News

​“Go Home”

November 23rd, 2016

Activist on the front lines - photo by liz george

By C.S. Hagen
BISMARCK – The day before President Obama pardoned the Thanksgiving Turkey, Peace Garden State leaders told Standing Rock and the tribe’s supporters that North Dakota has had enough.

“It’s time for them to go home,” Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary said to the activists camped outside of Standing Rock. “I thank the visitors for coming, making their message known. It’s loud and clear… It has been profound, and we understand. No more productive messaging can really…

Read more...


North Dakota Nice: Police Chiefs Kick Women Out of Restaurant

November 23rd, 2016

By C.S. Hagen
MANDAN – Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney and Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler called Liz George and Kana Newell over to their table while they were eating at the Chinese restaurant Rice Bowl.

And then, in true “North Dakota nice” spirit, they kicked them from the premises. Before kicking the two women out, they threatened arrest. George was wearing her “Water is Life” badge on the back of her clothing.

“We were eating dinner and on our way out of Mandan when two…

Read more...


White Cloud: more than a tourist attraction

November 22nd, 2016

By C.S. Hagen
cshagen@hpr1.com

The day White Cloud was born on July 10, 1996, ranchers thought she was a trash bag.

“They thought it was a grocery bag lying out there,” said Ken Shirek. Shirek is the owner of Shirek Buffalo Farm in Michigan, North Dakota, and also a director of the North Dakota Buffalo Association. “And they were going to go pick it up and then it took off. It looked way weird.”

White Cloud lived 20 years, passing away quietly in her sleep Monday, November 14,…

Read more...


​Woman injured at Backwater Bridge may lose arm

November 22nd, 2016

 Riot police spray activists at backwater bridge - photo by rob wilson photography

By C.S. Hagen
cshagen@hpr1.com

The woman who nearly had her arm blown off Sunday night at the Backwater Bridge standoff is in stable condition, according to the Standing Rock Medic Healer Council.

Sophia Wilansky, 21, from New York, was hauling drinking water to activists near the front line when a concussion grenade thrown by law enforcement hit her left arm and exploded, according to medic reports.

Law enforcement denies the accusation, claiming a Coleman propane explosion wounded…

Read more...


Warning Graphic Content

November 21st, 2016

Injury photo by kevin gilberttPictures of injuries stemming from sunday nights activities - photo provided by steve gross

Read more...


​Hundreds injured at Backwater Bridge

November 21st, 2016

By C.S. Hagen
cshagen@hpr1.com

An all-night battle at Backwater Bridge between police and Standing Rock activists left hundreds injured, according to camp medics.

Morton County Sheriff’s Department has reported it planned to remove a blockade on Highway 1806, but has done nothing for three weeks, Tara Houska, national campaigns director for Honor the Earth, said. Instead, when activists attempted to move the blockade, they were met with potentially deadly force.

“They did say they were…

Read more...


​The Thin Black Line

November 19th, 2016

North dakota highway patrol logo - photo by c.s. hagen

By C.S. Hagen
BISMARCK
– North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson’s police radio crackled to life; Standing Rock activists were caravanning toward Bismarck.

Troopers patrolling alongside the convoy stayed in constant contact over the radio, watching to see if the activists split up.

We’ve lost the front part of the convoy,” a voice on the police radio said.

A bulletproof vest and a black cudgel were stowed in the cruiser’s back seat. Iverson’s government-issued Glock…

Read more...


Medical Marijuana Legalized

November 17th, 2016

By C.S. Hagen

cshagen@hpr1.com

Election results shocked the nation last week, but it was Measure 5, the legalization of medical marijuana that took the state by surprise.

Medical marijuana, now legal in North Dakota and not considered recreational, will take some time to implement, but patients are already hounding the phones for information. Fargo native Riley Ray Morgan initiated the measure, and it passed with 64 percent of the vote.

“It’s a good day to be alive,” Morgan said. “I…

Read more...


​No DAPL National Day of Action: 29 Arrested in North Dakota

November 16th, 2016

By C.S. Hagen
FARGO
– From San Francisco to Washington D.C., Maine and Massachusetts to Arizona, Mandan to Fargo, tens of thousands of activists marched against the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday in a nationwide call to action initiated by the Standing Rock Sioux.

The No DAPL National Day of Action was issued before a long-awaited victory for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporarily denied Energy Transfer Partners the rights to…

Read more...


​ND Capitol Under Soft Lockdown, Army Corps Halts DAPL Construction

November 14th, 2016

Dapl employee brandishes handgun before driving truck through crowd By C.S. Hagen
BISMARCK – The Peace Garden State’s capital city was partially locked down Monday as Standing Rock and approximately 500 supporters hit the city’s streets in defiance of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Balkowitsch, a wet plate photographer, watched his son’s choir concert later Monday evening sing “This Land is Your Land,” and could only feel sadness during the performance.

“You see, just four hours before at this same school there was a mandatory ‘shelter…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry NewSalem1B Tracker Pixel for Entry NewSalem2 Tracker Pixel for Entry Gruff1 Tracker Pixel for Entry NewSalem2B Tracker Pixel for Entry farrms Tracker Pixel for Entry EmpireAUG2021

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Rodeo is a family tradition for sisters Kate and Tera Flitton. The duo performs under the moniker Stellar Trick Riding Cowgirls. The Utah natives will be performing along with bareback riders,…

Saturday, April 19, 8 p.m. doors open at 7 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 N Broadway, FargoCheck out this cult classic on the big screen as a live band performs along with David Bowie’s vocals, all while basking in the Art Deco glory…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…

By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comThe wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red tiesA hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white…

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 Photos by Rick GionLiving in downtown Fargo has its perks. One of them is taking walks along Broadway and peeking into the restaurants and shops for a glimpse of what’s new. Sometimes this makes a…

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.comTracie Laymon draws from her own unbelievable-but-true life experience to shape feature directorial debut “Bob Trevino Likes It,” a well-meaning if slight comedy-drama featuring Barbie…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Chad Nodland, "Artistic Freedom"On January 19, 2025, the last full day of Joe Biden’s presidency, he commuted Leonard Peltier's two consecutive life sentences to home confinement at his…

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 Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

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 Gilbert Kuipersgilbertkuipers@outlook.com I live in North Dakota District 24 and have been challenging the district Republicans about their understanding of climate science for years. There has been no serious response to my…