Editorial

​Our opinion: Let’s explore what’s best for future generations.

June 20th, 2024

The WFF Unified School District?

By John Strand

jas@hpr1.com

Both the Fargo and West Fargo School Districts are strategizing their futures. This is necessary, because of immensely challenging financial and geopolitical changes facing both districts.

While both districts are weighing options, there’s one very glaring option missing that neither is considering, at least to our knowledge. We’re remiss when we do not put all potentialities before the decision makers and ultimately the…

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The end of the Zandbroz era

May 16th, 2024

Our opinion: Has Fargo lost its cool?

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

On April 24, The Forum reported that Zandbroz Variety would be closing its doors after 33 years, and the announcement hit like a ton of books.

Upon hearing the news, long-time regulars and former employees, affectionately referred to as “Zandbrozians,” reconnected with fellow Zandbrozians sharing the news and eulogizing the space and the spirit of Zandbroz with the certain somber tone of finding out that a…

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It can’t happen here

April 18th, 2024

Is this a repeating pattern?

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.comThere’s a quote circulating around the world wide web, misattributed to Sinclair Lewis: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." According to The Sinclair Lewis Society, it sounds like something he would agree with but there’s no proof that he actually wrote or said it.

In Sinclair’s 1943 novel “Gideon Planish,” he wrote, "I just wish people wouldn't quote Lincoln or the…

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Be the vote that mattered

March 21st, 2024

By John Strand

jas@hpr1.com

What’s that you just said? “Tell somebody who gives a shit”?

Stop reading this now if you don’t care about anyone else. Don’t waste your time. You’ll only get mad. Vocal. Obstinate. Unforgiving.

You know what we’re talking about. And you know who you are.

This is a liberal rag. You already know that. A liberal rag in a conservative state. So don’t feign victimhood if you’re reading about our advocacy of people and issues you simply don’t…

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​Political infighting: Who are they working for?

February 15th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

When one googles “What traits are desirable in a new employee,” some of the first words that pop up “from sources around the web” include “communication,” “team player,” “leadership,” “honest,” “reliable.” Now take these words and think: How do these words best apply to my preferred candidate on a local, state, and national level?

That’s our role as voters. We elect these candidates so they can represent us and to make…

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Arts Off the Beaten Path

January 18th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

Our Opinion: Reinvigorate that sense of wonder

This month’s focus at High Plains Reader is the State of the Arts. From a regional standpoint, we’re small but mighty – and there are so many organizations that go above and beyond that deserve a shoutout and are certainly worth a day trip. A quick google search can determine dates, times, and reservations, if needed.

The Ellendale Opera House and Ellendale Area Arts Council is located just an hour…

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BE A DO-GOODER THIS YEAR

December 19th, 2023

Our opinion: Make your mark and consider volunteering.

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

Last September, the Fargo Forum reported that the Kilbourne Group, along with Fargo’s finest elected officials, met with the Salvation Army behind closed doors to propose they leave their downtown home on Roberts Street. They have called that space home since 1904.

According to that article, Mayor Mahoney says there are no solid plans to move the facility but they have shopped around for a potential…

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The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

November 13th, 2023

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

Remember the legacy of the NPL.

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting and dinner hosted by the Dakota Resource Council in Bismarck. I came in feeling a little defeated, jaded with not only regional politics, but national politics and pretty much anything in between.

Michael Lansing, historian, academic and author of “Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics,” gave us a really effective lecture…

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The Horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park Need Your Help

October 16th, 2023

By Birgit Pruess 

birgit.pruess@gmail.com

Guest editorial: If you are a taxpayer, these are your horses.

If you are one of many fans of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) horses, here is an update on the current situation. TRNP has released 94 pages of environmental assessment on September 25, which is now followed by a month of comment collection. You can see both the assessment document and the…

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​The Strenuous Past, the Way Forward

September 19th, 2023

By John Strand

jas@hpr1.com

Our Opinion: Thank you, Reader readers, for 29 fulfilling years

Chugging along, The Little Newspaper That Could commences its 30th volume and year with this issue. Simply getting here speaks volumes. Just imagine the words, the bylines, the opinion pieces, the heart that has been part of the High Plains Reader’s nearly three-decade storied journey.

At the risk of sounding like a relic – spanning a couple generations can do that – HPR has always tried to be…

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