Last weekend I visited my aunt and uncle. Their 30-plus acres tucked into the foothills of Appalachia has been my place of refuge for more than 20 years. It’s where my husband proposed to me, and it’s where we return to again and again with our son. Last weekend, we enjoyed the birds and ...
Ann Porter Grand Forks Public media, including National Public Radio (NPR), plays a crucial role in keeping Americans informed — especially in rural states like North Dakota. Stations such as Prairie Public Radio deliver trusted news, thoughtful conversation, and local programming that ...
It usually takes me a day to tap out a rough draft of this column, and I spend the next morning wrestling it into publishable form. The other five days of the week I devote to novel-writing. Stephen King says we writers need to read to learn their craft: “If you don’t have time to read, you ...
Among the lesser-known holes in the Constitution cut by the Patriot Act of 2001 was the destruction of the “wall” between federal law enforcement and federal spies. The wall was erected in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which statutorily limited all federal domestic ...
Back in the day of telephone books, the Washington, D.C., Yellow Pages contained more than a dozen pages of “associations,” a code word for lobbyists. They included associations for tort reform, one for buses and even an association for snack food. I don’t recall an association that ...
Each spring, as tassels are turned and degrees are conferred, college graduates across the country celebrate the culmination of years of study, sacrifice and — inevitably for many — debt. Against this backdrop, the idea of student loan forgiveness is touted by many as a compassionate and ...