Editorial

On Monday Dan Larson, a film student from Montana State University in Bozeman, swung by the office for an interview. This time I was on the other side of the questioning. Larson is currently working on a documentary about the geographical center of North America and the communities that have been trying to claim it. As a result, much of our conversation surrounded the topic of North Dakota’s identity.

It was the same topic that came up multiple times this weekend, upon sharing an…

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Tuesday’s mid-term general election is a call to action, especially here in North Dakota. We urge each of you to vote, and then to get your family and friends to vote.

The entire country’s watching North Dakota’s U.S. Senate race. The outcome could affect the balance of power in Washington. The stakes are high, the contributions and expenditures massive, the candidate differences stark.

HPR endorses Heidi Heitkamp for her second term.

Heitkamp has had a fine line to walk as a…

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On October 18, President Trump held a rally in Missoula Montana. Prior to the event, former state GOP chairman Will Deschamps Sr. issued a cautionary threat via Facebook. “For all the prospective attendees to the Trump event. Come early. Also all you protesters, show up as well. This is a concealed and open carry state and we know how to use ‘em. USMC-trained.”

That still didn’t stop the protesters.They carried their message to the mountain tops, roofs of sheds and good ‘ol…

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This weekend I was showing a friend of mine some Fargo hotspots. He was visiting from the West Coast, so naturally I was playing up the Midwest’s many charms.

He mentioned that one thing that differed from the West Coast was the midwestern passive aggression. Since then it has come up in conversation multiple times, but where does it come from? I halfway joked that road rage wasn’t nearly as common up here because if you give someone the finger, odds are they more than likely went…

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Dear Heidi,

I thought about writing a personal thank you on your vote against Judge Kavanaugh but found that my sentiments echoed and resonated much louder than a simple letter. This thank you extends beyond just my pen -- or rather keyboard. You openly acknowledged that this vote was a risky political move but you were right in following your conscience. I’m finding out more and more that a politician with a conscience in this day and age is a rare but beautiful bird.

I was listening…

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As the FM Studio Crawl fast approacheth area artists are tidying up their studios and inviting the public to experience where their magic happens. It’s a great opportunity where communities intersect and our diverse creative community is celebrated.

As an artist, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s tough to find your creative foothold. In fact it’s tough to even find the gumption to call yourself an artist. Once you hold that title you may encounter folks snickering at the…

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$6 billion dollars. That is the increase in market share since the world’s largest athletic retailer introduced ads featuring Colin Kaepernick a few weeks ago. Despite early media reports about stock decline and the campaign being a “risk”, it was a very calculated and strategic move. They’re the 18th most valuable brand in the world (between IBM and Verizon) according to Forbes and WSJ. These people are in the business of brand building and part of the reason they hold such a…

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It’s bad enough when his word versus her word regarding sexual assault gets out in a high school hallway, but can you imagine it spreading throughout the national news media? Imagine reliving those events every time you turn on the evening news.

Then the president’s son responds to your trauma by posting a crayon-written meme downplaying your trauma. Can we get any more vile and juvenile? Tact obviously doesn’t run in the family.

Christine Blasey Ford, you have our respect. Outlets…

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Photo by Sabrina Hornung

I had a little bit of gravel-road therapy this weekend, found myself cruising rural Burleigh County and made a pit stop at Lake Mitchell. I contemplated dipping my toes in the water but like a good central Dakotan I just walked along the lake’s edge and around the nearby picnic shelters.

The one thing that caught my eye was a lone forgotten flagpole. The base was a concrete square and each side was embellished with a metal plaque. Each plaque had a different…

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Odds were stacked against survival for The Little Newspaper That Could from Day One. But here it is, 24 years later, and the High Plains Reader still plays a vital role in the culture and fabric of our local and greater communities.

Happy Birthday, HPR!

There’s no greater testimony to the value of a local newsweekly such as the Reader than to simply note its storied journey over the years. HPR no doubt has evolved to become the people’s paper. It’s not a big conglomerate enterprise;…

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