were not so, why was federal legislation required to assure the civil rights of minorities in such areas as education and housing? That even the Supreme Court of the United States is not immune in this respect, is vividly brought out in a book written by Walter Echo-Hawk. Walter Echo-Hawk is an author and lawyer who has litigated for decades to secure legal rights for Native Americans. He is a member of the ...

Road education comes from travel

Duane Brekke, Minot An old joke I heard many times when I traveled the North Dakota roads (40 years) — an expert is a man with a brief case and is 50 miles from home. I may not be an expert but I have traveled the roads of North Dakota, 40,000-45,000 miles per year. I do know something about our road system. Most are well designed and laid out. I have been told that to get a job in the state highway department, you are required to take a test. However, if you fail the test, it is not the end of the world for you. You are given the option of going to Minot and designing their ...

Court corrects unconstitutional decision

Dan Reinhard, Minot The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution I become so disheartened by the numerous declarations from members of one political party proclaiming that women’s Constitutional Rights were violated by the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v Wade. What actually happened in the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, was to correct an egregious unconstitutional decision that occurred in the ...