Editorial

Thankful for the trip on a tankful

June 1st, 2017

Artwork by Max Patzner

I’m a big advocate of the day trip some call it a trip on a tankful. In fact I’ve been known to refer to it as “gravel road therapy.” I find that driving is a good way to sort your thoughts and a decent way to gain perspective. You can meet a lot of interesting people along the way and maybe even see a bit of wildlife -- and we’re not just talking about the locals at Hanson’s Bar.

It’s important to explore and acknowledge your own backyard. We highly…

The governor’s wake-up call

May 24th, 2017

We’ve just read Mike McFeely’s interview with Governor Burgum, are intrigued by the governor’s vision of the future of higher education; that online courses will largely obviate the need for campuses, tenured faculty, and other obsolescent features.

We know about Stanford University’s online high school because we know a middle-school student who aspires to it.

Stanford’s online secondary school starts in the seventh grade. Admission is not easy. They are looking for bright,…

Our opinion: Fargo’s alleys are an urban amenity

May 17th, 2017

We don’t like cars all that much. We’re wary of meeting white van man, constant texter, boy racer, and orange light go-through. And in Fargo, we don’t have to.

Because there are so many alleys in the older part of Fargo, and so many parking lots in the newer, it’s possible for a bicyclist to cross the city almost without crossing paths with fast-moving vehicles.

We believe that our alleys will someday be cherished and treasured, and we hope there will be a goodly number left.…

The state legislature is starving NDSU of funds

May 10th, 2017

“I felt compelled to write,” said Dr. Lawrence P. Reynolds of NDSU in a recent letter to the editor, “because of the statements attributed to ND Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner (R-Dickinson), who said, ‘Everybody has to cinch it up,’ and then later stated he ‘was confident funding could be reinstated after this biennium for programs and jobs that are needed…I understand we could lose some quality people, but it is what it is. You can’t spend money you don’t…

Use that energy to combat hate speech with love

May 3rd, 2017

Last week a handful of posters appeared spewing hate speech and singing the praise of the alt right. Fargo resident Christopher Smith took photos and posted them on his facebook and the comment response lit up like wildfire.

It’s hard to understand, rationalize, or logically justify this hate speech, but it seems to be contagious--not just for the people who support the alt right ideology but also from those of us who vehemently disagree. The posters elicited a response of anger and…

Drink the good stuff while you still can

April 26th, 2017

We’re living through hard times, but they are hard times with an important basic amenity: strong, tasty beer and ale, brewed by independent craft brewers.

When did it all start? Historians are in disagreement. In 1976, the low point, there were only 50 breweries left in the entire nation, all of them brewing yellow soda pop. That was when Jack McAuliffe, one of our heroes, founded New Albion Brewing in Sonoma County, California, and kept it going for six years.

And though he didn’t…

Venting online

April 19th, 2017

“I am incredibly sorry for all that's happened. I'm young and made a mistake, and now it has caused me to walk away from my job, have incredible anxiety and guilt, and panic even going outside for the amount of death threats I've gotten,” said Sheridan Tihista via facebook messenger.

Montana native Tihista, a young educator, recently resigned from her special education position at Liberty Middle School in West Fargo due to some unsavory tweets on her personal profile, some of which…

Bands on the run

March 29th, 2017

Who wouldn’t want to go to Austin for the SXSW? And not just for the music. There is joy in the air, the whole city having a street party, everyone walking from one event to another.

But many bands from other countries were refused entry into the U.S., and for a number of different reasons, or no reason was given.

These bands are not well off. The typical budget for going through the visa process, visiting and performing, is about $15 thousand. The typical group is an obscure indie…

Bullying in the Women’s National Basketball Association

March 22nd, 2017

In the WNBA, was there ever a team like the 2011 Minnesota Lynx? People argue about it, but we say they’re the best.

Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Bronson, Maya Moore, Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

The Lynx drew first in the draft and chose Maya Moore, dominant for four years in the UConn basketball factory. They traded for WNBA All Star Lindsay Whalen, a hometown girl who would pull in bigger crowds. They had the elusive, unguardable Seimone Augustus, the all-star shooting…

Rolling stops

March 15th, 2017

As more people get around on bikes, the rules of the road should change to reflect a changed reality.

A proper bike lane has a raised portion such as a curb between the bikes and vehicle traffic. A bike lane without such a divider is not a bike lane. It doesn’t protect riders from drivers who text or young male drivers showing off.

We are unaware of any bike lanes in the U.S. The nearest one is probably in Vancouver, British Columbia, in a more civilized part of the world.

Cyclists…