May 5th, 2017
Last week I shared why I was leaving North Dakota. The long and short of it is that by moving a few miles across a river I will gain access to healthcare I don’t have here and I will feel safer knowing that I live in a state that protects my rights in housing, public accommodation, and employment.
However, I’m one person and this story is so much more than me. To get a wider perspective I asked LGBTQ+ community members who have moved to share a bit of their story. I asked them why…
May 4th, 2017

Each week we do our best to set the scene and let you know the whos and whats of Fargo-Moorhead. Once a year we reach out to you, our readers, to put in your two cents for the HPR’s Best of the Best, the area’s longest-running media poll, with over 20 years on the scene.
The voting will all be done online at http://botb2017.hpr1.com/ or via our Facebook page. We set up an online poll in which you nominate your favorite local heroes in the community and tell us where the action is, so…
May 3rd, 2017

The surface of the former city hall parking lot had been filled in, was much lower long ago.
It flooded nearly every spring, was called The Hollow, and was Fargo’s red light district, full of illegal swinging-door saloons -- and what are called “female boarding houses” in the old insurance maps.
The most famous house of prostitution in the history of the Red River Valley was Melvina Massey’s Crystal Palace, at what was once 201 Third Street North.
Until recently, there was a…
April 27th, 2017

I have purchased many computer printers in my time, some good, some bad, some terrible! It has always been a necessary evil to have a printer on your desk.
Early dot matrix printers were a nightmare to keep running, keep the paper from jamming, keep the ink cartridges fresh and making sure you made the monthly payment after you charged the printer on your VISA card.
All of that is changed (except for paying for it). You still hear about the headaches caused by printers in the review…
April 26th, 2017

Finland won its independence from Russia on December 9, 1917, but the Red River Finns, Nordic Culture Clubs, and Folkways are celebrating early, in the most Finnish possible way, by hosting a sauna in the Viking Ship Park in Moorhead, near the Hjemkomst Center.
“We are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns,” said Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791-1858), and we agree entirely, even if it’s only for two days -- and being Finnish means lengthy and repeated…
April 26th, 2017

I have lived in North Dakota my whole life, and up to a point I had hoped to continue to living here. I wanted to make a positive change in this state and make it a place I was proud to be a resident of.
With this goal I have written over thirty articles, provided mentoring for the last three years, and delivered cultural competency training to a number of organizations. I’ve testified in front of a house committee on the need of protections and watched hundreds of others through the…
April 26th, 2017

Schollander Pavilion, in West Fargo, was home to many aspiring motorcycle racers from late 1969 until 1980. Every Saturday night from fall to spring, daredevils would roll up to the starting line seeking victory.
The Schollander is known for close quarters indoor motorcycle racing action across North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana and Canada, attracting over one hundred entries. Fans would find the danger factor extreme, with a dozen motorcycles flying inches…
April 26th, 2017

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (HCSCC) and the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) will host a talk by local researcher Angela Beaton at the Historic Solomon G. Comstock House on Thursday, April 27, at 6:30PM. Beaton’s talk will illuminate the service and sacrifices of local nurses during World War I. This date was chosen to observe the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s signing of a joint resolution declaring war on Germany, bringing our country into World…
April 19th, 2017

Theresa Marshall leads Gender Friendly Grand Forks (GFGF) and is the first person I contact if someone comes to me looking for trans-related resources or support and lives near the Grand Forks area. In that regard, she’s helped a good number of people start the journey to become their authentic selves. She is also a fierce and determined activist who is fighting to make our state more inclusive for trans people. I had the honor of interviewing her to learn more about what she does and…
April 19th, 2017

This Thursday, Fargo’s Holiday Inn will once again host Homeward Animal Shelter’s Annual Spay-ghetti and No Balls Lunch. The general public is welcome anytime from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM to come enjoy a spaghetti lunch, along with breadsticks, salad, and lemonade, with dessert served by Gigi’s Cupcakes.
For the shelter staff, the Holiday Inn was a tried-and-true choice for a venue.
“It provides a warm, inviting environment and is a great central location for a lunch event,” says…