August 5th, 2015
To the editor:
So how many new police officers can Fargo hire by eliminating the two-year property tax break for new homeowners? To think this community still has this tax break is mind binding. With local unemployment and interest rates well below five percent, new homes will sell without giving any special tax favors to the Home Builders Association.
The City Commission, the Park Board and the School Board can easily reduce their spending levels close to the rate of inflation or even a…
August 5th, 2015
To the editor:
“Why not?” I thought. Why not roll up my sleeves and really try to do something about the oligarchy we find ourselves in, which only seems to get worse by the minute. So I went to the coffee house meeting along with 40 other folks of all ages. We accomplished much that night. I have never volunteered for a campaign and I’ve never been so jazzed in all my life. On June 29, more than 150 people showed up to our first fundraiser. We raised over $400 at Beers for Bernie…
July 22nd, 2015
To the editor:
As the race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 heats up, there needs to be a very clear distinction made between the two frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. That distinction can be summed up in one subject of particular importance not just to labor, but to all middle class and working families in America: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and in particular the fight against what was called “trade promotion…
July 9th, 2015
To the editor:
With a $2 billion surplus, we had a great opportunity this year to make college more affordable for Minnesota students – and for good reason. Many families and students struggle with the cost of a quality higher education, and Minnesota ranks fourth in the nation in student debt.
Unfortunately, students at the Minnesota State University in Moorhead recently learned that they will receive a tuition hike next year. Raising tuition is essentially a tax increase, because…
July 1st, 2015
To the editor:
The conversation of race is happening all around us in cities like Ferguson, Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Spokane, McKinney and Charleston. People are asking ‘Is racism a problem?’ In the face of these discussions we are raising the same questions here at home. Shootings, murders, knife fights, bar brawls leading to death, high speed police chases, an officer suicide, a new police chief and police raids, sometimes with SWAT teams occurring more…
June 24th, 2015
To the editor:
I was diagnosed with kidney disease in January 2010. This is the toughest thing that I ever went through in my life, and I want to help others avoid what I am going through.
Over 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet only 10 percent are aware they have it. There are more than 450,000 people in the U.S. on dialysis for kidney failure, and Medicare spends over $87 billion on the care of people with CKD. Investment in research and programs to improve…
June 17th, 2015
To the editor:
The Army Corps says the cost to protect the graves of those buried in cemeteries upstream of the diversion project is $14 million, and it’s not worth it. The proposed Fargo diversion will cause those cemeteries to flood. They’re wrong, and it’s sad. They have already paid more than $10 million for a clubhouse at a private golf course, but a modicum of respect for the people who devoted all they had to give us life and a future isn’t worth it. Residents of North…
May 14th, 2015
Fargo’s Diversion leaders have spent $60 million in taxpayer funds on a ring dike, buyouts and a golf course for Oxbow, ND. Oxbow is located above the floodplain, had already bought out its flood prone houses and, according to its mayor, had just recently completed near 500 year level flood protection. Its existing 18 hole private golf course, heavily in debt with a history of losing money, did not deserve a public bailout.
Fargo’s Diversion leaders gambled this huge sum on the…
April 8th, 2015
To the editor:
After reading Rob Port’s column titled “Time to End the Corporate Farming Ban” I came to the frightening conclusion that he perhaps knows even less about farming than I do. It certainly left me none the wiser about any benefits of this bill.
Given his self-proclaimed expertise in this matter, I would have expected more of a marshaling of the facts and a logical analysis to support his position that passing this legislation was a good thing. However, most of his column…
March 25th, 2015
In January of last year I wrote an opinion piece for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead challenging the new city hall proposal. I was concerned that our commissioners were not prioritizing needs over wants. I was also curious about the price tag since, at the time, we had very little information as to where the building would be or how big it would be.The original estimate for Fargo’s new city hall was $8-12 million. Predictably, the city hall I thought we were debating morphed into a $30…
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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…
May 24-25, 1-4 p.m.Yunker Farm & Dog Park, 1201 28th Avenue N., Fargo.Who’s ready for a fun filled family friendly day of enchantment and imagination ignition? Kids of all ages file in for kite flying, a fairy parade, scavenger…
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.comHow many cardinals in red look at Michelangelo’s sexy ceiling?Michelangelo finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1512. It is examined and admired by millions every year. The…
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 In a Sundance profile for feature debut “The Ugly Stepsister,” which opened the festival’s 2025 Midnight section, filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt described growing up “in a tiny village…
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…
