February 28th, 2025
By Gilbert Kuipers
I live in North Dakota District 24 and have been challenging the district Republicans about their understanding of climate science for years. There has been no serious response to my letters to the editor in the Valley City Times Record, Bismarck Tribune, and Fargo Forum. In 2022, I spent about $1,000 on Valley City ads, trying unsuccessfully to get a serious response. It would be nice to have a meaningful discussion to understand what they…
February 21st, 2025
By Winona LaDuke
Some days I just sit out by Bad Medicine Lake in the no internet zone. (Well at least last time I checked, there were no bars on those roads towards Rice Lake in the back country.) That’s remarkable; no bars, a free zone. In this day and age, we sit at our keyboards, day in and day out…and yet some places have no internet and they survive.
A long time ago, we Anishinaabe came from the Sky world. That’s to say that the first woman came down…
January 17th, 2025
By Jim Fuglie
A friend of mine, a well-known Bismarck liberal (I have a few of those), came up to me after church the other day and asked, “So, are you moving out of the country?”
I knew he was referring to the future of America, in light of November’s presidential election. It’s kind of been a half-joking theme among those of us who aren’t happy with the outcome of that election.
I said that I was taking deep breaths and staying put, but that my wife had…
December 2nd, 2024
By Curtis W. Stofferahn, Ph.D.
Curtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu
In June, two events markedly contrasted the difference between two different visions of agriculture: precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture. The dedication of the Grand Farm Innovation Shop and Midwest Ag Summit Panel presented the precision agriculture side of the contrast, while the Barnes County Historical Society's and Dakota Resource Council’s sponsorship of John Ikerd’s presentation “50 Years That…
November 23rd, 2024
By Faye Seidler
My name is Faye Seidler and I’m a suicide prevention advocate and a champion of hope. I think it is fair to say that we’ve been living through difficult times and it may be especially challenging to see the way forward today. But I want to assure people there is still a way forward, there is still hope, and we can still leave a better world for both our kids and theirs.
I understand that without context, the weight of those words means pretty…
November 20th, 2024
By Jim Fuglie
Okay, so last month I promised you a woman President of the United States. So much for my predictability quotient.
Lesson 1: Never promise something you can’t control. And nobody, not even Melania, can control Donald Trump.
The rest of my predictions were not too bad. I just missed a big one. By a mile. I predicted Republicans were pretty much going to sweep North Dakota, though. I got that right.
But I was pretty confident all along that Donald…
October 25th, 2024
By Dina Butcher
In 1938, when my parents were living in Germany, my father — along with 30,000 other Jewish men — was rounded up by Nazi Stormtroopers during an event known as Kristallnacht. He was taken to a concentration camp and performed forced labor until some relatives were able to secure his release. Shortly after this horrible experience, he began planning to bring his family to the United States. His mother, sisters, and several other relatives stayed…
October 21st, 2024
By Curtis Stofferahn
curtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu
In1915, Arthur Townley, an organizer for North Dakota's Socialist Party, witnessed a session of the state legislature where legislators were poised to discuss the establishment of a state-owned terminal elevator aimed at granting the state's farmers a degree of control over the marketing of their wheat. Amidst the fervent debate surrounding the elevator, Treadwell Twitchell, a Representative from Cass County, reportedly admonished…
October 17th, 2024
By Terry Kalil
Public libraries are making headlines nationwide and have become an unexpected target of efforts to limit individual rights, freedom of speech and critical thinking. Nationwide, Minnesota has taken a strong leadership stance in protecting Andrew Carnegie’s vision of public libraries as “dedicated to the diffusion of knowledge.” As a 2013 National Public Radio article noted, during the Depression when no one had any money, people went there to…
September 19th, 2024
By Jim Fuglie
“The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
You might recall that memorable line, uttered by Dick the Butcher, from perhaps the least memorable of Shakespeare’s plays, “Henry VI.” I’ve been thinking about it because I’ve been thinking about lawyers. And governors.
It’s been 40 years since North Dakota had a lawyer in the governor’s chair. That could be coming to an end. Because right now, our congressman, Kelly Armstrong,…
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By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Rodeo is a family tradition for sisters Kate and Tera Flitton. The duo performs under the moniker Stellar Trick Riding Cowgirls. The Utah natives will be performing along with bareback riders,…
Saturday, April 19, 8 p.m. doors open at 7 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 N Broadway, FargoCheck out this cult classic on the big screen as a live band performs along with David Bowie’s vocals, all while basking in the Art Deco glory…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…
By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comThe wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red tiesA hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Photos by Rick GionLiving in downtown Fargo has its perks. One of them is taking walks along Broadway and peeking into the restaurants and shops for a glimpse of what’s new. Sometimes this makes a…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Given the volume of existing media material on the topic, longtime admirers of legendary documentarian Errol Morris might wonder why he would elect to become the umpteenth person to cover the…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Chad Nodland, "Artistic Freedom"On January 19, 2025, the last full day of Joe Biden’s presidency, he commuted Leonard Peltier's two consecutive life sentences to home confinement at his…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Gilbert Kuipersgilbertkuipers@outlook.com I live in North Dakota District 24 and have been challenging the district Republicans about their understanding of climate science for years. There has been no serious response to my…
