For the last decade or so, North Dakota has had around 100,000 active deer hunters, plus or minus a few thousand in any given year. All of us should be interested in the upcoming series of deer management meetings the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has scheduled around the state during the last two…
Ralph Kingsbury Column: Because I Can
I often have to walk with a cane. I often am not sure when that will be so in order to not be in a situation that causes problems for me and for others, especially those who do not know me there are times when I carry the cane with me. Because of my problem…
Julie Fedorchak Column: We Don't Have To Choose Between Energy Development And Environmental Stewardship
A debate is occurring in our state about economic development versus environmental and cultural preservation. It’s a healthy discussion. However, like too many important policy issues today, the extreme positions dominate the discourse. Opponents of any and all fossil fuel development are motivated and organized to stop it, while forces against government interference fight any…
Flynn Column: Number Employed In Williston Now Rivals Grand Forks
The big story for North Dakota is not just about oil in western North Dakota, it is about the adjustments to the underlying economic dynamics in the state. Consider the situation of labor markets in two North Dakota cities, Williston and Grand Forks. These data are for the Williston micropolitan area and the Grand Forks…
Aaland Column: Diversion Alternative Puts Flood Protection Above Special Interests
Two weeks ago the Mndak Upstream Coalition detailed an alternative to Fargo’s diversion plan that would put Fargo first and deliver the same level of protection for the FM Metro without impacting upstream communities. If the southern inlet to the FM Diversion is moved three miles north, all impacts to Richland and Wilkin Counties would…
Glawe Column: Do North Dakota Leaders Share Blame For Homeless Man's Amputations?
Let me ask you something, not as North Dakotans, but as human beings: What is your reaction to the following headline? Man moves to North Dakota looking for work, ends up homeless and living in a dumpster If it’s that Wayne Williams, the subject of Lauren Donovan’s story in Tuesday’s Bismarck Tribune, should have planned…
From The Left: Should Public Accusers Have More Privacy?
Yesterday Rob broke a still developing story about a former employee at the Ag Department who had filed complaints against Commissioner Doug Goehring concerning his professional conduct in the work place. In order to investigate his story, Rob was able to acquire copies of the complaints this employee made, as well as copies of the…
Doug Leier Column: Break Your Fishing Routine
Like a lot of people, I’m often guilty of following a routine. That’s particularly true when it comes to choosing fishing spots. Year after year I can fish the same lakes, recall past visits, and assess the current state – whether the water is up or down, or whether there are more or fewer people…
Kingsbury Column: Lynn Helms Is Right About Public Comment
Lynn Helms, and if you don’t know who he is you don’t know enough about North Dakota to be offering an opinion, or even reading this column or any of the inevitable comments it will generate, got into trouble with some because in responding to the Attorney Generals “Special Places” proposal he said he didn’t…
Nelson Column: Enjoy Your Property Tax Relief North Dakota, It Won't Last
Like a good magician, Cass County Auditor Mike Monplaisir’s recent editorial on North Dakota property tax is nothing but slight of hand. He hopes to distract readers from the real issue–that property taxes have been out of control for the last ten years and people are losing their homes because of it–by pointing out that…