February 16th, 2026
By Bryce Vincent Haugen
By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States.
As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake documents before making the arduous trip from El Salvador to the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana with the help of a coyote — common parlance for a human trafficker in Latin America. There, joined by an older woman he pretended was his grandma, he entered the United…
January 27th, 2026
By Bryce Vincent Haugen
More than 300 people gathered at Trinity Lutheran Church in central Moorhead on Jan. 27 for “constitutional observer” training. Led by the Immigrant Defense Network and supported locally by the West Area Labor Council and the Northern Plains United Labor Council, the event — part of a statewide tour — focused on training attendees to be the most effective documentarians of federal immigration enforcement activities.
Lead trainer Edwin Torres DeSantiago quoted…
January 27th, 2026
By Bryce Haugen
The High Plains Reader audience and the general public have a brand new way to show solidarity with Minnesotans amid ongoing turmoil in the Twin Cities over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. Created by HPR and inspired by the last line of co-owner John Strand’s monthly editorial, standwithmn.com is a widget that allows users to customize messages of support on social media.
“The very last line in our editorial this week is asking people to stand…
January 26th, 2026
By Bryce Vincent Haugen
Additional reporting by Alicia Underlee Nelson
For the second time this month, federal immigration agents shot an American citizen dead in the streets of south Minneapolis. And for the second time, the official narrative does not correspond to the video evidence. Elected officials across Minnesota and North Dakota refuted the account provided by the federal government. Protestors took to the streets in Minnesota and North Dakota in the hours following the…
January 24th, 2026
By Alicia Underlee Nelson
A 37-year-old man from Minneapolis was shot during an incident involving federal immigration officers on Jan. 24. Hospital records obtained by the Associated Press (AP) stated that the man was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center. The victim was identified as Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse.
The event occurred near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood on Saturday morning. This stretch of Nicollet Avenue in south…
January 16th, 2026
By Bryce Haugen
Not everyone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an undocumented immigrant. After a Jan. 12 scuffle at a local Walmart, Tim Catlett, a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., was held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities, despite his U.S. citizenship. He was held in an area designated for citizens.
Catlett, the technical director for the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud, is not new to protesting,…
January 15th, 2026
By Bryce Haugen
In the week since Renee Good was killed by an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, the state’s largest city, ICE officers have fanned out throughout Minnesota. ICE agents have been spotted in several smaller communities, including towns in Becker County and Otter Tail County in western Minnesota. So far, there have been only a handful of confirmed detentions in the region.
Witnesses reported that one person was arrested at the China…
January 12th, 2026
By Bryce Haugen
Additional reporting by Alicia Underlee Nelson
Five and a half years later and one mile away from George Floyd’s murder, Minneapolis is once again at the epicenter of a law enforcement-related death that has reverberated around the world. On the morning of Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good,, an American citizen and award-winning poet who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Kansas City with her six year old son, was shot three times in the face by an Immigration and Customs…
January 12th, 2026
By Bryce Haugen
At age 43, Maria Romero remembers what it was like before the authoritarian takeover of Venezuela, when the oil-rich country was the most prosperous in South America and the currency was as strong as the U.S. dollar. Then in 1999, Hugo Chavez took over and the deterioration began. It continued under Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s hand-picked successor, after the strongman’s death in 2013.
A resident of Margarita Island, Romero — who asked to use an alias to protect…
December 16th, 2025
By Bryce Vincent Haugen
Audra Maurer never used marijuana until Minnesota businesses started to sell low-dose hemp-derived THC products.
“The first time I was pain free was using legalized hemp edibles,” said the 36-year-old Moorhead resident who was attending a fundraiser at Junkyard Brewing, which sells a variety of THC drinks it makes in-house.
Those products, including all intoxicating hemp-derived drinks, gummies, vapes and oils will no longer be…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States. As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake…
By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…
February 21, 6-8 p.m.Turtle River State Park, Arvilla, NDEnjoy a self-guided hike in the picturesque woods of Turtle River State Park. The trails will be lit with luminary candles. After the hike, warm those bones by the fire at…
By Sabrina HornungThe quote, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” from George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984” has come up in conversation more times than…
By Ed Raymond‘Dakota Attitude’ should be read by all North Dakota studentsI have been meaning to write about this book by James Puppe for several years, but the world has been in such a mess I thought I should write about …
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
Friday, March 13, 4-10 p.m.Brewhalla, Fargo, 1702 1st Ave. N., FargoPolish up those dancing shoes and come hungry for this ticketed event you won’t want to miss. Expect unlimited samples paired with wine and beer from 20+…
Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 N. BroadwayFM Opera’s Artistic Director and tenor Joshua Kohl will be sharing the stage with internationally-renowned tenors Anthony Ciaramitaro and Luke Norvell to perform a variety…
By Greg Carlson The great documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras had to work diligently to convince Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh to be the subject of one of her films. Most accounts and reviews of “Cover-Up,”…
Saturday, March 7, 4-8 p.m.Swing Barrel Brewing, 814 Central Ave., MoorheadEmpty Bowls is a nationwide, grassroots, artist-led movement to support hunger related organizations in their communities. On March 7, prepare to fill your…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Ellie Liverani In January 2026, the 2026-2030 dietary guidelines for Americans were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are supposed to be revolutionary and a “reset” from the previous ones.…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…
