Month: March 2013

So Jack Dalrymple didn’t veto the abortion bills. Well, that’s okay. In North Dakota, there’s another way to veto bad legislation. It’s called referral. It’s what we need to do now. The Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, decided to put one measure, SCR 4009, on the ballot for us to vote on next year. I … Continue reading In North Dakota, The People Still Rule

Well, we won the first round on this one. Here’s the first couple of paragraphs from a Bismarck Tribune story, which was posted about 9 o’clock this morning on their website: XTO pulls Elkhorn drilling plan By LAUREN DONOVAN | Bismarck Tribune             The company that staked oil wells near the boundary line of the … Continue reading A Bullet Dodged

Stop me if you’ve heard this. I’ve told this story before. You can just go about your business. Or you can read on and see if I tell it the same way as you heard it last time. The rest of you, I hope you like it. Eleven and a half years ago, cancer claimed … Continue reading An Anniversary Story

As I mentioned in my story about the proposed oil well to be drilled right beside the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I wanted to clarify the actual process for getting a drilling permit application approved. Today the nice lady at the Industrial Commission office did that for me. The Oil and … Continue reading A Little Recommended Reading

BISMARCK, ND—North Dakota’s Governor today vetoed what would have been the strictest anti-abortion bill in the nation. The bill would have banned abortions except in cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life was in danger.             ''History is full of accounts of the misuse of governmental power, often for a 'good' cause,'' the … Continue reading “Government . . . Must Not Play God”

Here’s a correction and a little more information on what I wrote yesterday about the XTO application to drill for oil beside the Elkhorn Ranch. The hearing on XTO’s application is in front of the Oil and Gas Division of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, not the full Industrial Commission itself. That means the oil … Continue reading Just West Of Ruby Tuesday’s

Okay, next crisis. There seems to be one every day for people like us who are concerned about the impact the oil industry is having on western North Dakota. Negative impact, that is. There are lots of positive impacts. I take note of those, and am grateful, like every other North Dakotan. It’s the negative … Continue reading Come Early, Stay Late

There’s a big building on the edge of downtown Bismarck that’s home to many civic functions, concerts, basketball tournaments and recreational uses by the community. But it’s not big enough, in the minds of Bismarck city leaders, for the kinds of events the city is capable of hosting. Seating is too limited. It should be … Continue reading Where Should We Build A Civic Center? Ask Harold and Evan and Dave

There is an AP story about the 2013 North Dakota Moose and Elk License Proclamation on the Grand Forks Herald’s website today that is very confusing to me. The story is basically a short version of the press release sent out by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department this past Monday. It says that … Continue reading A Question For The ND Game And Fish Department: Do You Think We’re Stupid?

Count Bighorn Sheep as another casualty of North Dakota’s oil boom. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has moved what’s left of a herd of Bighorn Sheep away from heavily traveled U.S. Highway 85 in the North Dakota Bad Lands to protect them from the heavy truck traffic on the highway. The move comes … Continue reading Watch Out For The Bighorns