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Support your friends and neighbors by shopping local

It’s been a difficult couple of years for businesses in general, but it’s been especially hard for the owners of small businesses. Online shopping had already taken a bite out of the bottom line for those small businesses, and then the COVID-19 pandemic made the situation much worse. Across the country, many businesses – small and large - didn’t survive the pandemic, and we’re not immune to that in Minot. Locally, businesses have been greatly impacted by the pandemic and other economic factors. Supply chain issues have sometimes created bare shelves and half-empty car lots. ...

Presenting the facts on the school district election

On December 7 voters in the Minot Public School District will make a crucial decision for the future of our students and community. Our job, as a district, is to present the facts and educate the community about the Realignment Project that is being proposed. The last successful bond for building a new high school passed in 1969 and Magic City Campus opened in 1973. We ran a large bond referendum in December 2013 that would have included a second high school, and this failed to meet the 60% threshold required to pass a school bond. We received 50% of the votes in 2013 and were told by ...

Nothing is funny in this humorless era

It is obvious that we are now in a humorless era. Nobody is laughing, even when people who slip on the ice. It is dangerous to bring up a new idea because it would be divisive. I’ll bet if the Republicans came out for sex, the Democrats would be against it. Or vice versa. When nobody was looking, they would both be doing it. Of course, they are all laughing in Montana, demeaning North Dakota by changing all of the Polish and Norwegian jokes into North Dakota jokes. They have mountains and we have none. When Dave Barry was in Grand Forks, he noticed that the Valley is very flat. ...

Are we in a civil cold war?

Omicron, a recent variant of COVID is popping up around the world. There are already fears about its implications. Will the vaccine be effective against it? What will the effects on shipping and supply chain concerns be? It seems the COVID saga will never end. As governments flail about trying to get “control” of something they cannot, we are stuck on this Ferris wheel of fear and pseudo-science. As though that isn’t enough, inflation is ratcheting up, despite the government trying to tell us it’s not real, or at least, it’s very temporary. Will years of politicians ...

College student debt spiraling upward

Around 100,000 North Dakota students and former students owe an average of $29,000 in private and federal student loan debt. Translated, that means a total of $3.2 billion, according to Lending Tree compilations. While this may be the second-lowest debt in the 50 states, many borrowers are having a tough time paying for a student lifestyle now gone. After all, $29,000 is a lot of money, especially if students majored in courses that fail to match market needs. Some borrowers owe over $80,000. Student debt is increasing at 27% per year or six times faster than the national economy ...

Aspiring to make Minot an even better city

The Minot City Council is tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, from making decisions on budget issues to addressing all facets of city ordinances to overseeing the day-to-day business of City. But one of the Council’s most important duties is crafting a vision for the future of our community. This year, Council members have made a concerted effort to not just talk about a vision, but begin the process of creating tangible and real-world applications for that vision. From that process comes Magic City Aspirations. Through this collaborative project, Council members are ...