Environmental activists, many of whom would like to stop the development of oil resources entirely, like to talk a lot about oil spills in North Dakota. Which, on the face of it, is entirely fair. Oil spills are unequivocally bad. Nobody wants them to happen. When they do happen the public should be aware of…
Heidi Heitkamp’s Political Allies Hire Actors to Play Stereotypical “Cranky” and “Trusting” North Dakotans With Accents
Priorities USA is a Super PAC founded by Barack Obama campaign alumni which supported the Obama campaign in 2012 as well as the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. They’ve gotten involved in the 2018 election campaign by running ads attacking Congressman Kevin Cramer. You’ve probably seen the ad being promoted on Facebook: Here’s one version…
Senator Oley Larsen: Dental Therapy Is Working in Minnesota, Why Not North Dakota?
This guest post was submitted by state Senator Oley Larsen, a Republican representing District 3 in Minot. I recently had the chance to visit with University of Minnesota faculty and tour dental businesses in our neighboring state that are teaching dental therapy and using dental therapists. And to be brief, it’s working! This free market…
Former West Fargo Police Chief Arland Rasmussen appears in a campaign ad for Senator Heidi Heitkamp.
Bizarro World: Democratic Senate Incumbent Heidi Heitkamp Uses Self-Described Trump Voter to Defend Her Record on Border Security
You can always tell when a political campaign has landed a punch when they inspire a television rebuttal from the other side. And what a strange world we’re living in when a Democratic incumbent like Senator Heidi Heitkamp is using a Trump voter to defend her voting record. A tacit acknowledgement from Democrats of how…
Parents: We Oppose Revocation of Our Daycare’s License
This letter, submitted for publication by the signatories including every parent with a child at Curious Kids Childcare, oppose the state’s removal of that business’ child care license. A PDF of their letter, including their signatures, is below. We, the parents of children attending Curious Kids Childcare, are at odds with the State’s decision to…
Print Column: Are Capricious State Regulators Contributing to ND’s Child Care Shortage?
MINOT, N.D.—One of the most bedeviling problems facing the great state of North Dakota are chronic labor shortages, as generations of policymakers can attest. A factor in labor shortages is a paucity of services such as child care. Contributing to the child care shortage, perhaps, is a regulatory regime for care providers which is both…
North Dakota University Presidents Get “Reminder” About Policies Prohibiting Retaliation Against Whistle Blowers
Earlier today I wrote about a state lawmaker Emily O’Brien, a former University of North Dakota employee who feels she was treated unprofessionally by superiors there because of political biases. Specifically she says Provost Thomas DiLorenzo made disparaging comments about Republican lawmakers, generally, and was upset that O’Brien specifically defeated former lawmaker and North Dakota…
Print Column: It’s Time for North Dakota to Legalize Pot
MINOT, N.D.—This week organizers of a ballot measure aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana turned in an estimated 18,700 signatures to the secretary of state’s office. By law they needed less than 14,000 to qualify for the November ballot. Barring some unforeseen problems with the petitions this issue will be before North Dakota voters in the…
Republican Lawmaker Alleges Political Discrimination at the University of North Dakota
Until the end of January Emily O’Brien, a first-term lawmaker from District 42 in Grand Forks, worked at the University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation. She left the gig, she says, because of unprofessional conduct from her superiors including political hostility from Provost Thomas DiLorenzo: Before she was elected to the North Dakota House…
Organizers of Ballot Measure to Create First Responder License Plates Turn in About 15,000 Signatures
Today was deadline day for ballot measures to be included on the November ballot. Earlier today the folks behind the recreational marijuana ballot measure turned in over 18,000 signatures. This evening the folks behind a ballot measure to create a special license plate for first responders turned in about 15,000. The law requires 13,452 signatures…