Do you know what is the most popular seafood in America? If you guessed salmon or halibut, two of the most delicious and nutritious fish around, you would be wrong. Ditto with crab and lobster. Shrimp is the most popular seafood in America. In fact, it represents more than a quarter of the annual per capita seafood consumption in the United States. While …
North Dakota has more than a million acres of public land, most of it in western North Dakota, our Little Missouri National Grasslands, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Most of it is grazing land, although it’s grazed by more than cattle and sheep. Pretty much every creature that lives in North Dakota has a presence there. For some — …
With the arrival of spring, there are a lot of birds beginning to start their migration north, including bald eagles, which also happen to live year-round in parts of the Northland, including the Red River Valley. Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons was fortunate on a couple of occasions recently to come across a few of these majestic birds …
Mop a mile in my skilled shoes. I’ve wet mopped (soaked and soapy) a distance equal to the miles between Regina, Sask., and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, 14 miles wide, and then went back over it with a dry mop to remove the soapy dirty water and leave the floor free of footprints. It could take two passes. Craftsmanship …
Five years ago came the news that my memoir, “I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers,” was going to be a major motion picture. Two young screenwriters, Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, had developed a beautiful script. The directors of the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” had signed on. There was significant buzz in Hollywood and in the Madigan household. …
Dunno why, but for the past half-century, Major League Baseball has missed the fun-filled opportunity to have Don Demeter throw out the first pitch of each season. The lanky, giraffe-necked Oklahoman will be 83 this year and retired from baseball for 50 years. It’s not as if he couldn’t have been capably handling this chore. If you’re not starting to …
I was all set to hang Rick Santorum out to dry this week when, as usual, someone derailed my chain of thought and sent me in a new direction. This morning, it was Fargo Police Chief David Todd speaking on KFGO Radio. He expressed a concern that took courage to say out loud. And he is spot on. The state …
AIR FORCE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT — “Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some … uh … turbulence. As we continue our steep descent into anarchy, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and that your seat belt is securely fastened. Before we crash, we’d like you all to fill out this brief questionnaire, …
For over 37 years, the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus has built a large following, this past year attracting over 12,000 fans, to its concerts. Attendees have come to expect “adventuresome programming” (as their playbill promises) from this award-winning group of 150 singers. The spring concert was no exception as evidenced by rousing standing ovations. No one left disappointed Saturday …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson joined an estimated crowd of more than 800,00 at the March For Our Life rally Saturday in Washington, D.C., as students gathered in the nation’s capital and at sister marches all across the United States to deliver a powerful, unified message: Enough is enough. The rally, organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site …
“C’mon, Mason, you can do it! One more strike, put him in the books!” As these encouraging words resonate from the crowd, Mason receives the ball back from the catcher after throwing one in the dirt, allowing the runner to score from third — one ball, two strikes. He pauses to compose himself, taking a breath to relax his mind …
SOMEWHERE IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE — White House Press Secretary Oprah Huckabee-Winfrey said today that President Barack Obama had won an arbitration case against porn star Stormy Daniels, who is suing the president to release her from a gag order. Her attorney said a gag order wasn’t really necessary. “She gagged throughout the entire affair.” Daniels plans to return $130,000 …
“I want to be a Major League Baseball player.” “I want to play in the NBA.” “I want to make it to the NFL.” — Anonymous kids When one of my young students tells me his goal is to be a professional baseball player, my response is always the same: “Let’s get to work.” Instead of squashing a kid’s dream, …
Friends know I enjoy used bookstores. There are many within easy driving distance of our place in Bloomington, Minn. I recently purchased the above book for $1.50 at a Salvation Army resale outlet near the place that sells me Starbucks Italian Bold coffee. “What Did You Do In the War, Daddy?” was self-published by Gordon C. Krantz, who like Dorette …
Jim and I attended the 49th Annual UND Writers Conference this week, where he was a presenter on a panel entitled “What’s News? The State of Journalism in North Dakota and Beyond,” convened by Chuck Haga of Grand Forks. I seized the opportunity to do some research at UND’s Chester Fritz Library, reading from dozens of reels of microfilm on …
We should all be very proud of the youth across this nation, including but not limited to the Fargo-Moorhead area schools. Moorhead, Fargo and West Fargo public high school students joined the national movement to stop the murder in our nation’s schools. They also plan to join the national movement that plans a march in Washington on Saturday (March 24). …
We’re not really the adventure-travel type. That’s why, when planning our spring break trip to Puerto Vallarta, Russ and I snubbed the jungle canopy zip-line option, the deep-sea dolphin swim and even the VIP nightclub crawl (“Party like a professional!”). Instead, we went with the all-inclusive family resort with five fabulous restaurants. We’re boring that way. But given how slowly …
Recently, I listened to a professional webinar by a registered dietitian with a master’s degree. There was a recurring theme in the message, and it had nothing to do with the theme of the webinar. It was a bad habit that distracted me so much that I couldn’t tell you what the webinar was about. The presenter could not stop …
I was listening to the radio recently when I heard a breakthrough news flash. It was so earth-shattering, I almost had to stop to reset my breathing. The radio announcer reported that “new research” is out there that implies that fruits and vegetables are healthy for you and can help prevent disease. Furthermore, if you can manage eating 10 servings a …
When winter was packing a punch, the man would be outside Thielman’s Barber Shop sitting in a car, motor idling. On summer mornings, he’d likely be in a suit standing by the door, probably smoking a heater. Dad arrived, either in cold darkness or dewy early dawn, unlocked the door, flicked on the lights and knew what to do on …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey defeated the University of Minnesota-Duluth 4-1 in the third-place game of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff on Saturday night in St. Paul’s Excel Energy Center, but it wasn’t enough to extend the Fighting Hawks’ run to 16 consecutive national tournament berths. Boston University’s victory over Providence in the Hockey East championship …
We’re not certain what constitutes sufficient numbers to be able to call a gathering such as the one I attended this past weekend a “bee,” but I was invited by my older sister to a “quilting bee,” so by gosh I’m going to call it a “bee.” I was a member of this bee, held in the Bad Lands south …
Friday I attended the funeral for one of the greatest men I have ever known — George Sinner, governor of the state of North Dakota from 1985 to 1993. I worked for him those years and came to know him and love him, much like a son might love his father. He was just 20 years older than me, so not …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team’s quest for landing a spot in the NCAA tournament field took a hit Friday with a 3-2 overtime loss to St. Cloud State University in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff. Nick Poehling’s goal 1:47 into overtime gave the Huskies, who already …
When Dorette and I visited New Zealand a while ago, we heard a Maori proverb. “Walk backwards toward the future.” I thought of it when this picture of me as a kid (above) surfaced recently from my archive (that is to say, from my boxes of clutter). It was taken by my father decades ago on the family farm in …
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired this week. Being fired in the Trump administration has become commonplace, but the means by which Tillerson was “let go” was new. Secretary Tillerson learned of his dismissal by reading a @realDonaldTrump Tweet. Seems a little distance for someone whose television catch phrase was “You’re Fired!” I was fired only once, from a …
I was watching a Facebook video showing a young man walking into a street pole; a young man falling into a pool; a young lady smashing into a glass door; a young man stepping in front of a moving car; and a young lady falling flat on her face after missing a step. These people all had one thing in …
March 15 is “plant the tiny tomato seeds” day at Red Oak House. When I wandered into the kitchen this morning, Jim asked me, with great delight in his voice, if I knew what the significance of this day was. I had not yet had coffee and was stumped (I’ll admit that I didn’t try very hard). This project is …
The Colorado Avalanche moved to within three points of the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League’s Central Division of the Western Conference with a 5-1 win over the Wild on Tuesday night in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota’s Mikku Koivu and Colorado’s Nikita Zadorov traded second-period goals before J.T. Compeer scored two goals and Nathan McKinnon and Tyson …
North Dakota’s Democrats will hold their state convention in Grand Forks later this week, and the highlight, if there’s to be one, will be choosing a candidate to run for North Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. So I’ve been thinking a bit about politics and conventions, especially past ones, similar to what we might see this …
A goal by Nick Jones — his second of the game — just 53 seconds into overtime gave the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team a 4-3 win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena and a trip to the National College Hockey Conference’s Frozen Faceoff next weekend in St. Paul. The Fighting Hawks (16-12-10 overall) …
Calm was the day in late July And bright was the sun across the sky But inside his chest the calm had broken Governor Sinner had started croakin’. I laughed the first time I read that, and I’m still laughing every time I think about it. It’s a poem written by a sixth-grader from Turtle Lake, N.D., about Gov. George …
We finally did it — we cut the cord. After a lifetime of landline telephony, we pulled the anchor and sailed away from Ma Bell. No wonder, then, why I’m feeling just a bit adrift. We’d been thinking about doing it for a long, long time … every winter when new directories are dropped off on our front step, and …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team shut out the University of Nebraska-Omaha 4-0 in the opening round of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Fighting Hawks (15-12-10 overall) received goals from Shane Gersich, Christian Wolanin, Nick Jones and Joel Janatuinen to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. A win …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert has been at it again. Here are some great landscape and animal shots (wild and domestic) from a couple of recent jaunts into the countryside.
It’s the view, along with the Mediterranean, from my daughter’s top floor flat in downtown Barcelona: Gaudí’s infamous Sagrada Família. After days of exploring Barcelona and accompanying breathtaking Spanish countryside, which included a five-day trip to Minorca, I toured the Basilica, the largest unfinished Roman Catholic Church in the world, with my former sister-in-law, Heather Carri and her fun friend, …
The city of Grand Forks welcomed home Olympic heroes Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando on Thursday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The twins were members of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won the gold medal last month in South Korea. In the gold-medal victory over Canada, Monique scored the tying goal late in the third period and Jocelyn iced …
North Dakota’s district political conventions are about over, and state conventions are coming up, so I thought I might write a few political columns for the next few weeks. I’ve been hanging out around politics for a few years, and still have a pretty good memory (something my wife would dispute), and I still know a lot of the players …
It’s been a long, cold winter. I know. … After all these years of living in Minnesota and North Dakota, I should be used to it by now. In fact, I freely admit to having sneered with derision at those overmatched out-of-towners who complained all the way to the airport, upon spending a few moderately cool days here for Super …
I am blessed with several wonderful girlfriends, fellow travelers who love wild landscapes as much as I. Together, we have explored these places, on a regular occasion. We are of a similar age and share between us a deep love and commitment to the Bad Lands. These are very smart and strong and brave women friends. My life is deeply …
The National Rifle Association spokespeople like to use Justice Antonin Scalia as a supporter of the Second Amendment to the extent they claim you can’t place limits on gun ownership and use. The NRA is devoid of integrity. It espouses its “love for the right to own guns, any guns.” The moment POTUS 45 declared to the National Governors Association, …
Last week one night, I dreamed of the upcoming garden season, a dream filled with blossoms and bounty. The gardening season has begun here, in the basement, as Jim has planted the pepper seeds and tiny sprouts have emerged. In about a week, he will plant his tomato seeds. Many of the seeds we are using were purchased at Seed …
“Operation Snowbound: Life Behind the Blizzards of 1949,” by David W. Mills. North Dakota State University Press, c2018 (260 pages, photos) How’s this for timing? I finished this interesting new book, one of the many excellent books being produced by North Dakota State University Press, just as the biggest winter storm of the season is upon us. This is the …
This early morning quiet Many inches on the ground Falling softly still, six-fifteen Straight down, not a sound. The sagging branches, wet white Up north Dakota Territory The way of it at thirty degrees Another clean winter story. Tip toe up and down Whisper softly to each one No school today, ice and snow Maybe heaps before it’s done. Really …