Editorial

Keep Your Eyes On The Road

May 20th, 2016

Start seeing motorcycles

It’s that time of year, the weather’s beautiful, and there’s nothing better than feeling the sun in your face and the wind in your hair. Needless to say--bike season and lake season is in full swing.

As motorists it is our duty to be fully alert while behind the wheel. We must realize that while in a vehicle we have a ton of components moving at an unmeasured velocity. Bikers and bicyclists don’t stand much of a chance when it comes to impact.

According…

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Art for art’s sake

May 6th, 2016

Last week John Strand mentioned how fortunate our community is to have access to so many wonderful amenities such as our many large and small concert venues, theaters, and gallery spaces. Not only do they aim to entertain but they also aid in the cultivation of community and overall awareness of the arts no matter what age you are.

As the largest city in the state of North Dakota -- the size of our community aids in our advantages. These facilities would not be here if there were no…

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​Wrangling the lean green Earth Day scene

April 20th, 2016

Wednesdays at The High Plains Reader office have a frantic yet positive energy to them as we strive to make our deadline and give Fargo-Moorhead the best darn paper we can. Though this morning,with a smile on his face, John Strand urged us to look out the window and to observe a few NDSU students outside picking up garbage in observance of Earth Week.

Earth Day has been in our consciousness since the spring of 1970. According to earthday.org, it was founded by Gaylord Nelson a US…

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​FARGO LOVES ‘FARGO’

April 14th, 2016

It’s hard to believe that the movie “Fargo” was released 20 years ago. If it wasn’t for “Fargo,” would bomber hats have such a spot on our heads and in our hearts? Would the phrase “Uffda” be spoken with simultaneous irony and sincerity? Yeah, sure you betcha--but no one else would know or care as much. With its dark humor, frigid cold outdoor imagery and Midwest kitsch.

The Coen brothers certainly put us on the map. First with the “Fargo” feature, and once the…

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A Fargo problem, a Moorhead problem, a West Fargo problem, a North Dakota and a Minnesota problem

April 7th, 2016

The tragedy of heroin use and overdoses is landing at our feet and our community and state are unprepared. Lives are in the balance.

While most compassionate people are surprised by this happening here, they also are grasping for understanding and for ways to help.

Make no mistake, this is a Fargo problem, a Moorhead problem, a West Fargo problem, a North Dakota and a Minnesota problem.

A too-common sentiment is, “Well, shouldn’t people take responsibility for their own…

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​Fargo Moorhead lend us your lobes…

March 30th, 2016

It’s about that time when we ask our readers to call the shots. The Best of the Best is coming around the corner and we at the High Plains Readers want you to tell us the best bands, the top artists, the best eats, drinks, and everything in between.

On another note-- what are we missing? What would you the readers like to see in the Best of the Best? Are there music categories that we are missing? Are there sub genres of art, craft, and theater that are non-existent? Should we involve…

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​A little more conversation

March 30th, 2016

I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time in nursing homes lately. One for my grandmother’s two week rehab after a broken hip and also participating in the North Dakota Council on the Arts Art for life program, which we’ll elaborate on later. This experience has opened my eyes for the better.

Yes, there are negative connotations as far as nursing homes go, such as over medicating, theft, elder abuse etc, but not every nursing home or every experience in a nursing home is…

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A Clarion Call to Action

March 16th, 2016

HPR’s cover this week depicts three flags flying half mast. The flagpoles are syringes, such as those used to inject heroin.

Our community has been rocked. Three men died in seven days due to heroin overdoses. There have been other near misses. Law enforcement officials notified the public Sunday that heroin arriving recently in Fargo-Moorhead and the region may be tainted and or laced with fentanyl.

This situation is not only urgent, but tragic beyond words.

We have family members,…

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Our Opinion / How about 53 gubernatorial debates?

March 9th, 2016

The Boom That Went Bust

Many state residents watched the North Dakota Republican Gubernatorial debate last week with Wayne Stenehjem, Rick Becker and Doug Burgum at the podiums. It was insightful and intriguing.

The predominant focus on declining oil revenues tells us a lot. Listening to the questions posed, one after another, a listener might think that oil is the only industry in the state.

But it’s not. North Dakota first and foremost is an agricultural state and a breadbasket of the…

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Bathroom issues across the nation

March 2nd, 2016

Gender and sexuality have always been a hot button issue.. wait, let’s rephrase that. Sexuality has always been a hot button issue and a hot topic in gossip and conversation, but gender has been generating a lot of buzz in mainstream conversation as of late, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner.

The two do tend go hand in hand. Sure, one can assume that we’ve all been assigned a biological gender. Nurseries have been color coded for generations, but what happens when society no longer fits in a…

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