The University of North Dakota’s Shane Gersich took a page out the playbook of Chicago Black Hawks star Patrick Kane on Friday night in a game against the Fighting Hawks National Collegiate Hockey Conference rival Denver University. Gersich scoring a stunning spin-o-rama goal — a move Kane is know for — before a packed Ralph Engelstad Arena while the two teams skated three-on-three …
No morning-after pill Despite what many feared, the sun rose again Wednesday. And it will again, daily. The shockwaves of a Trump presidential victory reverberated around the world. Many people fell into a state of despondency, a pall cast over their world. Others were jubilant, a victory in hand for Americans who had simply had it with big government’s dysfunction. …
I think of the local combat veterans I know and know of with particular gratitude: Ken Helm, Keith Bolstad (and his buddies I have met), Pumper Christianson, Jon Hovde, Harding Vidden, Bernie Lieder, the late Victor Ness, late neighbor Norris Jacobson, a nursery employee named Gullickson who committed suicide after World War II due to PSTD, neighbor Krogstad whose landing …
Today is Veterans Day. Dorette Kerian and I would like to be among the first to salute our active duty and retired Army, Air Force, Navy, and Maine Corps men and women. I didn’t serve in the military. In 1966, I volunteered for the draft but was rejected because of bad eyesight. They told me I would be contacted to …
Here’s what I think of the election. We got all dressed up to go to the ball, and we ended up at a rodeo. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a good rodeo. A good rodeo can be very entertaining. There’s a bunch of guys and even a few gals out in the arena who don’t look like us, wearing some …
There’s a lot of extreme emotion in the air this week. It’s tangible. I see it across my social media feeds and dripping between words spoken and unspoken at home, work and play. Most people I know, myself included, are in a constant state of vacillation between disappointment, rage, despair, determination and just plain old fatigue. Other people are rejoicing, …
Talk to just about anyone who hunts, and they’ll probably tell you hunting is much more than shooting something. It’s about the camaraderie, about being outdoors. And in my case, it’s about watching how much fun my dogs have in the field when hunting upland game. But there is another part that’s not easily dismissible: the food that’s prepared — and eaten — …
To my friends who are feeling frightened and damaged by the election of Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016, I offer the following thoughts. First, the people have spoken. Virtually the entire American establishment —mainline politicians, the media, the major religious leaders, Hollywood, the pundits of both parties, former and current national security personnel, the diplomatic corps, the leaders …
This election cycle has so eroded my thought process — temporarily, I hope — that I can’t focus on any one story line today. So, I’m not even going to try. I’m just going to sit here and write whatever pops into my head. Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney and the State Sheriffs Association would be well advised to remember …
“Hillary was going let 650 million refugees in,” sneers Orville, “and how many were going to get palmed off on Fargo? No more tho …” “Whoa, Edmund Hillary is doing this?” wonders Stan. “I knew he wasn’t really dead. Ed sends me wonderful postcards. He’ll be surprised when he lays eyes on the Red River Valley, though. Everybody has scaled …
No Minnesotan would ever be so unhumble as to brag, “As goes Minnesota, goes the nation.” Nor as wrong-headed. After all, if that were even marginally true, the United States would have elected President Walter Mondale in 1984 instead of Ronald Reagan. But Minnesota has clearly been ahead of the curve in a couple of the least savory trends of …
I had the honor today to hear the world renowned Lakota flute player and hoop dancer Kevin Locke perform in Bismarck. He’s in his 60s now. He has been performing all over the world since he was in his early 20s. He’s a national and international treasure. Someone I know, who knows these things, says Kevin Locke is the greatest …
It was only an exhibition game, but the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team took no prisoners Sunday night, defeating the University of Minnesota-Crookston 83-48 in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks were led by seniors Makailah Dyer and Leah Szabla, who each scored 12 points. Junior college transfer Chastity Franklin had a double-double, with 10 points and a …
This year, as in most election years, I found a stack of notes to myself on my desk about things I thought I might write a blog about, but never got around to it because pheasant season opened, or the fish started biting, or the ducks were migrating, or Lillian’s “Things to Do In The Fall” list got a bit …
I know many of you have little respect for the Standing Rock Sioux (Lakota) in the ongoing Dakota Access Pipeline crisis. Your views by now are pretty well known: A) The Sioux leadership should have been at the negotiating table long ago, when it might have made a difference; b) the pipeline is off the reservation, so the Lakota don’t …
By the time you read this, the world will probably have ended. Not that I’m against that. I am convinced that 65 million years ago, faced with an election between a T-Rex and a Velociraptor, all the other dinosaurs prayed for that sweet meteor of death to strike the planet. But since I will send this column out to newspapers …
The University of North Dakota dropped its second straight game to the University of Minnesota Gophers, 2-0, in Minneapolis on Saturday, and Russ Hons was there. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
The University of North Dakota and the University of Minnesota skated to a 5-5 tie Saturday night in Minneapolis. Photographer Russ Hons caught the action. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
For high drama, Wednesday-into-Thursday’s historic World Series Game 7 between the long-suffering Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians franchises made for worthwhile baseball viewing and listening. In my case, it was some of both. Thank goodness for car radios. A cleanly played game? Not really. You could question some of the unorthodox managerial decisions, too. Still, the contest featured enough some …
Hearing former Minnesota Vikings player Alan Page narrate Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” on Thursday at Orchestra Hall in the Twin Cities made me think of my student days at the University of North Dakota in the early 1960s It was there that I first heard of perhaps the greatest Vikings football player ever, Carl Eller, who played college football at …
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons recently spent a weekend in Duluth, and among the sights he took in was Canal Park, a tourist and recreation-oriented district of the northeastern Minnesota city. Situated across the Interstate 35 freeway from the downtown, it is connected by the famous Aerial Lift Bridge to the Park Point sandbar and neighborhood. Canal Park originally was an old …
Photographer captured the essence of fall colors with these outstanding images taken in and around Grand Forks this past month.
Between Marsy’s Law and the bill to increase taxes on tobacco in North Dakota, a whole lot of common sense has gone missing. Marsy is the sister of a wealthy California man who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Marsy’s brother is trying to buy his way into our constitution. With all of the sense of a bull …
No. 2-ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth shut out No. 1 University of North Dakota 3-0 on Saturday night in AmsOil Arena in Duluth to complete a weekend sweep of the Fighting Hawks for the first time since January 1995. The Bulldogs received goals from Karson Kuhlman, Kyle Osterberg and Carson Soucy to up their National Collegiate Hockey Conference record to 2-0-0 and 5-1-2 overall. UND dropped …
“All the Republicans are going to win.” “All the ballot measures are going to lose.” No, that’s not my election prediction for 2016 (although it’s pretty close). Those were my election predictions on my blog for 2014, written two years ago this week, just before the 2014 election. (You can go back and look at them here and here, if you want to.) …
Unbeaten and No. 1-ranked University of North Dakota was unable to overcome a three-goal deficit against the University of Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night in Amsoil Arena in Duluth, eventually falling 5-2 to the No. 2 Bulldogs in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference opener for both teams. UMD (4-1-2 overall, 1-0-0 in NCHC) jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first period as senior Alex …
The University of North Dakota men’s and women’s basketball teams hosted a UND Fan Fest and Dunk Contest for the public Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons was on hand, and here are some of the images that he captured. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
From a marketing standpoint, it was a serious breach of intellect. It’s 101 material. If you send out a product that explodes and kills people, you aren’t smart enough to grow hair. Mushroom clouds always draw bad press. There’s no middle ground. “Chad, does our new shiny thingy explode?” “No sir.” “Ship it. Where are we going for lunch?” Or, …
Today marks the 20th anniversary of my sisters and I buying our grandparents’ farm.We have 33 acres tucked in the rolling hills of Otter Tail County near Ashby, Minn., where we grew up. As I look back over the years, I’m sitting at the old red formica kitchen table with its matching red upholstered and chrome chairs where we’ve eaten …
“When you move, you get the endorphins going, and you have more energy, more life. And that is where the healing begins.” Those words, spoken by Johnny Eagle, the Wellness director for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, not only echoed the important healing taking place in the camp at Standing Rock for the mental well-being of its participants, who deal …
Without water, this planet would be uninhabitable. Without protecting our natural resources, our planet will be uninhabitable. As the polar ice cap (a major source of all water on earth) recedes, water levels will rise dramatically. With all of the activity at Standing Rock in North Dakota, the actual focus of tribal intent is being lost. The Native Americans aren’t …
Her name is Sadie. She’s a Golden Retriever puppy, about 13 weeks old. But she’s already acting like a big girl. Therese and I became the proud parents of Sadie last Tuesday. At the time, she was known as Charley, the name given to her by a too-busy couple from Grand Forks Air Force Base who made the hard decision to …
Forget show business, Bobby Vee was simply one of the nicest people on the planet. That is not an opinion. It is simply a fact. Bobby died today at the age of 73. He had lived with Alzheimer’s disease for several years. His wife, Karen, died in August of last year. They were married for 51 years. I was a Bobby Vee …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey completed a weekend sweep of visiting Bemidji State University with a 5-4 win Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena, but it wasn’t without a little gut check in the third period. The No. 1-ranked nationally Fighting Hawks, who upped their record to 5-0 this season, were cruising with a 5-1 lead in the final …
This is no ordinary election year. We trust that you want your votes to matter, to make a difference, to reflect your core values and principles. Between now and Election Day, your personal challenge will be to get up to speed on party platforms, candidates, measures and special election issues. Every American citizen is equal when it comes to the …
Hitler was barely dead when the Chicago Cubs lost the 1945 Series to Detroit in seven games. The analog clock has stood still for the Cubs since. Until now. So with the Cubs headed to the World Series, you’ll hear some names. Like Phil Cavarretta. He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1945 and the original “Mr. Cub,” …
The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team showed why it’s ranked No. 1 in the country as the Badgers shut out the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks 2-0 on Saturday afternoon in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The loss is the second of the season for the No. 9-ranked Fighting Hawks, who are now 4-2-1 …
A couple of months ago, I wrote about the new oil refinery proposed by Meridian Energy Group, to be built just east of Medora, N.D., within three miles of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I wanted to wait with a follow-up until Meridian had actually submitted an application for an air quality permit, detailing what kind of steps the company was going to …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team surrendered two first-period goals to Bemidji State University on Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena, and things were looking a little bleak for the home team. But fueled by sophomore Brock Boeser’s natural hat trick — the third goal coming on a penalty shot a 12:52 of the third period — the Fighting …
When Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the presidential election of 1800, Adams was bitter for several reasons. First, he was an important American patriot and revolutionary who believed he deserved to be re-elected by the American people. He could not understand why someone of his historical significance would be retired after a single term. He had the notion that …
I’m a little older than our two presidential candidates. Unlike many people I know, I really do watch the news as it relates to each of them and their spokespeople. I read the local newspapers, online stories by the national press and, last but not least, countless Facebook posts. I think Facebook has to be why the host of fact-checking …
I could start this Fish thing with something less nauseating, but political talk is required this close to an election. It’s a rule — or something. There’s no point in adding more words to the Trump and Clinton compost pile, but I will anyway. One is a grabby psychopath pig, that smells like an ugly 4-months dead squid. Or so …
One of the principal joys of my life is hosting humanities retreats at Lochsa Lodge, just west of Missoula, Mont., in the first weeks of January. People gather from all over the country to talk about books for four days. It’s not just about books, of course. It’s about the art of genuine, mutually respectful conversation. It’s about reading and thinking …
Finnish Olympian Emma Nuutinen scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the No. 10-ranked University of North Dakota women’s hockey team completed a weekend sweep against Minnesota State University with a 4-3 win on Saturday afternoon in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Fighting Hawks, 4-1-1 (3-1-0-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association), also received goals from Gracen Hirschy, Kayla Gardner and Vilma Tanskanen. Megan Hinze scored …