June 15th, 2026
Chris M. Stoner
I was recently dismissed from my role as drag show director and emcee for Dakota OutRight, a role I had been fulfilling for more than two decades. The reason given? My political commentary during shows, while “well-intentioned,” apparently left some audience members feeling “overwhelmed” and the group felt that the drag shows were a space that needed to be “protected” from this.
The words in quotes come directly from the obviously AI-generated message I…
May 26th, 2026
By Jim Fuglie
I was out for a walk on a fine Bismarck spring evening, strolling down 4th St. alongside the state capitol grounds, when I noticed some dirt work being done on the spot where the former governor’s residence had been, before it was demolished after a new house was built a few years ago, just 50 yards or so away. And the ground was torn up by vehicle tracks in the mud where the original driveway had been. So I walked through the mud and peered down into the hole where it…
April 24th, 2026
By Jim Fuglie
Okay, here I go again, warning (whining? complaining?) about another threat to the North Dakota badlands. Sorry. Please put up with me for a few hundred more words.
Now, some folks I don’t think want to put a landing strip for their personal private airplanes out in a pasture, on public lands, in the middle of the badlands, far away from any town, and close up against Theodore Roosevelt’s ranch, which is now a national park.
Some background.
Long ago — I’m not sure…
April 24th, 2026
By Curt Stofferahn
I thought that Grand Farms, once it had exhausted its first tranche of cash from both federal and state government, might just wither away from lack of sustenance. Despite original assurances that corporate agriculture industries would continue their support of Grand Farms, its lifeline has always been government subsidies.Now it appears that the federal government is again sinking millionsinto this project.
Unfortunately, the major beneficiaries will not be small…
April 15th, 2026
By Chris M. Stoner
Bryon Noem deserves to feel shame.
Not for his bimbofication fetish. As a drag queen for nearly a quarter of a century, I whole-heartedly think people should do more exploration of their gender and sexual identities. The world would be a much happier and more fulfilled place if people would take a little time to unpack all of those desires and interests they keep hidden away because someone, somewhere told them they were dirty. And that person who doled out that shame…
March 30th, 2026
By HPR Staff
I'm a Gen Xer who landed in Fargo in the late '90s, a small town kid who didn't know a soul. By sheer dumb luck I ended up at Ralph's, and that place gave me my people. Lifelong friends, the kind you don't find twice.
When Ralph's closed, a lot of us scattered. Those of us who stayed drifted from bar to bar looking for something that felt right. Most of it didn't. Then some of us found Dempsey's.
It wasn't just a bar. Dempsey's eventually built The Aquarium, which became the…
March 23rd, 2026
By Jim Fuglie
I’m feeling a little mean right now. It doesn’t happen often, but I tend to pay attention to politics and politicians and I’m pretty disappointed in one of our politicians right now. So I’m going to be mean to him.
His name is Doug Burgum.
Just so you know right off the bat, I voted for Doug Burgum. Once. It was in the Primary Election of 2016, and he was running against Wayne Stenehjem for the Republican nomination for North Dakota Governor. I didn’t so much vote…
January 15th, 2026
By Vern Thompson
Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words better capture the fragile nature of self-government.
Another warning comes to mind today from Colin Powell: “If you break it, you own it.” He was speaking about the Iraq War. Both warnings feel painfully relevant right now.
Over the past twelve months, we have…
January 15th, 2026
By Jim Fuglie
Want to live to be really old? Get yourself elected Governor of North Dakota. Our governors live a very long time. I thought about that recently with the passing of former Governor Allen Olson. He was 87 when he died in December.
The governor who he beat in 1980 to take the reins of state government was Art Link, who died in 2010. Link lived to be 96 years old. Bill Guy, who preceded Link, was 93 when he died in 2013. George Sinner, the Governor who beat Allen Olson in…
December 18th, 2025
By Chandler Esslinger
Across North Dakota right now, a familiar conversation is resurfacing. We hear the argument that harm reduction “enables” people, that syringe access encourages drug use, that naloxone keeps people addicted and that meeting people where they are somehow protects them from the “necessary” consequences of their actions. These programs are under fire not because they fail. They are under fire because they expose a worldview that worships punishment over…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen By all accounts, Democratic-Farmer-Labor U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar — first elected in 2006 — is the most popular active politician in Minnesota, whether she’s judged by polling or by her four electoral…
Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.Paradox Comics-N-Cards, 814 Main Ave., FargoCalling all nerds: it’s time to get down and nerdy with vendors aplenty, who are selling comics, toys, video games, board games, various collectibles…
June 6-7StatewideYou grab a line and I’ll grab a pole — and if you’re a North Dakota resident, you can head on down to your favorite fishing hole, no license needed (for this weekend, anyway). All other rules still apply…
By John Strand It took us over 30 years for us to reach out and ask for your help. The High Plains Reader has always been subscription free and paywall free. Our content has — and always will be — free to access for all of our…
By Ed RaymondWere women created to do the work of God?One of the first requests made by new Pope Leo XIV was to invite an expert on the alt-right conservative Catholic organization known as Opus Dei to brief him about its…
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 GionThe scarfing of canned fish and seafood products by online food influencer types is hard to miss on social media these days. Some of the consumed morsels range from exquisite to downright nasty. However, there are many…
By Bryce Vincent Haugen The curtain has come down on Jade Presents. Fargo-Moorhead’s largest event promoter has brought thousands of shows — more than 150 per year — and hundreds of artists to the area over the past 36 years. On…
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By Greg Carlson Steven Spielberg, who will turn 80 this December, returns to the subject of aliens among us in “Disclosure Day,” his first feature since “The Fabelmans” in 2022. Now closer to the end than the beginning of…
By Jacinta Zens I recently sat down for a chat with ceramicist Louie Albertson, Clay and Studio Program Manager at the Plains Art Museum. Before the interview, I had the pleasure of getting to know him a bit as a colleague when I…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
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 Eli Liverani Cholesterol is probably one of the first molecules I have ever heard of in my childhood. Most of the relatives on my mother's side had high cholesterol in their blood, and apparently, levels above a certain range…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
Chris M. Stoner I was recently dismissed from my role as drag show director and emcee for Dakota OutRight, a role I had been fulfilling for more than two decades. The reason given? My political commentary during shows, while…
