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Here's part of an article which appears in the November issue of Dakota Country magazine, on the news stands now. “If we find the moral courage to save the Little Missouri River valley today we will congratulate ourselves 100 years from now, just as we congratulate Theodore Roosevelt for bucking the industrial zeitgeist a hundred … Continue reading ‘Do What You Want, But Stay Off Of My Little Mo’

I wasn’t going to write about drug prices again because I like my pharmacist, and don’t want to create any ill will toward him or Bismarck-Mandan pharmacists in general. Our pharmacists are not to blame for the outrageous behavior in the prescription drug business. They’re simply retailers, pawns in the big game of chess being … Continue reading Taking Care Of My Eyes, One Canadian Drop At A Time

“It’s like working on a health time bomb, we are the guinea pigs for the largest condensate spill in U.S. history. I am glad I got out but feel sorry for workers still there.” Those are the words of Paul Lehto, the man who's publicly blowing the whistle on what is proving to be one of the largest … Continue reading A ‘Health Time Bomb’ In North Dakota’s Oil Patch

NDCC CHAPTER 61-29 LITTLE MISSOURI STATE SCENIC RIVER ACT The purpose of this chapter shall be to preserve the Little Missouri River as nearly as possible in its present state, which shall mean that the river will be maintained in a free-flowing natural condition, and to establish a Little Missouri River Commission. NDCC 61-29 Little Missouri … Continue reading It’s Okay To Skip This Meeting – That’s What They Want.

When I was a boy growing up in southwest North Dakota, I used to tag along with my dad on his pheasant, grouse and deer hunting trips, mostly along the Cedar River in Adams and Grant Counties. Dad was an optometrist in the small town of Hettinger, the county seat of Adams County, and many, … Continue reading Why The Bad Lands Are Important To Me

Well, Wylie Bice gets to keep his bridge. And he won’t be going to the pokey. If you’ve got enough money out there in the oil patch, you can get away with pretty much anything. If you’ve been following this story, you know that Bice is the guy who put a big concrete bridge over … Continue reading The Bridge Stays

I’m not quite sure what to think of this young fellow named Josh Gallion, North Dakota’s elected State Auditor. But two newspaper articles about him in the last couple of days got me to chuckling a little bit. The first was Mike Jacobs’ column in Tuesday’s Grand Forks Herald about the recent history of the … Continue reading “Undocumented.” “Unlocated.” “Unfound.” “Somewhere.”

(I wrote this five years ago, on the 30th anniversary of my father’s death. It’s worth reprinting on Father’s Day.) The United States entered World War II shortly after the bombing at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Just a few months later, in the Spring of 1942, at the close of the Devils Lake … Continue reading Remembering A Great Man On Father’s Day

Sometime today, Thursday, June 13, 2019, I expect to receive some of the worst news I’ve had in many years. I expect to receive an e-mail from a friendly fellow at the North Dakota Department of Transportation who’s just doing his job, who means no ill will, who doesn’t want to be the bearer of … Continue reading A Thousand Trucks A Day Moves One Step Closer to Reality Today

Senate Bill 2001, passed by the 2019 Legislature, is the appropriations bill for the North Dakota Governor’s Office. It’s 8 sections long, and contains an appropriation of about four and a half million dollars to pay the governor and lieutenant governor and their staff, their travel expenses and their office supplies. It has a line … Continue reading Let’s Not Let Bad Politics Ruin Our Chance To Honor Theodore Roosevelt