“It’s pretty obvious that Dr. Feldner, who’s had 20 plus years of dedicated service to the state, was fired in part because the Chancellor needed budget money to hire his former Navy buddy,” state Rep. Roscoe Streyle, a Republican from Minot, told me yesterday. Streyle is not alone in his opinion. In recent weeks I have received…
Report From 2016 Alleges Inappropriate Language, Gender Bias From NDUS Chancellor
Until last week Lisa Feldner was a vice chancellor in the North Dakota University System, but Chancellor Mark Hagerott fired her. Allegedly for “making derogatory comments to staff” and “suggesting they could lose their jobs,” my colleague Patrick Springer reported yesterday. I’m told by university system sources that Feldner was fired by email but then…
Taking Over the Noon Hour on WDAY
I’m delighted to announced that, starting on September 27, I’ll be taking over the noon show on WDAY AM970 and 93.1 FM. Current host Sandy Buttweiler is leaving us, sadly. Here’s the new lineup going forward: AM Fargo-Moorhead with Mike Kapel 7:30 – 9 The Mike McFeely Show 9am to Noon The Rob (re)Port Noon to 2pm The Jay…
Does Anyone Actually Know What Senator Heidi Heitkamp Wants to Do on Healthcare?
North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp talks a big game about being a centrist moderate who likes to work with Republicans. That this desire to work with Republicans is more manifest the closer Heitkamp is to an election year in this deeply Republican state is noteworthy, and perhaps an indication that Heitkamp’s words are something less…
Let the Kids Mow the Lawns
Last week the country got a heart warming story out of the White House, a rare feat in any political age. Frank “FX” Giaccio, an entrepreneurial minded eleven-year-old with his own lawn care business sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking if he could mow the lawn of the executive residence. On Friday the kid…
Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s Voting Pattern Moves Away From Democrats the Closer She Gets to Election Day
Senator Heidi Heitkamp invests a lot of time in cultivating an image of herself as a centrist. A moderate Democrat. That’s why Heitkamp is playing patty cake with President Donald Trump, a man most of her Democratic base sees as a tyrant. But Republicans, and the NDGOP specifically, tell a different story. They argue that…
Voters Getting Call From Pollster Testing Becker, Schmidt Against Heitkamp
Multiple SAB readers contacted me last night and this morning saying they’ve been getting polled on potential match ups in North Dakota’s 2018 Senate race. Incumbent Democrat Heidi Heitkamp announced that she’s running for re-election this morning, which is news to exactly nobody given the millions from out of state she’s already been stuffing in…
We Have Got to Start Holding Local Leaders Responsible for Property Tax Hikes
Property taxes are going up across the state – Fargo, notably, just approved a big hike which has many citizens upset – and predictably local leaders are already passing the buck. These are people who will rant until blue in the face about local control, but try getting them to accept some local accountability for…
Podcast: ND Insurance Commish Says Worker’s Comp Ballot Measure “Not Something I’m Asking For”
Yesterday I interviewed state Rep. Marvin Nelson about a proposed ballot measure he’s backing which would expand worker’s compensation insurance to workers like volunteer firefighters and mental maladies related to the workplace. It would also move Workforce Safety & Insurance, the state-owned insurance company which has a monopoly on worker’s compensation insurance in North Dakota,…
Podcast: State Rep. Marvin Nelson Talks About Proposed Ballot Measure Expanding State Worker’s Compensation Coverage
In North Dakota, worker’s compensation insurance is a monopoly. If you own a business you are required to purchase worker’s compensation coverage for your employees, and the only place you can get it is the state-run Workforce Safety & Insurance. Despite this – or because of it, depending on your point of view – North…
