December 18th, 2025
By Darrell Dorgan
I’ve been digging around for information on a company called High Plains Acres. High Plains, which has a presence in Jamestown, Bismarck and five North Dakota counties, owned thousands of acres of North Dakota farmland until early December. It’s listed as an LLP, owned apparently by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his marital partner John Freeman. North Dakotans ought to be interested in this business arrangement.
Bessent was appointed…
November 18th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
I scroll through comment threads on the news stories in my social media feed and come across the retort, “You voted for this.” Sure the vote’s in…but when someone’s livelihood is at stake, rubbing their nose in it won’t help. If we’re trying to exercise our moral superiority, maybe the correct approach would be some mild bit of empathy. Or, of course, you can just scroll on.
We live in North Dakota, folks voting against their own best…
October 15th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the past 25 years, with a mission “to enrich people’s lives through the development and practice of creative, contemplative, and healing arts.”
Enrich our lives, it did.
The news rang out like news does when you lose a friend that you haven’t seen in a…
September 16th, 2025
By John Strand
Yes, we know, everywhere you look, the world situation is mental. It’s almost inescapable just how tenuous life’s circumstances are. And how they are mostly — pretty much entirely — out of our control.
So in that context (knowing the lack of surprise, were we to focus on our shared fear and misery as the world unravels), we instead are going to focus on a good news story right here in front of our noses. The High Plains Reader just turned 31, which means…
August 19th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
I’m going to go ahead and say it. I have trust issues with a lot of things and artificial intelligence (AI) is one of them.
Yes, it’s a tool that can sit shotgun and make your everyday tasks and life easier as a whole. Sure, I appreciate my transcription apps, Spotify playlists, and I appreciate Alexa’s nonjudgemental input when I ask her random questions throughout the day.
Like anything, it’s a double-edged sword — just look at social media.…
July 15th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by consuming 70.5 hotdogs and buns, his previous record being 76 set in 2021. Sudo earned her 11th title by ingesting 31 hot dogs, her previous record being 51.
What’s more American than celebrating how many hotdogs a guy can stuff in his mouth while over 50…
June 17th, 2025
Fighting the good fight
By Sabrina Hornung
Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance. We’re fired up, met more like-minded people, bounced some facts, figures and shared concerns off of each other. We’re fired up because we got together and made our voices heard.
How do we keep up the momentum?
Call your lawmakers, write your lawmakers,…
May 15th, 2025
By John Strand
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, the sensation of a pulling on one’s own lifeline — and the knowledge that others are similarly situated. Everywhere you turn, vast numbers are bobbing up or down according to the tugs on their strings.
This is not an ordinary or customary historical experience…
April 27th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
It’s no secret that there are folks among us who make our communities a more vibrant place through both their actions and means of creative expression. Heck, you could be one of them yourself.
March was a tough month for many in the F-M, as we grieve the loss of friends who helped make our community brighter. We feel it would be remiss to not mention the contributions, legacies and lasting lessons learned from our friends who have passed on this past…
March 15th, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
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 of the pages and the scent of ink mixed with your morning coffee. It provides a community conversation. It keeps everyone on the same page and can potentially quell (or at least slow down) the small town rumor mill. It offers an air of transparency for county…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugenbrycevincenthaugen@gmail.com 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…
By Michael MillerAs the holiday season approaches, I extend Yuletide Best Wishes and a special “Weihnachten” greeting to you and your family. I would like to share with you Christmas memories from our Germans from Russia…
Now-Feb 26All three Fargo Public Library locations have mitten trees and they’re accepting new or very gently loved clean gear for the cold. Handmade or purchased gloves, mittens, scarves, hats, and warm socks are appreciated.…
By Darrell Dorganddorgan695@aol.com I’ve been digging around for information on a company called High Plains Acres. High Plains, which has a presence in Jamestown, Bismarck and five North Dakota counties, owned thousands of acres…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill we move up from Homo sapiens to Human empathians? The big question is, will the world’s billionaires who are now Homo sapiens gain enough human empathy to save the world from themselves —…
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 Mandy Dolneymandy@ksbsyndicate.com This cake will be on the menu at Nova Eatery through Thanksgiving served with maple crème anglaise Ice cream. It uses pumpkin pie pumpkins grown locally at Ladybug Acres and local apples grown…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The brilliant film essayist and documentarian Raoul Peck tackles the looming shadow of contemporary American and international totalitarianism in “Orwell: 2+2=5.” Following a May debut at…
The holidays are fast approaching. If you’re on the lookout for finding your loved ones something truly special and unique, we sought out some of the area’s independent and creative hotspots.VINTAGE AND ANTIQUESMoorhead Antique…
Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…
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 At the beginning of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch is introduced as having a smaller than average heart, but as the movie progresses, his heart increases three…
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 Chandler Esslinger Across North Dakota right now, a familiar conversation is resurfacing. We hear the argument that harm reduction “enables” people, that syringe access encourages drug use, that naloxone keeps people…
