April 25th, 2019
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…
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…
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…
April 3rd, 2019
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…
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…
March 21st, 2019
“North Dakota Nice,” is a phrase that I see getting tossed around more and more these days. Many are sincere and others display yet another facet of our disposition that’s not nearly as desirable.
Yes, we’re professin’ our passive aggression. Say what you will but North Dakotans are good people. There are a lot of small close-knit communities around here and a lot of us have roots that reach back to that culture -- North Dakota Nice is etched upon our moral compass like a worn…
March 14th, 2019
It is possible, even ethical, to stand behind Israel and criticize the nation at the same time.
No country, no man or woman, is without fault. While we at the High Plains Reader believe the U.S. House of Representatives’ resolution, passed earlier this month to condemn “anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry” is on target, we will not jump on the bandwagon saying anything critical of Israel or Jews is anti-Semitism.
That in and of itself rings true as…
February 20th, 2019
Growing up, whenever Christmas or a birthday or really any time I received any sort of a gift, time and a certain level of guilt was set aside to write thank you cards. To this day, I’ll send a few out to people or organizations that have helped me out, or if I’ve had a really insightful interview. My desk is also filled with half-written cards that never quite made it in the envelope. Though, they clearly weren’t romanticized, “letters I’ve written never meaning to send”…
February 13th, 2019
It will be Valentine’s Day by the time this issue hits the stands, but who knows you might even be picking it up after you’ve finished eating the last of the chocolates you bought for yourself for Valentine’s Day.
We’re not judging. In fact, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what I was planning to do after the issue came out, or I might even buy myself a drink and take myself home.
On February 5, Tess Williams over at The Forum wrote a piece called, “It's not you, it's North…
February 6th, 2019
Last winter HPR grieved with Gary and Madeline Krapu of Valley City over the unexpected and untimely death of their daughter Anne Krapu. Anne, 31 had been a contributor to HPR and Valley City Times Record for nearly half of her life covering popular culture, politics, and social justice issues. She traveled the world as an educator and worked tirelessly as a political campaign staffer. It may be fair to say that during her brief time here, she lived more than most.
In her memory HPR is…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com 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,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
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 After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
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.com The writing/directing partnership of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck has to be one of the most curious cases of crazy connect-the-dots career moves in recent cinema. From short documentaries and…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
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 Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
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 Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…
