August 24th, 2016
By Tom Bixby
tom@hpr1.com
On April 22, 2004, a Brazilian ship full of soybeans arrived in the Chinese port of Xiamen. It was not allowed to unload its cargo.
AQSIQ is a ministerial administrative organ directly under the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, in charge of import-export food safety. AQSIQ inspectors said there were “poisonous red seeds” mixed in with the soybeans, and that any shipment with even one red seed in it, that is, one individual bean infected with…
July 27th, 2016
By Tessa Torgeson
Home is a tangled web at the core of all of our stories -- that beautiful ugly mess that we try to escape, sometimes denying the way that it shapes and morphs us. As we mature we realize that home is more than a dot on a map. Like it or not, home is a place that we will one day return to, although each of our pilgrimages veer in different directions. Home can haunt us, but it can also heal us.
I grew up landlocked smack dab in the heartland of Bismarck, North Dakota. I…
July 27th, 2016
“…by 1934 money was moving out through PWA [The Public Works Administration] into the hands of contractors, manufacturers, engineers, laborers, truckers, carpenters, architects, and deep into the arteries of the economy.” – James MacGregor Burns, Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox, 1956
“Forty-seven percent of self-identified Democrats describe themselves as economic and social liberals, according to a Gallup poll released last June (2016). That's up from 39 percent in 2008 and…
July 20th, 2016
By Anonymous
As we all click click click on our computers or phones, protected by the shield of the illuminated screen, we find ourselves obsessively reading manifestos in favor of political, economical and societal change. Sometimes we even muster up the courage to post a statement ourselves. It satisfies us; we find ourselves full with the feeling of altruism.
This virtual reality has us convinced that we are each advocates for every social issue, every minority, every Constitutional…
June 15th, 2016
By Zac Echola
Fargo's city commission voted, among other tax incentives, to loan about $6 million to three of the richest people in the state, at least one of whom is still referred to as a philanthropist by the local daily in stories having nothing to do with philanthropy.
Meanwhile in Omaha, Nebraska, philanthropists there raised $7 million to create a new free library of laser cutters, 3D printers, computers and meeting spaces. Do Space gives gigabit internet to anyone in the public.…
June 8th, 2016
Nikki Berglund was in her restaurant, Luna Fargo, 1545 University Drive South, in the Southside Shopping Center, at the beginning of the lunch rush.
“A little boy around four years old came in by himself and was selling plastic flowers with pens attached.”
“We asked what he was selling them for and he said so he could ‘go to Disneyland’”
He had no adult with him. Berglund asked him where his mom was. “He pointed to a vehicle outside. At no point did he make eye contact with…
May 6th, 2016
“Democratic-NPL lawmakers called on Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple this morning to call a special legislative session to address…budget cuts to human services and property taxes. [They]said the budget cuts should be amended legislatively to fully preserve property tax cuts made to residents as well as programs used by North Dakota families that could be negatively impacted. The…proposal would move approximately $40.6 million from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund to…
March 30th, 2016
“Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now…” - Cole Porter
“When the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom he destroys.” - George Orwell
“…there’s not a thing wrong with the ideals and mechanisms outlined and the liberties set forth in the Constitution of the United States. The only problem was, the founders left a lot of people out of the Constitution. They left out poor people and black people and female people. It is possible to read the history of this…
February 22nd, 2016
“Here's a warning about watching the Iowa caucuses: There's not a lot to watch and the process is mostly incomprehensible.” - USA Today, 02/01/16
“Even as candidates fight from state to state, the real objective in their minds is the total number of delegates needed to secure the nomination. Achieving that number means ginning up enthusiasm, especially among base voters in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, because the more energy generated, the…
January 18th, 2016
By Elaine Beitelspacher
In light of recent events I have spent some time educating myself on the history of the Middle East. Needless to say, this is an enormous topic and I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I have learned a few things that I think would be helpful for people to know. To make a very long story short, the history of the Middle East is a history of the rise and fall of empires. There were the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Ottoman Turks to…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
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 After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
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 Filmmaker Antonella Sudasassi Furniss constructs an engaging sophomore feature with “Memories of a Burning Body,” selected by Costa Rica to be entered for consideration as a possible Oscar…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
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 Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
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 Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…
