Category: Law, Government, Politics

We return now to an old, familiar story, a story of some really bad guys doing some really bad things to the North Dakota environment (or enviornment, as the Bismarck Tribune spells it in really big headlines on the front page today—have you ever seen a worse newspaper?), getting caught by state “regulators,” then given … Continue reading Who’s Looking Out For North Dakota? Surprise, It’s The United States Government. Good For Them. Good For Us.

“Then there’s the strange case of Drew Wrigley, the Lieutenant Governor and, many thought, heir apparent to the office. Wrigley has gotten himself tangled up in a messy personal situation that probably precludes his nomination . . .” That’s what I wrote a month ago today, on a quiet Tuesday morning, in an article ostensibly … Continue reading The End of the Drew Wrigley Story . . . For Now

The first decision of Wayne Stenehjem’s soon-to-be-officially-announced campaign for North Dakota Governor comes tomorrow (Thursday), when the three-person Industrial Commission, of which he is a member, decides whether to give the Oil Industry a big wet kiss on the lips or a tiny slap on the hands. At issue is whether the Commission will stick … Continue reading For Wayne Stenehjem, It’s Campaign Decision Time

The noose around James Henrikson’s neck got a little tighter this week—figuratively speaking, since prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty for Henrikson for allegedly masterminding the murder-for-hire that included the killing of a young North Dakota oilfield worker. Henrikson sat in a Spokane courtroom this past Wednesday and watched three men who … Continue reading Henrikson Murder Trial Set For Oct. 5; Meanwhile, Search For Body Continues

Two comments on the state of politics today: John Hoeven lied. Start practicing now, so you are ready, in 2017, to say “Governor Stenehjem” and “President Clinton.” First John Hoeven. I am glad that it took me a few days to get around to writing this, because last week I was walking through a dusty … Continue reading President Clinton. Governor Stenehjem.

I want to bring you up to date on the threats to the Elkhorn Ranch, Theodore Roosevelt’s ranch in the North Dakota Badlands, called by many the “Cradle of Conservation,” because it was there that the future President began developing his deep conservation ethic, and later became our greatest conservation president ever. I’ve mentioned these … Continue reading Semi-Annual Elkhorn Ranch Update

This morning's Bismarck Tribune had a front page story about the Catholic bishop of Bismarck announcing that he would no longer allow Catholic churches in his diocese to sponsor Boy Scout troops. He said in the story that the Boy Scouts of America's decision to allow gay Scout leaders "prompted him to decide that the … Continue reading Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged

According to the man who says he killed Kristopher “K.C.” Clarke, the young oilfield worker who disappeared more than three years ago is buried in one of North Dakota’s Bad Lands parks—likely Little Missouri State Park or the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. That’s one of the apparent confessions made by Timothy Suckow … Continue reading The Ugliest Story Yet From North Dakota’s Oil Patch

I’m going to Hettinger, my hometown, today. Class reunion. A chance to see many old friends. But I’d rather be in Chicago. Let me tell you why. Just about exactly 20 years ago, on the morning of July 8, 1995, I was sitting under the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Memorial in St. Louis, … Continue reading The Dead Have Risen, For A Weekend, At Least

Over the past couple of years I have written several times about the decline in North Dakota’s wildlife population since the Bakken Boom began. It may just be a coincidence that numbers of game species (deer, sage grouse, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope, to name a few) have been decimated at the same time as … Continue reading Empty Deer Camps