A LOT of people read Monday’s post about the North Dakota Public Service Commission and the Davis Refinery on The Prairie Blog and Unheralded.Fish, and I had a number of requests asking how they could get involved. Here’s how: Write a letter. Elected officials react to public contact. Letters, e-mails, phone calls and attendance at meetings all influence their actions. …
There is a certain, unequaled thrill sitting in the front seat of a four-wheel drive SUV, its engine roaring like a locomotive as it churns its way up a 15-foot sand dune and slides diagonally down the other side, only to bounce across a valley, take aim again and repeat the scream-inducing ride all over again. This is dune-bashing in …
A letter to North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak. Don’t do it. Don’t just blindly accept the recommendation of an administrative law judge to reject the idea that you could assume jurisdiction over the Davis Refinery, which Meridian Energy wants to build three miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. That judge based his recommendation on a strict reading of …
I spent more time on my fantasy football picks than the Senate has on Brett Kavanaugh. No matter how it turns out, I’ll have another chance next year. But the Supreme Court is for keeps. If the 53-year-old nominee serves to the age of 90 like Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr. did, he’ll reign until 2055. Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be …
Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner and his wife, Sheila, recently took a two-day northeastern North Dakota road trip to view fall colors, which were in full display. On their way to the Turtle Mountains and the Pembina Gorge, with a final stop at Turtle River State, in Cavalier they found colorful painted bales on display throughout the town.
As a kid, I used to look forward to the new television season each fall. The return of TV shows I liked and the start of new ones. Lately, not so much. Except this year. I’m going to be very disappointed if a new show called “The Cool Kids” on Fridays on Fox turns out to be a dud. It …
The University of North Dakota, after leading Idaho State University 21-19 at halftime, failed to score again and gave up a late fourth-quarter touchdown to fall 25-21 to the Bengals on Saturday in the Alerus Center in the annual Potato Bowl and Homecoming game. The Fighting Hawks (2-2) were led John Santiago, who rushed for 111 yards and ran for one …
The University of North Dakota women’s soccer team hung with the University of Portland for 68 minutes before Taryn Ries broke a scoreless tie to give the Pilots a 1-0 victory Friday afternoon at East Grand Forks Senior High. Porland (6-4-0) is a Division I power, having won two national titles. UND (6-2-1) returns to action next Sunday for a Summit …
Photographer and writer Eric Bergeson ventured out into the Arizona countryside recently, capturing these images in Ramsey Canyon, southwest of Sierra Vista.
This has been a tough week for survivors of sexual assault. And today, it just got worse. Donald Trump, who prior to this morning had used uncharacteristic restraint, tweeted, “I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her …
It isn’t often that you can vote against the Apocalypse. This November voters will be on the front lines to defend the state against the Armageddon that has befallen eight states and the District of Columbia — legalized recreational marijuana. I’ve witnessed the carnage with my own two bloodshot eyes in Colorado. Everyone is running around like Cheech and Chong …
Flowers are Spectrum-Colored. People are Weird. And Nothing You Say Can Change My Mind. And she said, “Flowers are red.” “Flowers are red young man / Green leaves are green / There’s no need to see flowers any other way / Than the way they always have been seen.” She’s a teacher, a character in a late 1970s song by …
Saltwater. So abundant. For decades, child global cartographers have gone bonkers when the blue crayon became a nub before ever even getting to the Tropic of Capricorn. Some wannabes outside the map colorization community have suggested that we might be dealing with multicolored gulfs, epicontinental seas and fjords. Purists consider this train of thought to be pure madness. The oceans …
It has been my great fortune to have made two retreats to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park these past few weeks, a place in the Bad Lands that is very dear to my heart. The North Unit is the heart of wildness in North Dakota and is, right now, awash in autumn glory. My first outing was …
I’ve never bothered to heed the warnings: Samuel Johnson described the pun as “the lowest form of humor.” John Dryden concurred, calling it “the most groveling kind of wit.” OK, I’ll admit that those two may be among the greatest literary figures of all-time. But what did they know? Then again, I guess I’ve had my fair share of more …
I began blogging a couple of years ago, in the aftermath of the Brock Turner sentence. Turner was the 19-year-old Stanford student who drunkenly raped a fellow student and received a ridiculously short jail sentence. I wrote about my own experience as a rape survivor and talked about how there is not a “type” of victim, but there is only …
The University of North Dakota football team rebounded in Week 3 of the season with a big 24-23 win over No. 5-ranked Sam Houston State University on Saturday in Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. Noah Wanzek’s 8-yard, fourth-down touchdown with less than five minutes left in the game was the difference for the Fighting Hawks (1-1) and snapped the Bearkats’ …
When you’re the most influential political blogger in North Dakota — just ask him — a columnist for the mighty Forum Communications Company, reigning Miss Congeniality of the Sam Adams Alliance awards and winner of the Americans For Prosperity Award for Online Excellence, you’re always under tremendous pressure to come up with new and thought provoking ways to stick a …
As the two iconic battling moose towered above, Dennis Riedhammer chiseled mortar away from the sculpture’s base, one rock at a time. Riedhammer’s job this week is just one part of a process to restore the base of the bronze sculpture in East Grand Forks, Minn., which contained a serious design flaw. Originally, the base had a lichen cover that …
Nature can be colorful, as these stunning images from Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert demonstrate.
There are two ways to look at the recommendation of Administrative Law Judge Patrick Ward on Tuesday that the North Dakota Public Service Commission dismiss the complaint against that (expletive deleted) Meridian Energy for failing to get a site review from the PSC for its proposed refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. First, If you believe that two or maybe …
I’ve been writing a long essay called the “Joy of Reading in a Distracted World.” I don’t know why I started down this path, exactly. I have long lists of books I want to write. All I need is more time, more energy, some clarity in my thinking and a Muse. Jefferson was a great reader, especially when he was …
The summer of 2018 will be remembered by many gardeners as the year of the tomato. Despite a dry spell the last three weeks of August, it’s been a banner season for those ruby-red orbs of sweetness. My garden was no exception. I’ve been inundated with tomatoes since mid-July. It’s partly my own fault. After a 2017 in which my …
I had the unique and wonderful opportunity to attend a “Welcome to Adulthood” Celebration for a young man in my congregation who turned 18, an event I think more people should celebrate. His parents invited adults who were a part of his life to take part in the ceremony. It began with a reflection of what it means to turn …
I’m organizing a cultural tour of Jefferson’s France, so I have been reading about those amazing years, between 1784 and 1789. If ever we had a perfect ambassador to France, it was Thomas Jefferson. His oral French was never great, but he was precise and disciplined, and his command of French prose was excellent. He loved France almost as much …
Note: This is a re-run of something I wrote seven years ago today, Sept. 11, 2011. Yes, it has been a long 10 years. On Aug. 29, 2001, I sat beside my wife’s bed as she looked up at her doctor, exhausted, pale and gaunt after two years of unrelenting chemotherapy, and said, “No more. No more chemo.” Quietly, the …
I’ve been thinking about the poor sap who will have to document recent events in future history textbooks — assuming, of course, that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos doesn’t strike history from the curriculum or make Speaking in Tongues the official language by then. The chapter may start something like this: “In 2016, Vladimir Putin managed to slip acid …
Chief Amatoya Kanagaota Moytoy was a powerful 17th century Cherokee leader, born and died in what is now Tennessee. In translation, he was referred to as “emperor.” Moytoy married Quatsy of Tellico, a full-blooded Cherokee of the Holy Clan. She was also referred to as Nancy in other records. It is a common tome of myriad Native nations that the …
Donald Trump was in Fargo. Again. It was his second visit since June 27, but this time it was to raise money for Kevin Cramer, who is getting shellacked by Heidi Heitkamp in the dollar department. This time, though, he only spoke for about for about 30 minutes. Much of it was pure bullshit, but the small crowd, including a …
The University of North Dakota knew it had its work cut out Saturday in its matchup with the University of Washington from the Pac-12, and that proved to be the case as the Huskies defeated the Fighting Hawks 45-3 in Seattle’s Huskie Stadium. UND (1-1) trailed just 17-0 after the first half and cut the margin to two touchdowns on …
The University of North Dakota women’s soccer team dropped its first match of a season, a 1-0 decision to Bemidji State University on Sunday afternoon at East Grand Forks Senior High. UND (4-1-1) suffered its first loss of the season and also became the final Division I program to concede a goal, seeing its shutout streak end at 547:42. The …
Alexandria, Va., recently traveled to New York City with his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson. Here are some of the sights they saw.
A while ago the 0resident of the United States unleashed a middle-of-the-night Tweet storm attacking the company Amazon, claiming it was getting favorable treatment from the U.S. Postal Service. As is so often the case, he was mistaken (or fibbing for effect). Most of my online shopping is with Amazon. Here’s a recent example. Back in June in Paris, I …
Enjoy a beautiful sunset over Lake Movil in northwestern Minnesota, courtesy of Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert.
With friends like U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, you don’t need enemies. The man is a political coward. While Sen. John McCain was alive, Graham could do nothing but sing his praises. But he did not criticize the president for his ill-conceived, illegitimate, lying comments about the late senator. The Coward in Chief was so petty that he originally would not …
I could hear her 2-inch stilettoes on the tile outside my admittedly shabby office, even before she walked through the door. I was working late on a Friday night again. What the hell! My old lady had left me a few months before. She said I was married to my work. Shacked up, maybe. I could see this broad was …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland and his partner, Dorette Kerian, recently returned home after attending the 40th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival, which showcased the greatest jazz artists from Chicago and around the world, including headliner performances in Millennium Park that featured Ramsey Lewis, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Maceo Parker and Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Among the activities on their agenda …
Lest we let the threat of an oil refinery beside Theodore Roosevelt National Park slip from our minds as we go about our busy fall lives, here’s an update on where things stand right now. Meridian Energy has started dirt work at the site beside Interstate 94 on the road into the park, flouting the attempt by conservation groups to …
Donald Trump has been to North Dakota more often than Kevin Cramer has held an in-person town hall in Fargo, the frightening land of several liberals. Or, as Rob Port, Cramer’s stress ball, would describe these lib%$#@’s; they are all Heidi Heitkamp operatives. Very sinister. The status of these libs is so secret, even they don’t know they are on …
Whoever said you can’t go home doesn’t know Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson, who recently traveled to his home state of North Dakota with his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson. Here are some of the sights and family moments they enjoyed on their trip.
My phone buzzes. It is Mom. Again. Third time today. Do I answer? Mom calls when she is distraught, when she has been walking the halls of the nursing home for hours, waiting for somebody to pick her up. Nobody comes. While wandering, Mom forgets she has a room and worries where she will sleep tonight. If I answer her …
There’s never been anything like it in Grand Forks before. Already something like 250 people have lent a hand (or two) to help create the World Peace Pageant set for Sept. 15 presented by the Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre. The unique theatrical event will be dominated by a 14-foot-tall Mother Earth puppet and a masked cast of 50. The …
I knew her as Martha, my mother. Martha was skillful and competent. She could build a ship in a bottle, make a model airplane with her grandson, draw a map of Pelican Lake to scale and mount it on the wall, fix the pipes underneath the sink, pull in a dozen walleye, change a flat tire, feed a throng and …
The University of North Dakota women’s volleyball team swept Western Carolina University (25-19, 25-19, 25-16) and Louisiana Tech University (25-17, 25-16, 25-17) on Saturday to clinch the title of the UND Classic, its sixth championship since 2011. Eastern Washington, Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech will each all play at least one match today to determine the final placings of the teams. UND …