For Chris Sake

Ding Dong, Ted Cruz Is Gone

May 6th, 2016

As we went to press, the last gasps of Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz were being heard in the race to pick presidential nominees, with Indiana at the center of it all.

The bizarreness of the Star Wars bar scene of 2016 Republican nominees continued with Mr. Cruz naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate, hoping it would give a boost to his campaign just as he’d been mathematically eliminated from winning the race outright. It didn’t, as he lost Indiana and didn’t see much boost in the…

Minnesota mourns Prince

April 27th, 2016

As a Minnesota native, my love of music was formed right around the time “Purple Rain” came out. I was 8 years old, already going to concerts, and while I am pretty sure my parents didn’t let me watch the movie at the time, I certainly gave the album several hundred spins. My brother did cover my ears during the masturbation line in “Darling Nikki,” but of course I found it on the lyric sheet. We all know 8-year-old boys know nothing about masturbation.

It was so incredible…

TIME FOR THE FEDS IN SADEK CASE

April 20th, 2016

After two years of no answers, the parents of Andrew Sadek want resolution and they deserve it. Tammy and John Sadek are unhappy with the state investigation into the death of Andrew, a college student at NDSCS who became a drug informant and was found shot to death in June of 2014 after going missing in May of 2014.

Almost two years later, there are still no answers about why he died. That is unacceptable. The parents haven’t received an update on the case since last year despite…

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION FRUSTRATION

April 13th, 2016

The current presidential race is doing the complete opposite of helping to encourage turnout and persuade voters that they can actually make a difference in the process. Of course, this could be easily be blamed on the quality of the candidates and don’t get me wrong, that is a significant factor.

But what’s equally frustrating is a presidential nomination process which sees candidates win individual states by significant numbers only to lose the delegate count to their opponent…

Cruz comes to Fargo

April 6th, 2016

This weekend, I had a chance to see presidential candidate Ted Cruz speak at the North Dakota GOP Convention in Fargo. He spoke to convention delegates hoping to convince them he was the right choice over Donald Trump. Actual voters don’t have a say in the process. Instead, the 25 delegates are chosen by party officials and convention goers. Ben Carson spoke as well on Trump’s behalf. At the end of the convention, Cruz was said to have the win taking 18 of 25 slots available. Final…

SXSW 2016: The big and the small

March 24th, 2016

Deftones at Spin's SXSW party at Stubb's

I first started going to SXSW with a Minneapolis band with Fargo roots called The Deaths, who got accepted to perform at the festival. They never went anywhere but ended up playing the festival twice and I got hooked on it. I just realized this week that this year was my 10th year going to Austin,, a lovely city that is much like Fargo in that it is a cultural oasis in a very conservative state.

With tons of food trucks, beer flowing and bands playing outdoors, what more could you ask…

Young voters not helping Sanders

March 18th, 2016

Tuesday was a bit of a blow for Bernie Sanders chances for the Presidency. Getting swept by Hillary Clinton in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri was not what his candidacy needed following the momentous upset victory in Michigan.

What is happening? Bernie Sanders wins when turnout is high and young people vote in higher numbers than normal. When they don’t, he loses. Unfortunately, it is much easier to share a Bernie Sanders meme on Facebook than get to the polls…

ND Democrats need to put up a Governor candidate

March 10th, 2016

Also: newsflash the media hates Sanders more than Cruz

The state party conventions are coming up at the end of the month in North Dakota for the Democrat and Republican parties in the state and as of this point, the Democrats have no announced candidates for statewide races including Governor.

There are rumors the Democrats may not put anyone up for Governor in part because Doug Burgum is running, someone who is not as conservative as other Republican candidates and would presumably take…

Festival Friend Taken Too Soon

March 3rd, 2016

This week I attended the funeral of a life taken too soon. It’s not a new story and certainly won’t be the last, but his friends and family hope his passing will lead to others getting help.

I didn’t know Zach Spieker that well. But the times I did encounter him, he was always a pleasure to be around and someone whom you immediately got along with and would gravitate towards. This was common for him. He loved going to music festivals and met many new people who he became instant…

Will Minnesota Give Bernie Some Much-Needed Momentum?

February 25th, 2016

The latest on the race for Presidential nominations has the frontrunners keeping their grip on the leads. Bernie Sanders needs a good turnout from young voters and soon. Hillary Clinton has been beating him in most demographics, including blacks and Hispanics, which some feel it’s impossible to win the Democratic nomination without.

He acknowledged this following a loss in Nevada, saying he was disappointed in their turnout efforts. However he thought it was basically a victory…