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…
February 21st, 2025
By Sabrina Hornung
2025 marks us halfway through the roaring 2020s. Boy, am I glad I didn’t bob my hair for this go-around. It feels like we’re off to the wrong roar, opening Pandora’s box of what-the-Fox news.
Thanks to the interweb, we’ve become accustomed to the world at our fingertips and no speed limit on the information superhighway. Yet why does it feel like it’s leading to our de-evolution? Between this 24-hour news cycle, doomscrolling through social…
January 17th, 2025
By Faye Seidler
As I write this article, it’s January, and the temperatures in North Dakota are negative. I’m living in a house and our furnace just died a forever death after years of quick fixes. Yet, small pockets of the house remain warm by the grace of electric heaters. The water that used to warm our house now still circulates to stop it from freezing, but thankfully our water heater still makes life worth living.
I’ve been writing about queer kids in…
December 19th, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
I’m really sick of the “Nobody wants to work anymore” narrative. Like, really sick. I can’t hide the eye rolls and I don’t even try to hide them anymore. In fact, I feel like they’ll get stuck in the back of my head if I stifle them.
Instead, when folks bring this up, they need to be challenged with questions about what we’re offering our workforce and ask the tough questions about housing, childcare and the average age of folks around…
November 21st, 2024
By Jim Fuglie
Okay, so last month I promised you a woman President of the United States. So much for my predictability quotient.
Lesson 1: Never promise something you can’t control. And nobody, not even Melania, can control Donald Trump.
The rest of my predictions were not too bad. I just missed a big one. By a mile. I predicted Republicans were pretty much going to sweep North Dakota, though. I got that right.
But I was pretty confident all along that Donald…
October 16th, 2024
By Jim Fuglie
As a political columnist, I know I should be writing an election preview for the issue of this paper that comes out just a couple weeks before what is being labeled, once again, as “the most important election of our lifetime.” Okay, so here goes my election preview:
Well, now that we have…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugenbrycevincenthaugen@gmail.comThe High Plains Reader has compiled a guide to inform West Fargo voters about candidates and issues. On June 9, West Fargoans will elect a new mayor —who is running unopposed — as…
By Michael M. Miller Francie M. Berg, native of Hettinger, N.D., edited an impressive book, “Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota,” published in 1983. She grew up on a ranch near Miles City, Montana. Her son, Richard Berg, is…
Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m.Fargodome, 1800 University Dr. N, FargoHeralded as "The Nicest Man in Stand-Up" by The Atlantic, Nate Bargatze is also one of the top-grossing comedians, breaking both streaming and attendance records. Now…
By Sabrina Hornung As the school year comes to a close, a new crop of young people are starting a new chapter in their lives. As a former young person, I’d like to offer my unsolicited advice. As cliche as it may sound, be the…
By Ed RaymondWere women created to do the work of God?One of the first requests made by new Pope Leo XIV was to invite an expert on the alt-right conservative Catholic organization known as Opus Dei to brief him about its…
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 Gion A brand new food event called the "ONE BITE Challenge" will launch in downtown Fargo on May 23. Rocky Schneider, executive director of the Downtown Community Partnership told us more. HPR: Hi Rocky. Thank you for…
By John ShowalterIt’s that time of year again. The long-running battle of the bands at The Aquarium, Battle of the Hamm’s, is entering its twentieth year, and local bands will be facing off against last year’s champs,…
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By Greg Carlson The perpetually busy documentarian Morgan Neville profiles the perpetually busy producer Lorne Michaels in another of the moviemaker’s sturdy celebrity profiles. Following closely on the heels of nostalgia…
By Sabrina Hornung The Plains Art Museum has been a trailblazing force in the North Dakota art scene since its inception and it’s not slowing down any time soon. In fact, this summer they are preparing to break ground on a major…
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 November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…
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 Jim Fuglie Okay, here I go again, warning (whining? complaining?) about another threat to the North Dakota badlands. Sorry. Please put up with me for a few hundred more words. Now, some folks I don’t think want to put a…
