Letters to the Editor

To the editor:

The USDA has recently just released a new rule regarding Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef products. I’m happy that beef products being born, raised, and slaughtered in the USA will now be the only products that can receive the “Product of the USA” label, “Made in the USA” label, or an American flag on packaging. However, their extension date of Jan 1 of 2026 is way too long to wait to require compliance. Companies can even ask for a deadline extension.…

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Degrading the Humanity of All Involved

To the editor:

Learning a new name for someone can be hard, new pronouns, even

moreso. Gender-neutral pronouns seem to vex more than most, though the

grammar has long been a part of our language.

An easy way to remember to use gender-neutral pronouns is to pretend like

you don’t know the gender of the person you’re talking about. (e.g. Someone

left their car keys behind. They’ll come back soon.)

How the media talk about gender can shift societal…

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Dear Editor,

The North Dakota legislative session has started to pick up. Many of the bills that have come before the committees are just cleaning up some language; others that are yet to come are troubling.

The bills that I am currently the most concerned about are as follows.

Senate Bill 2150 is meant to clean up and merge the language from multiple other statutes and counter the trigger ban currently in the court system. The new bill is the lesser of two evils; however, it is still a…

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To the editor:

After my first week as a Representative in the North Dakota legislature, I found myself spending the weekend with an IV in my arm at the hospital in Hettinger. It wasn’t the legislature’s fault.

Not feeling well while visiting my son’s family in Bowman, I came to Hettinger’s West River Health Services clinic-- 40 miles away and open on a Saturday. From the minute I walked in the door, my medical treatment was equal to any I’ve previously had, which includes Mayo,…

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To the editor,

In 2018, I became the first Native Democratic woman elected to the North Dakota State Legislature. I proudly serve my district and advocate for my community. COVID-19 made headlines when it ravaged the Native community, as have many health and wellness issues throughout my life and career.

There’s one health inequity Native populations face that isn’t making headlines anymore - HIV/AIDS.

The U.S. HIV epidemic has become more concentrated in marginalized and…

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To the editor,

Five years ago, I nearly lost my life to leukemia because I couldn’t afford my medication. Even though my doctors warned me the cancer would return if I didn’t take the medicine, I did not fill my prescription because I couldn’t afford the $2,400 a month co-pay. Luckily, I found the same medicine at a more affordable cost of $680 a month through a Canadian pharmacy.

My story is shockingly common. Surveys have found that one in three adults did not take a medication as…

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To the editor,

As coronavirus vaccines continue to roll out in North Dakota, people without Internet access are asking where they can get vaccination information and how they get signed up for the vaccine.

Getting information to people without online access is critical so they can also get in line until such time when supply of the vaccine meets demand.

Those who don’t have access to a computer should first contact their health care provider. If you don’t have a provider, call the N.D.…

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To the Editor:

AARP North Dakota strongly opposes a bill in the N.D. Legislature that grants nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care (LTC) facilities immunity related to COVID-19.

House Bill 1175 strips away the rights of residents and their families to seek legal redress and hold facilities accountable when residents are harmed, neglected, or abused.

In North Dakota, about 10,000 people live in these facilities. More than 840 COVID-related deaths (approximately…

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Nyamal Dei, Board Member
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
(701) 318-5167

Friday, May 22, 2020

Dear Editor,
An unfortunate situation arose this past week when a news story developed around COVID-19 cases in Fargo-area nursing homes and noted that past federal inspections indicated there were failures to sufficiently address infection control procedures at these facilities.

Comments to Valley News Live from North Dakota Long Term Care President Shelly Peterson gave a false…

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To the editor:

The holiday season is one of the very best times of the year to energize your spirit of generosity, thanksgiving and giving back. For the countless nonprofits serving our community, it is also a critical time of year for their financial stability.

The phrase “any amount will help” is certainly used a great deal throughout the year, but when it comes to gifts during the holiday season, it is so unbelievably true.

According to a new study from the Lilly School of…

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