This guest post was submitted by Adam Duininck. He is the director of government affairs for North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters represents 27,000 carpenters, floor coverers, industrial workers, interior systems, millwrights, and pile drivers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. President…
Plain Talk: Supt. Baesler Says She’ll Plead Guilty to Any Charges Stemming From Arrest, Regrets Refusing Sobriety Tests
A week ago Superintendent Kirsten Baesler was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. On today’s episode of Plain Talk she talks about how she came to be arrested, why she refused to take sobriety tests, what she’s seeking in terms of treatment and counseling, and why North Dakota voters should give…
Plain Talk: This Year North Dakotans Will Likely Get Another Chance to Abolish Property Taxes at the Ballot Box
“I plan to raise in excess of $1.5 million for this.” That’s what state Rep. Rick Becker said on this episode of Plain Talk. He was describing a nascent campaign behind a new ballot measure, which would amend the state constitution to end North Dakota property taxes. The plan is to rely on donations from…
Plain Talk: Senator Cramer Says There’s Been Much “Distasteful Cheerleading for a Health Disaster” in Coronavirus Response
Much of the political and news media response to the coronavirus outbreak is “distasteful cheerleading for a health disaster.” That’s what Senator Kevin Cramer said on this episode of Plain Talk. Condemning a recent New York Times piece referring to coronavirus as “Trump’s virus,” Cramer said, “I don’t there’s any question some of the response…
Plain Talk: Republican Legislative Incumbent Talks Pragmatism and Policy Versus Politics
Rep. Steve Vetter is a Republican from District 18 in Grand Forks. He was one of the Republican candidates elected in blue districts in North Dakota during the Trump wave of 2016. On this episode of Plain Talk, Vetter talks about how he won in a traditionally blue district, what he’s done since winning including…
Plain Talk: Seeking a Third Term, Superintendent Baesler Says She’s Saved Parents Millions on College Tuition
Why should North Dakota Superintendent Kirsten Baesler get a third term in office? For one thing, she has saved North Dakotans millions on college tuition by expanding access to for high school students to courses that earn them college credit while still enrolled in the K-12 system. Baesler estimates that this policy has saved students…
Plain Talk: “We Have to Make Sure That Coal Is Treated Fairly” Says Senator Hoeven
“We need to make sure that coal is treated fairly,” Senator John Hoeven said on this episode of Plain Talk. He talks about the struggles the North Dakota coal industry is facing, and what policies can be put in place to make the energy markets fairer. Hoeven says he is working to get the coal…
While America Hamstrings Coal, Japan Invests
Coal’s decline is rooted in politics, not economics. Our various levels of government, lobbied heavily by the renewable energy industry and environmental activists, have put their fingers on the scale of the energy markets. Continue reading…
Land Board Is Being Unreasonable, and Not at All Transparent, on Royalty Payments
Worse, in the lead-up to these letters, the state’s Board of University and School Lands (which counts Gov. Doug Burgum and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, among other statewide elected officials, among its membership) met repeatedly behind closed doors — almost a half-dozen times in the last three months according to the Bismarck Tribune — to…
Plain Talk: Seven Years in the Making, Fighting Sioux Documentary to Be in Theaters This Spring
Bismarck-based filmmaker Matt Fern has been making a documentary about the controversy around the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname for seven years now. This spring, he’s finally ready to put it in front of audiences. The film, now called Fighting Over Sioux, will get a theatrical release in North Dakota this spring, to…