Editorial

Cone Zone City

May 29th, 2019

Art by Jessi Schmit

Being as the summer is upon us, HPR this week put a special focus on festivals, events and activities for you to do across the region in the coming months. This is a keeper issue.

There’s no doubt we are fortunate to have the wealth and abundance of culture in our own back yard or within a short drive.

You’ll also notice lots of destination options that get you out of town for a brief moment, easily within a day’s drive. These events reflect the best of what those towns have to…

Congrats grads!

May 22nd, 2019

Photograph by Sabrina Hornung

It’s that time of year again. Recent grads are unleashed and set out to make their mark on the world.

It’s funny how something can be simultaneously liberating and terrifying. If we could spread any pearls of wisdom to these young adults, we’d tell them the world is your oyster. Seize every opportunity. One of the best ways to learn is by making mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes, but make sure you learn from them.

To quote Albert Einstein, “The definition of insanity is…

Tom Tepley, August 29, 1953 - May 10, 2019

May 15th, 2019

Tom Tepley

On May 10, we lost the godfather of Fargo subculture, Tom Tepley. He was a businessman, husband, father, collector and the man behind Discontent -- and a unifying force who provided a space for the weirdos, myself included.

I had the pleasure of working for him at the Moorhead Discontent in the early 2000s and I believe that if it wasn’t for that experience and the people I met while working there, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In honor of Tom we reached out to a few folks to…

Celebrating Mom

May 8th, 2019

A mother, a grandmother, selling cheese in Transylvania, Romania - photograph by C.S. Hagen

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend over $160 on Mom this year, and total spending will reach $19.9 billion. It’s the most popular day for dining out and the third biggest day of the year for Hallmark Cards. The other two are Christmas and Valentine’s Day. It’s also the second biggest day for gift giving.

I’m not a mother, though I do have a 23 pound cat at home. My favorite memories of Mother’s Day don’t revolve around elaborate brunches,…

Should our legislature meet annually? Thank goodness they don’t.

May 1st, 2019

Summer and lakeside sunsets are almost here - photograph by C.S. Hagen

Now that North Dakota’s biennial legislative session is over, we can all breathe out a big sigh of relief. But that’s not to say there won’t be lingering indigestion.

In retrospect, and from the vantage point of those on the outside looking in, it’s truly unfortunate to see such a disproportionate sense of balance, or actually to see the total lack of balance. It’s a one-pony (or elephant) show. The old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely comes to mind, yet we won’t…

A taste of the town

April 25th, 2019

Photograph by Raul Gomez

The High Plains Reader looks different this week. It feels different, too. We’re curious what you think.

This is the second time we’ve shifted to a glossy, trimmed and stitched cover on our weekly newspaper. What you get in the end is something more akin to a magazine. Design-wise, Raul Gomez and Jessi Schmit, his assistant, love the glossy cover. Production-wise, we need a bit more lead time for our press, but that’s manageable.

The theme of this special issue of HPR is Food. We…

How America shot itself in the foot

April 17th, 2019

In 2016, the Rand Corportation’s National Defense Research Institute published a year-long study looking at potential consequences for transgender members to serve within the U.S Military. This study looked at seven different unique elements of trans service ranging from how many trans people will seek gender transition care to what can be learned from foreign militaries that permit openly trans soldiers.

The result of this studied showed allowing trans individuals to serve openly…

Our opinion: Social media has the power to unite us and divide us.

April 10th, 2019

It allows us to spread information, allow half-truths and falsities. It serves as a platform for us to display our triumphs, tragedies, hardships and cat pictures. Yes, I’m rhapsodizing about social media.

Depending upon how you adjust your settings social media could very well be our generation’s party line. Or if we want to make parallels of mythical proportions, it could also be considered a contemporary version of Pandora’s box; or to be less eloquent, it’s one big dumb…

What’s behind our humility?

April 3rd, 2019

Photograph by Raul Gomez

A few years ago I was walking into my hometown grocery store. At the time I had Minnesota plates and an elderly man struck up a conversation mid parking lot -- as central North Dakotans often do.

Usually it’s to comment on the weather or when curiosity gets the best of us. My Minnesota plates brought forth this curiosity and he asked me where I was from. I told him I was originally from Jamestown but had lived in or near Moorhead for a number of years and gone to MSUM. He told me of…

Our opinion: A glimpse of women from North Dakota history

March 27th, 2019

As March roared in like a lion, it appears that it’s leaving a lamb in this final week. Along with that observation we’d like to point out that it’s the final week of Women’s History -- or rather HERstory month. According to womenshistorymonth.gov, the intent is “to amplify women’s voices to honor the past, inform the present and to inspire the future.”

Let’s take a moment to think about a few things we’ve learned about North Dakota women in history.

Last July we spoke…