MINOT, N.D. — Last year, former Rep. Matt Eidson, a Democrat from Grand Forks, took summer internships working for the Grand Forks Herald and Prairie Public. I was critical, arguing that you can’t be a member of the news media and an elected official at the same time. The objectives of those two jobs are…
Heitkamp May Just Be the Wrong Color Woman
MINOT, N.D. — Heidi Heitkamp is a finalist to be Joe Biden’s Secretary of Agriculture. I say this as someone who has a dim view of Heitkamp’s politics and leadership qualities, generally, but she’s probably about the best North Dakotans and conservatives could hope for when it comes to the people Biden could choose to…
Sturgis Pandemic Coverage Has Been a Black Eye for the Media
MINOT, N.D. — It has been a struggle to get Americans to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. You don’t need me to tell you that resistance to guidelines like masking and social distancing has been rampant. There are many reasons for this, but a big one is the shamefully sensationalistic way the pandemic has been…
Ideas Need to Matter More Than Identity
MINOT, N.D. — Recently, the folks at Minot State University invited me to take part in another of their Campus and Community Dialogues. This is the second time I’ve been invited — the first event focused on the role of humanities on the modern campus — and each time the discussion was as illuminating as…
Supreme Court Rebuffs Burgum’s Bid to Appoint D8 Lawmaker
MINOT, N.D. — In the battle over who gets to decide who will fill one of North Dakota House District 8’s two seats in the Legislature, I thought Gov. Doug Burgum had the strong legal case. Today, Nov. 24, the state Supreme Court disagreed, finding in a unanimous decision that the vacancy can be filled…
Controversial Bastiat Caucus Refuses to Divulge Which Elected Leaders Are Members
There are four identified on the group’s website — Rep. Dan Ruby (R-Minot), Rep. Tom Kading (R-Fargo), Larsen, and Rep. Ben Koppelman (R-West Fargo) are all named as leaders — and with Becker, that makes five confirmed members. Who are the other 25? We can make some good guesses based on various lawmakers’ public statements, but there’s nothing official…
Please Talk About Politics This Thanksgiving
MINOT, N.D. — Articles giving you tips on how to handle political discussions with your family have become a holiday season cliche in the news media. The proverbial “crazy uncle” has become a stock character in these annual tip-sheets, and the advice on offer can usually be summed up with “don’t bother.” Except, we do…
2 ND Cities Refuse to Participate in COVID-19 Sewage Study for Ideological Reasons
MINOT, N.D. — We can learn a lot from poop. It may surprise you, but sewage from our communities is used to collect data, which, in turn, drives public policy decisions. Often in unexpected ways. In western North Dakota, when the boom in oil development drove a similar boom in population, it was difficult for…
Give It Up, Republicans. Trump Lost
MINOT, N.D. — It’s hard to lose. It’s hard to be lectured about losing gracefully by people who did anything but in 2016, when it was clear that Donald Trump had won the election and the Democrats were already plotting ways to derail his administration, up to and including impeachment. Many of them the same…
LIVE: Watch the Panel Discussion ‘Statues of Dead White Men: Do They Matter?’ at 7 P.m. Tonight
MINOT — Watch a livestream of tonight’s Minot State University panel discussion “Statues of Dead White Men: Do They Matter?” right here at 7 p.m. Forum News Service columnist Rob Port is among the panelists. MSU History Professor Bethany Andreasen and State Historical Society of North Dakota Director Bill Peterson will also take part. You…