August 8th, 2018
When Larry Peterson was retiring he wanted to do something important. He’s part of the The Red River Rainbow Seniors and proposed that the group set out on an oral history project and collect the stories of the LGBTQ elders within their group and throughout North Dakota and Northern Minnesota. They teamed up with public historian Angela Smith and the NDSU archives to present “Breaking Barriers: Harvesting LGBTQ Stories from the Northern Plains. So far they have done 35 interviews…
August 1st, 2018
In late June, as thousands clamored to see President Donald J. Trump at Fargo’s Scheels Arena, more than politics were at play. Less than 20 feet from the President’s podium sat current Congressman Kevin Cramer, all smiles, offering awkward man hugs. Doug Burgum, voted Forbes best entrepreneurial governor in the nation and yet cited twice for financial misuse in office, sat next to him. Heir to oil, centralist Kelly Armstrong, brought with him his family’s uncorrupted loathing for…
August 1st, 2018
JAMESTOWN – The woman charged with crimes related to fake adoption proceedings of Native children turned herself in Wednesday morning and is currently in jail at the Stutsman County Correctional Center.
Betty Jo Krenz, 47, of Woodworth, was charged with theft of property and the unauthorized use of personal identifying information, according to the jail’s roster.
Krenz was the former case manager for the Spirit Lake Tribal Social Services, and has been under investigation for nearly…
August 1st, 2018
NEW TOWN – Winter’s ice thawed months ago on the Fort Berthold Reservation, but no water search was conducted until last week when volunteers using sonar discovered a pickup truck in Lake Sakakawea that Olivia Lone Bear was seen driving.
Olivia Keri Lone Bear, 32, disappeared nearly nine months ago, and was last seen outside the Sportsman Bar on October 26 driving a teal 2011 Chevy Silverado, license plate 839 BRC, with a silver toolbox in the bed. The truck was pulled from Lake…
July 30th, 2018
DICKINSON – Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, state Senator Kelly Michael Armstrong, quietly pleaded guilty in June to texting while driving in Stark County, according to North Dakota Court records. The traffic citation came 17 years after Armstrong was convicted of driving under the influence in Virginia.
A records search of Armstrong’s criminal history revealed a 2001 administrative appeal – Kelly Michael Armstrong vs. David Sprynczynatyk, director of the North Dakota…
July 20th, 2018
BISMARCK – The North Dakota Attorney General’s office announced Friday it is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for gross negligence and tortious acts during the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy in 2016.
The state has already accepted a $15 million gift from Energy Transfer Partners in September 2017, and a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, but it’s not enough, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said. With approximately $18 million left of unpaid bills…
July 17th, 2018
FARGO – Kilbourne’s long-term dreams of a Dakota high-rise stirred resentment on Tuesday when the real estate company announced construction on Block 9 will begin next month, and could soon block Prairie Public’s broadcasting signal.
Discussions between the Kilbourne Group and Prairie Public have been ongoing for at least five years, but the pressure is mounting as Prairie Public has approximately nine months to find a solution.
Prairie Public is a television and radio station…
July 17th, 2018
HELSINKI, Finland – While President Donald J. Trump disowned his own intelligence agencies on the world stage after siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, North Dakota politicians on both sides of the political aisle condemned him.
“Russia poses a grave threat to our national security and our democracy,” U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp said. “It is absolutely imperative for the morale and standing of our brave law enforcement officers and military who put their lives…
July 16th, 2018
FARGO – Attacks on comprehensive health care laws have been unrelenting, resembling ancient torture, proponents say. Since Republican firing squads have failed to hit their marks twice in dismantling the Affordable Care Act, they’ve turned to destroying the federal law piecemeal.
A crucial argument against the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, came in the form of a Texas lawsuit against the United States citing that since the law’s teeth have been torn out after…
July 11th, 2018
NORTH DAKOTA – Jesse Stenson runs his family’s Centennial Farm, following in his great-grandfather’s footsteps. Originally, great-great-grandfather Johanes Stenson Hauge left Norway in 1855, and traveling by ox cart, squatted on land they were driven from by Dakota Sioux. For 21 years, Hauge tried his luck in America, facing severe weather, grasshoppers, and the hardships of the American frontier, but after losing his wife in a fire in 1891, he sailed back to the home country.
A…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
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…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The writing/directing partnership of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck has to be one of the most curious cases of crazy connect-the-dots career moves in recent cinema. From short documentaries and…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
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 Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…
