Editorial

Moorhead homeless deserve support

July 31st, 2014

The debate over a proposed homeless apartment complex in Moorhead has not exactly been a lesson in political courage. With the Moorhead City Council initially voting to oppose the project, despite the fact that its approval is unnecessary, it just shows even city government can sometimes be afraid of the next election no matter how far it is away.

Who speaks out, though, for the voiceless, those homeless among us growing in numbers every year, sometimes in bitter cold (some of them not…

Fargo-Moorhead summer concerts you should know about

July 3rd, 2014

A few months ago, we informed you about Joan Baez, Ben Harper, Paul McCartney, The Flaming Lips (an interview with Wayne Coyne will in our paper next week) and other superb, heavy-hitter musicians coming to Fargo-Moorhead to perform.

Before I get to my “editor picks,” I’d like to leave y’all with a question to ponder:

Why is it lame or uncool to go to a concert wearing a t-shirt of the band/artist you are seeing?

I’ve been informed that it’s uncool since my first teenaged…

Super proof

May 15th, 2014

Our opinion/ “Siouxper drunk” shirts directly relate to the former UND mascot controversy

A group of UND students caused quite an outrage on social media by wearing T-shirts that depict a Native American (similar-looking to the former UND mascot) drinking from a beer bong accompanied by the words “Siouxper drunk.”

The students made the shirts for a yearly non-campus event called Springfest, where getting “super drunk” and acting foolish is a goal for a number of Grand Forks…

The 13 biggest concerts of the summer

May 1st, 2014

Behold, the best F-M summer concert lineup ever.

The Flaming Lips, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt and Paul McCartney are all playing in Fargo-Moorhead -- within 10 days of each other.

What is going on, Fargo? This is just nuts.

Here is our top 13 list, in order of dates, loaded with the perhaps the most prevalent acts coming to town, but we encourage folks to visit fargodome.com, jadeprsents.com, The Aquarium’s Facebook page and other sites to discover loads more great concerts the city has to…

North Dakota’s very own grim reaper

April 24th, 2014

Our Opinion/ If our governor and state leaders do not see this as urgent, they need to take their blinders off

Yet another reason for the Governor to call a special legislative session is the growing evidence that North Dakota is by far the most dangerous state in the country to work. A related special report by HPR’s Chris Hennen this week documents this grim fact. Yet, workplace deaths are only the tip of the iceberg, something like the canary in the coal mine. We cannot sit by idly…

Sometimes iWonder

March 27th, 2014

Facebook staff, I have a few questions:

1)Why can’t you put my friend list in ABC order?

2)Why do you tell my friends when I’ve edited my posts?

3)Why do you have to tell people whether and when I’ve “seen” their message?

4)Why can’t I “select all” when I inviting friends to an event?

Has Facebook ever answered these questions publicly? I know I can’t be alone in my wonder.

No, it’s not shallow. It’s totally legit. So if you think you know, please enlighten me.

The…

Happy two-year!

March 6th, 2014

Our opinion/ Tell me what you think at diane@hpr1.com

March is my two-year anniversary as editor-in-chief of the High Plains Reader.

As I usually do, I’d like to push for your honest feedback on my work and the paper as a whole. What makes you pick up the HPR when you see it? What can we do to progress? Do you have a story idea you’d like to pitch?

Email me at diane@hpr1.com. Piece of steak.

While I never thought this is what I’d be doing at the age of 27, I’m 110 percent sure that,…

Hiring musicians?

January 30th, 2014

*This editorial is targeted at no single person, band or place.

Musicians, promoters, bar and restaurant owners and music fans: Please take your blinders off for a second. We need to get on the same page about live music.

I recently saw a post, “HIRING A MUSICIAN?” on Facebook that has more than 64,000 shares and 36,000 “likes.” It was one of those “what you think you are paying for/what you are actually paying for” types of posts.

According to the post, musicians’ Internet…

Top 13 songs of 2013

December 19th, 2013

1.Kanye West – “New Slaves”

Not only is Kanye’s flow incredibly sick on “New Slaves,” so are his rhymes about injustice, power and hate. Yes, I’d much rather be a d**k thank a swallower too, Mr. West.

2.Beyoncé feat. Frank Ocean – “Superpower”

Extraordinary harmonies, extraordinary atmosphere and extraordinary originality – “Superpower” is an immediately satisfying listen. It’s off of Beyonce’s new visual album, “BEYONCÉ,” which has only been out for a…

What Fargo-Moorhead Still Needs, part 2

November 27th, 2013

Thank you, readers, for your excellent feedback on our “What Fargo-Moorhead Needs” list from a few weeks ago. This is absolutely worth following up on.

Your response to a list about brunch, music, dancing, gayness and recycling really shows you care about the community’s growth. It shows we have faith that Fargo actually can grow into a place that’s much more cultured, hip, fashionable, diverse and groovy.

Let’s start by saying Fargo-Moorhead is getting there. We’ve got some…