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…
November 18th, 2025
By Vern Thompson
Personal background and historical perspective
My deep concern about tariffs stems from my background as a fourth generation North Dakota farmer. Having lived through the 1980s farm crisis as a young farmer, I witnessed firsthand the challenges that devastated rural America. During that period, we endured a grain embargo against the Soviet Union, interest rates of 19.25% on operating loans and the worst drought since the 1930s. The combination…
September 23rd, 2025
By Vern Thompson
Moral accountability and the crisis of leadership
As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in their shoes. I believe in a higher power and hold myself to a set of morals, yet I fail at something every day. Despite those failures, I strive for progress, not perfection. It is this journey of humility and honesty that shapes my view of leadership today.…
June 19th, 2025
By Vern Thompson
Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very hard workers. Work in the oil fields isn't for everyone. It involves long hours away from home and family for long periods, affecting thousands of people.
The mindset and philosophy are much different in the Bakken than those of my friends back home. Don't get…
June 19th, 2025
By Jim Fuglie
I’ll never get used to spending the night in a motel room in Hettinger, North Dakota. After all, it’s my hometown. For more than 40 years there was a “Fuglie House” in Hettinger, including one with a barn.
That was the “Johns House,” named for a pioneer doctor who had built it and later, after he had retired and moved away, rented it to my father. It’s still there.
The doctor had bought a big chunk of a block across from the court house…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen There are three Fargo Park Board seats up for election June 9. Park Board President Vicki Dawson and long-time member Dr. Joe Deutsch announced their reelection bids, but board member Aaron Hill is vacating…
By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…
Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m.Fargodome, 1800 University Dr. N, FargoHeralded as "The Nicest Man in Stand-Up" by The Atlantic, Nate Bargatze is also one of the top-grossing comedians, breaking both streaming and attendance records. Now…
By Sabrina Hornung In the last week of March, we heard about an AI education droid visiting the White House as the first lady made a pitch to replace teachers with androids. In an interview with conservative commentator Benny…
By Ed RaymondWhy do women make up only 2% of humans on death row? In the 16th Century, when the Roman Catholic Pope refused to grant Henry VIII of England a divorce so he could marry the beautiful Anne Boleyn, he told the Pope and…
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 Gion A brand new food event called the "ONE BITE Challenge" will launch in downtown Fargo on May 23. Rocky Schneider, executive director of the Downtown Community Partnership told us more. HPR: Hi Rocky. Thank you for…
By John ShowalterAs hip-hop started to make its way into the national spotlight in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was largely split into two camps, “East Coast” and “West Coast”. Not content to be left out of a…
By Blaise Balas As many Fargoans will tell you, it is almost vanishingly rare that our town gets any kind of major recognition, let alone placement in a movie. Movies are reserved for New York, Chicago, Boston — you know, the big…
By Sabrina Hornung Something wicked (and wonderful) this way comes to this year’s Plains Art Gala. With the theme being “Nightmare at the Museum,” the Plains Art Museum is partnering up with Drekker and Brewhalla as…
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 Ellie Liverani In November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…
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…
By Chris M. StonerBryon 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…
